Photonics from the Macroscale to the Nanoscale: Full spectrum solar energy conversion, two-dimensional semiconductors, and optical metasurfaces

Abstract
Photonic materials and devices hold great potential to address pressing societal challenges related to energy use, sensing, communications, space exploration, and more. In this talk I will address three key technologies we are developing that harness light-material interactions.

1) We are building systems designed to more fully harvest the entire solar spectrum, generating both electricity and high temperature process heat for a range of commercial and industrial applications.

2) We are synthesizing novel two-dimensional semiconductor materials at wafer scale and are studying their unique properties for optoelectronic device applications.

3) We are developing low-loss and tunable optical metasurfaces featuring highly resonant nanophotonic antennas, which offer the potential for revolutionary new optical functionality by enabling light manipulation by design.

More info: Escarra-Seminar-Abstract-and-Bio-Spring-2019