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<> photonics (34)

Study of ultraviolet AlGaN nanowires light-emitting diodes

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B3 L5 R5209

Ultraviolet (UV) group III-Nitride-based light emitters have been used in various applications such as water purification, medicine, lighting and chemical detection. Despite attractive properties such as bandgap tunability in the whole UV range (UV-C to UV-A), high chemical stability and relative low cost, the low quantum efficiency hamper the full utilization. This thesis aims to show alternative solutions to such problems by employing nanowires (NWs) structures, and target the eventual application of reliable and high power NWs-based light-emitting devices, enabling large-scale production using the established silicon foundry processes. Here, we present the improvement of injection current and optical power of AlGaN NWs LEDs by involving a metal bilayer thin film with a dual purpose: eliminate the potential barrier for carrier transport, and inhibit the formation of silicide.

Deep-Ultraviolet Optoelectronic Devices Enabled by the Hybrid Integration of Next-Generation Semiconductors and Emerging Device Platforms

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B3 L5 R5209

In this dissertation, the design and fabrication of deep-ultraviolet photodetectors, based on gallium oxide and its alloys, through the heterogeneous integration with metallic and other inorganic materials is investigated. The crystallographic properties of grown oxide films formed directly and indirectly on silicon, magnesium oxide, and sapphire are examined, and the challenges that hinder the realization of efficient and reliable deep-ultraviolet photodetectors are elaborated on. I provide an overview of aluminum nitride, gallium oxide, sapphire, and silicon substrates as platforms for deep-ultraviolet optoelectronic devices, in which I elaborate on the challenges associated with using sapphire as a platform for efficient deep-ultraviolet devices and detail advancements in device growth and fabrication on silicon and magnesium oxide substrates.

Ultraviolet band based underwater wireless optical communication

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KAUST

Underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) has attracted increasing interest for data transfer in various underwater activities, due to its order-of-magnitude higher bandwidth compared to conventional acoustic and radio-frequency (RF) technologies. Our studies pave the way for eventual applications of UWOC by relieving the strict requirements on PAT using UV-based NLOS. Such modality is much sought-after for implementing robust, secure, and high-speed UWOC links in harsh oceanic environments. This work was first started with the investigation of proper NLOS configurations. Path loss (PL) was chosen as a figure-of-merit for link performance. The effects of NLOS geometries, water turbidity, and transmission wavelength are evaluated by measuring the corresponding PL. The experimental results suggest that NLOS UWOC links are favorable for smaller azimuth angles, stronger water turbidity, and shorter transmission wavelength, as exemplified by the use of 375-nm wavelength. With the understanding of favorable NLOS UWOC configurations, we established a NLOS link consisting of an ultraviolet (UV) laser as the transmitter for enhanced light scattering and high sensitivity photomultiplier tube (PMT) as the receiver. A high data rate of 85 Mbit/s using on-off keying (OOK) in a 30-cm emulated highly turbid harbor water is demonstrated. Besides the underwater communication links, UV-based NLOS is also appealing to be the signal carrier for direct communication across wavy water-air interface. The trial results indicate link stability, which alleviates the issues brought about by the misalignment and mobility in harsh environments, paving the way towards real applications.

Photonics Design and Remote Sensing

Prof. Hugo Enrique Hernandez Figueroa

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B18 L4 Fellowship Hall

Abstract This tutorial series will include: Seminar 1 (Monday, 2PM) – Electromagnetic Numerical Modeling A general view of electromagnetic numerical modeling. Finite Element Method (FEM) vs Finite Difference Method. FEM formulations for solving Maxwell equations: time-domain and frequencydomain. Scattering, resonant structures and guiding modeling. Description of NEO-PZ: LEMAC’s electromagnetic simulator package. Challenging electromagnetic problems: very large electrical spatial domains demanding very high localized accuracy. Deterministic and heuristic optimization techniques and artificial

KAUST-Fudan Joint Workshop on Intelligent Communication, Device and System Technologies

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B18 L4 Fellowship Hall

This joint workshop between KAUST and Fudan University covers a variety of topics related to optical communication and devices for visible light communication. Theoretical modeling, device engine/materials investigation and sub-system development will be discussed. These research are essential to eventually realize the goals of connecting all the unconnected, SMART systems and optical internet-of-things. The workshop will be running in hybrid mode, and presenters will be from both KAUST and Fudan University.

Photonics Student wins the Best Paper Award at Photonics Global Conference (PGC 2010)

1 min read ·
Zahed wins the Best Paper Award at Photonics Global Conference (PGC 2010). ​

Mohammed Zahed M. Khan (EE PhD Candidate) and Dr. Boon Ooi (Professor of EE) won the Best Paper Award (Photonics Track) at the SIECP conference

1 min read ·
Mohammed Zahed M. Khan (EE PhD Candidate) and Dr. Boon Ooi (Professor of EE) won the Best Paper Award (Photonics Track) in the second SIECPC.

Damian's PhD Dissertation Defense

1 min read ·
Photonics lab member Damian Pablo San Roman Alerigi​ has successfully defended his PhD dissertation.

The Orange Laser

1 min read ·
In the last issue of Electronics Letters of 9th July 2015 Vol.51 No.14 a team of researchers coordinated by Prof. Boon Ooi, director the Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST), presented a phosphide-based laser structure that can operate in the orange wavelengths at room temperature.

The International Year of Light Open Day

1 min read ·
The International Year of Light (IYL) Open Day event took place at KAUST on December 3, 2015. The event was designed to celebrate light’s impact on human welfare as well as the importance of light as one of the most challenging fields of research in contemporary science. The Open Day Exhibition showcased the latest technological developments in light research, with special emphasis on photonics and LED-based technologies and the innovative applications that they will bring to the energy and communication sectors in the future. The exhibit experiments and the striking materials were provided by

CEMSE’s Professor Boon Ooi appointed Fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA)

1 min read ·
Boon Ooi, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Director of the KACST - Technology Innovation Center for Solid-State Lighting, under the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division of KAUST, was recently appointed Fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA).

UESTC students visit CEMSE Laboratories during a one week Winter Camp at KAUST

1 min read ·
Twenty-two undergraduate students from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu, are currently visiting the CEMSE Division as part of one week Winter Camp at KAUST.

Chun Hong Kang receives SPIE Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship

1 min read ·
Chun Hong Kang, a Ph.D. student in the KAUST Photonics Laboratory, has been awarded a 2021 Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship by SPIE for his “potential contributions to the field of optics and photonics.”

Outstanding KAUST research acknowledged by leading photonics journal

1 min read ·
KAUST professors Boon Ooi and Osman Bakr and their respective research groups have recently had their collaborative research recognized by one of the major journals for optics and photonics, Light: Science & Applications (LSA). The teams’ paper— titled "High-speed color-converting photodetector with all-inorganic CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocrystals for ultraviolet light communication—" was awarded as an “Outstanding Paper of Light: Science & Applications in 2020.”

Professor Ooi appointed Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Photonics Technology Letters

1 min read ·
KAUST Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Boon S. Ooi has been appointed Editor-in-Chief (EiC) of the IEEE Photonics Technology Letters beginning January 1, 2022.

Zhirun Li

Zhirun Li is a M.S./Ph.D. student at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He obtained bachelor degree of Optoelectronic Information Science and Engineering from University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) in 2019. Education Profile M.S./Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia, Aug. 2020 - present B Eng. in Optoelectronic Information Science and Engineering at University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu, China, Sept. 2015 - Jun. 2019

Xiaobin Sun

Xiaobin Sun is a Ph.D. student at Photonics Laboratory under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Research Interests Sun's research interests include Semiconductor Optoelectronic device, Optical communication, including underwater optical wireless communications, visible-light communications. Invited Talks: Visible diode lasers for high bitrate underwater wireless optical communications Boon S. Ooi, Xiaobin Sun, Omar Alkhazragi, Yujian Guo, Tien Khee Ng, Mohamed-Slim Alouini Optical Fiber Communication Conference, M3I. 1 (OFC 2019

Wenjian Yang

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
​Wenjian Yang graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Telecommunication) with first-class honors from the University of Sydney in 2014. He was accepted by Prof. Boon S. Ooi to conduct research in Photonics Laboratory at KAUST during the gap year before starting his Ph.D. Currently, Wenjian is a Ph.D. Student at the University of Sydney, Australia. Research Interests ​Wenjian's research interests included Fibre-optic sensors and Photonics. Education Profile ​2014 – Bachelor of Engineering (BE) (Hons) in Electrical Engineering (Telecommunication)​, the University of Sydney, Australia

Shahad Ali

Visiting Scholar, Photonics Laboratory
Shahad Ali was an SRSI (Saudi Research Science Institute) student at the Photonics Laboratory of Professor Boon Ooi. Currently, he is a BSc student at Pennsylvania State University, USA. Research Interests Shahad's research interests included ​​​Photonics.

Samah AlDulaijian

Visiting Scholar, Photonics Laboratory
Samah AlDulaijian was an SRSI (Saudi Research Science Institute) student at the Photonics Laboratory of Professor Boon Ooi. Research Interests Samah's research interests included ​P​h​otonics.

Rozalina Zakaria

Visiting Researcher, Photonics Laboratory
Rozalina Zakaria is currently a Senior Lecturer in Photonics Research Centre, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She received her Ph.D. (Laser Physics) from the University of Hull, the United Kingdom in 2009, MSc (Applied Physics) from the University of Malaya in 2002 and BSc (Physics) from the University of Putra Malaysia in 2000. She was an assistant lecturer from 2002-2004 at the University of Malaya before pursue her Ph.D. degree in the UK. She was appointed as a Visiting Researcher at the National University of Singapore (NUS) from 2011-2012 in the Department of Electrical and

Rana Ahmed Johar

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Rana Johar was a Visiting student from Effat University at Professor Boon Ooi's Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Rana was selected by Professor Boon S. Ooi to attend training during summer 2014. Research Interests Rana's research interests included ​Photonics.

Qian Li

​Qian Li received her BE in Electronic Science and Technology from Shandong University in 2008, and the MS in Optical Science and Engineering from Fudan University in 2011. Her master’s degree dissertation was on synthesis and characterization of ZnO nanostructure. Currently, her Ph.D. work is mainly focused on material fabricate and quantum-confined nano-structure LED, LD related optical properties characterization. Having moved to Sweden in 2012, she is currently a Ph.D. student in the Quantum information group of Department of Physics, Lund University. Research Interests Qian's research

Mohammed Zahed Mustafa Khan

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Photonics Laboratory
Mohammed Zahed Mustafa Khan worked as a Post-Doctoral fellow at the Photonics lab after receiving his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering under the supervision of Prof. Boon Ooi from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Mohammed received his Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Saudi Arabia, in 2004, and Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication from Osmania University, India, in 2001. Mohammed is currently an Assistant Professor at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia

Mohamed Ebaid

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Photonics Laboratory
Currently works at ​Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, California, USA

Meznan G. Bahri

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Meznan Bahri was a visiting student majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Effat University at Professor Boon Ooi's Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Under the help of Effat University's Electrical and Computer engineering faculty, and Professor Boon S. Ooi, Meznan conducted research for self-development regarding her major. Research Interests Meznan's research interests included Photonics.

Hawra Alhashim

Visiting Scholar, Photonics Laboratory
Hawra Alhashim was an SRSI (Saudi Research Science Institute) student at the Photonics Laboratory of Professor Boon Ooi. Research Interests Hawra's research interests included Photonics and Light sources.

Guangyu Liu

Research Scientist, Photonics Laboratory
Guangyu Liu was a Research Scientist at Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences & Engineering (CEMSE) at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST). She received her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, United States of America (USA) in 2013 with the research focus on III-nitride semiconductor nanostructures and optoelectronics for solid-state lighting. Her B.Sc. in Electronic Science and Technology was received with honor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Hubei, China in 2008

Edgars Stegenburgs

Edgars Stegenburgs joined the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) Division of KAUST as an MS/Ph.D. student and graduate researcher at Photonics Laboratory in January 2015. Previously he was working in the Laser Centre of the University of Latvia as a natural sciences laboratory assistant under the supervision of Dr. Aigars Ekers in the Laser-manipulation laboratory. There he developed his bachelor thesis "Formation of bright and dark states in non-degenerate quantum systems and ultra-high vacuum system design for Rb atoms magneto-optical trap" and earned the

Boon Ooi

Al-Khawarzmi Distinguished Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Professor Ooi is a pioneer in optoelectronics and photonic integrated circuits development, particularly for optical communications and sensor applications. His work has led to the successful commercialization of semiconductor lasers, broadband light sources, and optical sensors

Bilal Janjua

​Bilal Janjua obtained a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Previously, 2008-2010, Bilal worked as a research scientist, in Prof Seth Bank group at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). During this period at UT Austin, he helped the group set up an MBE system to study rare earth elements in the III-V materials system. For a semester, in his master’s program, Bilal worked as a Teaching Assistant for a graduate course on semiconductor nanostructures. Bilal received his MSE

Aigerim Tankimanova

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
​Aigerim Tankimanova is a Visiting Student in Photonics Lab at KAUST. She is pursuing a Master's degree in Politecnico di Milano in Electronics​ Engineering in Electronics Engineering. She is currently working on her Master Thesis project in KAUST. Research Interests Aigerim Tankimanova's research interests include ​Sensors, Photonics, and Electronic circuits and systems. Education Profile M.Sc. in Electronics Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy (2017- present). B.Eng. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan (2011-2016).

Ahmed Ben Slimane

Ahmed Ben Slimane completed his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia, in 2014, where his work was focused on III-Nitride micro and nanostructures for flexible solid-state age lighting. M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble (INPG), France, in 2009. B.E. in Electrical Engineering from Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Electronique et de Radioélectricité de Grenoble (ENSERG), France, in 2007. Ahmed Ben Slimane received his master's degree in micro and nanotechnology for integrated Systems

Abdulrahman Mansour Bin Zuair

Visiting Scholar, Photonics Laboratory
Abdulrahman Mansour Bin Zuair was an SRSI (Saudi Research Science Institute) student at the Photonics Laboratory of Professor Boon Ooi. Research Interests Abdulrahman's research interests included Photonics and Light sources.
<> optoelectronics (27)

Driving KSA’s semiconductor innovation future

1 min read ·
KAUST Ph.D. alum Dr. Nasir Alfaraj, recipient of the Ibn Rushd Fellowship, is advancing semiconductor tech, fueling progress toward Vision 2030.

Study of ultraviolet AlGaN nanowires light-emitting diodes

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B3 L5 R5209

Ultraviolet (UV) group III-Nitride-based light emitters have been used in various applications such as water purification, medicine, lighting and chemical detection. Despite attractive properties such as bandgap tunability in the whole UV range (UV-C to UV-A), high chemical stability and relative low cost, the low quantum efficiency hamper the full utilization. This thesis aims to show alternative solutions to such problems by employing nanowires (NWs) structures, and target the eventual application of reliable and high power NWs-based light-emitting devices, enabling large-scale production using the established silicon foundry processes. Here, we present the improvement of injection current and optical power of AlGaN NWs LEDs by involving a metal bilayer thin film with a dual purpose: eliminate the potential barrier for carrier transport, and inhibit the formation of silicide.

Study of III-nitride Nanowire Growth and Devices on Unconventional Substrates

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B3 L5 R5209

This thesis aims to investigate the microscopic characteristics of the nanowires and expand on the possibility of using transparent amorphous substrate for III-nitride nanowire devices. In this work, we performed material growth, characterization, and device fabrication of III-nitride nanowires grown using molecular beam epitaxy on unconventional substrates including silicon substrates and fused silica substrates. We also investigated the effect of various nucleation layers on the morphology and quality of the nanowires.

Hybrid integration of materials for ultraviolet detection

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B9 L2 H1 R2322

Semiconductors are pervasive in consumer electronics and optoelectronics, and the related optical devices are deemed disruptive that Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014 was awarded to the inventors of blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which “has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources”. While AlInGaN-based lasers and LEDs, and silicon-based photodetectors are currently matured, unconventional usage based on the materials has demonstrated their further potential, including solar-hydrogen generation, indoor-horticulture, and high-speed communication.

Deep-Ultraviolet Optoelectronic Devices Enabled by the Hybrid Integration of Next-Generation Semiconductors and Emerging Device Platforms

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B3 L5 R5209

In this dissertation, the design and fabrication of deep-ultraviolet photodetectors, based on gallium oxide and its alloys, through the heterogeneous integration with metallic and other inorganic materials is investigated. The crystallographic properties of grown oxide films formed directly and indirectly on silicon, magnesium oxide, and sapphire are examined, and the challenges that hinder the realization of efficient and reliable deep-ultraviolet photodetectors are elaborated on. I provide an overview of aluminum nitride, gallium oxide, sapphire, and silicon substrates as platforms for deep-ultraviolet optoelectronic devices, in which I elaborate on the challenges associated with using sapphire as a platform for efficient deep-ultraviolet devices and detail advancements in device growth and fabrication on silicon and magnesium oxide substrates.

Nanoscale patterning is better with gas

1 min read ·
Adding a gas enhances the processing of hybrid organic-inorganic materials for improved solar cells.

IEDM 2016 session "Optoelectronic Integration" chaired by Prof. Ooi and Chao Shen presents his work

1 min read ·
During the 62nd IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) conference 2016 Prof. Ooi chairs a session and Chao Shen presents his work.

Yue Wang

Ph.D. Candidate (former), Electrical and Computer Engineering
Yue Wang's research focuses on semiconductor optoelectronics, high-speed color-converting luminescent devices, and optical wireless communication.

Yara Mostafa

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Capstone Project 2014​ Yara Mostafa was a senior undergraduate student majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a concentration in microelectronics at Effat University, Saudi Arabia. She was selected by Professor Boon S. Ooi to conduct research and develop her graduation/senior project the Three Dimensional RGB Light Emitting Diode Cube. Research Interests Yara's research interests included Nanotechnology, Solid-state devices, and Optoelectronics.

Siti Nurul Waheeda Mohmad Zaini

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Siti Nurul Waheeda graduated in November 2015 in a Master of Science (Physics). She is a Ph.D. Student from the Institute of Nano Optoelectronics Research and Technology (INOR), Universiti Sains Malaysia. She joined the Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), as a visiting student. Research Interests Siti's research interests included GaN, Nanomaterials, Molecular Beam Epitaxy and Optoelectronics. Professional Profile Active in research and development in solid-state lighting solution and semiconductor device, especially for gallium nitride (GaN)

Redha Al Ibrahim

Postdoctoral Research Fellow (former), Photonics Laboratory
Education Profile January 2020 - December 2024, Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia August 2018 - December 2019, M.S. in Electrical Engineering at KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia August 2014 - May 2018, B.S in Optics at University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA Professional Memberships ​Member of OSA (Optical Society of America) Member of SPIE (International Society for Optics and Photonics)

Omar Alkhazragi

Introduction Omar Alkhazragi received the degree of Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 2018 from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and a master’s degree in electrophysics in 2019 from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. He is now an electrophysics Ph.D. student in the Photonics Laboratory at KAUST. The primary focus of his research is on optoelectronic devices fabrication and applications, including optical and quantum communication. Research Interests Photonics and optoelectronics Semiconductor

Ohoud K. Alharbi

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Ohoud Alharbi was a Visiting student from KAU at Professor Boon Ooi's Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). She was a visiting student in the CEMSE SSI program in 2019. Despite her major, she gained more experimental experience in the field of Photonics, which is considered as her future graduate studies. Research Interests Ohoud's research interests included ​Electromagnetics, Photonics, and Optoelectronics.

Mohammed Abdul Majid

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Photonics Laboratory
Mohammed Abdul Majid was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), where he worked on applying III/V semiconductor quantum dot/quantum well devices to applications such as biomedical imaging, optical communications to solid-state lighting. Mohammed received his M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia in 2002. In 2011, he obtained his Ph.D. degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from the University of Sheffield in the U.K. From 2002-2008

Mohammad Khaled Shakfa

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Photonics Laboratory
Mohammad Khaled Shakfa was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences & Engineering (CEMSE) at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the workgroup of Prof. Dr. Martin Koch, Experimental Semiconductor Physics at Philipp University of Marburg (Marburg, Germany). He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Braunschweig University of Technology (Braunschweig, Germany) in 2015. His Ph.D. research focused on the investigation of localization effects

Mohamed Ebaid

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Photonics Laboratory
Currently works at ​Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, California, USA

Lyu Zhou

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Lyu Zhou was a visiting student from the State University of New York, Buffalo at Professor Boon Ooi's Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. Research Interests Lyu's research interests included ​Photonics, Nanomaterials, and optoelectronics. Selected Publications L. Zhou*, H. Song*, J. Liang, M. Singer, M. Zhou, E. Stegenburgs, N. Zhang, C. Xu, T. K. Ng, Z. Yu, B. Ooi, Q. Gan, A polydimethylsiloxane coated metal structure for all-day radiative

Latifah Al Maghrabi

Latifah Al-Maghrabi is pursuing a master's degree in Electrical Engineering in the electrophysics track at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Currently, the questions that guide Latifah's journey of investigation revolve around exploring novel lower dimensional materials for integration with group-III-nitride-based optoelectronic devices at the Photonics Laboratory at KAUST. By understanding the physics at the device level, she hopes to be able to enhance optoelectronics used for light and energy generation. In May 2018, Latifah graduated with a B.S. in Electrical

Kuang-Hui Li

Kuang-Hui Li joined Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in the Fall of 2018. He obtained two bachelor degrees (2011) in Electro-Physics and Applied-Math from National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan. Research Interest Kuang's research interests include Semiconductor epitaxy by MBE, MOCVD, and PLD, Material characterization, e.g. HRXRD, TEM/STEM, RBS, Nanofabrication processes, Semiconductor optoelectronics devices (LED, Photodetector, Laser). His current research focuses on III-oxide material and heterostructures for device applications such as UV

Huafan Zhang

Huafan Zhang is currently a Ph.D. Student in the Photonics Laboratory. She obtained her BEng. (2017) in Electronic science and technology from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu, China. She joined King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in the Fall of 2017 and achieved MSc in Electrical Engineering at KAUST in 2018. Her current research focuses on III-Nitride nanowire-based photoelectrochemical water splitting, radiative cooling for optoelectronic devices and materials for water collections. Research Interests Her research interests

Haomin Song

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Haomin Song was an international visiting PhD student from the State University of New York, Buffalo, at Professor Boon Ooi's Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He served as reviewers for various international journals, such as Scientific Reports, Optics Express, Optical Materials Express, Phys. Lett. B, IEEE Photonics J., and J. Mater. Chem. A etc. Research Interests Haomin's research interests included Nano-photonics, Optoelectronics and Bio-photonics for integrated devices/systems. Selected Publications H. Song,* N. Zhang,* J. Duan, Z. Liu, J

Guangyu Liu

Research Scientist, Photonics Laboratory
Guangyu Liu was a Research Scientist at Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences & Engineering (CEMSE) at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST). She received her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, United States of America (USA) in 2013 with the research focus on III-nitride semiconductor nanostructures and optoelectronics for solid-state lighting. Her B.Sc. in Electronic Science and Technology was received with honor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Hubei, China in 2008

Edgars Stegenburgs

Edgars Stegenburgs joined the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) Division of KAUST as an MS/Ph.D. student and graduate researcher at Photonics Laboratory in January 2015. Previously he was working in the Laser Centre of the University of Latvia as a natural sciences laboratory assistant under the supervision of Dr. Aigars Ekers in the Laser-manipulation laboratory. There he developed his bachelor thesis "Formation of bright and dark states in non-degenerate quantum systems and ultra-high vacuum system design for Rb atoms magneto-optical trap" and earned the

Davide Priante

Davide Priante obtained his Ph.D. and Master's degree in Electrical Engineering under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Davide received his B.Sc. degree in Material Science Engineering from the University of Padova, Italy, in 2013. He joined KAUST in February 2014 as an M.S. to a Ph.D. student in Photonics Laboratory in the Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences & Engineering (CEMSE) Division. He received his MSc degree in August 2015 with a thesis based on the recombination mechanism of CH3NH3PbBr3 perovskite. Davide

Chao Shen

Chao Shen received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Currently, Chao is working as a Consultant at KAUST, with KAUST Innovation and Economic Development. Research Interests Chao's research interests included GaN optoelectronics, III-nitride​ diode lasers, Photonic integrated circuits, and Laser-based solid-state lighting, visible-light communications, III-nitride photonic integrated circuit, GaN-based laser diodes, superluminescent diodes (SLDs), micro-LEDs, and VCSELs, laser

Carmen Leticia Castrejon Barron

Carmen Leticia Castrejon Barron is a Ph.D. candidate at Energy Conversion Devices and Materials (ECO Devices) Laboratory under the supervision of Professor Kazuhiro Ohkawa at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Education MSc, Electrical Engineering, KAUST, Saudi Arabia, 2016 ME, Education, Tec Milenio university, Chihuahua, Mexico, 2013 BSc, Electromechanical Engineering, Instituto Tecnologico de Ciudad Jimenez, 2009 Research Interests Carmen's research interests include Light sources, Solar Energy, Plant biology and Desert agriculture.

Abdullah A. Alhamoud

Abdullah Ali Alhamoud is an ambitious and enthusiastic Saudi professional with more than 5 years of deep technical experience in leading KACST knowledge transfer projects. An explorer personality seeking a new challenge and value-adding experiences. He obtained his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia at 2008. In 2014 he obtained his Master's degree in optical Nanotechnology, University of Kassel, Germany. From 2009 to present, Abdullah is working as an Electrical Engineering in King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology(KACST). KACST is the
<> machine learning (24)

Yimeng Chen

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Computer Science
Yimeng Chen is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Prof. Jürgen Schmidhuber's research group at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

Nanbo Li

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Computer Science
Nanbo Li is a Postdoctoral Fellow working in Prof. Jürgen Schmidhuber research group at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Center of Excellence for Generative AI.

Omar Ahmed

M.S. Student, Bioengineering
Omar Ahmed is an MS student in the Bioengineering department at KAUST. His research explores the mechanisms that enable brain signal generalisability across individuals, addressing how neural activity patterns can be reliably interpreted despite significant inter-subject and temporal variability. A major challenge in neuroscience is that brain activity varies substantially between people and even within the same person over time, which limits the development of universal diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Towards this goal, Omar is developing deep learning models that can identify consistent
KAUST-CEMSE-CS-VISION-CAIR-Dalal-Aldossary

Dalal E. Aldossary

M.S. Student, Computer Science
Dalal is a Master’s student in Computer Science at KAUST. She is part of the VISION-CAIR and the Neuroscience & AI Lab (NAIL), where she works on developing machine learning models that interpret and learn EEG representations and behavior.

Innovative research earns Islam Ashry election as Fellow of the Institute of Physics

3 min read ·
Dr. Islam Ashry has been elected Fellow of the Institute of Physics in recognition of his impactful photonics-based research.

Zakaria El Kassimi

KAUST offers a unique environment where applied mathematics and data science meet real-world impact, with exceptional resources and a supportive community for ambitious research.

Jonathan Klein

Research Scientist, Computer Science
My fields of research interests include computational simulation, plant simulation and modeling, synthetic training data, machine learning architectures, none-line-of-sight imaging, and computational photography.

Yibin Wang

Keep Moving forward

Andrea Vanessa Rocha

Research Specialist, Statistics
Chengjie zhao

Chengjie Zhao

Visiting Researcher, Information Science Lab
Visiting Student, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

Mohamed Ads

Visiting Student, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

Hayssam Dahrouj

Senior Research Scientist at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology)

Karen Sanchez

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Karen Sanchez is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the IVUL lab at KAUST, specializing in deep learning, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) for healthcare applications. Her research focuses on video understanding, domain adaptation, generative AI, and methods for preserving patient privacy.

Hani A. Al Majed

M.S. Student
Electrical and Computer Engineering Master's student at KAUST under the supervision of Professor Bernard Ghanem, with expertise in machine learning workflow automation, physics-informed neural operators, and AI for Science, particularly in chemistry applications. Passionate about leveraging AI to solve complex scientific problems.

Ahmad Sait

M.S. Student, Computer Science
Ahmad Sait is a Master's student in the Computer Science program at KAUST. Before joining KAUST, Ahmad obtained his Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. Ahmad is also a KAUST Academy graduate from the AI track, having been under the supervision of Prof. Naeemullah Khan. The Academy provided him with seven opportunities to assist in teaching students enrolled in subsequent cohorts.

Saleh AlJazzar

Research Fellow at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) .

Muhammad Esmat

Visiting student at, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

Yasser Jaber

Visiting Student Researcher ,Machine Learning Engineer at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology).
Syed Abidullah Fareed

Syed Abidullah Fareed

Visiting Student (former), Information Science Lab

Ahsan Mehmood

Intern (former), Information Science Lab
Visiting student at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

Abdulkarem Badiea Alshaibani

Visiting Student at the Information Science Lab at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

Talha Ariff

Talha is studying the use of novel fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) and distributed temperature sensing (DTS) as a tool to help monitor and control anthropogenic acoustic pollution in marine environments.

Islam Ashry

Senior Research Scientist, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Senior Research Scientist with over 10 years of experience in optics, specializing in developing optical sensors as real-world solutions for underwater exploration, smart agriculture, and the oil and gas industry. Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), IEEE, and IEEE Photonics Society.

Fangchen Hu

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Fangchen Hu was a Visiting student at Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST). He is a Ph.D. student at Fudan University. Research Interests Fangchen's research interests included ​Advanced modulation Format, Optical communication, and Machine learning. Selected Publications ​Hu, Fangchen, et al. "Optimized Geometrically Shaped 16QAM in Underwater Visible Light Communication." 2018 IEEE Globecom Workshops (GC Wkshps). IEEE, 2018. Education Profile ​Sep 2018~Now: MS
<> Photonics and optoelectronics (23)
Mohammed Alotaibi

Mohammed Obidallah Alotaibi

Ph.D. Student, Photonics Laboratory
I am Mohammed Obidallah Alotaibi, joining the KAUST Photonics Lab. I hold an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Central Florida and a B.S. from Umm Al-Qura University. Previously, I served as an Instrument Engineer at Aramco and currently lecture at Taibah University. I am passionate about advancing photonic technologies in energy and sustainability applications, and I look forward to contributing to the lab’s research in optoelectronics and integrated photonic systems. Previous Work Experience: Instrument Engineer, Saudi Aramco (2010–2012) Teaching Assistant & Lecturer

Yan Wang

Ph.D. Student, Photonics Laboratory
M.S./Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia, Aug. 2024- present BEng. in Communication Engineering at University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu, China, Sept. 2019 - Jun. 2024​
Jiahoa Wei profile picture

Jiahao Wei

M.S. Student, Photonics Laboratory
Education Jan 2025 - present, M.S./Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. Sep 2020 - Jun 2024, B.S. in Optoelectronic Information Science and Engineering at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), Shenzhen, China.
Zinan Xiao profile picture

Zinan Xiao

Ph.D. Student, Photonics Laboratory
Education Aug 2024 - present, Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. Oct 2020 - Oct 2021, M.S. in Optics and photonics at Imperial College London, London, UK. Sep 2016 - Jun 2020, B.S. in Optoelectronic information engineering at Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.

Yara Banda

Xuan Dong

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
International Visiting Student (Winter Camp) xuan.dong@kaust.edu.sa | Download CV Introduction My name is Xuan Dong, I am currently pursuing my master's degree at Northwestern Polytechnic University with a specialization in flexible electronics. Last year, I had the privilege of studying in Singapore as a joint master's student sponsored by China Scholarship Council (CSC). This experience not only broadened my academic horizons but also exposed me to diverse perspectives in the field of flexible electronics. My academic journey began in Xi'an, where I completed my undergraduate degree (GPA =4

Wenqing Niu

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Postdoctoral Research Fellow wenqing.niu@kaust.edu.sa Introduction Wenqing Niu first came to KAUST as a winter camp visiting student at Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) during her Ph.D. studies at Fudan University. She received her Doctorate degree in 2024 and has since joined KAUST as a postdoctoral researcher. Research Interests Optical wireless communication Scattering media imaging co-packaged optics Education May 2024 - Aug 2024, KAUST, Visiting

Wenwen Chen

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Introduction Wenwen Chen is currently an international visiting student at Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CENSE) at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST). She is pursuing a Ph. D degree at Xidian University. She obtained Bachelor's Degree in telecommunications engineering at Xidian University, in 2018. Her current research focuses on underwater wireless optical communications (UWOC) and underwater optical channel modeling Research Interests: underwater wireless optical communications (UWOC) and
Wenbo Yan profile picture

Wenbo Yan

Ph.D. Candidate, Photonics Laboratory
Awards 2020, Chinese National Scholarship, SCUT, Guangzhou, China 2020, Meritorious Winner of Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM/ICM) Education Profile June 2022 – Present, Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia September 2020 – May 2022, M.S. in Material Science and Engineering at KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia September 2017 - May 2021, B.S. in Material Science and Engineering at SCUT, Guangdong, China

Talha Ariff

Talha is studying the use of novel fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) and distributed temperature sensing (DTS) as a tool to help monitor and control anthropogenic acoustic pollution in marine environments.

Sani Mukhtar

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
​Sani Mukhtar is a visiting student in KAUST Photonics Lab as a part of the KAUST-KFUPM Initiative (KKI) program. He is currently a full-time master student in Electrical Engineering at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran Saudi Arabia. He received his Bsc. in Electrical and Control Engineering from Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Alexandria Egypt (Excellence with honor) in 2016. He did his compulsory one-year national service in Lagos State, Nigeria where he worked with OncenOut Limited. He also served as an assistant lecturer in Jigawa

Meng Tian

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Meng Tian was a visiting student on the CEMSE PSC program 2019. She received her bachelor’s degree in Opto-electronic Information Science and Engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in 2019(outstanding graduate). She will pursue her master at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). During her internship at KAUST, she mainly focused on high-performance light sources. Research Interests Meng's research interests included Large bandgap group-III nitride, Photonics, Optoelectronics, and Light sources. Education Profile ​Sep.2015 – Jun.2019 B.S. in

Lanah Almahdy

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Lanah Almahdy was a visiting student from King Saud University at Professor Boon Ooi's Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Research Interests Lanah's research interests included ​Photonics and optoelectronics, Molecular Beam Epitaxy, Large bandgap group-III nitride and Electromagnetics. Education Profile High school degree (Riyadh Najd Schools).

Jung-Wook Min

Research Scientist, Photonics Laboratory
Introduction Jung-Wook Min is a Research Scientist at Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He received his M.S. and a Ph.D. degree in the Department of Physics and Photon Science at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Republic of Korea, in 2012 and 2016. He has 10 years of hands-on experiences of refurbishment, modification and maintenance of various type of III-N and III-As/P MBE chambers and has been focused on the epitaxial growth of III

Jonathan Wagstaff

Jonathan Wagstaff is a Master's student at Photonics Laboratory under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Research Interests ​Jonathan's research interests include Photonics and Optoelectronics. Education Profile ​​B.Sc. Electrical Engineering, Brigham Young University (2017)​. Awards and Distinctions ​​IEEE-HKN Electrical Engineering Honor Society.
Ibrahim Al-Sayoud profile picture

Ibrahim Alsayoud

Education M.S./Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, Jan 2021 - Present B.S. in Electrical Engineering at KFUPM, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Sep 2016 - Aug 2021 KAUST Affiliations Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) Division, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Heming Lin

Education M.S./Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. August 2023 - Present B.S. in Optoelectronic Information Science and Engineering at SUSTech, Guangdong, China, August 2019 - June 2023 KAUST Affiliations Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) Division, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Haoyu Tong

Ph.D. Student, Photonics Laboratory
PhD Student haoyu.tong@kaust.edu.sa | Download CV Introduction Haoyu TONG received his Master of Engineering degree in Institut d'Optique Graduate School of University Paris Saclay, France, in 2023, and his Bachelor's degree in Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China, in 2021. He received his second Master's degree in optical networks and photonics system (M2 ROSP) from University Paris Saclay and Institut Polytechnique de Paris, in 2023. Haoyu TONG is a Ph.D student in the Photonics Laboratory at Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences & Engineering

Fares Banjar

Ph.D. Student, Photonics Laboratory
Education M.S./Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, Aug 2023 - Present B.S. in Electrical Engineering at KFUPM, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Sep 2016 - Aug 2021 KAUST Affiliations Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) Division, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Chun Hong Kang

Chun Hong Kang obtained his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Prior to joining KAUST, he obtained his B.Eng. and M.Sc. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS. His current research focuses on the development of optoelectronics devices and systems for their eventual applications in optical-based sensing and wireless communication. He has over 50 authored/co-authored publications in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. Contributing to the scientific community, he also

Biwei Wang

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Biwei Wang is a Visiting Student in Photonics Lab at KAUST. He is pursuing a Ph. D degree in The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Research Interest Biwei's current research focuses on the distributed optical fiber sensors based on Brillouin scattering and the application of machine learning techniques in optical fiber sensor systems. Selected Publications ​ B. Wang, L. Wang, N. Guo, F. N. Khan, A. K. Azad, C. Yu, and C. Lu, “Extraction of temperature distribution using deep neural networks for BOTDA sensing system,” Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics/Pacific Rim 2017 (CLEO-PR), Paper

Aswani G. Saraswathy

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Aswani G. Saraswathy was an international Visiting student at Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST). She is an Integrated MSc Photonics student at International School of Photonics, Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT). Research Interests Aswani's research interests included Integrated Quantum Photonics and Optoelectronics. Education Profile Integrated MSc Photonics (2012-2017) from International School of Photonics, Cochin University of Science

Abdullah Alquwayzani

<> nanomaterials (14)
Mario Soto

Mario Soto Martinez

Ph.D. Student, Bioengineering

Fei Xiang

Siti Nurul Waheeda Mohmad Zaini

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Siti Nurul Waheeda graduated in November 2015 in a Master of Science (Physics). She is a Ph.D. Student from the Institute of Nano Optoelectronics Research and Technology (INOR), Universiti Sains Malaysia. She joined the Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), as a visiting student. Research Interests Siti's research interests included GaN, Nanomaterials, Molecular Beam Epitaxy and Optoelectronics. Professional Profile Active in research and development in solid-state lighting solution and semiconductor device, especially for gallium nitride (GaN)

Sara Binturaiki

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Sara Binturaiki was a visiting student in the Photonics Laboratory at KAUST. She is currently working as a researcher in the Nanotechnology Center at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. Binturaiki received her B.S. degree in physics from King Saud University (KSU) with 2nd Honors in 2015. Research Interests Sara's research interests included Nanomaterials. Education Profile ​2015, B.S. in Physics at KSU, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Awards and Distinctions ​Bes​t Research Capstone Project, Physics Department, KSU (2015).

Rozalina Zakaria

Visiting Researcher, Photonics Laboratory
Rozalina Zakaria is currently a Senior Lecturer in Photonics Research Centre, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She received her Ph.D. (Laser Physics) from the University of Hull, the United Kingdom in 2009, MSc (Applied Physics) from the University of Malaya in 2002 and BSc (Physics) from the University of Putra Malaysia in 2000. She was an assistant lecturer from 2002-2004 at the University of Malaya before pursue her Ph.D. degree in the UK. She was appointed as a Visiting Researcher at the National University of Singapore (NUS) from 2011-2012 in the Department of Electrical and

Reem Alqarni

Visiting Researcher, Photonics Laboratory
Reem Alqarni was a visiting Researcher from KACST at Professor Boon Ooi's Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Research Interests Reem's research interests included ​nanomaterials.

Mohamed Ebaid

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Photonics Laboratory
Currently works at ​Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, California, USA

Lyu Zhou

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Lyu Zhou was a visiting student from the State University of New York, Buffalo at Professor Boon Ooi's Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. Research Interests Lyu's research interests included ​Photonics, Nanomaterials, and optoelectronics. Selected Publications L. Zhou*, H. Song*, J. Liang, M. Singer, M. Zhou, E. Stegenburgs, N. Zhang, C. Xu, T. K. Ng, Z. Yu, B. Ooi, Q. Gan, A polydimethylsiloxane coated metal structure for all-day radiative

Kalani Moore

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Kalani Moore is a Ph.D. Student from the University of Limerick in Ireland. He studies a range of nanomaterials with Electron microscopy and his major pastime is explaining to friends and family what that is. He enjoys most sports but practice surfing and rugby the most. Anything water-based and he's in. He also like board games such as Risk and Scrabble​. Kalani's current​ Ph.D. title is “2D sheets in a 3D world” meaning I get to do EELS on a whole bunch of different 2D defects/features in materials. Kalani is involved in a US-Ireland project on Ferroelectric domain walls, which involves

Jung-Wook Min

Research Scientist, Photonics Laboratory
Introduction Jung-Wook Min is a Research Scientist at Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He received his M.S. and a Ph.D. degree in the Department of Physics and Photon Science at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Republic of Korea, in 2012 and 2016. He has 10 years of hands-on experiences of refurbishment, modification and maintenance of various type of III-N and III-As/P MBE chambers and has been focused on the epitaxial growth of III

Jeremy Tan

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Jeremy Tan is a graduate student (MEng, Class of 2018) from Imperial College London with a background in Materials Science & Engineering. Jeremy developed a passion for renewable energy in his third year which encouraged him to take up a related project for his masters (fourth year). The project focused on fabricating 1T-WS2/2H-WSe2 heterostructures with different morphologies and compositions, to be used as a photocathode for photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen evolution. On the side, Jeremy also works with a community in Kenya, developing energy-saving stoves to help overcome the excessive use of

Huafan Zhang

Huafan Zhang is currently a Ph.D. Student in the Photonics Laboratory. She obtained her BEng. (2017) in Electronic science and technology from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu, China. She joined King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in the Fall of 2017 and achieved MSc in Electrical Engineering at KAUST in 2018. Her current research focuses on III-Nitride nanowire-based photoelectrochemical water splitting, radiative cooling for optoelectronic devices and materials for water collections. Research Interests Her research interests

Giada Bucci

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Giada Bucci was a Visiting student from the University of Pisa at Professor Boon Ooi's Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Research Interests Giada's research interests included ​Nanomaterials, Photonics and Optoelectronics, Spectroscopic and Microscopic imaging systems and Meta-materials. Education Profile Bachelor's degree in Physics from the University of Pisa in 2018 (Unipi). Enrolled in the first year of a master degree in “Materials and Nanotechnology” from the University of Pisa.​

Chandu V.V. Muralee Gopi

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Photonics Laboratory
Chandu V.V. Muralee Gopi is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He received his Master's degree in Interdisciplinary Program in Robotics and a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Pusan National University, South Korea, in Feb. 2015 and Feb. 2018 respectively. Over the past 6 years, he has held multiple appointments, within South Korea, and has developed broad expertise and a proven track record in the development of highly
<> Computer Vision (10)

Nanbo Li

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Computer Science
Nanbo Li is a Postdoctoral Fellow working in Prof. Jürgen Schmidhuber research group at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Center of Excellence for Generative AI.

Omar Ahmed

M.S. Student, Bioengineering
Omar Ahmed is an MS student in the Bioengineering department at KAUST. His research explores the mechanisms that enable brain signal generalisability across individuals, addressing how neural activity patterns can be reliably interpreted despite significant inter-subject and temporal variability. A major challenge in neuroscience is that brain activity varies substantially between people and even within the same person over time, which limits the development of universal diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Towards this goal, Omar is developing deep learning models that can identify consistent
KAUST-CEMSE-CS-VISION-CAIR-Dalal-Aldossary

Dalal E. Aldossary

M.S. Student, Computer Science
Dalal is a Master’s student in Computer Science at KAUST. She is part of the VISION-CAIR and the Neuroscience & AI Lab (NAIL), where she works on developing machine learning models that interpret and learn EEG representations and behavior.

Adonai Vera

Machine Learning Engineer with 6+ years of experience specializing in computer vision, deep learning, and robotics. Led AI solutions for retail analytics, UAV systems, and edge devices. Author, educator, and TensorFlow Google Developer Expert.

Abdelrahman Eldesokey

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Abdelrahman Eldesokey is a Postdoctoral Fellow at KAUST, working on Generative AI and Computer Vision. His research focuses on diffusion models, multimodal large language models, and vision foundation models, aiming to make generative systems more controllable, interpretable, and reliable.
Najmeddine Dhieb

Najmeddine Dhieb

Karen Sanchez

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Karen Sanchez is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the IVUL lab at KAUST, specializing in deep learning, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) for healthcare applications. Her research focuses on video understanding, domain adaptation, generative AI, and methods for preserving patient privacy.

Aznaur Aliev

M.S. Student

Hani A. Al Majed

M.S. Student
Electrical and Computer Engineering Master's student at KAUST under the supervision of Professor Bernard Ghanem, with expertise in machine learning workflow automation, physics-informed neural operators, and AI for Science, particularly in chemistry applications. Passionate about leveraging AI to solve complex scientific problems.

Ahmad Sait

M.S. Student, Computer Science
Ahmad Sait is a Master's student in the Computer Science program at KAUST. Before joining KAUST, Ahmad obtained his Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. Ahmad is also a KAUST Academy graduate from the AI track, having been under the supervision of Prof. Naeemullah Khan. The Academy provided him with seven opportunities to assist in teaching students enrolled in subsequent cohorts.
<> deep learning (10)

Yimeng Chen

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Computer Science
Yimeng Chen is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Prof. Jürgen Schmidhuber's research group at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

Zakaria El Kassimi

KAUST offers a unique environment where applied mathematics and data science meet real-world impact, with exceptional resources and a supportive community for ambitious research.

Adonai Vera

Machine Learning Engineer with 6+ years of experience specializing in computer vision, deep learning, and robotics. Led AI solutions for retail analytics, UAV systems, and edge devices. Author, educator, and TensorFlow Google Developer Expert.

Juan Pablo Muñoz Díaz

Karen Sanchez

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Karen Sanchez is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the IVUL lab at KAUST, specializing in deep learning, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) for healthcare applications. Her research focuses on video understanding, domain adaptation, generative AI, and methods for preserving patient privacy.

Mhd. Emad Alolaby

Sixiu Liu

Ph.D. degree in Earth science and engineering with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)

Ahmed Youssef Ragab Radwan

Visiting Student (former), Information Science Lab
Visiting student at the Information Science Lab, in the Electrical Engineering Department, CEMSE, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
<> Visible light communications (9)

Laser lighting and its application in visible light communications

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B9 L2 R2322

This talk provides an overview of the latest laser-based lighting and Gbit/s VLC and underwater communications. Recent progress of visible wavelength high-speed transmitters and receivers will also be discussed.

Visible Light Communications in the UK: Recent Progress and Future Outlook

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B2 L5 R5220

Abstract Visible light communications (VLC) is a hot topic in internet access networks, developing rapidly over the last decade. It has become one of the main candidate technologies to complement existing radio infrastructure in 5G and beyond technologies due to its inherent advantages such as high bandwidth and room-to-room security. In this talk, I will discuss several of the key developments that have occurred within the context of the UK research community, with particular focus on polymer photoactive components based on research that has occurred through my time at University College

Fabrication and Characterization of GaN-Based Superluminescent Diode for Solid-State Lighting and Visible Light Communication

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KAUST

This dissertation is devoted to the fabrication and electrical and optical characterization of a new class of III-nitride light-emitter known as superluminescent diode (SLD). SLD works in an amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) regime, and it combines several advantages from both LD and LED, such as droop-free, speckle-free, low-spatial coherence, broader emission, high-optical power, and directional beam. Here, SLDs were fabricated by a focused ion beam by tilting the front facet of the waveguide to suppress the lasing mode. They showed a high-power of 474 mW on c-plane GaN-substrate with a large spectral bandwidth of 6.5 nm at an optical power of 105 mW. To generate SLD-based white light, a YAG-phosphor-plate was integrated, and a CRI of 85.1 and CCT of 3392 K were measured. For the VLC link, SLD showed record high-data rates of 1.45 Gbps and 3.4 Gbps by OOK and DMT modulation schemes, respectively. Additionally, a widely single- and dual-wavelength tunability were designed using SLD-based external cavity (SLD-EC) configuration for a tunable blue laser source.

ACS C&EN, Phys.org, IET E&T, Laser Focus World, OPN, Futurism, AlJazeera, EE Times, Lux Review, and others features "Bandwidth record for data communication using laser-based visible light"

1 min read ·
"In this bandwidth hungry era, there will be a continuous push by consumers for VLC systems with higher bitrates," Ooi said. "We believe that white light generated by semiconductor lasers will one day replace the LED white light bulb for energy-efficient lighting."

Chao Shen​ wins the 2nd place in 2016 IEEE Photonics Society​ Student and Young Professional Poster Competition

1 min read ·
Congratulations! The poster competition is part of IPC 2016 (IEEE Photonics Conference).

KAUST Ph.D student, Jorge A. Holguin-Lerma, awarded 2019 SPIE Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship

1 min read ·
SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, recently awarded KAUST Ph.D. student Jorge Holguín-Lerma a 2019 Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship for his potential research contributions to optics, photonics or other related fields. Holguín-Lerma joined KAUST in August 2016 and is a member of Professor Boon S. Ooi's Photonics Laboratory.

José Martín Farfán Esponda

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
José Martín Farfán Esponda was a visiting student at the Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) for the Photonics Summer Camp program. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Physics Engineering at Monterrey Institute of Technology in Mexico, in 2019. Research Interests José's research interests included ​Underwater Wireless Optical Communications and Visible Light Communications. Education Profile Bachelor’s degree in Physics Engineering, Monterrey Institute of Technology, Mexico (2019). Professional Memberships ​Research

Haiyan Xu

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Haiyan Xu was a summer intern in Photonics Workshop in 2017 at KAUST. She came from Nanjing in China. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Chemistry (Nanjing Tech University, 2015) and she obtained her Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering in 2018 (Nanjing University). Research Interests Haiyan research interests included Visible Light Communications, water splitting, and Li-Fi. Awards and Distinctions First-class Prize in Academic Scholarship (NJU, 2015). Second-class Prize in Academic Scholarship (NJU, 2016). 2015 Outstanding Graduate (200/6000+, NJTECH, 2015). National Encouragement

Abdullah A. Alatawi

Abdullah Alatawi is a Ph.D. student at Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). His research interests include the study of semiconductor lasers, LEDs, and SLDs for applications in energy-efficient lighting and visible light communications. He received his master of science in optical nanotechnology engineering from the University of Kassel in Germany (2014). The topic of his thesis covers the investigation and improvement of VCSEL devices. He received his B.SC in Aerospace Engineering from King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in
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Omar Ahmed

M.S. Student, Bioengineering
Omar Ahmed is an MS student in the Bioengineering department at KAUST. His research explores the mechanisms that enable brain signal generalisability across individuals, addressing how neural activity patterns can be reliably interpreted despite significant inter-subject and temporal variability. A major challenge in neuroscience is that brain activity varies substantially between people and even within the same person over time, which limits the development of universal diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Towards this goal, Omar is developing deep learning models that can identify consistent
Salem Alsaqaf

Salem Al-saqaf

Salem Al-Saqaf is an Electrical and Computer Engineer specializing in semiconductors, electronics and AI. He combines strong academic training with practical industry experience in AI-driven solutions, data science, and system optimization. His work spans applied research and real-world innovation, aiming to advance intelligent systems, enhance semiconductor applications, and develop technologies that bridge academic discovery with industrial impact.
Najmeddine Dhieb

Najmeddine Dhieb

Mohamed Ads

Visiting Student, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

Yasmeen Alsaedy

M.S. Student, Computer Science
She is an AI researcher specializing in generative AI and deep learning. With a strong academic foundation and hands-on experience in machine learning, data science and artificial intelligence, she is passionate about advancing AI applications in real-world scenarios. She has contributed to cutting-edge projects, published research, and collaborated on innovative solutions that bridge the gap between AI theory and practice. Her expertise includes designing and implementing advanced data models, AI-driven visual/text computing, and deep learning architectures.

Yasser Jaber

Visiting Student Researcher ,Machine Learning Engineer at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology).
Syed Abidullah Fareed

Syed Abidullah Fareed

Visiting Student (former), Information Science Lab

Ahmed Youssef Ragab Radwan

Visiting Student (former), Information Science Lab
Visiting student at the Information Science Lab, in the Electrical Engineering Department, CEMSE, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
<> cybersecurity (8) <> sensors (8)
Zinan Xiao profile picture

Zinan Xiao

Ph.D. Student, Photonics Laboratory
Education Aug 2024 - present, Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. Oct 2020 - Oct 2021, M.S. in Optics and photonics at Imperial College London, London, UK. Sep 2016 - Jun 2020, B.S. in Optoelectronic information engineering at Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.

Feeling the heat in cells

1 min read ·
New nano-sized sensors provide unprecedented data on how heat diffuses in and out of living cells.

UESTC students visit CEMSE Laboratories during a one week Winter Camp at KAUST

1 min read ·
Twenty-two undergraduate students from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu, are currently visiting the CEMSE Division as part of one week Winter Camp at KAUST.

Light sensors detect larval pests munching on date palms

1 min read ·
Optical fibers wrapped around date palm trunks could help detect this tree’s most destructive pest early enough to save it.

Talha Ariff

Talha is studying the use of novel fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) and distributed temperature sensing (DTS) as a tool to help monitor and control anthropogenic acoustic pollution in marine environments.

Chandu V.V. Muralee Gopi

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Photonics Laboratory
Chandu V.V. Muralee Gopi is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He received his Master's degree in Interdisciplinary Program in Robotics and a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Pusan National University, South Korea, in Feb. 2015 and Feb. 2018 respectively. Over the past 6 years, he has held multiple appointments, within South Korea, and has developed broad expertise and a proven track record in the development of highly

Biwei Wang

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Biwei Wang is a Visiting Student in Photonics Lab at KAUST. He is pursuing a Ph. D degree in The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Research Interest Biwei's current research focuses on the distributed optical fiber sensors based on Brillouin scattering and the application of machine learning techniques in optical fiber sensor systems. Selected Publications ​ B. Wang, L. Wang, N. Guo, F. N. Khan, A. K. Azad, C. Yu, and C. Lu, “Extraction of temperature distribution using deep neural networks for BOTDA sensing system,” Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics/Pacific Rim 2017 (CLEO-PR), Paper

Aigerim Tankimanova

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
​Aigerim Tankimanova is a Visiting Student in Photonics Lab at KAUST. She is pursuing a Master's degree in Politecnico di Milano in Electronics​ Engineering in Electronics Engineering. She is currently working on her Master Thesis project in KAUST. Research Interests Aigerim Tankimanova's research interests include ​Sensors, Photonics, and Electronic circuits and systems. Education Profile M.Sc. in Electronics Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy (2017- present). B.Eng. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan (2011-2016).
<> Signal processing (8)

Serine Medjber

Visiting student at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) under the supervision of Mr. Tareq Al-Naffouri

Mohammed Amine Labbas

Visiting student at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) under the supervision of Mr. Tareq Al-Naffouri
Chengjie zhao

Chengjie Zhao

Visiting Researcher, Information Science Lab
Visiting Student, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Almutasem Bellah Enad

Almutasem Bellah Enad

Visiting Researcher (former), Information Science Lab
Visiting Student, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Present M.Eng in Electrical and Computer Engineering, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Ahmad Dkhan

Ahmad Dkhan

Visiting Scholar (former), Information Science Lab
Visiting Student, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Present -Master's in Electrical and Computer Engineering, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Saleh AlJazzar

Research Fellow at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) .

Alaa Alameer Ahmad

Research visit to communication theory lab in computer, electrical and mathematical sciences and engineering. KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) ,Worked with research groups supervised by Prof. Mohamed-Slim Alouini and Prof. Tareq AL-Naffouri.

Abdullatif Al-Rabah

MS Degree, Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
<> IoT (7)
Salem Alsaqaf

Salem Al-saqaf

Salem Al-Saqaf is an Electrical and Computer Engineer specializing in semiconductors, electronics and AI. He combines strong academic training with practical industry experience in AI-driven solutions, data science, and system optimization. His work spans applied research and real-world innovation, aiming to advance intelligent systems, enhance semiconductor applications, and develop technologies that bridge academic discovery with industrial impact.

Serine Medjber

Visiting student at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) under the supervision of Mr. Tareq Al-Naffouri

Mohammed Amine Labbas

Visiting student at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) under the supervision of Mr. Tareq Al-Naffouri
Ruochen Zhu

Ruochen Zhu

Mohamed Ads

Visiting Student, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Syed Abidullah Fareed

Syed Abidullah Fareed

Visiting Student (former), Information Science Lab

Ahsan Mehmood

Intern (former), Information Science Lab
Visiting student at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
<> laser (7)

A different kind of light

1 min read ·
The discovery of the incandescent light bulb has transformed human existence. New LED technologies promise to be the next step forward.

UESTC students visit CEMSE Laboratories during a one week Winter Camp at KAUST

1 min read ·
Twenty-two undergraduate students from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu, are currently visiting the CEMSE Division as part of one week Winter Camp at KAUST.

Mohammed Abdul Majid

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Photonics Laboratory
Mohammed Abdul Majid was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), where he worked on applying III/V semiconductor quantum dot/quantum well devices to applications such as biomedical imaging, optical communications to solid-state lighting. Mohammed received his M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia in 2002. In 2011, he obtained his Ph.D. degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from the University of Sheffield in the U.K. From 2002-2008

Mohammad Khaled Shakfa

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Photonics Laboratory
Mohammad Khaled Shakfa was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences & Engineering (CEMSE) at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the workgroup of Prof. Dr. Martin Koch, Experimental Semiconductor Physics at Philipp University of Marburg (Marburg, Germany). He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Braunschweig University of Technology (Braunschweig, Germany) in 2015. His Ph.D. research focused on the investigation of localization effects

Kazi Ashique Ahmed Rafi

Rafi obtained his Master's degree in Electrical Engineering under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi at Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Rafi completed his BEng (1st class Hons) in Electronics majoring in Multimedia from Multimedia University, Malaysia with TM scholarship in 2008. Later on, he was attached with Panasonic R&D center for 6 months and completed his summer term on Business–IT at FH Hof. He pursued his MS in Electronics communication and Computer engineering (with Distinction) from the University of Nottingham with KAUST

Edgars Stegenburgs

Edgars Stegenburgs joined the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) Division of KAUST as an MS/Ph.D. student and graduate researcher at Photonics Laboratory in January 2015. Previously he was working in the Laser Centre of the University of Latvia as a natural sciences laboratory assistant under the supervision of Dr. Aigars Ekers in the Laser-manipulation laboratory. There he developed his bachelor thesis "Formation of bright and dark states in non-degenerate quantum systems and ultra-high vacuum system design for Rb atoms magneto-optical trap" and earned the

Amanda Ooi

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Bioscience
Amanda Ooi obtained a Ph.D. degree in Bioscience at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia under the supervision of Associate Prof. Liming Xiong and co-supervision of Prof. Christoph Gehring and Prof. Boon S. Ooi. She previously did her undergraduate studies, majoring in B. Sc. (Hons) in Biotechnology at UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and further pursued in the same discipline at the University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom, where she graduated with an M. Sc. in Biotechnology and Enterprise. Currently, Amanda is working as a Postdoctorate
<> Laser Diodes (7)

Zahed defends his PhD dissertation

1 min read ·
Photonics lab member Mohammed Zahed Mustafa Khan has successfully defended his PhD dissertation and graduates from KAUST class 2013.

EE Graduate Seminar | Human activities and connectivity powered by laser-diodes

1 min read ·
In this talk, we discuss our recent investigations on laser-diodes and the related light-emitting diodes material-structures for lighting, and data communications.

IEDM 2016 session "Optoelectronic Integration" chaired by Prof. Ooi and Chao Shen presents his work

1 min read ·
During the 62nd IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) conference 2016 Prof. Ooi chairs a session and Chao Shen presents his work.

KAUST Ph.D student, Jorge A. Holguin-Lerma, awarded 2019 SPIE Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship

1 min read ·
SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, recently awarded KAUST Ph.D. student Jorge Holguín-Lerma a 2019 Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship for his potential research contributions to optics, photonics or other related fields. Holguín-Lerma joined KAUST in August 2016 and is a member of Professor Boon S. Ooi's Photonics Laboratory.

Jorge Holguín-Lerma receives 2020 IEEE Photonics Society Graduate Student Scholarship

1 min read ·
KAUST Ph.D. student Jorge Holguín-Lerma has recently been named a recipient of the 2020 IEEE Photonics Society Graduate Student Scholarship. Holguín-Lerma was one of only ten students worldwide to receive the Society’s most competitive scholarship for graduate students in photonics. The award acknowledges both his work at KAUST and the potential impact of his future research.

Jorge A. Holguin-Lerma

Jorge A. Holguín-Lerma is a Ph.D. Student in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the KAUST Photonics Lab. He holds an M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering (KAUST, Saudi Arabia, 2016), and a college degree in Electromedical Engineering (ULSA Chihuahua, Mexico, 2012). Before joining KAUST he worked as Component Engineer at Honeywell. Jorge has authored and co-authored 40+ journal papers and conference presentations. He has served as a technical referee for the journals Light: Science & Applications (Springer Nature), Applied Optics (OSA), Optics Letters (OSA), Optics Express (OSA)

Ahmad Ali Al-Jabr

Ahmad Al-Jabr was a Ph.D. researcher at Photonics Laboratory under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). His Ph.D. work was focused on studying plasmonics and related physical phenomenon in highly-doped semiconductors and metal structures. He also applied his expertise in finite difference time domain (FDTD) theoretical simulation in understanding plasmonics effects in the structures, as well as designing practical plasmonic devices for eventual applications in photonic integrated circuits (PIC). Ahmad received his M.Sc. and B.Sc
<> Optical communications (7)

Hayssam Dahrouj

Senior Research Scientist at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology)

Hybrid integration of materials for ultraviolet detection

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B9 L2 H1 R2322

Semiconductors are pervasive in consumer electronics and optoelectronics, and the related optical devices are deemed disruptive that Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014 was awarded to the inventors of blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which “has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources”. While AlInGaN-based lasers and LEDs, and silicon-based photodetectors are currently matured, unconventional usage based on the materials has demonstrated their further potential, including solar-hydrogen generation, indoor-horticulture, and high-speed communication.

Ultraviolet band based underwater wireless optical communication

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KAUST

Underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) has attracted increasing interest for data transfer in various underwater activities, due to its order-of-magnitude higher bandwidth compared to conventional acoustic and radio-frequency (RF) technologies. Our studies pave the way for eventual applications of UWOC by relieving the strict requirements on PAT using UV-based NLOS. Such modality is much sought-after for implementing robust, secure, and high-speed UWOC links in harsh oceanic environments. This work was first started with the investigation of proper NLOS configurations. Path loss (PL) was chosen as a figure-of-merit for link performance. The effects of NLOS geometries, water turbidity, and transmission wavelength are evaluated by measuring the corresponding PL. The experimental results suggest that NLOS UWOC links are favorable for smaller azimuth angles, stronger water turbidity, and shorter transmission wavelength, as exemplified by the use of 375-nm wavelength. With the understanding of favorable NLOS UWOC configurations, we established a NLOS link consisting of an ultraviolet (UV) laser as the transmitter for enhanced light scattering and high sensitivity photomultiplier tube (PMT) as the receiver. A high data rate of 85 Mbit/s using on-off keying (OOK) in a 30-cm emulated highly turbid harbor water is demonstrated. Besides the underwater communication links, UV-based NLOS is also appealing to be the signal carrier for direct communication across wavy water-air interface. The trial results indicate link stability, which alleviates the issues brought about by the misalignment and mobility in harsh environments, paving the way towards real applications.

Taking the heat out of emitters

1 min read ·
Semiconductor light-emitting diodes fabricated on a metal substrate are less prone to overheating.

KAUST Ph.D. student takes home SPIE Photonics West 2020 Best Student Paper Award

1 min read ·
The International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) recently awarded KAUST Ph.D. student Jorge Holguín-Lerma with the SPIE Photonics West 2020 Optical Communications Best Student Paper Award.

Xiaobin Sun

Xiaobin Sun is a Ph.D. student at Photonics Laboratory under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Research Interests Sun's research interests include Semiconductor Optoelectronic device, Optical communication, including underwater optical wireless communications, visible-light communications. Invited Talks: Visible diode lasers for high bitrate underwater wireless optical communications Boon S. Ooi, Xiaobin Sun, Omar Alkhazragi, Yujian Guo, Tien Khee Ng, Mohamed-Slim Alouini Optical Fiber Communication Conference, M3I. 1 (OFC 2019

Mohammad Abdulaziz Husain Alsunaidi

Visiting Scholar, Photonics Laboratory
Mohammad Abdulaziz Husain Alsunaidi conducts research in the field of device-optical wave interaction with emphasis on ultra-short optical pulse propagation and sub-wavelength dynamics in linear and nonlinear devices. He joined KFUPM’s Electrical Engineering Department in 1995 where he is currently a Professor of Photonics. His fields of expertise include Optoelectronics and Photonics, Solid-state Physics, Electromagnetics, Plasmonics, Computing, and Modeling. Research Interests ​His research interests and activities are primarily in physical modeling of linear and non-linear phenomena in
<> optics (7)

The Orange Laser

1 min read ·
In the last issue of Electronics Letters of 9th July 2015 Vol.51 No.14 a team of researchers coordinated by Prof. Boon Ooi, director the Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST), presented a phosphide-based laser structure that can operate in the orange wavelengths at room temperature.

Chun Hong Kang receives SPIE Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship

1 min read ·
Chun Hong Kang, a Ph.D. student in the KAUST Photonics Laboratory, has been awarded a 2021 Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship by SPIE for his “potential contributions to the field of optics and photonics.”

Outstanding KAUST research acknowledged by leading photonics journal

1 min read ·
KAUST professors Boon Ooi and Osman Bakr and their respective research groups have recently had their collaborative research recognized by one of the major journals for optics and photonics, Light: Science & Applications (LSA). The teams’ paper— titled "High-speed color-converting photodetector with all-inorganic CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocrystals for ultraviolet light communication—" was awarded as an “Outstanding Paper of Light: Science & Applications in 2020.”

Professor Ooi appointed Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Photonics Technology Letters

1 min read ·
KAUST Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Boon S. Ooi has been appointed Editor-in-Chief (EiC) of the IEEE Photonics Technology Letters beginning January 1, 2022.

Mohammed Abdul Majid

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Photonics Laboratory
Mohammed Abdul Majid was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), where he worked on applying III/V semiconductor quantum dot/quantum well devices to applications such as biomedical imaging, optical communications to solid-state lighting. Mohammed received his M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia in 2002. In 2011, he obtained his Ph.D. degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from the University of Sheffield in the U.K. From 2002-2008

Damián San Román Alerigi

Damian San Roman obtained his Master's and a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He joined KAUST in 2010 as a founding class member within the Master’s program in Photonics. He studied dynamic optical transformations for Ph.D. Damian’s Ph.D. work focused on the understanding and modeling of how different physical phenomena affect the permittivity and permeability tensors of materials and material-structures. How such effects (Aharonov-Bohm, Kerr, Thermal Cassimir, plasmonics, and other

Boon Ooi

Al-Khawarzmi Distinguished Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Professor Ooi is a pioneer in optoelectronics and photonic integrated circuits development, particularly for optical communications and sensor applications. His work has led to the successful commercialization of semiconductor lasers, broadband light sources, and optical sensors
<> electrical engineering (6)

A different kind of light

1 min read ·
The discovery of the incandescent light bulb has transformed human existence. New LED technologies promise to be the next step forward.

Brighter blue lights for faster communication

1 min read ·
High-performance blue-light-emitting diodes could boost white-light, high-speed data transmission.

A cool alternative to air conditioning

1 min read ·
An inexpensive passive cooling technology could be used to cool buildings in cities, reducing energy consumption.

A pure twist on optical data transfer

1 min read ·
The finding that light can be twisted very precisely may offer fresh options for communications infrastructure.

Light sensors detect larval pests munching on date palms

1 min read ·
Optical fibers wrapped around date palm trunks could help detect this tree’s most destructive pest early enough to save it.

Fiber glow brings more go for underwater communications

1 min read ·
KAUST scientists have developed an optical-based wireless network system that has significant potential for faster underwater optical communications.
<> LED (6)

Hybrid integration of materials for ultraviolet detection

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B9 L2 H1 R2322

Semiconductors are pervasive in consumer electronics and optoelectronics, and the related optical devices are deemed disruptive that Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014 was awarded to the inventors of blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which “has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources”. While AlInGaN-based lasers and LEDs, and silicon-based photodetectors are currently matured, unconventional usage based on the materials has demonstrated their further potential, including solar-hydrogen generation, indoor-horticulture, and high-speed communication.

Dr. ​​Ahmed Ben Slimane has successfully defended his PhD work on "III-Nitride Micro and Nano Structures for Solid State Lightning"

1 min read ·

LED

Ahmed Ben Slimane​ has successfully defended his PhD work on III-Nitride Micro and Nano Structures for Solid State Lightning, and heading for a French multinational integrated oil and gas company​, TOTAL.

A different kind of light

1 min read ·
The discovery of the incandescent light bulb has transformed human existence. New LED technologies promise to be the next step forward.

Compound Semiconductor Magazine features "Quantum well intermixing: The quest for orange and yellow lasers"

1 min read ·

LED

Yellow and orange sources (LED & LD) result from the controlled annealing of phosphide material systems with a dielectric cap.​​

EE Times Europe News: "Nanowire LED fills the green-yellow gap in white light"

1 min read ·

LED

"KAUST and KACST have come up with a novel way to fill the “green-yellow gap” typically seen in white-LED implementations based on multiple phosphors."

Ahmad Ali Al-Jabr

Ahmad Al-Jabr was a Ph.D. researcher at Photonics Laboratory under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). His Ph.D. work was focused on studying plasmonics and related physical phenomenon in highly-doped semiconductors and metal structures. He also applied his expertise in finite difference time domain (FDTD) theoretical simulation in understanding plasmonics effects in the structures, as well as designing practical plasmonic devices for eventual applications in photonic integrated circuits (PIC). Ahmad received his M.Sc. and B.Sc
<> underwater optical communications (6)

Underwater optical communication and sensing technology in silent ocean

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KAUST

This dissertation aims to investigate and address noisy ocean issues and build large-scale underwater sensor networks by optical communication and sensing technology. The dissertation proposes using UWOC and FC&S technology to replace the conventional acoustic communication technology and reduce the noise in the ocean. UWOC helps achieve high-speed wireless communications between sensors, vehicles, and even humans for UIoT. The significant challenges of developing UWOC systems are the complex underwater environment's attenuation, scattering, and turbulence effects. This dissertation studied the turbulence effects on the UWOC system’s performance and addressed the pointing-acquisition-and-tracking issues.

Yang Weng

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Yang Weng was an international visiting student at Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST). He is a Ms. student at National Taiwan University (NTU). Research Interests Yang's research interests included ​Underwater Optical Communication, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Localization, and Navigation. Selected Publications ​Y. Weng, H. Yang, J. He, and D. Song, "Microstructure measurement form an underwater glider: Motion analysis and experimental results," OCEANS 2015

Xinyu Zhang

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Xinyu Zhang was a visiting student in Electrical Engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). She obtained her Bachelor's Degree with distinction in Material Shaping and Control Engineering from Wuhan University (WHU) in 2018. Research Interests Xinyu's research interests included Photoelectrochemical water splitting, Nanostructured GaN-based semiconductor materials, and Underwater wireless optical communications. Selected Publications ​​Wang, X., Tan, D., Zhang, X, Lei, Y., Xue, L, "Effective Elastic Modulus of Structured Adhesives: From Biology to Biomimetics,"

Sohailh Marie

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
​Sohailh Marie is a student in highschool at Riyadh Schools for Boys and Girls, a cohoet 3 of the Misk College Prep Program, and a 2021 SRSI student. Sohailh is intreseted in astronomy and areospace angineering but also found solar and renweable energy quite facinating. That is why her research topics are about underwater optical communication. Education Profile Riyadh Schools for Boys and Girls (class of 2022)

Mohammed Sait

Mohammed Sait is a Ph.D. student in Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences & Engineering (CEMSE) under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST). Research Interests Mohammed's research interests include​Underwater optical communication, and VLC and LiFi technology. Education Profile ​BS. in electronics and communication engineering, University of Leicester, UK (2013-2016). MS. in Digital communication systems, Loughborough University, UK (2016-2017). Awards and Distinctions Clarke Griffith's

Hongsen He

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Hongsen He is a Master Student of Xiamen University, China. His main research area is solid-state lasers, including Ince-Gaussian beam, high power laser, vector and vortex beam. He joined the Photonics Laboratory in King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), as a visiting student. He received the B.S. degree in Northwestern Polytechnic University, China in 2015. Research Interests Hongsen's research interests included Underwater Optical Communications and Nanowire materials. Education Profile M. S. Student in Optics Engineering, XMU, Xiamen, China (September 2015 - June 2018)
<> Cyber Security (5) <> integrated photonics (5)

Naiqin Bu

KAUST-CEMSE-ECE-IPL-Nikita-Kondratyev

Nikita Kondratyev

Mikhail Mishevskii

Mikhail received the B.S. degree in applied mathematics and physics from Novosibirsk State, Novosibirsk, Russia and received a master's degree with honors from the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech). His research interests include: nonlinear optics, integrated photonics, ultrafast lasers, frequency comb generation. During his time at Skoltech participated in the Skoltech Translational Research and Innovation Program industrial project to create a pulsed submicron laser for pumping a single-photon quantum light source. Mikhail awarded with Scholarship of the President of

Aleksandr Movsisian

Aleksandr received his bachelor’s degree in 2023 in Physics from Moscow State University (MSU, ranked first in Russia) and completed a master’s degree in Physics with honors at the same institution. He has over two years of research experience in quantum optics, optomechanics, and quantum measurement theory as part of the LIGO group at MSU. His work has focused on squeezed states of light, measurement topologies, and methods to overcome the Standard Quantum Limit, resulting in two first-author publications in JOSA B and Optics Letters. Aleksandr also gained hands-on experimental experience at

Aram Mkrtchyan

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Electrical and Computer Engineering
<> ISAC (5)
kaust-cemse-ece-ccsl-changhao-he

Changhao He

kaust-cemse-ece-ccsl-yousef-awad

Yousef Awad

kaust-cemse-ece-ccsl-bumin-kagan-yildirim

Bumin Kagan Yildirim

Bang Huang

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Bang Huang works as a postdoctoral fellow at the Computer Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division (CEMSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), under the supervision of Prof. Mohamed-Slim Alouini in the Communication Theory Lab (CTL). Education and Early Career Bang Huang received the M.S. degree (with honors) in electrical engineering and Ph.D degree in information and communication engineering from the School of Information and Communication Engineering (SICE), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu, China, in

Xiaowei Pang

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Xiaowei Pang is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Computer Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division (CEMSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), working with Professor Mohamed-Slim Alouini in the Communication Theory Lab (CTL). Education and Early Career Xiaowei Pang received her B.S. degree in Telecommunication Engineering from Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China, in 2018, and her Ph.D. degree in Information and Communication Engineering from Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China, in 2024. From 2021 to 2022
<> light (5)

A different kind of light

1 min read ·
The discovery of the incandescent light bulb has transformed human existence. New LED technologies promise to be the next step forward.

The International Year of Light Open Day

1 min read ·
The International Year of Light (IYL) Open Day event took place at KAUST on December 3, 2015. The event was designed to celebrate light’s impact on human welfare as well as the importance of light as one of the most challenging fields of research in contemporary science. The Open Day Exhibition showcased the latest technological developments in light research, with special emphasis on photonics and LED-based technologies and the innovative applications that they will bring to the energy and communication sectors in the future. The exhibit experiments and the striking materials were provided by

CEMSE’s Professor Boon Ooi appointed Fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA)

1 min read ·
Boon Ooi, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Director of the KACST - Technology Innovation Center for Solid-State Lighting, under the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division of KAUST, was recently appointed Fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA).

Yveline Pailles

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Photonics Laboratory
Yveline Pailles was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). She is currently studying the effect of pulsed single-wavelength laser on growth and development of basil (Ocimum basilicum. L). She received her bachelor's degree in Food Industry Engineering from ITESM Campus Queretaro, Mexico, and her master's and Ph.D. degrees in Desert Agriculture, Bioscience from KAUST. During her master's studies, she discovered her interest in plant science and became part of the Plant Stress Genomics Research Center. Later on, she

Guangyu Liu

Research Scientist, Photonics Laboratory
Guangyu Liu was a Research Scientist at Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences & Engineering (CEMSE) at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST). She received her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, United States of America (USA) in 2013 with the research focus on III-nitride semiconductor nanostructures and optoelectronics for solid-state lighting. Her B.Sc. in Electronic Science and Technology was received with honor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Hubei, China in 2008
<> nanofabrication (5)

Fei Xiang

Study of ultraviolet AlGaN nanowires light-emitting diodes

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B3 L5 R5209

Ultraviolet (UV) group III-Nitride-based light emitters have been used in various applications such as water purification, medicine, lighting and chemical detection. Despite attractive properties such as bandgap tunability in the whole UV range (UV-C to UV-A), high chemical stability and relative low cost, the low quantum efficiency hamper the full utilization. This thesis aims to show alternative solutions to such problems by employing nanowires (NWs) structures, and target the eventual application of reliable and high power NWs-based light-emitting devices, enabling large-scale production using the established silicon foundry processes. Here, we present the improvement of injection current and optical power of AlGaN NWs LEDs by involving a metal bilayer thin film with a dual purpose: eliminate the potential barrier for carrier transport, and inhibit the formation of silicide.

Davide Priante

Davide Priante obtained his Ph.D. and Master's degree in Electrical Engineering under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Davide received his B.Sc. degree in Material Science Engineering from the University of Padova, Italy, in 2013. He joined KAUST in February 2014 as an M.S. to a Ph.D. student in Photonics Laboratory in the Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences & Engineering (CEMSE) Division. He received his MSc degree in August 2015 with a thesis based on the recombination mechanism of CH3NH3PbBr3 perovskite. Davide

Chen Huang

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
​Chen Huang was a visiting student in Electronic Engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He is an undergraduate majoring in Microelectronic Science and Engineering at Anhui University (AHU). Research Interests ​Chen's research interests included Wide band-gap semiconductor Optoelectronic devices; and Nanofabrication processes. Awards and Distinctions ​April 2018, Honorable Mention in Mathematical Contest in Modeling. November 2017, 1st Prize in Anhui Province Radio Direction Finding Competition.

Arwa Saud Abdullah Abbas

Visiting Researcher, Photonics Laboratory
Ms. Arwa Bint Saud Bin Abdullah Abbas is a spirited, energetic, dynamic, and self-motivated researcher professional with impeccable skill, ambition, and creativity. She is fully determined to continue her impressive track record in science and engineering following the vision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to rekindle and spread the great and noble virtue of learning that has marked the Arab and Muslim worlds. Ms. Arwa envisions applying the results of her research and studies to reality to help in advancing technologies in innovative fields such as
<> Python (5)

Yimeng Chen

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Computer Science
Yimeng Chen is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Prof. Jürgen Schmidhuber's research group at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

Amal Alghamdi

Almutasem Bellah Enad

Almutasem Bellah Enad

Visiting Researcher (former), Information Science Lab
Visiting Student, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Present M.Eng in Electrical and Computer Engineering, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Mohammed A Shukri

Technical Consultant at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology).

Davide Priante

Davide Priante obtained his Ph.D. and Master's degree in Electrical Engineering under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Davide received his B.Sc. degree in Material Science Engineering from the University of Padova, Italy, in 2013. He joined KAUST in February 2014 as an M.S. to a Ph.D. student in Photonics Laboratory in the Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences & Engineering (CEMSE) Division. He received his MSc degree in August 2015 with a thesis based on the recombination mechanism of CH3NH3PbBr3 perovskite. Davide
<> solar energy (5)
Wenbo Yan profile picture

Wenbo Yan

Ph.D. Candidate, Photonics Laboratory
Awards 2020, Chinese National Scholarship, SCUT, Guangzhou, China 2020, Meritorious Winner of Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM/ICM) Education Profile June 2022 – Present, Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia September 2020 – May 2022, M.S. in Material Science and Engineering at KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia September 2017 - May 2021, B.S. in Material Science and Engineering at SCUT, Guangdong, China

Sohailh Marie

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
​Sohailh Marie is a student in highschool at Riyadh Schools for Boys and Girls, a cohoet 3 of the Misk College Prep Program, and a 2021 SRSI student. Sohailh is intreseted in astronomy and areospace angineering but also found solar and renweable energy quite facinating. That is why her research topics are about underwater optical communication. Education Profile Riyadh Schools for Boys and Girls (class of 2022)

Jeremy Tan

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Jeremy Tan is a graduate student (MEng, Class of 2018) from Imperial College London with a background in Materials Science & Engineering. Jeremy developed a passion for renewable energy in his third year which encouraged him to take up a related project for his masters (fourth year). The project focused on fabricating 1T-WS2/2H-WSe2 heterostructures with different morphologies and compositions, to be used as a photocathode for photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen evolution. On the side, Jeremy also works with a community in Kenya, developing energy-saving stoves to help overcome the excessive use of

Chandu V.V. Muralee Gopi

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Photonics Laboratory
Chandu V.V. Muralee Gopi is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He received his Master's degree in Interdisciplinary Program in Robotics and a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Pusan National University, South Korea, in Feb. 2015 and Feb. 2018 respectively. Over the past 6 years, he has held multiple appointments, within South Korea, and has developed broad expertise and a proven track record in the development of highly

Carmen Leticia Castrejon Barron

Carmen Leticia Castrejon Barron is a Ph.D. candidate at Energy Conversion Devices and Materials (ECO Devices) Laboratory under the supervision of Professor Kazuhiro Ohkawa at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Education MSc, Electrical Engineering, KAUST, Saudi Arabia, 2016 ME, Education, Tec Milenio university, Chihuahua, Mexico, 2013 BSc, Electromechanical Engineering, Instituto Tecnologico de Ciudad Jimenez, 2009 Research Interests Carmen's research interests include Light sources, Solar Energy, Plant biology and Desert agriculture.
<> advanced semiconductors (4)

Driving KSA’s semiconductor innovation future

1 min read ·
KAUST Ph.D. alum Dr. Nasir Alfaraj, recipient of the Ibn Rushd Fellowship, is advancing semiconductor tech, fueling progress toward Vision 2030.

Saudi research institutes achieve record-breaking performance in data security

1 min read ·
A new quantum random number generator is almost 1000 times faster than other generators and much smaller, promising to change data management and cybersecurity in several industries including health, finance and defense

Carrier- and Trap-Resolved Photo-Hall Effect: Unlocking the 145-Year-Old Secret in Hall Effect

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B5 L5 R5209

This seminar introduces the "carrier and trap resolved photo-Hall effect," a novel technique extending the classic Hall effect via a simple hyperbola equation to reveal majority/minority carrier properties and trap dynamics, unifying multiple physical excitations for enhanced semiconductor characterization.

Becoming a powerhouse of semiconductor expertise

1 min read ·
KAUST Compound Semiconductor Weekend brought together a diverse group of experts to discuss the most important research areas of semiconductor technology and the substantial compound semiconductor work done in Saudi Arabia and India.
<> AI (4) <> communications (4)

Visible light communication

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B9 H1

The wireless communication technology has been evolved from 1G to 5G networks. The next 6G era will bring about higher demands for bandwidth and speed. Visible light communication (VLC) shows great potential in providing high speed and secure communication link by utilizing the unregulated visible light spectrum to carry the data. In this seminar, the overview of VLC will be presented first. The devices and components developed for VLC network will then be reviewed and discussed in details. I will also briefly talk about the application of underwater communication application by using visible light at the end of the seminar.

Brighter blue lights for faster communication

1 min read ·
High-performance blue-light-emitting diodes could boost white-light, high-speed data transmission.

A pure twist on optical data transfer

1 min read ·
The finding that light can be twisted very precisely may offer fresh options for communications infrastructure.

Fiber glow brings more go for underwater communications

1 min read ·
KAUST scientists have developed an optical-based wireless network system that has significant potential for faster underwater optical communications.
<> Fiber-optic sensors (4)

Innovative research earns Islam Ashry election as Fellow of the Institute of Physics

3 min read ·
Dr. Islam Ashry has been elected Fellow of the Institute of Physics in recognition of his impactful photonics-based research.

Juan Manuel Marin Mosquera

Ph.D. Candidate (former), Electrical and Computer Engineering
Early stage researcher focused on laying the foundations for the emerging field of Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC). His work aims to incorporate smart sensing solutions leveraging machine learning-aided Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS) into the next generation of fiber-based telecommunication networks, as well as their integration into the realm of the Internet of Things (IoT).

Islam Ashry

Senior Research Scientist, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Senior Research Scientist with over 10 years of experience in optics, specializing in developing optical sensors as real-world solutions for underwater exploration, smart agriculture, and the oil and gas industry. Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), IEEE, and IEEE Photonics Society.
Ibrahim Al-Sayoud profile picture

Ibrahim Alsayoud

Education M.S./Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, Jan 2021 - Present B.S. in Electrical Engineering at KFUPM, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Sep 2016 - Aug 2021 KAUST Affiliations Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) Division, Electrical and Computer Engineering
<> GaN (4)

Micro-LEDs boost random number generation

1 min read ·
Intensity fluctuations from miniature LEDs provide ultrafast generation rates.

Jorge Holguín-Lerma receives 2020 IEEE Photonics Society Graduate Student Scholarship

1 min read ·
KAUST Ph.D. student Jorge Holguín-Lerma has recently been named a recipient of the 2020 IEEE Photonics Society Graduate Student Scholarship. Holguín-Lerma was one of only ten students worldwide to receive the Society’s most competitive scholarship for graduate students in photonics. The award acknowledges both his work at KAUST and the potential impact of his future research.

Mohamed Ebaid

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Photonics Laboratory
Currently works at ​Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, California, USA

Jung-Wook Min

Research Scientist, Photonics Laboratory
Introduction Jung-Wook Min is a Research Scientist at Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He received his M.S. and a Ph.D. degree in the Department of Physics and Photon Science at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Republic of Korea, in 2012 and 2016. He has 10 years of hands-on experiences of refurbishment, modification and maintenance of various type of III-N and III-As/P MBE chambers and has been focused on the epitaxial growth of III
<> Nonlinear Optics (4)
KAUST-CEMSE-ECE-IPL-Nikita-Kondratyev

Nikita Kondratyev

Mikhail Mishevskii

Mikhail received the B.S. degree in applied mathematics and physics from Novosibirsk State, Novosibirsk, Russia and received a master's degree with honors from the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech). His research interests include: nonlinear optics, integrated photonics, ultrafast lasers, frequency comb generation. During his time at Skoltech participated in the Skoltech Translational Research and Innovation Program industrial project to create a pulsed submicron laser for pumping a single-photon quantum light source. Mikhail awarded with Scholarship of the President of

Aram Mkrtchyan

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Gregor Sauer

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Gregor Sauer was a Visiting student from Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany at Professor Boon Ooi's Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Research Interests Gregor's research interests included nonlinear, liquid core and photonic crystal fiber optics applications. Selected Publications Bachelor Thesis: Characterization of linear and nonlinear optical properties of an anti-resonant hollow-core fiber (2015). Resonance-enhanced multi-octave supercontinuum generation in antiresonant hollow-core fibers (LSA 2017). Professional Memberships
<> Optical sensors (4)

Innovative research earns Islam Ashry election as Fellow of the Institute of Physics

3 min read ·
Dr. Islam Ashry has been elected Fellow of the Institute of Physics in recognition of his impactful photonics-based research.

Taking the heat out of emitters

1 min read ·
Semiconductor light-emitting diodes fabricated on a metal substrate are less prone to overheating.

Redha Al Ibrahim

Postdoctoral Research Fellow (former), Photonics Laboratory
Education Profile January 2020 - December 2024, Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia August 2018 - December 2019, M.S. in Electrical Engineering at KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia August 2014 - May 2018, B.S in Optics at University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA Professional Memberships ​Member of OSA (Optical Society of America) Member of SPIE (International Society for Optics and Photonics)

Islam Ashry

Senior Research Scientist, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Senior Research Scientist with over 10 years of experience in optics, specializing in developing optical sensors as real-world solutions for underwater exploration, smart agriculture, and the oil and gas industry. Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), IEEE, and IEEE Photonics Society.
<> optoelectronic devices (4)

Phys.org features "Improved nanoscale patterning using aniodine or xenon difluoride gas"

1 min read ·
"A technique developed by scientists at KAUST has made more controlled fabrication of optoelectronic devices produced from a hybrid of organic and inorganic materials possible."

Jung-Hong Min

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Photonics Laboratory
Research Interests: Electromagnetics and optoelectronics, Nanomaterials, GaN, Optoelectronics, Molecular Beam Epitaxy, Large bandgap group-III nitride

Hosne Mobarok Shamim

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Hosne Mobarok Shamim was a visiting student at Photonics Lab, KAUST as a part of the KAUST-KFUPM Initiative (KKI) program. He obtained a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM). He has a Bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the Islamic University of Technology (IUT), Bangladesh (2013). He has two years of experience as a lecturer at Bangladesh University of Business and Technology, Bangladesh and Atish Dipankar University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh. Research Interests Hosne's research interests

Giuseppe Bernardo Consiglio

Visiting Student, Photonics Laboratory
Giuseppe Bernardo Consiglio is a Master's Student at the Polytechnic University of Milan that joined the Photonics Laboratory as a visiting student for his thesis project. He received the B.Sc. degree in Physics Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 2013 with the thesis about contact resistance in graphene channel based devices. Research Interests Giuseppe's research interests included Optoelectronics devices. Education Profile Master of Science in Physics Engineering at Politecnico of Milano, 2013 – Present. Bachelor's degree in Physics Engineering at Politecnico of Milano
<> semiconductors (4)

Study of III-nitride Nanowire Growth and Devices on Unconventional Substrates

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B3 L5 R5209

This thesis aims to investigate the microscopic characteristics of the nanowires and expand on the possibility of using transparent amorphous substrate for III-nitride nanowire devices. In this work, we performed material growth, characterization, and device fabrication of III-nitride nanowires grown using molecular beam epitaxy on unconventional substrates including silicon substrates and fused silica substrates. We also investigated the effect of various nucleation layers on the morphology and quality of the nanowires.

Hybrid integration of materials for ultraviolet detection

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B9 L2 H1 R2322

Semiconductors are pervasive in consumer electronics and optoelectronics, and the related optical devices are deemed disruptive that Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014 was awarded to the inventors of blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which “has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources”. While AlInGaN-based lasers and LEDs, and silicon-based photodetectors are currently matured, unconventional usage based on the materials has demonstrated their further potential, including solar-hydrogen generation, indoor-horticulture, and high-speed communication.

Ram Chandra Subedi

Ram Chandra Subedi (RC) is a Ph.D. student at Photonics Lab under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Physics from Tribhuvan University, Nepal in 2009 and 2011 respectively. In addition, he received his M.S. in the Experimental Condensed Matter Physics University of Georgia, Athens (UGA in 2016). During his stay at UGA, he worked as a Teaching/Research Assistant. His research at UGA was primarily focused on polymer/ small molecule-based Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) and Organic Spin

Davide Priante

Davide Priante obtained his Ph.D. and Master's degree in Electrical Engineering under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Davide received his B.Sc. degree in Material Science Engineering from the University of Padova, Italy, in 2013. He joined KAUST in February 2014 as an M.S. to a Ph.D. student in Photonics Laboratory in the Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences & Engineering (CEMSE) Division. He received his MSc degree in August 2015 with a thesis based on the recombination mechanism of CH3NH3PbBr3 perovskite. Davide
<> solid-state lighting (4)

Fabrication and Characterization of GaN-Based Superluminescent Diode for Solid-State Lighting and Visible Light Communication

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KAUST

This dissertation is devoted to the fabrication and electrical and optical characterization of a new class of III-nitride light-emitter known as superluminescent diode (SLD). SLD works in an amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) regime, and it combines several advantages from both LD and LED, such as droop-free, speckle-free, low-spatial coherence, broader emission, high-optical power, and directional beam. Here, SLDs were fabricated by a focused ion beam by tilting the front facet of the waveguide to suppress the lasing mode. They showed a high-power of 474 mW on c-plane GaN-substrate with a large spectral bandwidth of 6.5 nm at an optical power of 105 mW. To generate SLD-based white light, a YAG-phosphor-plate was integrated, and a CRI of 85.1 and CCT of 3392 K were measured. For the VLC link, SLD showed record high-data rates of 1.45 Gbps and 3.4 Gbps by OOK and DMT modulation schemes, respectively. Additionally, a widely single- and dual-wavelength tunability were designed using SLD-based external cavity (SLD-EC) configuration for a tunable blue laser source.

Yujian Guo

Yujian Guo is a Ph.D. student at Photonics Laboratory under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Yujian obtained a Bachelor's Degree with distinction in Microelectronic engineering at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), in 2017. He joined King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in the Fall of 2017 and achieved M.sc. in Electrical Engineering at KAUST in 2018. Research Interests Yujian's research interests include Underwater wireless optical communications, Underwater optical

Jian Wei Liang

Jian-Wei Liang has joined the Ph.D. program in Electrical Engineering at Photonics Lab at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in fall 2016. He graduated from the chemistry department at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Taiwan in 2013 and then received his master's degree in chemistry from NCKU in 2015. In the duration of his master's education, he also worked as a teaching assistant in a basic chemistry experiment course. At present, he is concentrating on new material for UV LEDs in Photonics Lab under the supervision of Prof. Ooi. Research Interests Jian-Wei's

Abdullah A. Alatawi

Abdullah Alatawi is a Ph.D. student at Photonics Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). His research interests include the study of semiconductor lasers, LEDs, and SLDs for applications in energy-efficient lighting and visible light communications. He received his master of science in optical nanotechnology engineering from the University of Kassel in Germany (2014). The topic of his thesis covers the investigation and improvement of VCSEL devices. He received his B.SC in Aerospace Engineering from King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in
<> 2D materials (3)
Razan Shams

Razan Shams

MS/PhD ECE student at KAUST developing Device Physics and MEMS. Experienced in nanofabrication and semiconductor processing. Passionate about applying material science and experimental physics to interdisciplinary challenges in engineering and technology.

Paulraj Gnanasekar

Postdoctoral Research Fellow (former), Photonics Laboratory
My research is focused on the synthesis of 2D materials by CVD approach and renewable hydrogen production during Ph.D. My current research is focused on electrochemical and photoelectrochemical N2 reduction, CO2 Reduction and oxidation applications using 2D heterostructures.​ Research Interests CO 2/N 2 Reduction Reaction Oxidation Reaction 2D Materials Chemical Vapour Deposition Renewable Energy Photoelectrochemisty Selected Publications G. Paulraj, P. Dharmaraj, V. Purushothaman, Jr-hau He and K. Jeganathan, Highly efficient and stable photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution with 2D-NbS2/Si

Latifah Al Maghrabi

Latifah Al-Maghrabi is pursuing a master's degree in Electrical Engineering in the electrophysics track at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Currently, the questions that guide Latifah's journey of investigation revolve around exploring novel lower dimensional materials for integration with group-III-nitride-based optoelectronic devices at the Photonics Laboratory at KAUST. By understanding the physics at the device level, she hopes to be able to enhance optoelectronics used for light and energy generation. In May 2018, Latifah graduated with a B.S. in Electrical
<> biophotonics (3) <> bioscience (3) <> communication networks (3)

Alaa Alameer Ahmad

Research visit to communication theory lab in computer, electrical and mathematical sciences and engineering. KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) ,Worked with research groups supervised by Prof. Mohamed-Slim Alouini and Prof. Tareq AL-Naffouri.

Ultraviolet band based underwater wireless optical communication

-

KAUST

Underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) has attracted increasing interest for data transfer in various underwater activities, due to its order-of-magnitude higher bandwidth compared to conventional acoustic and radio-frequency (RF) technologies. Our studies pave the way for eventual applications of UWOC by relieving the strict requirements on PAT using UV-based NLOS. Such modality is much sought-after for implementing robust, secure, and high-speed UWOC links in harsh oceanic environments. This work was first started with the investigation of proper NLOS configurations. Path loss (PL) was chosen as a figure-of-merit for link performance. The effects of NLOS geometries, water turbidity, and transmission wavelength are evaluated by measuring the corresponding PL. The experimental results suggest that NLOS UWOC links are favorable for smaller azimuth angles, stronger water turbidity, and shorter transmission wavelength, as exemplified by the use of 375-nm wavelength. With the understanding of favorable NLOS UWOC configurations, we established a NLOS link consisting of an ultraviolet (UV) laser as the transmitter for enhanced light scattering and high sensitivity photomultiplier tube (PMT) as the receiver. A high data rate of 85 Mbit/s using on-off keying (OOK) in a 30-cm emulated highly turbid harbor water is demonstrated. Besides the underwater communication links, UV-based NLOS is also appealing to be the signal carrier for direct communication across wavy water-air interface. The trial results indicate link stability, which alleviates the issues brought about by the misalignment and mobility in harsh environments, paving the way towards real applications.

Xiaobin Sun

Xiaobin Sun is a Ph.D. student at Photonics Laboratory under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Research Interests Sun's research interests include Semiconductor Optoelectronic device, Optical communication, including underwater optical wireless communications, visible-light communications. Invited Talks: Visible diode lasers for high bitrate underwater wireless optical communications Boon S. Ooi, Xiaobin Sun, Omar Alkhazragi, Yujian Guo, Tien Khee Ng, Mohamed-Slim Alouini Optical Fiber Communication Conference, M3I. 1 (OFC 2019
<> embedded systems (3) <> haps (3)

Bang Huang

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Bang Huang works as a postdoctoral fellow at the Computer Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division (CEMSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), under the supervision of Prof. Mohamed-Slim Alouini in the Communication Theory Lab (CTL). Education and Early Career Bang Huang received the M.S. degree (with honors) in electrical engineering and Ph.D degree in information and communication engineering from the School of Information and Communication Engineering (SICE), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu, China, in

Xiaowei Pang

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Xiaowei Pang is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Computer Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division (CEMSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), working with Professor Mohamed-Slim Alouini in the Communication Theory Lab (CTL). Education and Early Career Xiaowei Pang received her B.S. degree in Telecommunication Engineering from Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China, in 2018, and her Ph.D. degree in Information and Communication Engineering from Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China, in 2024. From 2021 to 2022
H

Hussein Al-Shatri

I chose KAUST because of its reputation for excellence in research and its recent emphasis on applied research. With my extensive background in both academic research and industrial development, I am excited to contribute my experience and ambition. My goal is to foster new ideas and develop innovative prototypes in the field of wireless communications, which will undoubtedly enhance people's lives.
<> integrated optics (3)

Mohammed Zahed M. Khan (EE PhD Candidate) and Dr. Boon Ooi (Professor of EE) won the Best Paper Award (Photonics Track) at the SIECP conference

1 min read ·
Mohammed Zahed M. Khan (EE PhD Candidate) and Dr. Boon Ooi (Professor of EE) won the Best Paper Award (Photonics Track) in the second SIECPC.

Mohammed Zahed Mustafa Khan

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Photonics Laboratory
Mohammed Zahed Mustafa Khan worked as a Post-Doctoral fellow at the Photonics lab after receiving his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering under the supervision of Prof. Boon Ooi from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Mohammed received his Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Saudi Arabia, in 2004, and Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication from Osmania University, India, in 2001. Mohammed is currently an Assistant Professor at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia

Edgars Stegenburgs

Edgars Stegenburgs joined the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) Division of KAUST as an MS/Ph.D. student and graduate researcher at Photonics Laboratory in January 2015. Previously he was working in the Laser Centre of the University of Latvia as a natural sciences laboratory assistant under the supervision of Dr. Aigars Ekers in the Laser-manipulation laboratory. There he developed his bachelor thesis "Formation of bright and dark states in non-degenerate quantum systems and ultra-high vacuum system design for Rb atoms magneto-optical trap" and earned the
<> Integrated Photonics technology (3)

Mutibah Alanazi

Mutibah’s research focuses on quantum optics, optoelectronics, and nanophononics, with an emphasis on developing scalable quantum optical technologies. During her PhD at the University of Oxford, she explored quantum coherent emission, polariton condensation, and photon bunching in low-dimensional systems. She has extensive expertise in advanced laser systems, cryogenic techniques, microcavity systems, and material modeling, contributing to several notable publications in the field of condensed matter physics. Research interests Mutibah's research focuses on developing cavity-coupled spin

Integrated Photonic Devices for Sensing and Telecom Applications

Prof. Hugo E. Hernandez Figueroa, University of Campinas (UNICAMP)

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B3 L5 R5209

This talk will be focused on Integrated Photonics technology, which demands strong and robust confinement of light in order to attain the maximum possible integration of photonics devices on a single chip. Keeping this in mind, three applications based on LEMAC’s recent developments will be presented in this talk.

Toward scalable and high performance on-chip light source for integrated silicon photonics

Chen Shang, Postoctoral Researcher Fellow, University of California Santa Barbara

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B9 L2 R2322

Monolithic integration of quantum dot (QD) gain materials onto Si photonic platforms via direct epitaxial growth is considered as the ultimate solution for on-chip light sources.
<> LiDAR (3) <> MATLAB (3) <> molecular beam epitaxy (3)

Tae-Yong Park

Taeyong is now a PhD student at KAUST. His research interests include Molecular Beam Epitaxy, Large bandgap group- nitride and GaN, fabricate Micro Light emitting diode and photodetector Education Profile Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia, Aug. 2020 - present M.S. in Materials System Engineering at Pukyong national university, Republic of Korea, Mar. 2018 - Feb. 2020 B.S. in Materials System Engineering at Pukyong national university, Republic of Korea, Mar. 2012 - Aug. 2017 Awards and Distinctions ​Award for Best

Jung-Wook Min

Research Scientist, Photonics Laboratory
Introduction Jung-Wook Min is a Research Scientist at Photonics Laboratory in the Division of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He received his M.S. and a Ph.D. degree in the Department of Physics and Photon Science at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Republic of Korea, in 2012 and 2016. He has 10 years of hands-on experiences of refurbishment, modification and maintenance of various type of III-N and III-As/P MBE chambers and has been focused on the epitaxial growth of III

Aditya Prabaswara

Aditya Prabaswara received his bachelor's degree in Telecommunication Engineering from Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia in 2011 and his Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea in 2014. He joined Prof. Boon Ooi’s group in 2014 under KAUST’s CEMSE department for his Ph.D. Currently, he is working as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Linköping University​, Sweden. Research Interests Aditya's research interests included Photonics and Optoelectronics. His main research topic involves the growth, characterization, and device
<> nanophotonics (3) <> optical communication (3) <> optical fiber (3) <> optical wireless communicaitons (3)

Ultraviolet band based underwater wireless optical communication

-

KAUST

Underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) has attracted increasing interest for data transfer in various underwater activities, due to its order-of-magnitude higher bandwidth compared to conventional acoustic and radio-frequency (RF) technologies. Our studies pave the way for eventual applications of UWOC by relieving the strict requirements on PAT using UV-based NLOS. Such modality is much sought-after for implementing robust, secure, and high-speed UWOC links in harsh oceanic environments. This work was first started with the investigation of proper NLOS configurations. Path loss (PL) was chosen as a figure-of-merit for link performance. The effects of NLOS geometries, water turbidity, and transmission wavelength are evaluated by measuring the corresponding PL. The experimental results suggest that NLOS UWOC links are favorable for smaller azimuth angles, stronger water turbidity, and shorter transmission wavelength, as exemplified by the use of 375-nm wavelength. With the understanding of favorable NLOS UWOC configurations, we established a NLOS link consisting of an ultraviolet (UV) laser as the transmitter for enhanced light scattering and high sensitivity photomultiplier tube (PMT) as the receiver. A high data rate of 85 Mbit/s using on-off keying (OOK) in a 30-cm emulated highly turbid harbor water is demonstrated. Besides the underwater communication links, UV-based NLOS is also appealing to be the signal carrier for direct communication across wavy water-air interface. The trial results indicate link stability, which alleviates the issues brought about by the misalignment and mobility in harsh environments, paving the way towards real applications.

Xiaobin Sun

Xiaobin Sun is a Ph.D. student at Photonics Laboratory under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Research Interests Sun's research interests include Semiconductor Optoelectronic device, Optical communication, including underwater optical wireless communications, visible-light communications. Invited Talks: Visible diode lasers for high bitrate underwater wireless optical communications Boon S. Ooi, Xiaobin Sun, Omar Alkhazragi, Yujian Guo, Tien Khee Ng, Mohamed-Slim Alouini Optical Fiber Communication Conference, M3I. 1 (OFC 2019

Omar Alkhazragi

Introduction Omar Alkhazragi received the degree of Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 2018 from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and a master’s degree in electrophysics in 2019 from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. He is now an electrophysics Ph.D. student in the Photonics Laboratory at KAUST. The primary focus of his research is on optoelectronic devices fabrication and applications, including optical and quantum communication. Research Interests Photonics and optoelectronics Semiconductor
<> optimization (3) <> Reinforcement Learning (3) <> remote sensing (3)

Gleb Ludnikov

To strive and explore, to uncover and never give in.

Bang Huang

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Bang Huang works as a postdoctoral fellow at the Computer Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division (CEMSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), under the supervision of Prof. Mohamed-Slim Alouini in the Communication Theory Lab (CTL). Education and Early Career Bang Huang received the M.S. degree (with honors) in electrical engineering and Ph.D degree in information and communication engineering from the School of Information and Communication Engineering (SICE), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu, China, in

Photonics Design and Remote Sensing

Prof. Hugo Enrique Hernandez Figueroa

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B18 L4 Fellowship Hall

Abstract This tutorial series will include: Seminar 1 (Monday, 2PM) – Electromagnetic Numerical Modeling A general view of electromagnetic numerical modeling. Finite Element Method (FEM) vs Finite Difference Method. FEM formulations for solving Maxwell equations: time-domain and frequencydomain. Scattering, resonant structures and guiding modeling. Description of NEO-PZ: LEMAC’s electromagnetic simulator package. Challenging electromagnetic problems: very large electrical spatial domains demanding very high localized accuracy. Deterministic and heuristic optimization techniques and artificial
<> semiconductor (3) <> semiconductor laser (3) <> Underwater communication (3)

Laser lighting and its application in visible light communications

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B9 L2 R2322

This talk provides an overview of the latest laser-based lighting and Gbit/s VLC and underwater communications. Recent progress of visible wavelength high-speed transmitters and receivers will also be discussed.

Meet KAUST prospective student: Bárbara Nicoly M. Oliveira

1 min read ·
Bárbara Nicoly M. Oliveira is an electrical engineering graduate from the Federal University of Campina Grande, Brazil. Bárbara will join KAUST this fall as a M.S./Ph.D. candidate and member of the Photonics Laboratory under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi.

Bárbara Nicoly M. Oliveira

Bárbara Nicoly M. Oliveira is a M.S./Ph.D. candidate and member of the KAUST Photonics Laboratory under the supervision of Professor Boon Ooi. Before joining KAUST, Bárbara obtained a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the Federal University of Campina Grande, Brazil. Eralier, Barbara Nicoly M. Oliveira has been a visiting student in Sensing, Magnetism, and Microsystems group under the supervision of Prof. Jurgen Kosel. Research Interests Bárbara's research interests lie in the field of underwater communication through light-based technologies. Education Profile B.Sc. Electrical
<> Wireless Communications (3) <> Advanced Perception (2) <> AI4Science (2) <> applied mathematics (2) <> Automous Vehicles (2) <> biomedical devices (2) <> Biosensors (2) <> communication (2) <> Computational Neuroscience (2) <> data analysis (2) <> data communication (2) <> Deep generative models (2) <> Deep UV optoelectronic devices (2) <> device fabrication (2) <> Digital signal processing (2) <> Dynamical Systems (2) <> Electroencephalograms (2) <> Electromagnetics and optoelectronics (2) <> electronics (2)
Salem Alsaqaf

Salem Al-saqaf

Salem Al-Saqaf is an Electrical and Computer Engineer specializing in semiconductors, electronics and AI. He combines strong academic training with practical industry experience in AI-driven solutions, data science, and system optimization. His work spans applied research and real-world innovation, aiming to advance intelligent systems, enhance semiconductor applications, and develop technologies that bridge academic discovery with industrial impact.

Hybrid integration of materials for ultraviolet detection

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B9 L2 H1 R2322

Semiconductors are pervasive in consumer electronics and optoelectronics, and the related optical devices are deemed disruptive that Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014 was awarded to the inventors of blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which “has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources”. While AlInGaN-based lasers and LEDs, and silicon-based photodetectors are currently matured, unconventional usage based on the materials has demonstrated their further potential, including solar-hydrogen generation, indoor-horticulture, and high-speed communication.
<> energy harvesting (2) <> fiber optics (2) <> flexible electronics (2) <> food security (2) <> FPGA (2) <> GaN-based LED (2) <> Generative AI and LLMs (2) <> healthcare (2) <> HPC (2) <> III-nitride (2) <> III-nitride nanowires (2)

Study of III-nitride Nanowire Growth and Devices on Unconventional Substrates

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B3 L5 R5209

This thesis aims to investigate the microscopic characteristics of the nanowires and expand on the possibility of using transparent amorphous substrate for III-nitride nanowire devices. In this work, we performed material growth, characterization, and device fabrication of III-nitride nanowires grown using molecular beam epitaxy on unconventional substrates including silicon substrates and fused silica substrates. We also investigated the effect of various nucleation layers on the morphology and quality of the nanowires.

Aditya Prabaswara

Aditya Prabaswara received his bachelor's degree in Telecommunication Engineering from Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia in 2011 and his Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea in 2014. He joined Prof. Boon Ooi’s group in 2014 under KAUST’s CEMSE department for his Ph.D. Currently, he is working as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Linköping University​, Sweden. Research Interests Aditya's research interests included Photonics and Optoelectronics. His main research topic involves the growth, characterization, and device
<> III-Nitride Optoelectronics (2) <> integrated circuits (2) <> Large Language Models (2) <> LLM (2) <> Localization (2) <> machine learning for wireless communication (2) <> MEMS (2) <> Micro-LEDs (2) <> microelectronics (2) <> MOVPE (2) <> multimodal sensing (2) <> nanowires (2)