Keynote Speeches

Plasmonic Terahertz Optoelectronics for Advanced Terahertz Imaging and Sensing
by
Mona Jarrahi
Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering,
University of California Los Angeles
Abstract:
In the first part of this talk, I will give an overview of the unique applications of terahertz waves for chemical identification, material characterization, biomedical sensing and diagnostics and describe the state of the existing terahertz sensors. In the second part of the talk, I will introduce a game changing technology that enables high performance, low cost, and compact terahertz spectroscopy and imaging systems for various applications. More specifically, I will introduce a new generation of optically driven terahertz sources and detectors that offer three orders of magnitude higher terahertz radiation power levels and two orders of magnitude higher terahertz detection sensitivity levels compared to the existing technologies. This leap-frog performance enhancement is achieved by funneling the laser light through specifically engineered metallic nanostructures into the device active area, enhancing light matter interaction at nanoscale. Moreover, this technology is optimized for operation at near infrared optical wavelengths, where very high performance, compact and cost-effective optical sources are commercially available, paving the way to compact and low-cost terahertz sensors that could offer numerous opportunities for e.g., medical imaging and diagnostics, atmospheric sensing, pharmaceutical quality control, and security screening systems.

Biography:
Mona Jarrahi received her B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology in 2000 and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 2003 and 2007. She served as a Postdoctoral Scholar at University of California Berkeley from 2007 to 2008. After serving as an Assistant Professor at University of Michigan Ann Arbor, she joined University of California Los Angeles in 2013 as an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and the Director of the Terahertz Electronics Laboratory. Prof. Jarrahi has made significant contributions to the development of ultrafast electronic and optoelectronic devices and integrated systems for terahertz and millimeter-wave sensing, imaging, computing, and communication systems by utilizing novel materials, nanostructures, and quantum well structures as well as innovative plasmonic and optical concepts. The outcomes of her research has appeared in more than 150 publications and 120 keynote/plenary/invited talks and have received a significant amount of attention from scientific news outlets including Huffington Post, Popular Mechanics, EE Times, IEEE Spectrum, Optics & Photonics News Magazine, Laser Focus world, and Photonics Spectra Magazine. Her scientific achievements have been recognized by several international and national prestigious awards including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE); Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from Alexander von Humboldt Foundation; Moore Inventor Fellowship from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; Kavli Fellowship by the USA National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering Award from the USA National Academy of Engineering (NAE); Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics Magazine; Early Career Award in Nanotechnology from the IEEE Nanotechnology Council; Outstanding Young Engineer Award from the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society; Booker Fellowship from the USA National Committee of the International Union of Radio Science; Lot Shafai Mid-Career Distinguished Achievement Award from the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society; Early Career Award from the USA National Science Foundation (NSF); Young Investigator Awards from the USA Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Army Research Office (ARO), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA); the Elizabeth C. Crosby Research Award from the University of Michigan; Distinguished Alumni Award from Sharif University of Technology; and best-paper awards at the International Microwave Symposium, International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation, and International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves. Prof. Jarrahi is a senior member of IEEE, OSA, and SPIE societies, a Distinguished Lecturer of IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society, a Traveling Lecturer of OSA, and a Visiting Lecturer of SPIE.