Christopher Middlebrook

Christopher Middlebrook aims to speed the flow of information throughout printed circuit boards and processing chips.

"We need to couple light between devices with the lowest amount of loss possible," says the ECE associate professor, whose research focuses on optics and photonics. To do that, he is developing new waveguides using Siloxane. The material was developed by Dow Corning, which is funding Middlebrook's research.

Waveguides are tiny physical structures that channel light between optical transceivers, which send high-speed digital signals in the form of laser light from board to board inside a computer.

"Siloxane experiences low losses at the operating wavelength and is compatible with current circuit board manufacturing processes, making it an ideal material," Middlebrook said.

The small size of the Siloxane waveguides allows multiple channels to be densely packed, making it easier to achieve higher transmission rates. His group is focusing on coupling light between the silicon waveguides contained within the optical transceivers and Siloxane waveguides.

"What we're trying to do just isn't practical using solely silicon waveguides," he said. "We've used Siloxane in previous waveguide research projects, so we have a familiarity with that material, and we have a fantastic ongoing collaboration with Dow Corning Corporation."

Middlebrook is also collaborating with the Harris Corporation, a Florida-based company that has already sponsored an undergraduate Senior Design project and an Enterprise project in the area of microwave photonics. "We are currently looking to develop new optical modulators in order to meet Harris's needs," he said.

He is also interested in reducing "speckle" in laser projection systems. "If you've ever looked at the night sky and seen the twinkling stars, that's speckle," Middlebrook explained. "You are seeing the impact of atmospheric turbulence on the light." In this case, the challenge is to reduce the amount of speckle without reducing the desirable properties of the laser.

Excerpted from the Michigan Tech Electrical and Computer Engineering Annual Report for 2013