Boston University’s Photonics Center will soon begin construction on a new $1.5 million, 1,000-square-foot nano-photonics laboratory, scheduled to open next September, which will allow engineers and developers from outside BU to integrate advances in various nano-sciences.
The lab will also allow collaboration on product developments between BU, government agencies and other corporations, according to a BU press release.
“The research will be primarily involved in trying to understand the shapes and structure of nano-scale devices that are used in photonics systems and bio-systems,” said Photonics Center Deputy Director of Technical Operations Glenn Thoren.
Nano-photonics, which describes the scale of particles and products, is about a thousand times smaller than micro-scale photonics, and Thoren said the field measures minuscule objects.
Thoren said the new facility is expected to develop numerous breakthrough applications in the fields of homeland security, nano-scale sensory and imagery systems and medical diagnostics, such as applying nano-scale devices to carry drugs through the blood stream to different parts of the body.
“There are a number of broad applications you can work toward,” he said. “One of the difficult things in making these types of devices is being able to see what you got. This particular facility is going to be used mostly to understand atom-size structures and atom-sized places and evaluate how they perform as materials, and how you can create new structures. It’s the next step beyond micro-devices.”
Construction costs for the facility came primarily from U.S. military contracts, and Thoren said he hopes to receive more government funding to help afford necessary equipment and laboratory supplies. Previous grants for professors in other departments and from organizations like the National Science Foundation will be put toward equipment.
“My job will be basically that of an engineer’s, but I will also be in charge of appropriating and designing the lab, in order to make plans and make things work,” said Photonics Center Systems Engineer Ze’ev Feit, who will manage the new center.
The laboratory will feature “ultra-clean Class 100” workstations, according to the press release, and both permanent and revolving project workstations, allowing for continuous research across a broad spectrum of fields. It will also give users some space for long-term projects.
The new wing will allow the Photonics Center to continue its mission of enabling emerging photonics technology companies to grow from being concepts to being actual commercial products with greater speed and access. To date, the center has helped 17 companies that have raised a combined total of nearly $200 million in outside venture capital.
