Optoelectronic or photonic technologies influence our lives today in a way that we could never have imagined just a few decades ago. Optics now enables several of the largest global industries such as fiber-optic communications, optical sensing, solar energy conversion and LED lighting. It has enabled huge advances in health-care and life sciences and in the chemical, electronic, aerospace and automotive manufacturing industries. In the coming decades, photonics will play an even more important role as systems integrating photonics, electronics and bio-chemical/analytical functions become ubiquitous in the global society.

The establishment of Tyndall has enabled the creation of a critical mass of photonics research with more than 60 staff and students spanning activities ranging from quantum optics, photonic components and subsystems to optical communications systems. Many of Tyndall’s photonics researchers are recognised worldwide for their accomplishments. The photonics activity has been greatly enhanced by the addition of a Photonic Systems Group, led by Prof. David Cotter, originally based in the former Corning Research Labs. in the UK. At the start of 2005, this team moved into a new photonics building with over 1000m2 of world class facilities in which to further build this capability.

Because of the ubiquitous application of photonic components, the field is now entering a new phase in which cost reduction will be achieved by designing monolithic and hybrid optical and electro-optical subsystems on platforms that are reusable across different applications and industries to support high volume manufacture. At Tyndall, we already have expertise in many of the skills necessary to develop these new technologies, namely: materials, design, assembly, interconnection, packaging and silicon microsystems fabrication. The integration of these skills into a total photonics systems capability will be a key aspect of the strategic plan for Tyndall’s future.

Quantum Optics: research consists of studies of  erbium-doped microsphere lasers for the telecommunications industry and the interactions between cold atoms and surfaces and/or light fields. Discover More...

Photonic Systems: covers a broad range of advanced and novel photonic systems with applications in ICT (Information and Communications Technology) and Biotechnology. Photonics harnesses the optical properties of materials and devices to obtain, convey or process information. Discover More...

Optoelectronics: research is involved in the study of semiconductor lasers and amplifiers for applications in opto-electronics but also to study non-linear dynamics and quantum optics. Please visit our research page to discover the exciting research carried out in our group. Discover More...

Sources: we develop photonic sources that cover the UV, visible, and infrared parts of the spectrum. These sources have unique physical structures added to them during the fabrication process to provide enhanced performance (wavelength, beam quality, function). Discover More...

Nanostructures: focuses on experimental research in the areas of nanoimprint lithography, photonic crystals and quasicrystals, quantum dots, electron-phonon interactions, confined phonons and nanotubes. The group is equipped with a large and varied array of instrumentation including high-resolution Raman scattering, magneto-optics up to 8T, photo- and cathodoluminescence, angle-resolved reflectivity and transmission spectroscopy... and more. Discover More...

Theory: focuses on some of the most promising emerging materials areas for next generation devices, including dilute nitride alloys and semiconductor quantum dot structures. We investigate the electronic structure, as well as gain and loss mechanisms in these and related material systems. Discover More...