Topological photonics, an emerging field in photonics, offers a novel route for realizing photonic devices with unprecedented functionalities. Optical waveguides with topological protection can guide light robustly even in the presence of structural imperfections and/or sharp waveguide bends, which is highly attractive for integrated photonics. The use of semiconductor photonic crystals is a promising approach to realize such topological optical devices in integrated photonics platforms.

The webinar will start with a brief introduction of topological photonics, before discussing how to construct topological states of light in semiconductor photonic crystals. Prof. Iwamoto will provide an overview of the recent progress in topological nanophotonics based on semiconductor photonic crystals, including his recent works on topological slow light waveguides and topological nanocavities. Finally, the webinar will discuss future challenges in semiconductor topological nanophotonics.

Subject Matter Level: Intermediate - Assumes basic knowledge of the topic

What You Will Learn:

• An overview of integrated photonic devices for topological photonics
• How to construct topological states of light in semiconductor photonic crystals
• Recent developments in the field and experimental work on the subject

About the Presenter: Satoshi Iwamoto, University of Tokyo

Satoshi Iwamoto is a professor at the Research Center of Advanced Science and Technology and the Institute of Industrial Science at the University of Tokyo. He received his PhD in 2002 in applied physics from the University of Tokyo. During his PhD, he studied photorefractive effect in semiconductor quantum wells. After he joined the University of Tokyo as a research associate, he started research on photonic nanostructures. His research interests include topological photonics and phononics, singular optics, light-matter interaction in photonic nanostructures, and fabrication technology of photonic nanostructures. He received Young Scientist Award of Japanese Society of Applied Physics (2000), the Young Scientists’ Prize, the Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (2012), and the 45th Laser Society of Japan/Distinguished Paper Award (Review Paper Section) (2021). He is a Fellow of the Optical Society (OSA).