Producing VCSELs at scale and other photonics research activities from across the pond: Dr. Jack Baker

Abstract:

I will give an overview of my research activities in photonics to date, which has mainly been concerned with the design, fabrication, and characterisation of VCSELs in a volume manufacturing setting. I will discuss the assessment of quality and uniformity of VCSEL epitaxial material via on-wafer characterisation of stripped back Quick VCSELs (QuickSELs). I will outline the issues associated with the scale-up of epitaxy on large diameter (6”+) GaAs substrates and the potential benefits of Ge as a replacement, and this will include an experimental comparison of 940 nm VCSELs grown on GaAs and Ge.

My visit to UIUC is a result of the Cardiff-Illinois strategic partnership agreement signed in 2023 which aims to develop and sustain collaboration between our two institutions. As such, I will also go on to describe my involvement in other research projects and I will give an overview of other compound semiconductor/photonics research taking place in Cardiff and the funding opportunities available.

Biography:

Jack Baker is a postdoctoral research associate in optoelectronics at Cardiff University. His work focusses on the design, fabrication, and characterisation of III-V devices, principally VCSELs. His doctoral studentship was co-sponsored by the advanced epi-wafer manufacturer IQE and he graduated with a PhD in Physics in 2024.