Welcome to Magnolia
Magnolia Optical Technologies—MagnoliaSemi—develops advanced materials, devices, and imaging technologies for demanding optical, infrared, ultraviolet, and space applications. Our capabilities span nanostructured antireflection coatings, high-efficiency photovoltaics, UV and IR detectors, focal-plane arrays, and extended-wavelength photodetectors.
Advanced Materials
We engineer nanostructured coatings, quantum-well architectures, SiGe/Ge materials, graphene, and carbon-enhanced layers to control light, charge, and heat.
Detector & Imaging Technologies
Our capabilities span UV, visible-to-NIR, MWIR/LWIR, and uncooled IR sensing, including detector arrays, APDs, photodetectors, focal-plane arrays, and microbolometers.
Built for Demanding Applications
We apply semiconductor and optical innovation to space systems, remote sensing, defense and security, scientific instrumentation, and other high-performance applications.
Magnolia's Primary Technology Development Focus Areas
1. Nanostructured Broadband Antireflection (AR) Coatings
- Magnolia has developed and demonstrated nanostructured AR coating technology that can dramatically reduce front-surface reflection and improve optical transmission for optical detectors, EO/IR windows and apertures, solar cell cover glass, and various other optical interfaces.
- These coatings are be tailored for a particular spectral band, incidence angle, substrate material, and/or operating conditions to provide optimal AR performance and corresponding device operation enhancement.
2. Strain-balanced, QW-enhanced Photovoltaics for Space Satellite Applications
- Magnolia’s III-V related development work includes strain-balanced Type-II superlattice (T2SL) quantum-well (QW) photovoltaic designs and devices that boost photocurrent while limiting voltage loss in multijunction solar cell devices.
- This optical-cavity/DBR-enhanced solar cell technology supports high-efficiency, radiation-tolerant space applications, enabling future more lightweight and power-efficient satellites and spacecraft through spectrally engineered, QW-enhanced T2SL-based photovoltaic technologies.
3. UV Detector Arrays and high-gain III-N/AlGaN APDs
- Magnolia’s ultraviolet (UV) detector work includes GaN/AlGaN and related III-nitride avalanche photodiode (APD) device development for solar-blind and deep-UV sensing.
- This high-gain UV III-N detector technology incorporating compact UV sensors arrays can benefit applications including missile-warning and space-related instrumentation, flame and plume detection, and biological or chemical sensing, as well as additional applications where visible-blind backgrounds and high sensitivity are critical
4. MWIR/LWIR Detectors and Advanced IR Focal-plane Arrays (FPAs)
- Magnolia has had a consistent and extensive background in advanced IR detector and focal-plane array (FPA) technology development, including that of uncooled HgCdTe-based and graphene- and 2D-material-enhanced photodetectors.
- These technological capabilities pave the way for providing further advancements in extended MWIR- and LWIR-band sensing, e.g., in high-operating-temperature (HOT) detectors, multispectral imaging arrays, dual-band IR cameras, and space-optimized detector designs.
5. SiGe Visible-to-NIR Photodetectors for Extended Wavelength Sensing
- Magnolia has previously developed a silicon-compatible SiGe/Ge photodetector and imaging technology to extend Si-based sensing from visible into near-infrared (NIR) and short-wave-infrared (SWIR) bands.
- This optical material and device development can be further adapted to enable compact FPAs, miniature camera assemblies, telecom-band and free-space optical (FSO) sensors and components, and other integrated optical products and devices.
6. Carbon-enhanced Microbolometers for Uncooled IR Detection
- Magnolia has also worked to develop uncooled IR microbolometer-based detectors which employ carbon nanotubes and graphene for absorbing layers and for readout-enhancement in IR sensing devices.
- This thermal IR detector technology development offers a lower-cost and reduced power pathway to practically realizing a compact and durable thermal-based detection and imaging technology which can effectively operate in room-temperature environments.
Optical & Photonic Technological Design Capabilities
MagnoliaSemi’s optical technology roadmap is organized around four complementary focus areas:
- Integrated photonic circuits;
- Quantum photonic and single-photon technologies;
- Advanced photodetectors / imaging arrays / space photovoltaic;
- Optical materials, coatings, metasurfaces, and functional surfaces.
Together, these areas connect device design, light detection, photon control, and space-relevant optical systems.
Photonics Circuit & Quantum Technologies
Integrated Photonics & Photonic Circuit Technologies
Si photonics; III-V/Si integration; PIC design; waveguides; modulators; couplers; photonic packaging; optical interconnects; photonic sensors.
Quantum Photonics & Single-Photon Technologies
Quantum optical detectors; single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) / avalanche photodiodes (APDs); photon-number-resolving detectors; quantum photonic circuits; quantum communication; quantum sensing; photonic quantum-computing support hardware.
Optical Material & Device Technologies
Advanced Photodetectors, Imaging Arrays & Space Photovoltaics
Type II superlattices (T2SLs); MWIR / eSWIR / LWIR / UV / FUV detectors; avalanche photodiodes (APDs); resonant-cavity detectors; nanowire/nanostructured absorbers; focal plane arrays (FPAs) / readout integrated circuits (ROICs); radiation-tolerant solar cells for space.
Optical Materials, Coatings, Metasurfaces & Functional Surfaces
Antireflection coatings (ARCs); broadband and spectral-selective coatings; distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs); filters; cavity mirrors; metasurfaces; metalenses; photonic crystals; surface texturing; durable/radiation-hard optical surfaces.
