Title: Engineering Light: New Frontiers in UV and IR Optoelectronic Devices
Abstract: Recent advances in light-emitting diodes, photodetectors, and lasers are unlocking new opportunities to tackle critical challenges at wavelengths underserved by conventional technologies beyond the telecom band. Two particularly promising regimes are the deep ultraviolet (UVC) — enabling applications such as efficient sterilization and non-line-of-sight communication — and the mid-infrared (MIR), which supports emerging technologies ranging from non-invasive medical diagnostics to environmental monitoring of oil and gas leaks, as well as low-cost infrared imaging. Despite these opportunities, progress in both the UVC and MIR regimes has been hindered by fundamental material and device limitations. In the UVC, efficient doping of ultra-wide-bandgap semiconductors remains a major challenge, and devices suffer from degradation mechanisms that are not yet well understood. In the MIR, narrow-bandgap semiconductors often exhibit poor crystal quality and are plagued by strong non-radiative recombination processes, including Shockley–Read–Hall and Auger recombination.
Prof. Nordin will present his efforts to advance UVC and MIR optoelectronics through a full-stack approach that integrates novel photonic and heterostructure design (including high-index nanophotonics), innovative materials development, state-of-the-art molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), precise nanostructuring, and rapid device characterization. Central to this effort is the concept of epitaxial nanophotonics — the engineering of semiconductor heterostructures to simultaneously control electron and photon interactions. This approach not only enables high-performance devices across the UVC and MIR but also provides a versatile platform for pushing the broader frontiers of optoelectronic technologies.
By applying epitaxial nanophotonics across the entire device stack, we are driving performance into new regimes and laying the foundation for next-generation systems that unite fundamental materials science and device engineering with real-world applications.
Bio: Dr. Nordin is an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida, holding a joint appointment between the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL). He earned a bachelor’s degree in Physics (with honors) from Grinnell College, followed by master’s and doctoral degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. After completing his graduate studies, Dr. Nordin held a postdoctoral research fellowship at Stanford University’s Geballe Lab for Advanced Materials.
His research lab specializes in the design, growth, fabrication, and characterization of semiconductor materials and devices. The lab focuses on semiconductor devices that emit or detect light, employing nanostructuring techniques to enhance light–matter interactions and significantly improve device performance. His current research interests include ultra-wide-bandgap materials (III-Ns) and devices (UVC lasers, LEDs, and detectors), as well as nanophotonic and heteroepitaxial devices using III–V semiconductors (low-cost detectors, novel emitters, and nanophotonic single-photon detectors).
Dr. Nordin has received several awards, including the 2024 Early Career Program (ECP) award from the Army Research Office (ARO), the 2025 Young Investigator Program (YIP) award from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), and the 2025 UCF Reach for the Stars Award.
Host: John Kymissis