Optics and photonics
Optics and photonics encompass the science and technology of light, enabling technologies such as lasers, cameras, displays, optical fibers and solar cells. The field plays an important role in many emerging technologies including 5G, quantum computing, autonomous machines, and renewable energy. Research in this area is highly interdisciplinary: Electrical engineers collaborate with materials scientists, physicists and mechanical engineers. Research topics include optical and optoelectronic devices (laser, photodetectors, modulators), imaging systems for biomedical applications, machine vision, and fundamental optical sciences at the nanoscale.
Faculty
- Dan Botez
- Jennifer Choy
- Chirag Gupta
- Robert Jacobberger
- Akhilesh Jaiswal
- Hongrui Jiang
- Mikhail Kats
- Irena Knezevic
- Zhenqiang Ma
- Luke Mawst
- Shubhra Pasayat
- Eric Tervo
- Dan van der Weide
- Andreas Velten
- Ying Wang
- Zongfu Yu
Focus on Faculty – Mikhail Kats
Research labs and facilities
- Kats Research Group
- Laboratory for Optical and Computational Instrumentation (LOCI)
- Mawst Laboratory
- Micro-Nano Sensors and Actuators Lab (MNSA)
- Nanoscale Quantum Materials and Devices Research Group
- Photonics Lab at UW-Madison
- The Computational Optics Research Group
- Wide-Bandgap Materials and Devices Lab
- Wisconsin Centers for Nanoscale Technology
- Wisconsin Nano Engineering Device (WISNED) Laboratory
PhD student Rabeeya Hamid sets up an optics experiment that converts infrared images into the visible – a new approach to night vision that does not require external power or electronics. Many research groups in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering set up table top optics experiments like this one as they pursue new technologies in the fields of imaging, sensing, communication, computation, manufacturing, and energy.