PhD Student David Trop Won the KLA-BINA Excellence Scholarship

David Trop, a PhD student of Dr. Boris Desiatov, has won the KLA-BINA excellence scholarship, a collaborative program of Bar-Ilan's Institute for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, and KLA Corporation. "The program was designed to promote research excellence and provide students with a stage on which to display their work to academics and leading industry experts, on subjects such as semiconductors, electro-optics, photonics, imaging, and advanced materials," says Trop.

Miniature Devices on Rare Platforms

Trop, 31, married and father of four daughters, lives in Bnei Barak. His entire academic career was paved at Bar-Ilan's Faculty of Engineering. He completed his BSc in electrical engineering and physics. His MSc was in the electro-optics track, and it was then that he began researching the field he continues to study today: integrated photonics, the integration of optical components on chips. 

Today, Trop's PhD project focuses on electro-optic devices on a number of groundbreaking thin-film metasurfaces, some of which are still very rare in research. "These materials allow us to control light through electric current at high speeds and miniscule dimensions," he explains. "The overarching goal is to develop the cornerstones for advanced optical chips, for applications such as optical communication, sensing, and laser scanning sensors. What sets this work apart is that it spans the entire development lifecycle – from simulation, through cleanroom manufacturing, to lab design and measurement."

On the Way to Laser Scanning and Optical Communication

Trop is conducting his research at the Quantum Opto Lab, under the supervision of Dr. Boris Desiatov. "The lab examines a variety of interactions between light and matter on chip. Alongside the electro-optic effects, we also research acousto-optic and piezoelectric processes, as well as higher-order nonlinear optics. Within this broad spectrum, I specialize in electro-optic devices on a number of platforms throughout the development cycle."

The KLA-BINA Excellence Scholarship was awarded to Trop for developing a three-dimensional optical phase array for manipulating light beams. "This component manipulates light beams through space without moving particles, through electro-optic control, with the main innovation being three-dimensional antennas printed in nanometric resolution. The component allows for a broad direction spectrum and high efficiency, and is relevant for applications such as laser scanning and optical communication," he explains. A paper on his work is currently under review.

As for his supervisor, Dr. Desiatov, Trop has this to say: Boris is a research partner in every sense of the word. We work closely together, he makes himself available for any question or concern, and his answers combine profound conceptual thinking with practical solutions down to the smallest detail. Along with his professional excellence, his attentive, personal approach makes working at the lab a fun and enriching experience."