Message from the director

Thank you for visiting the Center for Photonics and Nanoelectronics (CPN) at Lehigh University.

The CPN is a merger of two previous centers at Lehigh, namely Center for Optical Technologies (COT) and Sherman Fairchild Center for Solid State Studies (SFC). The merged center CPN inherits the faculty (diverse expertise and core technical backgrounds), students, facilities, resources, reputation, history, and legacy (faculty alumni and student alumni connections) of both Center for Optical Technologies (COT) and Sherman Fairchild Center (SFC).

The success of the former Center leaderships in establishing both COT and SFC as the leading programs in photonics and solid state electronics, respectively, has provided a solid foundation for the CPN leadership to advance further in advancing and integrating the science and technologies of photonics and nanoelectronics. This center – CPN – is entrusted with resources for initiating and integrating new initiatives, as well as enabling full coverage of operation budget and postdoc / graduate students fellowship.

The CPN consists of highly research active faculty members with relevant expertise in photonics and nanoelectronics. The initial core CPN faculty will be limited to 15 members, and we will have numerous additional secondary faculty member (non-core) affiliated with the Center. The core CPN faculty will grow to 19 members with the goal of increasing to about 23 faculty members in the next 2-3 years.

New facility enhancement is also part of the CPN’s charge to advance the photonics and nanoelectronics research at Lehigh, and we have more than additional 15 affiliated faculty members. Significant research activities exist within the Center for Photonics and Nanoelectronics, and the current strengths span from III-Nitride and compound semiconductor technologies, high speed and power transistors, terahertz sources, organic based electronics and photonics, bio-related materials and devices, nonlinear optics, plasmonic and metamaterials, flexible photonics technologies, glass and ferroelectric photonics, fiber based technologies, and carbon nanotubes.

We welcome you to reach out to develop future collaborations, to discuss on possible opportunities, or simply to learn more about the research activities by our faculty within the CPN at Lehigh. The exciting works pursued within the Center have advanced the fields of research, as well as impacting life in society.

Please review our Web site for information and stories on CPN capabilities and facilities. We are highly proud of the accomplishments of our faculty, students, and alumni. The opportunity for partnership is real, and we continue look to partnering with the best researchers in other partner institutions, government laboratories, and industry. Along with our sister research center, the Center for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, we represent Lehigh's deep capabilities and commitments in advancing both science and technologies from materials up to system level applications.

Kind Regards,
Nelson Tansu
Daniel E. '39 and Patricia M. Smith Endowed ChairProfessor in Photonics and Nanoelectronics
Smith Family Endowed Director, Center for Photonics and Nanoelectronics
Lehigh University