Host: Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
Secondments: OCTLight, University of Kent, Applied Optics Group (AOG)/with guidance from UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital
PhD project: Electrically pumped MEMS VCSEL
The optical coherence market has experienced a significant growth in recent years. One branch of this technology is swept source OCT where a laser with rapid wavelength tuning is required. Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL) modulated using MEMS are good light sources due to a long modulation range and fast tuning. My project focuses on the further improvement of the 1060-nm MEMS VCSEL devices that would allow the development of low-cost ophthalmic OCT applications. Key activities include thermal and optical simulations, GaAs device fabrication, mask design, and characterization. Collaborations with OCTLight and the University of Kent have facilitated real-time retinal imaging using Complex Master Slave OCT and the development of new VCSEL designs.
Completed workshops, Seminars, and Conferences:
- NETLAS Online Event, 01/07/2021 , oral presentation entitled ” Electrically pumped MEMS VCSEL – introduction”
- International Day of Light Conference, 20th – 21st May, 2021, Organizer: Tampere University, Finland
- Winter School, DTU, Denmark, 1-4th March 2022, oral presentation entitled ” Electrically pumped MEMS VCSEL – further results“
- Autumn School, Technical University of Darmstadt (TUDA), Germany, 4-7th October 2022
- Photonics West 2023, USA – 28 January–2 February
- NETLAS Conference in conjunction with Markus Pessa International Summer School “New Frontiers in Optical Technologies”, Tampere, Finland, August 7 – 11, 2023
- VCSEL day, Politecnico di Torino, Italy, 22 September 2023
- Photonics West 2024, USA – 27 January–1 February
Publications:
- E. A. Proano Grijalva, A. Martínez Jiménez, A. Bradu, A. Fernandez, B. O. Meyer, A. Jensen, E. Semenova, T. Ansbæk, K. Yvind, A. Podoleanu, “Novel 1.6 MHz swept source for real-time volumetric in-vivo OCT imaging of the human retina,” Proc. SPIE 12367, Optical Coherence Tomography and Coherence Domain Optical Methods in Biomedicine XXVII, 1236704 (8 March 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2649142
- E. A. Proano Grijalva, M. Mikulicz, A. Jensen, E. Semenova, T. Ansbæk, K. Yvind, “High-contrast grating optimization for electrically pumped 1060nm MEMS-VCSELs“, Proceedings Volume 12904, Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers XXVIII; 129040I (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3002355
- Alejandro Martínez Jiménez, Esteban Andres Proano Grijalva, Adrian Bradu, Bjorn Meyer, Thor Ansbaek, Kresten Yvind, Adrian Podoleanu, “Using complex master-slave protocol for OCT with bidirectional sweeping laser”, Proceedings Volume PC12830, Optical Coherence Tomography and Coherence Domain Optical Methods in Biomedicine XXVIII; PC128301I (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3005674
Previous education
I graduated from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, as an Electrical Engineer in 2017. Then, during 2018-2020 I studied in the Erasmus Mundus Master programme: Photonic Integrated Circuits, Sensors and NETworks (PIXNET) that consisted of 1 year in the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, 1 semester in Aston University and 1 semester in Osaka University.