Active and Passive Nanophtonic Integrated Circuit Components

John O'Brien is the senior associate dean of academic affairs at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and a professor of electrical engineering and electrophysics. He also heads the USC Microphotonic Devices Group. His research interests include photonic band structure engineering in semiconductor photonics and the development of microcavity photonic crystal lasers.

O'Brien and his group use HPCC resources for the modeling and testing of photonic crystal lasers' optical devices that are components of high-bandwidth optical network fibers. The group divides photonic crystal devices into two primary categories: those with active components, which produce light, and those with passive ones, which guide light. Among the smallest in the world, these devices hold extraordinary potential for improving network communication speeds.

Using large-scale, 3-D simulations, nanofabrication techniques, and numerical modeling, the group designs, builds, and tests active and passive devices, with the goal of routing data signals in the optical domain for faster network communication speeds.

O'Brien's group has been involved with the development of microcavity photonic crystal lasers since their inception and has published important experimental and theoretical research papers on this class of laser structure. O'Brien's work is supported by the National Science Foundation and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). O'Brien has been awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) for designing a microcavity laser that is among the smallest ever built. He has also received the National Science Foundation's Early Career Development Award.