November 2023: Anna Ovvyan places third in this year's Raith Micrograph Award

Anna made the remarkable 3rd place with her submission titled 'Photonic Integrated Circuit based on integration of semiconducting CNTs.' Her work showcases the convergence of innovation and artistry in the realm of nanofabrication. The Raith Micrograph Award is a celebration of talent and a platform for Raith users worldwide to share their captivating micrographs.

October 2023: Quantum Effects Convention in Stuttgart

As part of the IQST (Center for Integrated Quantum Science and Technology) we represented the University of Heidelberg at the first ever Quantum Effects Convention in Stuttgart. Niccolò and Julius displayed an integrated chip for QKD applications and had fruitful discussions with colleagues from research and industry, investors and politicians. It was a busy event, foreshadowing a leading role of Baden-Württemberg in delivering quantum technologies to the market.

October 2023: Kick-off meeting of the EU-funded project 2DNEURALVISION

We met with our project partners in Spain for first discussions about the start of our exciting new project 2DNEURALVISION. This project represents a highly intricate undertaking focused on the development of a wide-spectrum image sensor chip with low power consumption capabilities. This is made possible through the integration of advanced 2D materials. The project places significant emphasis on synthesizing a complete, non-toxic colloidal quantum dot infrared absorber material.

October 2023: Teaching Award for VR Experiment

We proudly announce that the dynamic teams of Stefan Heusler and Wolfram Pernice have been honored with the Teaching Award from the Working Group Undergraduate Physics Laboratory of the DPG. Their innovative virtual reality experiment on quantum key exchange has revolutionized physics education, fostering a deeper understanding of complex quantum principles. This recognition reflects their unwavering commitment to inspiring the next generation of physicists and transforming physics education.

September 2023: HYBRAIN project meeting in Heidelberg

September 2023: International Conference on Physical Computing (ICOPC23)

ICOPC23, held on the 11th and 12th of September, was a resounding success, showcasing cutting-edge research and fostering international collaboration. Researchers, scientists, and experts from around the world gathered to share their insights, innovations, and discoveries in the field of physical computing.

Save the Date for ICOPC24! Mark your calendars for the next exciting chapter in our conference series, ICOPC24, scheduled for August 26th to 28th, 2024. We are already looking forward to another remarkable gathering of minds and the opportunity to continue advancing our shared passion for pioneering research and collaboration.

August 2023: PHOENICS project meeting in London

Our third PHOENICS meeting at the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining in London provided an excellent opportunity to discuss current challenges and recent developments in the PHOENICS project targeting our neuromorphic photonic platform. All project partners gave an overview of the work packages, e.g., photonic packaging technologies. 

July 2023: Spinning milestone project meeting

On July 5th and 6th, the SPINNING project had its half-time milestone meeting. Our contribution was the development of free-standing diamond nanobeam resonators for the silicon vacancy center in diamond. This was a great opportunity to strengthen the bonds between the partners and have exchange about the challenges and methods in diamond photonics during a communal dinner. We are looking forward to further collaborate and offer our diamond chips for further processing to our partners in Ulm.

June 2023: Interview with Shabnam Taheriniya about her work for the Hybrain project

Shabnam was interviewed for the series “Women’s contribution to HYBRAIN” and shares insights on her motivation to work for the HYBRAIN project as a scientist with a background in material physics. She also talks about her expertise on developing photonic convolution processors and working with tunable phase change materials in this inspiring interview. 

June 2023: ArbeitsgruppenInspirationsMesse (AIM) at KIP

Julius, Niccolò, Erik and Shabnam presented the work of our group to interested students. They prepared posters, a video introducing SEM to study in detail the structure of chips we fabricated and even brought a setup with lasers and microscopes for characterizing chips to present the variety of topics and methods covered by our group. If you are interested in joining us please check our open positions or just contact us.  

May 2023: Lin Jin won a Poster Prize at CLEO conference 2023

At this year’s CLEO conference for Laser Science to Photonic Applications held in San José, California, results of our group’s research were presented in 5 talks and 6 posters. Lin’s work about Niobium Nitride Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detector on 4H-Silicon Carbide was awarded a poster price. Congratulations, Lin!

April 2023: Girls‘ Day

We organized an engaging workshop for this year’s Girls' Day on the 27th of April. The girls visited our labs, learned about polarization and optical chip fabrication and were working on our quantum key distribution experiment using augmented reality glasses. At the end, they encrypted and decrypted their own messages using the beforehand learned principles.

March 2023: Group Seminar in Austria

Neuromorphic Computing group members working in Heidelberg and Münster were meeting in Austria for one week full of interesting talks, discussions and challenging hands-on workshops. It was great, especially for all our new PhD students, to learn about other group members‘ research and spend some time with the whole group enjoying the snow.  

February 2023: PHOENICS meeting at the Kirchhoff Institute for Physics in Heidelberg

On February 23^rd, our PHOENICS project had its first project meeting in person since the beginning of the project. 21 participants from the nine partner organizations met at the Kirchhoff Institute for Physics in Heidelberg. The project partners were engaged in fruitful discussions about the most recent project review, and on the further focus of the project. All work package leaders offered status updates on their technical progress. 

It was so nice to share coffee and lunch together in Heidelberg as informal opportunities for exchange. We are looking forward to our next meeting in Oxford in August.