INTERN SPOTLIGHT: DANIEL TITCOMBE

As an undergraduate in nanoscale engineering at SUNY Poly, Dan Titcombe was inspired to apply for his internship through his interest in a photonics course taught by Dr. Robert Geer, professor of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at SUNY Poly and director of AIM Photonics’ Education Workforce Development program.

While taking the course, Titcombe said he went from knowing “little-to-nothing” about photonics to having an understanding of many of the core components, and because he found Dr. Geer’s course to be so interesting—as well as the positive experience of a friend at SUNY Poly who had previously completed an internship at AIM Photonics—Titcombe decided to apply, as well.

“I was initially expecting to be working with photonic circuits, ring resonators and Mach-Zender interferometry, but ended up working with photodiodes instead,” Titcombe said. “I’m familiar with diode behavior from my coursework and it was very interesting to see the combination of the electrical effects and the optical effects come together in the photodiode.”

In addition to his work involving the measurement and characterization of photodetectors, Titcombe’s project also included performing high-frequency RF measurements on calibration structures.

“High-performance germanium detectors are a critical component in photonic integrated circuit design, and accurate characterization of these devices is essential in optimizing the design of these components,” said AIM Photonics Design Enablement Engineer Amit Dikshit, who served as Titcombe’s mentor in the internship program.

“Our team has fabricated an array of detectors with slight design variations and Dan’s measurements will inform a final design,” Dikshit added.

When asked about his thoughts on the future of the industry, Titcombe responded, “I think integrated photonics has an interesting future. Currently, the scale of the devices cannot compete with their electrical counterparts, but the speed and efficiency is very good. I will be curious to see what functions will be taken over by integrated photonics.”

As for his own future, Titcombe’s immediate goal is to graduate in spring of 2024 and then attend graduate school.

Read the full story:
Students Explore Integrated Photonics through Summer Internships at AIM Photonics