Professorial Lecture by Professor Michael Lebby

Professor of Optoelectronics

Compound semiconductors driving photonics technologies to become the future for high-speed communications through integration, performance, and sustainability

Glyndŵr University, Wales, UK

Thursday 12th June 2014, 7pm

Catrin Finch Centre, Glyndŵr University, Mold Road, Wrexham LL11 2AW

Professorial Lectures are open to all and free to attend. Each lecture will be followed by a reception, where attendees will have the opportunity to meet the speaker and discuss the topic in more detail. This lecture is taking place as part of a number of events being held by the University to mark Universities Week.

To book your place email: lectures@glyndwr.ac.uk or call: 01978 293293.

Compound semiconductors have evolved to become a mature technology for advanced products today that range from laser based systems such as DVD and Blu-ray consumer products to high performing solar cell systems that power satellites and remote solar farms, and to the engines inside huge datacentres that power the internet. This talk focuses on how photonic compound semiconductor technology will positively impact the community by becoming the future engine to drive the internet and communications sectors.

Global market numbers for photonics will be reviewed that show global trends in a number of technology segments, including displays, lighting, solar, and communications. Green photonics is a growing trend that drives efficiency, power reduction and a sustainable, cleaner environment. A review of the trends of green photonics will be made with particular attention to solid state lighting and solar – and Prof Lebby’s contributions in these fields.

Compound semiconductors, like silicon, allow for integration of device components. Silicon has matured, reaching high levels of integration of transistors. Compound semiconductors now have also matured to the point that many different types of device components (lasers, detectors, modulators, multiplexers etc.) can be integrated on a single semiconductor; namely Indium Phosphide (InP). These integrated photonic chips (usually referred to as PICs – Photonic Integrated Circuits) have performance levels demanded by the high-speed communications community for datacentres of 100Gbps and beyond. As datacentres now consume huge amounts of electricity, the demand to design them to be ‘greener’ or more sustainable is ever increasing.

Designing and packaging InP based PICs for high-speed communications will be discussed. Particular attention will be a focus on a highly reliable and robust InP PIC platform with applications that have included lasers, modulators, detectors, waveguides, multiplexers/demultiplexers, and large spot converters. A PIC contains just photonic devices; if electronic transistors are added and integrated then the chip is called an OEIC (Opto-Electronic Integrated Circuit). Excitement at the potential of the OEICs is quickly growing globally, since they offer in principle a way to move on from purely electronic integrated circuits to embrace information processing in optical formats. A short overview will be given on the OEIC.

Compound semiconductors have the potential to address and achieve key metrics demanded today by the internet and communications community in integration, performance, and sustainability. In essence, these photonic chips are becoming the ‘Next generation IC…’ and the presenter is in the vanguard of those developing this technology.

Professor Michael Lebby
Prof Lebby, a world-leading expert in optoelectronics, has recently joined Glyndŵr University as a chair in optoelectronics, the science and technology of electronic devices that process and convert light to and from information signals. This is a part-time appointment and Prof Lebby will continue his primary work as chief executive officer of a leading-edge optoelectronics company.

Prof Lebby took his first degree, MBA and PhD at Bradford University, later being awarded a higher doctoral degree there. Much of his PhD research was undertaken at Bell Laboratories in the USA, one of the world’s leading electronics research establishments, and he continued there before moving to communications giant Motorola, where he spent 10 years.

After that Prof Lebby took on a more entrepreneurial role as a senior manager of several companies. He spent five years as chief executive of the Optoelectronic Industry Development Association in the USA, before returning to assume senior roles in industry. Prof Lebby has also been named chief executive officer of a research-oriented optoelectronics company and is piloting it through a major restructure. He has had close working relationships with leading researchers in optoelectronics in the UK over many years, including involvement with research and development projects in Wales and specifically with the country’s leading optical research centre, at Glyndŵr University’s St Asaph site.

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