Glass Reflections
Cambridge 7th to 9th September



Presenting Author:
Richard Curry
<r.j.curry@surrey.ac.uk>

article posted 6 May 2015

Richard Curry

Richard Curry obtained his BSc in Theoretical Physics (1st class Hons) from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) in 1996. He went on to complete a PhD, also at QMUL in 1999, in which he pioneered the first near infrared emitting organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). Extending these studies as a postdoctoral researcher he moved to the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton in 2001. Here he developed research interests studying planar chalcogenide materials for optoelectronic applications and in 2003 co-founded ChG Southampton Ltd. In 2004 he moved the University of Surrey where he is currently Professor of Photonics and also currently holds a Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship.





Localised control of chalcogenide properties

Richard Curry Advanced Technology Institute, Department of Electronic Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH, United Kingdom

The ability to control the local properties of materials is a key requirement to advance their use in many applications. In glasses the control of the refractive index enables light to be guided down optical fibres for kilometres. However, controlling other properties of glasses in a spatially localised way has often proved more challenging. Bulk doping of glasses during their formation is a well established way of modifying many properties though typically at the expense of maintaining local control. One of the most difficult issues in relation to controlling the properties of chalcogenide glasses has been the ability to change their semiconducting behaviour from p-type to n-type. Recently we demonstrated that this may be achieved using ion-implantation through a process of 'non-equilibrium doping' of the materials following their glass formation. The very nature of ion-implantation enables localised doping to be achieved and so is also an attractive route to local modification of other properties including thermal, electronic and optical properties. The development of non-equilibrium doping by this route therefore offers great potential for expanding the future use of these materials in a wider range of technologies. This talk will provide an overview of the technique and highlight some of the achievements reported to date.