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The Center of Excellence for Quantum Technology (QTF) has awarded the QTF Annual Discovery Prize to Doctoral Researcher Md Uddin from the Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering. Uddin received the award on March 28. 

In the award-winning research, the lead author of the study, Uddin, and co-authors successfully demonstrated a novel miniaturized computational spectrometer that is based on a van der Waals heterostructure diode. The discovery has clear advantages over conventional spectrometers and offers a wide range of potential applications. The research was awarded because of its excellence in scientific quality, its compelling and accessible presentation, and possible impact on its field.

‘I am deeply honored to receive this prize recognizing our contribution to the field. It would serve as a motivating force to continue pushing boundaries and striving for excellence,’ Uddin says.

The conventional spectrometer designs rely on large and expensive dispersing components, limiting their widespread use in various portable applications. In contrast, the presented diode-based miniaturized spectrometer scheme with broadband operation utilizes a novel  reconstruction-type spectrometer design. The tunneling-diode-based broadband spectrometer demonstrated in the study has low operation voltage and a compact footprint. These features enable it to have portable applications in consumer photonics and affordable on-chip spectral imaging, for smart agriculture, remote sensing, and environmental monitoring, for example.

The research described in the paper  was conducted within the  Photonics research group led by Professor Zhipei Sun, and it was published in the journal Nature Communications in January 2024.

‘I extend my heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Zhipei Sun, and the Photonics research group at Aalto University for providing outstanding experimental resources and a conducive work environment. This project would not have been successful without an excellent international research collaboration between Aalto University (Finland), University of Cambridge (UK), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China), Zhejiang University (China), and Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (Republic of Korea). I appreciate all co-authors for their significant contribution and unwavering support during the journey,’ says Uddin.

The prize was evaluated by Associate Professor Matti Silveri from University of Oulu and Professor Peter Samuelsson from Lund University.