Chalcogenide-Based Materials and Devices for Photonics

Submission Deadline: 30 January 2027 View: 69 Submit to Special Issue

Guest Editor(s)

Prof. Dr. Sulaiman Wadi Harun

Email: swharun@um.edu.my

Affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering, Photon Engineering Lab, University of Malaya, Malaysia

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Research Interests: Photonic Devices, Fiber Lasers, Ultrafast Photonics, Optical materials

Prof. Dr. Tiu Zian Cheak

Email: ziancheak.tiu@mila.edu.my

Affiliation: School of Engineering and Computing, MILA University, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Homepage:

Research Interests: Ultrafast Laser, Dark Pulse, Light Modulation

Summary

Chalcogenide materials, comprising compounds based on sulfur, selenium, or tellurium, have attracted significant attention as promising platforms for integrated photonics. Their exceptionally high nonlinear refractive indices, broad optical transparency from the visible to the mid-infrared region, and reversible phase-change characteristics make them highly suitable for compact, low-power, and multifunctional photonic devices. These properties have enabled their use in optical computing, sensing, telecommunications, imaging, and advanced signal-processing systems.

In recent years, renewed interest in chalcogenide materials has been driven by their strong optical nonlinearity and excellent mid-infrared transmission. When combined with the strong optical confinement and dispersion engineering achievable in fiber and waveguide platforms, these materials become highly effective for ultrafast nonlinear photonics, supercontinuum generation, wavelength conversion, and efficient frequency-conversion schemes. Their reduced free-carrier effects and low two-photon absorption at relevant wavelengths also allow a near-instantaneous, Kerr-type nonlinear response with minimal excess loss, making them attractive for high-speed and energy-efficient optical devices.

This Special Issue aims to present recent experimental and theoretical progress in chalcogenide materials, with emphasis on optical devices and photonic technologies, including material development, integrated waveguides, nonlinear optics, mid-infrared photonics, phase-change photonics, sensing, and communications.

This Special Issue welcomes original research and review articles covering, but not limited to, the following topics:
• Development and characterization of chalcogenide materials
• Fabrication of chalcogenide-based optical and photonic devices
• Nonlinear optical phenomena in chalcogenide glasses
• Mid-infrared photonics based on chalcogenide materials
• Phase-change photonics and reconfigurable photonic devices
• Chalcogenide integrated waveguides and photonic circuits
• Fiber-based chalcogenide devices and components
• Emerging applications of chalcogenide materials in sensing, optical communications, and optical information processing

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