Prof Peter M Smowton
Overview
Email:SmowtonPMTelephone:
Location:N/1.16
Research Interests
Interests include the design, fabrication and characterisation of optoelectronic devices. Current research topics include quantum dot lasers and recombination mechanisms in dilute nitride devices, high power red emitters for photodynamic therapy and the physics of InGaN light emitting devices. I am also interested in optoelectronic integration of materials and functions (see Functional Material and Integration). This involves the exploration of the physics of the light matter interactions in these materials and devices.
Measures of Esteem
Conference Organisation:
I currently Co-Chair the Novel-In-Plane Lasers Conference, Photonics West, San Francisco, chair the semiconductor laser subcommittee of CLEO, USA and serve as the European area chair for the 2010 International Semiconductor Laser conference to be held in Kyoto.
I am also involved in the organisation of a number of other UK based meetings, workshops and conferences including PHOTON 10, to be held in Southampton, the annual meeting UK Semiconductors and Semiconductor Integrated Optoelectronics, which has been held in Cardiff since 1986.
I am a member of the editorial board of IET-Optoelectronics and have edited 2 special issues of the IEE Proceedings - Optoelectronics on Semiconductor Optoelectronics in 2001 and 2006, 3 special issues of IET - Optoelectronics in 2007, 2008 and 2009, co-edited an issue of IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics on "Solid State Lighting" in 2009 and co-edited SPIE vols 6909 and 7230 on "Novel In-Plane Semiconductor Lasers" in 2008 and 2009.
Forthcoming and Recent Invited International Conference Talks:
“Low threshold InP Quantum Dot Lasers emitting in the 7xx nm band", 14th International Conference "Laser Optics 2010", St.Petersburg, Russia, June 2010
"InP / AlGaInP Quantum Dot, 690-750nm Emission Wavelength, Lasers”, 9th IEEE International Conference on Nanotechnology, Genoa, Italy July 2009
“InP/AlGaInP Quantum Dot Lasers”, E-MRS 2009 Spring Meeting, Strasbourg, France, June, 2009
I am a senior member of the IEEE Photonics Society and a member of OSA and the Institute of Physics (London, UK).
Teaching
I am currently module organiser for PX3233 "Laser Physics" and PX2107 "Electronics and Instrumentation", teach on PX2108 "Topics in Physics" and coordinate the first year laboratory classes.
I also take 1st and 2nd year tutorials and supervise 3rd and 4th year projects.
Other recent modules include:
PX3226 "Physics of Semiconductor Devices"
PX1217 "Investigative Physics II" and
PX0202 "Electricity, Magnetism and Light
I am responsible for two new degree programmes: Physics and Physics and Astronomy with a 12 months professional placement.
Admin Duties
I am a member of the School Research Committee, a member of the Examinations Panel within Physics and Astronomy and am postgraduate admissions (research) officer for the Physics part of the school. I also serve as a member of the University AQAC Accreditation Submissions Sub-committee and am a member of the staff reference group. I am currently supervising five research associates
Publications
Selected Recent Publications
Effect of Growth Temperature on InP QD Lasers
Peter M. Smowton, Mohammed S. Al-Ghamdi, Sam Shutts, Gareth Edwards, Matthew Hutchings, Andrey B. Krysa
IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, 22 (2), pp.88-90 (2010)
Polarization Properties of Columnar Quantum Dots: Effects of Aspect Ratio and Compositional Contrast
Philipp Ridha, Lianhe Li, Meletios Mexis, Peter M. Smowton, Janusz Andrzejewski, Grzegorz Sek, Jan Misiewicz, Eoin P. O'Reilly, Gilles Patriarche, Andrea Fiore,
IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, 46 (2), pp.197-204 (2010)
Nonradiative recombination in 1.56 µm GaInNAsSb/GaNAs quantum-well lasers
J. W. Ferguson, P. M. Smowton, P. Blood, H. Bae, T. Sarmiento, and J. S. Harris, Jr.
Applied Physics Letters 95, 231104 (2009)
Control of polarization and dipole moment in low-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures,
L. H. Li (李联合), M. Mexis, P. Ridha, M. Bozkurt, G. Patriarche, P. M. Smowton, P. Blood, P. M. Koenraad, and A. Fiore,
Applied Physics Letters 95, 221116 (2009)
Self-pulsing 1050 nm quantum dot edge emitting laser diodes
H.L. Liu, P.M. Smowton, H.D. Summers, G. Edwards, W. Drexler
Applied Physics Letters, 95(10) 101111 (2009)
Low-Temperature Nonthermal Population of InAs-GaAs Quantum Dots
Ian O'Driscoll, Peter M. Smowton and Peter Blood,
IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, 45 (4), pp.380-387 (2009)
Invited Paper: “Origin of Temperature-Dependent Threshold Current in p-Doped and Undoped In(Ga)As Quantum Dot Lasers”,
P.M Smowton, A.A. George, I.C. Sandall, M. Hopkinson, H.-Y. Liu,
IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, 14 (4) pp.1162-1170 (2008)
Spontaneous Radiative Efficiency and Gain Characteristics of Strained Layer InGaAs-GaAs Quantum Well Lasers
G. Tsvid, J. Kirch, L.J. Mawst, M. Kanskar, J. Cai, R.A. Arif, N. Tansu, P.M. Smowton and P. Blood,
IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, 44 (8), pp.732-739 (2008)
Thermal performance investigation of DQW GaInNAs laser diodes,
J.J. Lim, R. MacKenzie, S. Sujecki, M. Sadeghi, S.M. Wang, G. Adolfsson, Y.Q. Wei, A. Larsson, P. Melanen, P. Uusimaa, A.A. George, P.M. Smowton, E.C. Larkins,
Optical and Quantum Electronics, 40, 5-6, pp.383-390 (2008)
Dry Etching of Anisotropic Microstructures for Distributed Bragg Reflectors in AlGaInP/GaAs Laser Structures,
G. T. Edwards, D. I. Westwood and P. M. Smowton,
IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, 14 (4) pp.1098-1103 (2008)
Polarization dependence study of electroluminescence and absorption from InAs/GaAs columnar quantum dots,
P. Ridha, L.H. Li, A. Fiore, G. Patriarche, M. Mexis, and P.M. Smowton,
Applied Physics Letters 91, 191123 (2007)
Nonradiative Recombination in Multiple Layer In(Ga)As Quantum-Dot Lasers,
I.C. Sandall, P.M. Smowton, H-Y. Liu, M. Hopkinson,
IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, 43, 8, pp. 698-703 (2007)
Polarization response of quantum confined structures using edge-photovoltage spectroscopy,
M. Mexis, P. Blood and P.M. Smowton,
Semiconductor Science and Technology 22, pp. 1298-1301 (2007)
Optical Gain and Spontaneous Emission in GaAsSb–InGaAs Type-II “W” Laser Structures,
J.D. Thomson, P.M. Smowton, P. Blood, J.F. Klem,
IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, 43, 7, pp. 607-613 (2007)
Long wavelength quantum-dot lasers selectively populated using
tunnel injection
A.A. George, P.M. Smowton, Z. Mi, P. Bhattacharya
Semiconductor Science and Technology 22 (5), art. no. 018, pp. 557-560,(2007)
Low threshold InP/AlGaInP on GaAs QD laser emitting at similar to 740 nm,
A.B. Krysa, S.L. Liew, J.C. Lin, J.S. Roberts, J. Lutti, G.M. Lewis, P.M. Smowton
Journal of Crystal Growth 298, pp. 663-666, (2007).
Gain in p-doped quantum dot lasers,
P.M. Smowton, I.C. Sandall, H.Y. Liu, M. Hopkinson,
Journal of Applied Physics, 101, 013107 (2007)