Description:
Novel Chalcogenide Materials with Controllable Light Radiation Response Feature
Princeton Docket # 13-2839-1
Chalcogenide glass materials exhibit a variety of optical properties that make them desirable for near and mid-infrared communications and sensing applications. To address the pressing need for optical components fabricated from material that are compatible with the mid-infrared, Princeton University researchers have developed new techniques to obtain optically sensitive materials, with the feature of controllable response to light radiation.
By doping silver nanoparticles into chalcogenide, researchers at Princeton University created a novel material which changes its properties in response to light radiation. When exposed to visible light, either broadband source or laser, silver particles react with the chalcogenide matrix, locally changing the optical properties. Besides silver, a wide range of material can be used as the nanoparticle for doping, including metal and semiconductors. The particle doping technology employed in the preparation process allows freedom to control the properties of the resulting material, resulting in a rich parameter space to fabricate the desired material. One immediate application of this invention would be for use as a mid-infrared holographic volume beam combiner in the 3 to 12 um range, where no comparable device exists.
This novel technique enables economic and reliable fabrication of Mid-IR optical components based on chalcogenide materials. Currently, there are no equivalent materials with such optical features compatible with the mid-infrared spectrum. The technology paves the way for new active and passive devices including sensors and communication components.
The Faculty Inventor
Craig Arnold is Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Associate Director of Academic Affairs in the Princeton Institute for Science and Technology of Materials. His research primarily focuses on laser processing and transport in materials with particular emphasis on shaping laser-material interactions. Among many awards and honors Professor Arnold has won are the NSF Career Award (2006) and ONR Young Investigators Award (2005).
Intellectual Property status
Patent protection is pending.
Princeton is currently seeking commercial partners for the further development and commercialization of this opportunity.
Contact
Micheal Tyerech
Princeton University Office of Technology Licensing
(609) 258-6762 tyerech@princeton.edu