PhD4: Esteban Andres Proano Grijalva

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:

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.