LPTH Press Release: LightPath Technologies Completes Acquisition of ISP Optics Corporation

LightPath Technologies Completes Acquisition of ISP Optics Corporation  LightPath Extends Footprint and Global Scale with Expanded Range of Visible and Infrared Solutions Closes Public Offering of Common Stock and Full Exercise of Underwriters’ Option to Purchase Additional Shares ORLANDO, FL – December 21, 2016 – LightPath Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPTH) (“LightPath,” the “Company,” or “we”), a leading vertically integrated global manufacturer, distributor, and integrator of proprietary optical and infrared components and high-level assemblies, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of ISP Optics Corporation (“ISP”) for a purchase price of $18 million, subject to post-closing adjustments, of which $12 million was paid in cash with the balance in the form of five-year subordinated notes issued to the sellers.  LightPath also announced today that simultaneous with the closing of the acquisition it has completed the previously announced underwritten public offering of 8,000,000 shares of its Class A common stock, which includes the full exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase 1,000,000 shares of Class A common stock to cover over-allotments, at a public offering price of $1.21 per share.  Members of LightPath’s Board of Directors and executive management team purchased shares in the offering.  Net proceeds from the sale of the Class A common stock after deducting underwriting discounts and expenses were approximately $8.85 million. The Company used the net proceeds from the offering for a portion of the purchase price of the acquisition of ISP payable in cash as well as to pay transaction expenses and other costs in connection with the acquisition.  The balance of the cash portion of the purchase price was funded by a $5 million acquisition loan from Avidbank, which also closed today, that is payable on an interest-only basis for  six months and thereafter amortized over 54 months.  Commenting on today’s completed transactions, Jim Gaynor, President and Chief Executive Officer of LightPath, said, “We are excited to have consummated the acquisition of ISP Optics Corporation as planned and welcome ISP employees to the expanding global LightPath team.  This transformative acquisition was made possible through a fully subscribed underwritten public offering of common stock.  The offering successfully attracted to the Company numerous high quality institutional investors, in addition to personal investments from members of our executive management team and Board of Directors.  The combination of LightPath and ISP positions us for continued growth with greater scale and scope to offer a comprehensive platform of visible and infrared solutions.” Roth Capital Partners acted as sole book-running manager and Dougherty & Company acted as co-manager for the offering.  Roth Capital Partners also served as an advisor to LightPath in connection with the ISP acquisition, rendering a fairness opinion to the Board of Directors.  BakerHostetler acted as legal advisor to LightPath.  ZAG-S&W acted as legal advisor to Roth Capital Partners.  KippsDeSanto & Co. acted as financial advisor and Blank Rome LLP acted as legal advisor to ISP in connection with the transaction. The offering described above was made pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1 previously filed with and subsequently declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on December 15, 2016.  A copy of the final prospectus relating to the offering has been filed with the SEC and is available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov and may also be obtained from Roth Capital Partners, LLC, 888 San Clemente Drive, Suite 400, Newport Beach, California 92660, by telephone at (949) 720-7227, or by email at rothecm@roth.com. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About LightPath Technologies LightPath Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPTH) provides optics and photonics solutions for the industrial, defense, telecommunications, testing and measurement, and medical industries. LightPath designs, manufactures, and distributes optical and infrared components including molded glass aspheric lenses and assemblies, infrared lenses and thermal imaging assemblies, fused fiber collimators, and gradient index GRADIUM® lenses.  LightPath also offers custom optical assemblies, including full engineering design support.  For more information, visit www.lightpath.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including regarding the  anticipated growth following the completion of the ISP acquisition.  These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including market conditions, risks associated with the cash requirements of the Company’s business and other risks detailed from time to time in its filings with the SEC, and represent its views only as of the date they are made and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date.  The Company does not assume any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. ####

LPTH Press Release: LightPath Technologies Prices Underwritten Public Offering of Class A Common Stock

For Immediate Release: LightPath Technologies Prices Underwritten Public Offering of Class A Common Stock ORLANDO, FL – December 16, 2016 – LightPath Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPTH), a leading vertically integrated global manufacturer, distributor, and integrator of proprietary optical and infrared components and high-level assemblies, today announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 7,000,000 shares of its Class A common stock at a price of $1.21 per share.  The Company also granted to the underwriters a 45-day option to acquire an additional 1,000,000 shares to cover over-allotments in connection with the offering, of which the option to acquire 300,000 shares has been exercised.  After the underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses payable by the Company, the Company expects to receive net proceeds of approximately $8.15 million, assuming no exercise of the remaining over-allotment option.  The offering is expected to close onDecember 21, 2016, subject to customary closing conditions. Roth Capital Partners is acting as sole book-running manager and Dougherty & Company is acting as co-manager for the offering. The Company expects to use the net proceeds from the offering to provide funds for a portion of the purchase price of the acquisition of ISP Optics Corporation (“ISP”) payable in cash as well as to pay transaction expenses and other costs in connection with the acquisition.  In the event that the Company has proceeds remaining after payment of the cash portion of the purchase price and associated transaction expenses and other costs, it intends to use the proceeds for general corporate purposes.  The Company currently anticipates that the closing of the acquisition of ISP will occur simultaneously with the closing of the offering. The shares described above are being offered by the Company pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1 previously filed with and subsequently declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on December 15, 2016.  A copy of the final prospectus relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.govand may also be obtained from Roth Capital Partners, LLC, 888 San Clemente Drive, Suite 400, Newport Beach, California 92660, by telephone at (949) 720-7227. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About LightPath Technologies LightPath Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPTH) provides optics and photonics solutions for the industrial, defense, telecommunications, testing and measurement, and medical industries. LightPath designs, manufactures, and distributes optical and infrared components including molded glass aspheric lenses and assemblies, infrared lenses and thermal imaging assemblies, fused fiber collimators, and gradient index GRADIUM® lenses.  LightPath also offers custom optical assemblies, including full engineering design support.  For more information, visit www.lightpath.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding the proposed public offering and the intended use of proceeds from the offering.  The offering is subject to market and other conditions and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering or the acquisition of ISP may be completed or as to the actual size or terms of the offering.  These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including market conditions, risks associated with the cash requirements of the Company’s business and other risks detailed from time to time in its filings with the SEC, and represent its views only as of the date they are made and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date.  The Company does not assume any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. ####

TOMORROW! Seminar: "Irradiation-Enabled, Energy-Efficient Fabrication of Next Generation Nanocomposites for Plasmonics and Transmissive Optics" by Myungkoo Kang, 12.15.16/1:00PM-2:00PM/CREOL RM 103

Seminar: "Irradiation-Enabled, Energy-Efficient Fabrication of Next Generation Nanocomposites for Plasmonics and Transmissive Optics" by Myungkoo Kang

Thursday, December 15, 2016 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
CREOL Room 103

Myungkoo Kang
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Pennsylvania State University

Abstract
Plasmonics and gradient refractive index (GRIN) optics provide unique opportunities to engineer material systems capable of novel properties that lie outside what is found in nature. Meanwhile, the fabrication of plasmonic devices and GRIN lenses has typically involved multi-step processes such as electron beam evaporation, lithography and lamination, typically limited to the front or back surface of device structures. Ion and laser irradiation has emerged as promising approaches to generate a wide variety of self-assembled nanostructures. While irradiation has been traditionally considered destructive and therefore contrary to most plasmonic and optical material manufacturing strategies, key ion-solid and light-matter interactions have been creatively exploited to enable the seemingly-destructive method to constructively fabricate structures, realizing counterintuitive results in the form of advanced functionalities. In this talk, I will focus on the influences of energetic ion and laser beams on a wide range of material systems including III-V compound semiconductors and chalcogenide glasses at the nanoscale and the formation of spatially-controlled nanostructures with desirable properties in the matrices. These technologies are promising for next generation plasmonic and transmissive optical applications.

The first part of my talk will focus on the utilization of focused ion beam (FIB) irradiation on a wide range of III-V semiconductors to self-assemble a wide variety of nanostructures including nanoparticles, nanorods and nanochains [1-5]. Furthermore, I will present our recent results on the utilization of the tunable localized surface plasmon resonance energies in the FIB-assembled nanopartice arrays to enhance light emission efficiencies of compound semiconductors, thereby providing a promising alternative to plasmonic materials [6-8]. The second part of my talk will focus on our recent progress in creating advanced optical functionality in chalcogenide-based nanocomposites for diverse applications. Specifically, our research team was the first to utilize laser exposure on chalcogenide glasses to create spatially-controlled metallic nanocrystals with refractive indices greater than those of glass matrices at temperatures lower than those required in traditional processes. This approach enables gradient GRIN lenses expected to replace complex optical components, thereby opening up new opportunities for researchers to exploit increased design flexibility and cost-effectiveness for future microlens-based devices [9]. Lastly, I will discuss questions which emerge as consequences of my research projects, and propose near future plans to develop a broadly applicable toolkit that will enable tailoring light-matter interactions for a wide range of applications in plasmonics, GRIN optics and the hybrid technology combining these two emerging fields, named GRIN-Plasmonics.

Biography:

Myungkoo Kang earned his Ph.D. degree under the supervision of Professor Rachel S. Goldman in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan in 2014. During his Ph.D, he extensively studied the influence of energetic ion beams on a wide range of III-V compound semiconductors at the nanoscale and demonstrated the counterintuitive self-assembly of novel nanostructures arrays with arbitrarily tunable dimensions. He systematically characterized localized surface plasmon resonances of ion irradiation-induced Ga nanoparticle arrays with performance comparable to those of Ag and Au nanoparticles, and demonstrated Ga nanoparticle plasmon-induced enhancement of light emission from GaAs up to 3.3X, which is the first ever combination of a new plasmonic material (Ga) and a new fabrication method (ion beam) for plasmonics. Since then, he has been continuing his academic career as a post-doctoral research fellow under the co-supervision of Professor Theresa S. Mayer in the Department of Electrical Engineering (currently vice president for research and innovation at Virginia Tech) and Distinguished Professor Carlo G. Pantano in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Pennsylvania State University. During his tenure as a postdoctoral research fellow, he has developed and demonstrated a new laser exposure-based process for gradient refractive index fabrication using multicomponent Ge-As-Se-Pb thin film and bulk systems with high Pb content that provides an opportunity for next generation mid-wavelength infrared lenses. Using spatially-controlled ion and laser irradiation processes and cutting edge material/optical characterizations such as high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry, he is striving to understand how energetic ion and laser irradiation processes can be optimized on a wide range of semiconductors and glass systems to efficiently create novel nanocomposites with spatially-tunable nanostructure dimensions and desirable properties that are promising for next generation plasmonic and transmissive optical devices, respectively.

For more information:

Dr. Kathleen A. Richardson

Seminar: "Irradiation-Enabled, Energy-Efficient Fabrication of Next Generation Nanocomposites for Plasmonics and Transmissive Optics" by Myungkoo Kang, 12.15.16/1:-00PM-2:00PM/CREOL RM 103

Seminar: "Irradiation-Enabled, Energy-Efficient Fabrication of Next Generation Nanocomposites for Plasmonics and Transmissive Optics" by Myungkoo Kang

Thursday, December 15, 2016 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
CREOL Room 103

Myungkoo Kang
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Pennsylvania State University

Abstract
Plasmonics and gradient refractive index (GRIN) optics provide unique opportunities to engineer material systems capable of novel properties that lie outside what is found in nature. Meanwhile, the fabrication of plasmonic devices and GRIN lenses has typically involved multi-step processes such as electron beam evaporation, lithography and lamination, typically limited to the front or back surface of device structures. Ion and laser irradiation has emerged as promising approaches to generate a wide variety of self-assembled nanostructures. While irradiation has been traditionally considered destructive and therefore contrary to most plasmonic and optical material manufacturing strategies, key ion-solid and light-matter interactions have been creatively exploited to enable the seemingly-destructive method to constructively fabricate structures, realizing counterintuitive results in the form of advanced functionalities. In this talk, I will focus on the influences of energetic ion and laser beams on a wide range of material systems including III-V compound semiconductors and chalcogenide glasses at the nanoscale and the formation of spatially-controlled nanostructures with desirable properties in the matrices. These technologies are promising for next generation plasmonic and transmissive optical applications.

The first part of my talk will focus on the utilization of focused ion beam (FIB) irradiation on a wide range of III-V semiconductors to self-assemble a wide variety of nanostructures including nanoparticles, nanorods and nanochains [1-5]. Furthermore, I will present our recent results on the utilization of the tunable localized surface plasmon resonance energies in the FIB-assembled nanopartice arrays to enhance light emission efficiencies of compound semiconductors, thereby providing a promising alternative to plasmonic materials [6-8]. The second part of my talk will focus on our recent progress in creating advanced optical functionality in chalcogenide-based nanocomposites for diverse applications. Specifically, our research team was the first to utilize laser exposure on chalcogenide glasses to create spatially-controlled metallic nanocrystals with refractive indices greater than those of glass matrices at temperatures lower than those required in traditional processes. This approach enables gradient GRIN lenses expected to replace complex optical components, thereby opening up new opportunities for researchers to exploit increased design flexibility and cost-effectiveness for future microlens-based devices [9]. Lastly, I will discuss questions which emerge as consequences of my research projects, and propose near future plans to develop a broadly applicable toolkit that will enable tailoring light-matter interactions for a wide range of applications in plasmonics, GRIN optics and the hybrid technology combining these two emerging fields, named GRIN-Plasmonics.

Biography:

Myungkoo Kang earned his Ph.D. degree under the supervision of Professor Rachel S. Goldman in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan in 2014. During his Ph.D, he extensively studied the influence of energetic ion beams on a wide range of III-V compound semiconductors at the nanoscale and demonstrated the counterintuitive self-assembly of novel nanostructures arrays with arbitrarily tunable dimensions. He systematically characterized localized surface plasmon resonances of ion irradiation-induced Ga nanoparticle arrays with performance comparable to those of Ag and Au nanoparticles, and demonstrated Ga nanoparticle plasmon-induced enhancement of light emission from GaAs up to 3.3X, which is the first ever combination of a new plasmonic material (Ga) and a new fabrication method (ion beam) for plasmonics. Since then, he has been continuing his academic career as a post-doctoral research fellow under the co-supervision of Professor Theresa S. Mayer in the Department of Electrical Engineering (currently vice president for research and innovation at Virginia Tech) and Distinguished Professor Carlo G. Pantano in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Pennsylvania State University. During his tenure as a postdoctoral research fellow, he has developed and demonstrated a new laser exposure-based process for gradient refractive index fabrication using multicomponent Ge-As-Se-Pb thin film and bulk systems with high Pb content that provides an opportunity for next generation mid-wavelength infrared lenses. Using spatially-controlled ion and laser irradiation processes and cutting edge material/optical characterizations such as high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry, he is striving to understand how energetic ion and laser irradiation processes can be optimized on a wide range of semiconductors and glass systems to efficiently create novel nanocomposites with spatially-tunable nanostructure dimensions and desirable properties that are promising for next generation plasmonic and transmissive optical devices, respectively.

For more information:

Dr. Kathleen A. Richardson

LPTH Press Release: LightPath Technologies Announces Results of Special Meeting of Stockholders

For Immediate Release: LightPath Technologies Announces Results of Special Meeting of Stockholders Stockholders Vote in Favor of Proposal Which Now Enables the Company to Move Forward with the Completion of the Acquisition of ISP Optics Corporation ORLANDO, FL – December 7, 2016 – The Board of Directors of LightPath Technologies, Inc.(NASDAQ: LPTH) (“LightPath,” the “Company” or “we”), a leading vertically integrated global manufacturer, distributor and integrator of proprietary optical and infrared components and high-level assemblies, announced that stockholders approved a proposal for the Company to issue common stock in connection with the planned acquisition of ISP Optics Corporation (“ISP”) at a special stockholder meeting held yesterday for such purpose.  LightPath previously announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire ISP for $18 million, of which at least $12 million will be payable in cash with the balance in the form of a note issued to the sellers.  “We are gratified for the strong stockholder support for the acquisition of ISP indicated by the vote held yesterday as we look to complete the acquisition by month end,” said Jim Gaynor, President and Chief Executive Officer of LightPath.  Mr. Gaynor went on to say, “LightPath’s management team and Board of Directors unanimously supported the acquisition and we expect ISP to be a transformative addition to our business.  As reflected in our combined pro forma income statement included in the proxy statement for yesterday’s meeting, the pro forma revenues and operating income of the combined company for fiscal 2016 are 171% and 148% higher than the revenues and operating income of LightPath on its own.” Mr. Gaynor continued, “The successful passage of the proposal allows us to pursue the closing of the ISP acquisition which we believe will present us the opportunity to accelerate our global growth strategy and deliver advantages to our business partners around the world.  We believe the acquisition of ISP positions the Company as a more significant player in the global market for optical and infrared technologies.” “As we pursued our overall financing package of a seller note, third party debt, and proceeds from the issuance of common shares as approved by the Company’s stockholders to fund the ISP purchase price, as well as to pay transaction expenses and integration costs in connection with the acquisition, we built in some flexibility to allow us to determine the optimum mix of debt and equity.  The ISP shareholders have agreed to accept a note of up to $6 million and we are completing negotiations with our third party lender to provide an acquisition loan of up to $6 million.  As a result, we anticipate that the equity portion of the financing will be 40% - 50% of the total amount needed to fund the purchase price, transaction expenses and integration costs,” said Mr. Gaynor.  “Mr. Gaynor continued, “Given the larger scale of the company, the potential earnings power will be greater and we anticipate that cash flow from operations of the combined company will cover the debt service and principal amortization associated with the seller note and third party acquisition loan, and enable us to reinvest for future growth.  We also expect the acquisition to be accretive in the first full year of operation. The combination brings together two financially strong companies with complementary businesses which have the potential for meaningful sales, marketing and product development synergies well into the future.” This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities described herein as potentially being offered in connection with the financing, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About LightPath Technologies LightPath Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPTH) provides optics and photonics solutions for the industrial, defense, telecommunications, testing and measurement, and medical industries.  LightPath designs, manufactures, and distributes optical and infrared components including molded glass aspheric lenses and assemblies, infrared lenses and thermal imaging assemblies, fused fiber collimators, and gradient index GRADIUM® lenses.  LightPath also offers custom optical assemblies, including full engineering design support.  For more information, visit www.lightpath.com. Forward-Looking Statements This release includes statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of federal securities laws, which are statements other than historical facts and that frequently use words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “position,” “should,” “strategy,” “target,” “will” and similar words.  All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release.  Although we believe that the plans, intentions, and expectations reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements are reasonable, there is no assurance that these plans, intentions, or expectations will be achieved.  Therefore, actual outcomes and results could materially differ from what is expressed, implied, or forecasted in such statements.  This release contains certain forward-looking statements that are based on current plans and expectations and are subject to various risks and uncertainties.  Our business may be influenced by many factors that are difficult to predict, involve uncertainties that may materially affect results, and are often beyond our control.  Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, factors detailed by us in our public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  All forward-looking statements included in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by such cautionary statements.  Except as required under the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, we do not have any intention or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. #### Company Contacts: Jim Gaynor, President & CEO LightPath Technologies, Inc. Tel: 407-382-4003

OSA Traveling Lecturer Talk: "Measuring Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About a Light Pulse" by Dr. Rick Trebino Monday, December 19th, 2016 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM CREOL Room 103

OSA Traveling Lecturer Talk: "Measuring Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About a Light Pulse" by Dr. Rick Trebino

Monday, December 19th, 2016 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM

CREOL Room 103

Donuts and coffee will be served.

                                                                                                                                              
Dr. Rick TrebinoGeorgia Research Alliance-Eminent Scholar Chair of Ultrafast Optical Physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology

Abstract:

The vast majority of the greatest scientific discoveries of all time have resulted directly from more powerful techniques for measuring light.  Indeed, our most important source of information about our universe is light, and our ability to extract information from it is limited only by our ability to measure it.

Interestingly, the vast majority of light in our universe remains immeasurable, involving long pulses of relatively broadband light, necessarily involving ultrafast and extremely complex temporal variations in their intensity and phase. So it is important to develop techniques for measuring, ever more completely, light with ever more complex submicron detail in space and ever more complex ultrafast variations in time. The problem is severely complicated by the fact that the timescales involved correspond to the shortest events ever created, and measuring an event in time seems to require a shorter one, which, by definition, doesn’t exist!

Nevertheless, we have developed simple, elegant methods for completely measuring these events, yielding a light pulse's intensity and phase vs. time and space. One involves making an optical spectrogram of the pulse in a nonlinear optical medium and whose mathematics is equivalent to the two-dimensional phase-retrieval problem—a problem that’s solvable only because the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra fails for polynomials of two variables. And we have recently developed simple methods for measuring the complete spatio-temporal electric field [E(x,y,z,t)] of an arbitrary light pulse—even for a single pulse.

Biography:

Rick Trebino received his B.A. from Harvard University in 1977 and his Ph.D. degree from Stanford University in 1983. His dissertation research involved the development of a technique for the measurement of ultrafast events in the frequency domain using long-pulse lasers by creating moving gratings.  He continued this research during a three-year term as a physical sciences research associate at Stanford. In 1986, he moved to Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, California. There he developed Frequency-Resolved Optical Gating (FROG), the first technique for the measurement of the intensity and phase of ultrashort laser pulses. In 1998, he became the Georgia Research Alliance-Eminent Scholar Chair of Ultrafast Optical Physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he currently studies ultrafast optics and applications.

Prof. Trebino has received several prizes, including the SPIE’s Edgerton Prize, and he was an IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society Distinguished Lecturer.  He is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America, the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Society of Photo-Instrumentation Engineers.  His interests include adventure travel, archaeology, photography, humor-writing, and primitive art. 

For additional information:

Rachel Sampson

Seminar: "Irradiation-Enabled, Energy-Efficient Fabrication of Next Generation Nanocomposites for Plasmonics and Transmissive Optics" by Myungkoo Kang, 12.15.16/1:-00PM-2:00PM/CREOL RM 103

Seminar: "Irradiation-Enabled, Energy-Efficient Fabrication of Next Generation Nanocomposites for Plasmonics and Transmissive Optics" by Myungkoo Kang

Thursday, December 15, 2016 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
CREOL Room 103

Myungkoo Kang
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Pennsylvania State University

Abstract
Plasmonics and gradient refractive index (GRIN) optics provide unique opportunities to engineer material systems capable of novel properties that lie outside what is found in nature. Meanwhile, the fabrication of plasmonic devices and GRIN lenses has typically involved multi-step processes such as electron beam evaporation, lithography and lamination, typically limited to the front or back surface of device structures. Ion and laser irradiation has emerged as promising approaches to generate a wide variety of self-assembled nanostructures. While irradiation has been traditionally considered destructive and therefore contrary to most plasmonic and optical material manufacturing strategies, key ion-solid and light-matter interactions have been creatively exploited to enable the seemingly-destructive method to constructively fabricate structures, realizing counterintuitive results in the form of advanced functionalities. In this talk, I will focus on the influences of energetic ion and laser beams on a wide range of material systems including III-V compound semiconductors and chalcogenide glasses at the nanoscale and the formation of spatially-controlled nanostructures with desirable properties in the matrices. These technologies are promising for next generation plasmonic and transmissive optical applications.

The first part of my talk will focus on the utilization of focused ion beam (FIB) irradiation on a wide range of III-V semiconductors to self-assemble a wide variety of nanostructures including nanoparticles, nanorods and nanochains [1-5]. Furthermore, I will present our recent results on the utilization of the tunable localized surface plasmon resonance energies in the FIB-assembled nanopartice arrays to enhance light emission efficiencies of compound semiconductors, thereby providing a promising alternative to plasmonic materials [6-8]. The second part of my talk will focus on our recent progress in creating advanced optical functionality in chalcogenide-based nanocomposites for diverse applications. Specifically, our research team was the first to utilize laser exposure on chalcogenide glasses to create spatially-controlled metallic nanocrystals with refractive indices greater than those of glass matrices at temperatures lower than those required in traditional processes. This approach enables gradient GRIN lenses expected to replace complex optical components, thereby opening up new opportunities for researchers to exploit increased design flexibility and cost-effectiveness for future microlens-based devices [9]. Lastly, I will discuss questions which emerge as consequences of my research projects, and propose near future plans to develop a broadly applicable toolkit that will enable tailoring light-matter interactions for a wide range of applications in plasmonics, GRIN optics and the hybrid technology combining these two emerging fields, named GRIN-Plasmonics.

Biography:

Myungkoo Kang earned his Ph.D. degree under the supervision of Professor Rachel S. Goldman in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan in 2014. During his Ph.D, he extensively studied the influence of energetic ion beams on a wide range of III-V compound semiconductors at the nanoscale and demonstrated the counterintuitive self-assembly of novel nanostructures arrays with arbitrarily tunable dimensions. He systematically characterized localized surface plasmon resonances of ion irradiation-induced Ga nanoparticle arrays with performance comparable to those of Ag and Au nanoparticles, and demonstrated Ga nanoparticle plasmon-induced enhancement of light emission from GaAs up to 3.3X, which is the first ever combination of a new plasmonic material (Ga) and a new fabrication method (ion beam) for plasmonics. Since then, he has been continuing his academic career as a post-doctoral research fellow under the co-supervision of Professor Theresa S. Mayer in the Department of Electrical Engineering (currently vice president for research and innovation at Virginia Tech) and Distinguished Professor Carlo G. Pantano in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Pennsylvania State University. During his tenure as a postdoctoral research fellow, he has developed and demonstrated a new laser exposure-based process for gradient refractive index fabrication using multicomponent Ge-As-Se-Pb thin film and bulk systems with high Pb content that provides an opportunity for next generation mid-wavelength infrared lenses. Using spatially-controlled ion and laser irradiation processes and cutting edge material/optical characterizations such as high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry, he is striving to understand how energetic ion and laser irradiation processes can be optimized on a wide range of semiconductors and glass systems to efficiently create novel nanocomposites with spatially-tunable nanostructure dimensions and desirable properties that are promising for next generation plasmonic and transmissive optical devices, respectively.

For more information:

Dr. Kathleen A. Richardson