Overview Academic/Research Interest Areas

Photonic Devices for Optical Communication Networks

Experimental Investigations, Modeling & Simulation

VCSELs, Optical Amplifiers, and High Power Lasers

Professional Affiliations

Sr. Member, Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE)

Member, Optical Society of America (OSA)

Member, The International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE)

Member, IEEE Communication Society (ComSoc)

Professional Patents

Invention Disclosure UNC-Charlotte: "Dynamic Polarization Mode Dispersion Compensator (Technique and Apparatus Design)", (Nov. 2001)

US. Patent No. 5,920,390: "Fiber-optic Interferometer and Associated Method for analyzing Tissue", Joint with Drs. R. Splinter & F. Farahi; (July 1999)

Invention Disclosure UNC-Charlotte: "Novel Design for Ultra-Short Pulse VCSELs", (1998) (Approved provisionally)

Invention Disclosure UNC-Charlotte:, "Ultra-short Laser Pulse Generator", (July 28, 1995)

U.S. Patent No. 4,881,236: "Wavelength Resonant Surface-Emitting Semiconductor Laser (VCSEL)", Joint with Brueck et. al. (Nov. 1989)

Recent Projects and Results

The optical communication research and development program is a two-tier effort with close collaborations both internally and externally.

In the first layer, optical communication devices and photonics modules are investigated that include VCSELs transmitters, EDFAs, Raman fiber amplifiers, optical add/drop mux/de-muxes, fiber Bragg gratings as optical pulse synthesizers & filters, and compensators etc. Such devices are designed, fabricated and packaged in Optoelectronics Lab and the system level performance tests and characterization are done in the Optical Communication & Networks Lab.

In the second tier, the research and studies are conducted in the area of Optical Networks. This encompasses design of various optical network architectures & topologies (e.g. optical access/EPON), optical signal transport and network simulations. The work is also underway for setting up test beds using OC-48 and OC-192 with capabilities of characterization of various optical modules such as transceivers, amplifiers, filters, compensators, optical add-drop multiplexers etc. Finally, a full blown communication node (in optical communication infrastructure) will provide enabling technologies for testing the protocols, and high speed TDM and DWDM modules in the physical layer.

Recent Publications

K. Ahmad, Y. Cao, N. G. Naeini, M. Y. A. Raja, and S. Qazi, "Raman Amplification in Fiber Optic Networks using Multiwavelength Pumps", SPIE Proc. Photonics North Vol. xx (2004).

N. Ghani, A. Shami, C. Assi, M. Y. A. Raja, "Intra-ONU Bandwidth Scheduling in Ethernet Passive Optical Networks", accepted in IEEE Comm. Lett. 2004.

A. S. Aldwayyan, H. Al-qahtani, M. Alsalhi and M. Y. A. Raja, "Characteristics of GaAs/AlGaAs Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers Irradiated with Gamma-rays", Opt. Eng. Vol. 43, no.9, pp. 2004.

N. Ghani, A. Shami, C. Assi, and M. Y. A. Raja, "Quality of Service in Ethernet Passive Optical Networks" Proc. IEEE Sarnoff Symposium April 25-26, 2004.

K. Croussore, M. Y. A. Raja, and D. C. Kilper, "Polarization Resolved Intensity Noise in Erbium-Ytterbium Co-doped Fiber Lasers", J. Opt. Soc. Am. B Vol. 21, no. 5 pp. (2004).

Y. Cao and M. Y. A. Raja, "Design and Simulation of a Gain-Flattened Ultra-Wideband Fiber Amplifiers" J. Optical Engineering, (Dec. 2003).

What he/she brings to the industry

?Invented Surface-Emitting RPG Lasers

Research Grants

International Workshop: High capacity optical Networks & enabling technologies, PI/project director August 2004-July 2005 $ 32,500 NSF, Arlington VA, Dr. S. Qazi (SUNNY) co-PI.

High-Density 3-D Packaging Technology for GMR Memory Devices Project Director Feb. 2002-Feb. 2003 $ 1, 675,249 AFRL Wright Patterson AF Base Team (UNCC, ITC, UF , NCA&T and UF).

Microsphere Stabilized Lasers for Metrology, Co-PI Mar. 1998-May 2001 $ 161,500, Precision Metrology Affiliates with D. C. Kilper.

Tissue characterization using CCD Camera Imaging during Laser Light Illumination Jan. 1997-Jun. 97 $ 13,000, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Health Services Foundation, Inc with R. Splinter.

Biomedical Engineering Methods in Cardiology: Microwaves Interactions (cont.) Jan. 1997-Jun. 97 $ 6,400, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Health Services Foundation, Inc with S. Seminov.

Educational Background

B. Sc. (BS Assoc.), Physics & Math., Punjab University, Lahore, 1974

M. Sc. (BS Honor), Physics, University of Islamabad, 1976

M. Phil., Laser Physics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 1979

Ph.D., Optical Physics (Optoelectronics), University of New Mexico, Albuquerque 1988