3DnanoGiant

Photonics has revolutionized technological innovations and data communication with fiber-optic connections while computing and data processing is still performed by electronics via power-hungry optical-electrical conversion.

To overcome such limitations and expand the functionality of photonics from linear to nonlinear operations, new integrable materials that enable all-optical signal processing at very low light intensities are needed. Currently, there is a lack of materials with large third-order nonlinearity, high speed and easy processability and integration in 2D and 3D structures.

In this scenario, 3DnanoGiant will develop new nonlinear photonic materials that can be integrated into heterogeneous functional platforms or chiplets. To this end, I will exploit the giant optical nonlinearity of liquid crystals (ten orders of magnitude larger than that of silicon), for new formulations and lithographic strategies by which the liquid crystals will be confined in a printable polymer network. Their 3D nanopatterning will enable the production of multidimensional hybrid nonlinear photonic devices, from all-optical 2D logic gates and ultrafast nonlinear activation functions to self-oscillating 3D photonic crystals. In parallel, a new unsupervised bottom-up 3D printing technology will be explored.

The goals of 3DnanoGiant will redefine the state-of-the-art in integrated nonlinear photonics with practical and versatile heterogeneous chip for fast and energy-efficient optical processing.

INRiM hosts 3DnanoGiant project and will see the collaboration with the European Laboratory for Nonlinear Spectroscopy (third party) and the University of Florence (affiliated Entity).