Univ of Illinois Micro + Nanotechnology Lab 2016 Highlights Report | Page 13

Minjoo Larry Lee
A pioneer in the field of photovoltaic cell research , MINJOO LARRY LEE has worked on improving the efficiency and fabrication processes of solar cells for nearly 10 years — most recently as a faculty member at Yale University . There , he helped pioneer a dislocation engineering technique called metamorphic epitaxy , which is used to create some of the highest efficiency solar cells today . At Illinois , Lee is tackling the solar energy storage problem by designing a new class of solar cells that can withstand temperatures of up to 400 ° C . His approach aims to enable solar-thermal hybrid systems with efficiency exceeding 40 %. His group is also collaborating with University of Texas researchers on creating InAs quantum-well lasers that emit light at mid-infrared wavelengths and are grown on an InP substrate . In fact , Lee and his colleagues recently achieved room temperature operation of such a laser . These novel lasers are well suited for molecular gas sensing applications .
Yurii Vlasov
A Founder Professor of Engineering , YURII VLASOV is establishing two experimental labs on campus — one focused on integrated photonics for biomedical applications and the other dedicated to experimental systems neuroscience . Both labs reflect his current interest in applying engineering solutions to the life sciences . He holds faculty appointments in Electrical & Computer Engineering , Bioengineering , and Materials Science & Engineering , in addition to his affiliation with MNTL and the Beckman Institute . Before coming to Illinois , Vlasov had a distinguished career at IBM , where he conducted groundbreaking research and led the company ’ s integrated silicon nanophotonics efforts from its early fundamental research stage up to commercial manufacturing of optical transceivers for large-scale datacenters and supercomputers .
micro + nanotechnology lab | 11 | 2016 highlights report