Goals and Objectives
Research Areas:- Optoelectronic and optical devices based on organic-inorganic materials
- Nanostructures from organic-inorganic materials
- Nanophotonics based on halide perovskites
Project Goal: Creation of new materials for promising optoelectronic and optical devices based on combining the advantages of organic-inorganic materials and nanophotonic structures, development of high-efficiency devices for nonlinear optics, as well as for optoelectronics
Scientific Results
The laboratory is a pioneer of a new field in Russia: silicon and dielectric nanophotonics for optoelectronics, as well as nanophotonic devices based on semiconductor nanostructures. The laboratory actively researches effects related to the nonlinear interaction of high-power femtosecond laser pulses with silicon and other dielectrics and semiconductors. Within this framework, it has been demonstrated that laser pulses can create various silicon nanostructures. New nanophotonic devices for optical signal modulation in semiconductor nanostructure designs were also proposed and published in leading international journals. The laboratory was also the first to experimentally and theoretically demonstrate the possibility of precision laser tuning of the scattering radiation pattern of a single "hybrid" (metal-dielectric) nanoantenna, consisting of silicon and gold nanoparticles, across almost the entire visible spectrum. This opened new possibilities for ultra-dense optical recording of color information at speeds inherent to the most advanced laser technologies. Furthermore, several methods for high-performance creation of various dielectric and hybrid nanostructures for nanophotonics have been successfully developed. Specifically, the laboratory was the first in Russia to apply the laser printing method for nanoparticles and proposed a significant optimization that reduces technology costs, based on the fact that crystalline silicon nanoparticles can be obtained from inexpensive amorphous films of low initial quality. Additionally, the world's first laser printing of gold-silicon nanoparticles enabled the creation of subwavelength white light sources (emission wavelengths from 400 to 950 nm) and a white-light near-field microscope based on them, which allows for scanning various nano-objects across a wide range of wavelengths an order of magnitude faster than commercially available microscopes. This development is further protected by an invention patent. The laboratory initiated a new direction—perovskite nanophotonics—aimed at developing a new platform for optical signal generation, transmission, and modulation. Indeed, halide perovskites (e.g., APbX3, where A is a cation like Cs or CH3NH3 molecules, and X is an anion based on one or more halogens: iodine (I), bromine (Br), and chlorine (Cl)) are direct-bandgap semiconductors with high luminescence quantum efficiency that is much more resistant to crystal structure defects. Nanoantennas and metasurfaces made of this material were experimentally demonstrated for the first time, showing the possibility of simple tuning of their optical resonances across the visible spectrum by varying halogens. The use of advanced laser ablation methods allowed for the creation of millions of perovskite microdisk lasers in minutes. The laboratory also pioneered the concept of integrating silicon nanoantennas into perovskite optoelectronic devices, where resonant silicon nanoparticles improved an organic-inorganic perovskite solar cell, bringing its efficiency to 21%. Furthermore, the world's most compact optically pumped semiconductor laser (a cuboid measuring 310 nm) operating at room temperature in the visible range (emission wavelength approximately 530 nm) was demonstrated.Implementation of research results
Since its inception, the laboratory has accumulated extensive experience and secured several patents for manufacturing technologies of perovskite optoelectronic devices, such as LEDs and solar cells. Currently, the laboratory collaborates with the Russian Center for Flexible Electronics (Troitsk), which features Class 7 cleanrooms equipped with industrial slot-die extrusion systems for wet chemistry thin-film deposition. A laboratory-scale version of this technology is implemented at the Laboratory of Hybrid Nanophotonics and Optoelectronics. This collaboration is expected to facilitate the introduction of perovskite optoelectronic devices to the domestic market.Organizational and infrastructural transformations
During the first phase of the laboratory's operation in 2017–2019, a unique complex of measurement and technological equipment was established, based on a glovebox system, a fully equipped chemical laboratory, and systems for the optical characterization of nanomaterials and optoelectronic devices. In 2021, a new chemical section was prepared for commissioning.Additionally, in 2020, the laboratory organized its own small mechanical section for the rapid execution of mechanical, locksmith, and technological tasks that inevitably arise during the design of thin-film optoelectronic devices and the development of technological tooling for their manufacture and characterization.
Education and personnel retraining
- 4 PhD and 7 Master's theses have been prepared and defended.
- Staff members have developed and teach a semester-long English-language course for ITMO University Master's students titled "Experimental Methods of Nanophotonics."
- Laboratory head S.V. Makarov is the organizer of the annual international School for young scientists "SLALOM."
Cooperation
City University of Hong Kong, Harbin Engineering University (China), University of Rome Tor Vergata (Italy), Australian National University (Australia): joint research.Website: https://perolab.ifmo.ru/
Contact person: Sergey Vladimirovich Makarov, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
Address: 9 Lomonosova St.
Phone: +7 (812) 232-14-67
Contact person: Sergey Vladimirovich Makarov, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
Address: 9 Lomonosova St.
Phone: +7 (812) 232-14-67
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