Current telecommunication technology relies on optical modulators made primarily from epitaxially grown materials such as indium phosphide. These epitaxially grown materials are expensive to produce, complex to manufacture, and limited in scalability. In response to these limitations, there is a growing demand for novel colloidal materials that can operate within standard telecommunication wavelength (1550 nm), while offering low-cost, flexible, and solution-processed fabrication methods – capabilities that are beyond the reach of traditional epitaxial approaches. MCE aims to develop the first CMOS-compatible and compliant with Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) light modulator based on colloidal materials capable of operating at 1550 nm. The main objectives of MCE are: (i) synthesis of a novel type of colloidal material, (ii) material design at the nanoscale level, and (iii) device engineering at the supra-nanocrystalline level. In MCE, colloidal indium antimonide quantum rods will be presented for the first time. These will be synthesised by in situ complexation of metal halides, followed by anisotropic growth driven by metal nanoparticle formation during the colloidal synthesis process. Through effective surface passivation, MCE is expected to achieve luminescence efficiencies at least an order of magnitude higher than the highest reported value for indium antimonide colloidal quantum dots. Fabricated modulators are expected to operate at 1550 nm and also at low bias (<3 V) to be compatible with conventional CMOS electronics. The results of MCE represent a scalable, low-cost, and RoHS-compliant technology breakthrough for next-generation infrared optoelectronics.
Project funding:
Research Council of Lithuania, Projects of Postdoctoral fellowships funded by the state budget of the Republic of Lithuania
Period of project implementation: 2026-03-02 - 2028-03-01
Project coordinator: Kaunas University of Technology
