Benjamin Yang
Research Engineer, Electro-Optical Systems Lab; Georgia Tech Research Institute

Abstract: The application of photonics for the processing of radio frequency (RF) systems offer many potential advantages, such as low signal transport loss, large operating bandwidth, and potentially low size, weight, and power (SWaP) form factors. While investments from the telecommunications industry have matured the basic building blocks in radio frequency photonics and photonic integrated circuit technology, insertion of these advances into modern radio frequency systems requires solving additional unique challenges. The Georgia Tech Research Institute’s (GTRI) photonics team is researching solutions to successfully insert RF photonics in fielded electronic systems and broaden the technology impact beyond telecommunications. This seminar will cover three objectives: 1) introduce the Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology (IEN) community to GTRI and select topics of its photonics research portfolio; 2) examine advantages and challenges of both discrete and integrated photonics from an RF electronic systems perspective; 3) survey architectures, systems, and components under collaborative development between the Georgia Tech Research Institute, Georgia Tech Electrical and Computer Engineering, and external partners. We will conclude by discussing capabilities under development that can expand IEN’s competencies and explore paths toward broader collaboration across Georgia Tech.

Bio: Dr. Benjamin B. Yang is a photonics and microelectronics engineer at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), where he has been a research faculty member since 2015. He is currently the Microelectronics Systems Branch lead and principal investigator of GTRI’s photonics internal research and development strategic initiative. Prior to GTRI, Dr. Yang was a senior member of the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories from 2011 to 2015, where he worked on microelectronics failure analysis, device packaging, and reliability of photovoltaic systems in both research and production capacities. Dr. Yang has 12+ years’ training and experience in electromagnetics and device physics, working in a broad range of disciplines that include photonics, semiconductor device failure analysis, and terahertz spectroscopy resulting in 40 peer-reviewed publications 1 patent. Dr. Yang obtained his B.S. and M.S. in electrical engineering at the University of Utah and Ph.D. in electrical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also holds a B.S. in applied math from the University of Utah and an M.B.A. with a finance concentration from the University of New Mexico. In addition to his research responsibilities, Dr. Yang is an instructor of electromagnetics and signal processing courses in ECE, and a two-time winner of the Class of 1940 Course Survey Teaching Effectiveness Award. Dr. Yang also holds leadership positions in the Atlanta section of IEEE, the Atlanta joint chapter of the IEEE Photonics Society and Electron Devices Society, and the Optical Society of America’s Advanced Photonics Congress.