CENTER FOR LASER AND PHOTONICS RESEARCH

"The Center for Laser and Photonics Research . . . is now well-positioned to serve as a catalyst to keep Oklahoma on the leading edge in critical new laser and photonics technologies."

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The past year has been a very successful one in all areas for the Center for Laser and Photonics Research. The Center has continued to gain stability, increase external funding, and launch new initiatives. It is now well-positioned to serve as a catalyst to keep Oklahoma on the leading edge in critical new laser and photonics technologies.

Established in 1989 as a multi-disciplinary research unit, the Center for Laser and Photonics Research was later named one of three state Centers of Excellence by the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology. OCAST funding expired last year; however, the Center is viewed as a "success story" because it continues to grow stronger in Oklahoma and to establish its reputation in national and international scientific, industrial, and medical circles.

The Center's Mission is to provide leadership in establishing a critical new high-technology base that will enhance the competitiveness of Oklahoma and OSU, thereby helping the University achieve its mission of teaching, research, and extension.

The goals of the Center are:

To expand current laser and photonics research in Oklahoma into a world-class, multidisciplinary center for excellence dedicated to the advancement of science and technology related to lasers, photonics materials and devices, and their applications;
To provide a focal point of laser and photonics technology expertise for the support of high technology industries and research laboratories in Oklahoma; and
To attract top quality scientists, engineers, and medical doctors to Oklahoma and recruit outstanding students to the state and provide them with state-of-the-art education in laser and photonics science and technology.

As of July 1, 1996, the name of the University Center for Laser Research was officially changed to the Center for Laser and Photonics Research (CLPR). Photonics is a multidisciplinary area that encompasses optics (lasers) and electronics. It is one of the fastest growing high-tech areas in the U.S. and throughout the world and is posed to revolutionize current electronic technology by the early 21st century. It is projected to be a multi-billion-dollar industry in its own right by the year 2000. The incorporation of "Photonics" in the Center's name was a result of research trends in the Center, as well as widespread trends in national and international high technology areas. The new name reflects the broader, updated scope of a dynamic technology Center. During the past year, the Center has been engaged in many diverse initiatives and is currently leading the way in a number of endeavors.

New Initiatives

The Center is providing the leadership in establishing the first Statewide, Multidisciplinary Cleanroom User Facilities for materials synthesis, processing, device fabrication, and testing. This initiative is an important milestone for OSU and the state as there are currently no such facilities in existence in any Oklahoma university or industry. Coupled to the cleanroom, the Center is also augmenting OSU semiconductor crystal growth capabilities to further strengthen OSU's and the state's photonics programs. The wide-ranging impact of this innovative research will prove beneficial to the state's economic development because it spans broad areas including engineering, agriculture, the medical community and health industries, as well as basic science. This technology has unlimited practical application in telecommunications, computers, TV and alphanumerical displays, medical diagnostics and treatment, compact discs, oil drilling, agriculture, environmental science, automobiles, food processing, and underwater communications.

These initiatives are critical to improving the ability of Oklahoma firms to compete at progressively higher levels in the national and international markets and to encourage the development of new firms. Plans are underway at OSU to develop a Research Park that will serve as an "incubator" for product development and provide an additional vehicle for OSU-Industrial collaborations. The Center's cleanroom facilities are expected to be one of the "anchors" in the University's Research Park effort.

The Center is playing a key role in the critical new Biophotonics Initiative to link lasers and photonics to medical research and the health care community. This initiative will capitalize on the cleanroom facilities to prototype clinical diagnostic and treatment gadgets and devices for commercialization. Initially, this will be a collaborative effort between OSU and the OU Health Sciences Center but can be expanded to a broader scope. Biophotonics and laser applications in medicine are becoming extremely important. Due to current and future technological innovations in medicine, collaborative efforts among photonics specialists and medical professionals will be essential.

Previously, the OSU multidisciplinary photonics program has focused on industrial and biomedical applications. However, programs are now being expanded to another dimension in multidisciplinary research and development by more closely linking industrial and biomedical photonics programs. The theme of this initiative is to develop a unique national photonics program with the ultimate goal of introducing prototype devices for clinicians and health care services. This will be accomplished by integrating the scientific, engineering, and clinical testing environments and by encompassing all phases from concept through clinical testing. The final stage is the development of innovative products based on cutting-edge optical technology by miniaturizing devices to increase their performance and make them more cost effective. These devices will span a wide variety of biomedical applications, from compact diode lasers in the blue and infrared range to biosensors and ultrafast imaging. The focus of lasers in medical research will easily lead into the development and advancement of new medical industries that will, in turn, positively affect the state's economic development.

The Center has been instrumental in helping OSU attract and retain nationally and internationally prominent faculty and high-quality students. Related to this effort, the CLPR is playing an important role in the development of a Photonics Advanced Degree Program with options in Bio-photonics, Physics, Chemistry, or Electrical Engineering. This program involves several colleges and will be the only one of its kind in the state. OSU has developed the strongest photonics program in Oklahoma, so this course of study will provide unique, multidisciplinary training to prepare scientists and engineers for careers in photonics research and development.

The technology associated with optical communications, optical computation, holographic storage, ultrafast laser applications, and photonic materials and devices requires a detailed knowledge of optical properties and techniques. Consequently, it is important to the career development of future scientists to receive a broad-based, multidisciplinary professional education. In this way, the technological base of the country is strengthened, and the future productivity of the program participants will be enhanced. Graduates from OSU research programs specializing in photonics are already highly sought by industries, universities, and national laboratories, and since this program will train specialists in the field of photonics, the demand should only increase and also serve to enhance Oklahoma's ability to attract high-tech industries. Considering OSU's strong background in photonics and materials research and the high-quality of faculty in these areas, the Photonics Degree Program could soon become a significant catalyst for economic development in Oklahoma, for increased visibility of OSU's research programs, and for attracting top quality faculty and students to the University.

Facilities

The Center for Laser and Photonics Research is housed in the Noble Research Center complex and includes more than 20,000 square feet of state-of-the art laser laboratories and computer facilities.

Example Research Equipment

More than 30 laser stations
Charge coupled devices
Image convergers & image intensifiers
Various highpower diode lasers
CW argon lasers
Ultrafast optical communications equipment
Krypton lasers
Ultrafast THz electronic systems
Tunable femtosecond Ti: sapphire lasers
Numerous ultrafast oscilloscopes & averagers
Nd: YAG lasers
Numerous electronic devices such as generators, delay generators, spectrum analyzers, power supplies, etc.
Pulsed dye & cw lasers
Tunable Alexandrite lasers
Ho: YAG lasers
Optical multi-channel detectors

Faculty

The Center for Laser and Photonics Research is the only "University Center" where faculty and laboratories are physically drawn together to advance the quality of education and research. Its multidisciplinary nature combines more than 50 faculty, staff, research associates, and graduate students from the Departments of Physics, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Chemistry, and the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Faculty Associated with the Center and their Specialities

B. Ackerson, colloidal physics: structures and phase transitions in equilibrium and nonequilibrium state of suspended particles
D. Bandy, optical device modeling: theoretical models that describe the nonlinear behavior of optical devices
K. Bartels, veterinary medicine surgical laser applications: laser-tissue interactions and development of improved fiber delivery systems for advanced laser surgery techniques
D. Grischkowsky, THz optoelectronics and ultrafast laser science: THz time-domain spectroscopy, high-speed electronic and optoelectronic materials and devices, ultrafast optoelectronic techniques and their application to extremely high-speed wire and free-space interconnect schemes
B. Hauenstein, MBE growth and characterization of advanced thin film semiconductor materials: microscopic physics of epitaxial crystal growth, fundamental processes of MBE-grown semiconductor multilayer structures (heterostructures)
E. Knobbe, preparation and laser processing of optical materials: preparation and characterization of novel optical media and laser processing of advanced materials
J. Krasinski, laser and nonlinear systems: new laser systems and nonlinear optical devices, nonlinear frequency conversion, high-selectivity atomic filters, application of thermal waves, ultrafast laser science, biomedical and industrial laser applications
D. Peakheart, crystal growth, optical characterization, and radiation damage in solid state laser materials: the effects of damaging radiation on the lasing characteristics of solid state laser materials
S. Schafer, biomedical laser research: fundamental physical and chemical mechanism involved when lasers interact with biological materials using optical absorption and fluorescence measurements, spectroscopy, high-speed photography and nonlinear optical excitation
J. Song, quantum photonic materials and devices: investigation of optical, electrical, and structural properties of advanced technology materials with device applications, including semiconductor quantum well structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy and other advanced epitaxial growth techniques, with layer thicknesses on the order of several atomic monolayers
J. Wicksted, optical properties of materials: Brillouin, Raman, and micro-Raman spectroscopic techniques to determine optical properties of materials

The OSU Center for Laser and Photonics Research has established a reputation for quality faculty and quality research. Among its strengths are its nationally and internationally recognized faculty members, 10 of whom are tenured. Faculty are leaders in many professional organizations, serve as reviewers for refereed publications and agencies, and participate as invited speakers, chairs, and committee members for national and international conferences. Center faculty average 3-4 refereed publications per year, have received three patents since the Center's inception, and have been instrumental in developing techniques now used in industrial, medical, and military settings.

Research

High-tech research is an important priority at OSU. The Center has experienced growth in research and sponsored program activities and expects to continue to play a significant role in attracting external funding. This past year, as a result of the Center's increased funding endeavors, external support for the Center was at one of its highest levels since its establishment, despite the dwindling dollars available for research.

Example Research Accomplishments

Current work on blue-light emitting semiconducting lasers
Development of an optoelectronic THz beam system
Construction of group-velocity matched ultrashort pulse nonlinear frequency conversion schemes
Development of the first self-starting and self-modelocking Titanium-sapphire laser
Research and development on laser-induced holographic gratings in rare-earth doped glasses
Dynamic light scattering studies of colloidal suspensions

The Center for Laser and Photonics Research provides a focal point of expertise for the support of high-technology industries, research laboratories, and medical institutions within Oklahoma and around the country. As OSU strives for research excellence with a goal of advancing to a Carnegie I Research Institution, the CLPR will continue to play a leading role in this effort through its innovative research.

The Center's unique structure bridges traditional academic boundaries to promote technology transfer from the departments and colleges involved in industry and biomedicine and to facilitate University-Industry collaborations. University-Industry joint efforts are closely tied to Oklahoma's economic development through the strengthening of existing industries and the creation of new companies, products, and jobs. This economic growth, in turn, helps the University through an increase in the amount and level of research and increased enrollment.

It is clear that future federal research funding will be focused on University-Industry collaborations. Because of the changing environment in federal funding, the Center is actively participating in this trend toward more University-Industry collaborations and technology transfer. Many Oklahoma industries have been partners in these endeavors, including Eagle-Picher in Miami, Frontier Engineering in Stillwater, 3M in Weatherford, and Worldcom in Tulsa. These cooperative projects have resulted in numerous devices, processes, and patents, thus enhancing the companies' manufacturing capabilities and competitiveness. For example, one model collaborative effort is an ongoing federally funded program involving the Center, Air Force Wright-Patterson Laboratories, and Eagle-Picher Industries to build photonic devices based on nitride semiconductors. Other representative collaborative efforts include the optical quality program with 3M (recently changed to Imation) and the optical bidirectional communications program with Worldcom.

A good climate already exists at OSU for these cooperative research and development activities.

Expanding the Center's initiatives and capabilities will significantly enhance these efforts.

With the Center's strong history and extensive experiences in successful joint efforts, we hope to identify avenues for utilizing these resources for mutual benefit of all entities involved.

NSF EPSCoR Center for Photonic and Electronic Materials and Devices

In the fall of 1995, Oklahoma State University received approximately $1.5 million from NSF EPSCoR to support three Centers, one of which is the "Center for Photonic and Electronic Materials and Devices." This award was matched by the State of Oklahoma. Dr. Jin-Joo Song, Director, Center for Laser and Photonics Research, serves as the lead scientist for the OSU Photonics Center. Administrative support for this NSF EPSCoR virtual research center at OSU is provided by the CLPR. A broad range of multidisciplinary faculty is involved, including physicists, chemists, engineers, and biotechnologists from the University of Oklahoma, the University of Tulsa, and OSU. The major thrust of this NSF EPSCoR project is photonic materials, applications, and ultrafast opto-electronics. Consequently, all the initiatives in the CLPR will be value-added programs to the statewide NSF EPSCoR Center. In December 1995, the OSU NSF EPSCoR Center issued the first Call for Proposals for innovative, multidisciplinary research projects compatible with the major thrust area of the Center. This Call resulted in substantial research support to faculty in physics, chemistry, and electrical engineering. The second Call for Proposals was issued in the summer of 1996. This national research effort is playing a crucial role in attracting, and especially in retaining, high-quality senior endowed chair and junior faculty and outstanding students.

The Future

The Center for Laser and Photonics Research is building on its existing strengths and working to enhance its position as a nationally and internationally known Center of Excellence for its leadership in lasers in basic science, industry, medicine, photonics, and other high-tech arenas. The continuing efforts of the Center, when coupled with the new initiatives, will promote the education of tomorrow's scientists, engineers, and technicians, provide important new research in emerging interdisciplinary areas and applications in lasers and photonics, and significantly increase state and national high technology bases, thus providing Oklahoma State University and the Center for Laser and Photonics Research the competitive edge needed to enter the 21st century.