Information
Membership Number: FCA3112
Membership Type: Fellow
Division: Natural Sciences & Engineering and Applied Sciences
Corresponding Email: bimberg@physik.tu-berlin.de
Homepage(s): https://www.bimberg-green-photonics.org/
Present and Previous Positions
1967 - 1971 Teaching + Research Assistant
1971 - 1972 Assistant Professor, all Goethe University Frankfurt/M.
1972 - 1979 Principal Scientist, Max-Planck-Institute of Solid State Research, High Field Laboratory Grenoble, France, Head of Optics Department
1979 - 1981 University Professor, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Institute of Solid-State Electronics, RWTH Aachen
Since 1981, University Professor (Chair of Applied Physics), Technical University of Berlin
1990 - 2011 Executive Director, Institute of Solid-State Physics, TU Berlin
2004 - 2015 Executive Director, Center of NanoPhotonics, TU Berlin
2018 - Executive Director of the “Bimberg Chinese-German Center for Green Photonics” of the Chinese Academy of Sciences at CIOMP in Changchun
Fields of Scholarship and Research Interests
Research Priorities: Nanophysics, nanophotonics, quantum dots, energy-efficient semiconductor lasers, amplifiers, and detectors, QD memories
Dieter Bimberg is a German physicist, materials scientist, and electrical engineer. His research focuses primarily on nanophysics, nanoelectronics, and nanophotonics. He is considered a pioneer in quantum dot technologies and in energy-efficient optical data transfer in computer centres using surface-emitting lasers. He has developed, among other things, the first quantum dot lasers and quantum dot memories, as well as high-frequency single-photon emitters. Quantum dots are core elements in lasers, LEDs, displays, solar cells, memories, and quantum communication.
Dieter Bimberg develops and researches theoretical and experimental novel nanomaterials and nanostructures. These represent the core of ultra-fast edge- and surface-emitting laser diodes, amplifiers, single-photon LEDs for quantum cryptography, and special nanomemories. To start with, he and his team produced quantum dots using vapour phase epitaxy. Quantum dots are tiny pyramids of atoms, which are embedded in a semiconductor material and have quantum effects, which Dieter Bimberg was the first to elucidate. He also theoretically described their production. Billions of quantum dots can fit onto a surface area of one square centimetre and emit light in frequency ranges that conventional semiconductors cannot reach. Lasers based on quantum dots can create flashes that last less than one billionth of a second.
Short Description of Major Scientific Achievements on Semiconductor Lasers by Professor Dieter Bimberg
Four different scientific disciplines were merged together by his work in an extraordinary and unprecedented way:
- material science: growth and theory of growth of nanostructures,
- nanophysics: theory and experimental determination of electronic, optical and transport properties,
- novel semiconductors, lasers/ amplifiers and devices for quantum optics,
- data communication based on energy-efficient VCSELs at the highest bit rates (microwave photonics).
The pioneering and continued efforts of Dieter Bimberg enabled scientific and technological marvels known as semiconductor quantum dot (QD), high brightness broad area (HIBBEE), corrugated stripe edge emitting lasers, and ultra-energy efficiency surface emitting lasers. These novel types of lasers are replacing step-by-step semiconductor lasers in a growing range of areas, including optical communications, and medical and industrial applications.
Quantum Dot Lasers
Fundamentals of self-organization of strained layers at surfaces of semiconductors were studied by him in the nineties in order to understand both, theoretically and experimentally, the growth of quantum dots (see Shchukin and Bimberg, “Spontaneous ordering of nanostructures on crystal surfaces”, Rev. Mod. Phys. 71, 1125, 1999, 1300 citations) based on the InAs/GaAs, the GaSb/GaAs, and the GaN/InGaN material systems and their physical properties (Bimberg, Grundmann and Ledentsov, “Quantum Dot Heterostructures”, J. Wiley 1999, 4650 citations). The successful and world-wide first demonstration of quantum dot heterostructure lasers, showing world-record low threshold current density and quantum efficiency based on the InAs/GaAs material system using MBE and MOCVD and the extension of the wavelength range of GaAs-based QD-lasers beyond 1.3 µm demonstrated the potential for mass production of energy-efficient nanostructure lasers, and opened the way for fabricating novel photonic devices based on industrial mass production technologies.
The patents for MOCVD growth of such structures were sold for a 7-digit number by TU Berlin.
The first injection laser ever based on Stranski-Krastanow quantum dots was presented by him at the beginning of the nineties, originally at 77 K and shortly afterwards at room temperature. In 1996, he demonstrated for the first time the previously theoretically predicted improved temperature stability of quantum dot lasers, a property searched for by many groups all over the world for 1 ½ decades. Shortly afterwards, in 1997, he introduced “dot in the well” structures, which suppress leakage.
D. Bimberg with E. Schöll (Internat. J. Electronics 60, 23 (1986)) had already established in the 80ties the theory of relaxation oscillations, enabling emission of ps-pulses by semiconductor lasers. 1997 Bimberg reported for the first time such short pulse generation by relaxation oscillations, reduced gain compression, extremely high differential gain, ultra-low chirp and low alpha-factor for QD- lasers. In 2003, suppression of filamentation, which is essential for the low alpha-factor, was demonstrated. Already 2004, passive mode-locking at 1.3 µm across the frequency range 5 to 50 GHz was presented by him. Today, 160 GHz pulses with a few hundred fs pulse-width, ultra-low jitter and chirp are again results leading the research of the world.
A start-up, he co-founded, Innolume GmbH, is one of the leading suppliers of such lasers worldwide.
He presented for the first time SOAs showing a chip gain of ~ 35 dB and multiplexing at four different wavelengths, separated only by 5 nm at 40 GHz without any cross-talk at 1.3 µm based on the InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot system. The book by Eisenstein and Bimberg “Green Photonics and Electronics”, Springer 2017, ISSN 1434-4904, summarizes important contributions from photonics to reduce energy consumption.
High-brightness edge-emitting lasers
His interest at the beginning of the new millennium widened to researching strategies for high brightness emission edge emitting lasers. Such lasers are important for a huge number of low power and low cost system applications, were a strongly focused beam showing low astigmatism is needed. He first developed the concept of high brightness broad area (HIBBEE) lasers (Kalosha, and Bimberg, U.S. patent 14169,520, 2017, the patent was transferred to a start-up company), validated it (Md J. Miah,…D. Bimberg Frontiers of Optoelectronics 9, 225, 2016, Springer) and demonstrated world record astigmatism-free high brightness and peak power 70 ps-pulses, pulse brightness of 200 MWcm-2sr-1 from 1060-nm HIBBEE- lasers.
The HIBBE approach is based on designing novel vertical structures. Complementary to this work is the approach of replacing parallel ridge waveguides of lasers by corrugated ones (Kalosha, Posilovic and Bimberg, U.S. patent 13/018,020 2014). The latter approach was validated most recently and is now combined with the vertical HIBBEE QD-laser approach, demonstrating record brightness for single mode edge emitters (C.-K. Wu,….D. Bimberg APL Photonics Vol.9/12, Dec 2024).
Energy-efficient VCSELs
Since 2011 Dieter Bimberg developed another main direction of his research focusing on designs for extreme energy efficiency of surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) based on both, quantum dots grown in the sub-monolayer growth mode and on strained quantum wells, in order to reduce the power budget of data centers. He introduced a novel expression, the energy per bit ratio (EDR), to judge competing approaches (P Moser, ….D.Bimberg,, APL 98 (23) 2011).
Tuning of the photon lifetime by evaporation of thin dielectric films at the VCSEL surface was developed as a decisive tool to adapt the EDR to the bit rate ((D. Bimberg, G. Larisch and J. Lott, patents in the US (9,9791,58) + EU + China), This concept was validated for VCSELs emitting at 850 nm, 880 nm, 910 nm, and 940 nm, the present IEEE 802.3 coarse wavelength multiplexing standard for 200 Gb/s transmission (G Larisch, R Rosales, D Bimberg, IEEE J. of Sel. Topics in Q. E. 25, 1, 2019). Such VCSELs emitting at 980 nm were demonstrated to operate at 50 Gbit/s and at very high temperatures up to 200 °C. Therefore, they can be merged in the future with CPUs for internal communication inside of work stations.
In a complementary approach the impact of the quantum well gain-to-cavity etalon wavelength offset on the performance of high bit rate VCSELs was studied and discovered as an optional tool to increase energy efficiency (H Li, P Wolf, ..D. Bimberg, IEEE J. of Q. El. 50, 613, 2014). By combining both approaches EDR values of less than 100 fJ at 100 Gb/s across 100 m were reported recently, by a factor of four the most energy-efficient of the world for computer interconnects.
Since 2018 completely novel processing technologies, called MUHA (multi hole aperture) and MAV ( multi aperture VCSSELs), were suggested (four patent families “3-6” in the VCSEL patent attachment), theoretically modeled, developed, and validated. Holes of variable arrangements are dry etched, e.g. for fabrication of the oxide apertures, then filled with metal as thermal sink, leading to much improved heat dissipation, reduced series resistance and 3 times larger output power of single mode devices (SC Tian, M. Ahamed and D. Bimberg, Photonics 10, 410, 2023) This technology presents the first technology break-through since the introduction of oxide apertures in the 90ties, enabling novel generations of VCSELs.
q-bit emitters
Eventually, the VCSEL technologies developed by Dieter Bimberg and his group were decisive for developing and demonstrating the world’s first electrically driven polarized single-photon (q-bit) emitter for quantum cryptography on the basis of a single InAs quantum dot at record frequencies of 1 GHz.
Honors, Awards and Other Membership
1989-9 Prize of Japanese Society of Applied Physics (Oyo Buturi Prize)
1994-7 Honorary Member, Pakistan Society of Semiconductor Physics
1995-9 Honorary Member, Ioffe Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg
2003-10 State Prize of Science and Technology of the Russian Federation
2004-7 Elected Full Member to the Leopoldina, German Academy of Sciences
2004-11 Fellow of the American Physical Society
2006-1 Max-Born-Award of the Institute of Physics (UK) and the German Physical Society
2010-1 Fellow of “The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers” IEEE
2010-4 IEEE Photonics Society William Streifer Scientific Achievement Award
2011-8 Elected Foreign Member to the Russian Academy of Science
2012-10 UNESCO Medal for Progress in Nanotechnologies and Nanosciences
2012-10 Golden Honorary Needle of Technical University of Berlin for Exceptional
2012/14/15 SPIE Green Photonics Award for Communication. 3 times
2014-9 Elected Foreign Member to the (US) National Academy of Engineering
2015-7 Honorary Doctor Degree “D. Sc.” of the University of Lancaster, UK
2015-7 Heinrich-Welker-Award of the International Compound Semiconductor Conference
2017-1 Elected Fellow to the EU Academy of Sciences
2017-4 Elected Member to the (US) National Academy of Inventors
2017-4 Distinguished Professor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
2018-7 Nick Holonyak Jr. Award of the Optical Society of America
2017-9 Dr. h. c. of the St. Petersburg Alferov University of the Russian Acad. of Sciences
2019-6 Nishizawa Award and Medal of IEEE
2020-3 Stern-Gerlach Medal, German Physical Society (highest physics award in Germany)
2021-9 MOC Award of the Japanese Society of Applied Physics Japan
2022-9 Fellow of the Chinese Optical Society
2023-12 Fellow and Vice-President of the International Artificial Intelligence Association
2024-4 Fellow of The Electromagnetic Academy USA
2025-3 Member of the US National Academy of Artificial Intelligence (NAAI)
Member/Chair of Award Committees (selection)
Since 2006 Member of the Rudolf-Jaeckel-Award Committee of DVG
Since 2008 Member of the International Advisory Board of the Rusnano Prize
2011 - 2013 Chairman, William-Streifer-Award Committee of IEEE
Since 2013 Member ofthe Awards Committees of the IEEE Photonics Society
Since 2017 Member of the Fellow Selection Committee, Fellows of the US Academy of Engineering.
2020 – 2022 Chair of the Fellows Committee of Photonics Society of IEEE
2020- Member of the ISCS Awards Committee
2022 – 2025 Vice Chair, Chair, Past Chair of the US National Academy of Engineering Search Committee for “Electronics, Communication, and Information Systems Engineering”
2023-2025 Member of the N. Holonyak jr. Awards Committee of IEEE
Selected Professional Academic Activities
1994-1997 Chairman of the Interdisciplinary Research and Development Organisation “Optoelectronics“ of the State of Berlin
1997-1998 Chairman of the “Optoelectronics Consortium” of the State of Berlin
1994-2006 Chairman of the Center of Excellence, German National Research Council on „Growth Related Properties of Low Dimensional Semiconductor Structures“
2006-2019 Founding Chairman of the Center of Excellence (Sfb 787) and Graduate School of the German National Research Council (DFG) on “Semiconductor NanoPhotonics”
1998-2013 Chairman of the Board of Directors of the German Federal Government „Center of Competence” on Nano Optoelectronics“
2007 –2011 Chairman of the Board of Directors of the German Federal Government “Association of Centers of Competence in Nanotechnologies – AgeNT”
1996 Chairperson of the Program Committee of the 23d ICPS Berlin
1996 - 2023 Member of the Advisory Board of the annual International Symposium "Nanostructures: Physics and Technology" St. Petersburg
Since 2000 Chairman of Japanese – German Symposia on “Strategies in Nanotechnology“, Berlin
2002 -2019 Co-chair: International Workshop on „Nano-Optoelectronics“, iNOW
1996, 1998, 2000 Member and/or Cochairman of Program Committee of IEEE Int. Semiconductor Laser Conference
1998 – 2006 Chair/Member of Program/ Advisory Committees of ICPS
2004 – 2012 Co-chair of the Executive Board of the European Network of Excellence “SANDIE”
2009 Chairman of “Nanotech Europe” conference in Berlin
2010 - 2023 Member of International Advisory Committee of the Skolkovo Foundation, Moscow
2010 - 2014 Member of the Board of Technopark Skolkovo Ltd. Moscow
Since 2004 Editor “Springer Series in NanoScience and Technology”
2006 – 2012 Editor “Material Science Forum”
Since 2007 Associate Editor IET Optoelectronics Journal
2009 - 2014 Associate Editor of the Journal of Photonics of IEEE
2011 - 2013 Associate Editor of Photonics Technology Letters of IEEE
2011 - 2018 Vice chairman IEEE Semiconductor Laser Committee
2013 - 2018 Chairman IEEE Semiconductor Laser Committee
2022 – 2025 Vice-Chair, Chair, Past Chair of the selection committee “Electronics, photonics and communication” of the US National Academy of Sciences
2023-2025 Chair “Asian VCSEL Day”
1996- Member of Committees, Cochairman of more than 100 Intern. Conferences like ICPS Berlin, Scientific Reviewer: DFG, NSF, EU, Russian Academy of Sciences, Swedish Science Foundation, Carl-Zeiss-Foundation, Volkswagen Foundation,
1996-2025 Co-Founder of various start-ups like Actryon Gmbh, Gigatronic GmbH, Innolume GmbH, VI-Systems GmbH, PBC-Lasers GmbH (2017 -2024 CEO), BiCon
Selected Publications
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=dSllVBkAAAAJ&hl=en
Other Information
https://www.leopoldina.org/en/members/list-of-members/list-of-members/member/Member/show/dieter-bimberg/
CORE academy acceptance letter 8-25.pdf
ACCEPTANCE LETTER
It is my pleasure accepting the election to the CORE Academy.
I have worked in the past
- In fundamental research as principal scientist for Max-Planck-Society, building up the joint MPG-CNRS High Magnetic Field Facility in Grenoble
- In applied research for the Royal Radar Establishment in Gt. Malvern, a government institution in UK
- In device and instrumentation development at HP Labs in Palo Alto, USA
- As EE faculty member and director of the materials lab at Walter-Schottky Institute of Tech. Univ. of Aachen
- As the first applied physics chaired professor at TU Berlin and founding director of its Center of Nanophotonics
- As guest professor at UC Santa Barbara, USA; Technion Haifa, Isarel; KAU Jeddah, KSA
- And lately as the Founding Director of the Bimberg Chinese-German Center for Green Photonics of the CAS at CIOMP
An ancient Chinese philosopher, Laotse, said: To reach the source of the river you need to swim against the “current”, which means “be inventive” and
he said “Quintessential of scientific research is to apply what you discovered”, meaning in modern language, do not only promise potential applications in a far future,
but validate your discoveries now and transfer them for the use of the society.
I am certain that CORE Academy with it guiding vision: Advancing Knowledge for Humanity, and I add “now” will successfully follow the philosopher’s advice and
guide the best brains of the world will to work together..
Thank you for the election
Sincerely,
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Dresd. Dieter Bimberg
Fellow of the German Academy of Sciences, Leopoldina,
the US Academies of Engineering and Inventors, and the Russian Academy of Sciences