Welcome to Optima
Unleashing speed and efficiency through photonic integrated circuits
We are a photonics research group within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northeastern University. Our lab is also part of the Institute for NanoSystems Innovation (NanoSI), and is based on Northeastern’s scenic Oakland campus, strategically located near Silicon Valley.
At the Optima Lab, our focus is on innovating optoelectronic devices and advancing large-scale photonic integrated circuits (PICs). In the era of artificial intelligence, the demand for processing and training massive datasets necessitates faster and more efficient hardware. PICs are gaining prominence due to their superior bandwidth, reduced latency, and lower energy consumption. By leveraging the unique properties of photons, PICs offer a powerful and versatile hardware platform for applications in interconnects, neural networks, sensing, biology, quantum technology, and computing. Our research spans the entire process of PICs, from design and tape-out to nanofabrication and measurement.
Optoelectronic Devices
Photonic Integrated Circuits
Optical Interconnects/Accelerators
Research Overview
Optoelectronic Devices
- Avalanche photodiodes
- Single-photon avalanche diodes
- Microring resonator modulators
- Non-volatile photonic devices
- Nonlinear optical devices
Photonic Integrated Circuits
- Silicon photonics
- Heterogeneous integration
- Optical interconnects
- Optical neuromorphic computing
- Squeeze light quantum sensing
Why Our Work Matters
We believe that by leveraging the unique properties of light, we can solve some of the world’s most complex technological challenges, from communication to accelerating AI. Large-scale, ultra-compact, and multi-materials PICs will bring light to a wide range of applications, including communications, biosensing, autonomous driving, defense, aerospace, quantum technologies, and beyond.
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