Projects

I built and simulated a crossed-nanowire optical detector model in Tidy3D FDTD, using orthogonal NbTiN detector elements inside a multilayer SiO₂ and gold optical stack. The completed V1 run records electric-field distributions and directional flux near 1.55 µm. The crossed geometry was intended to reduce polarization dependence, but the surviving simulation uses only one incident linear polarization — so polarization insensitivity remains a design goal rather than a demonstrated result.

I developed a multi-element broadband optical-delivery model in Ansys Zemax OpticStudio and evaluated it across multiple wavelengths, field angles, and three saved configurations. The prescription uses fused silica and CaF₂ elements with multiple powered and AR-coated surfaces. Native analyses include configuration-matrix spot diagrams, polychromatic diffraction encircled energy, and wavefront evaluation. The design concept included polarization preservation as an objective, but the saved evidence here does not contain a polarization-specific metric, so I do not present that behavior as demonstrated.

I designed a computational nanophotonics study around a simple question: can an optical metasurface remain useful after realistic fabrication defects are introduced? The model is a 6 × 6 periodic supercell of TiO₂ nanodisks on glass, with missing disks, radius and height variation, and positional jitter. Instead of optimising only a perfect geometry, I designed the Tidy3D FDTD workflow around robustness — transmission, reflection, diffraction, field behaviour, and a quantitative defect-sensitivity metric. I also iterated through earlier Tidy3D models and completed multiple solver runs. Those development runs used earlier geometry and wavelength settings, so I treat them as evidence of the simulation workflow rather than validation of the final visible-band defect-tolerance study.

I developed two related sequential optical models in Ansys Zemax OpticStudio to study how a microlens could direct broadband solar illumination toward a small rectenna microcell plane. The models explore different lenslet geometries, wavelength ranges, and field angles. Native OpticStudio outputs include 3D layout, optical-path-difference analysis, and saved 850-nm wavefront results. Because the two prescriptions and pupil conditions differ, I treat their results as evidence of design exploration rather than a controlled before-and-after performance comparison.

I designed the first electronics revision of a CubeSat solar-flare payload in EasyEDA, integrating the payload computer, onboard storage, power regulation and protection, visible-light sensing, magnetometry, development interfaces, and spacecraft connections. A design review then exposed the most important limitation of Rev A: the schematic contained the supporting electronics, but not yet the dedicated X-ray detector and low-noise analog front end required to make it a functional solar X-ray instrument.

I designed the first electronics revision of a CubeSat payload intended to measure small-scale irregularities in ionospheric plasma. Rev A brings together a low-current probe front end, programmable probe bias, high-resolution digitisation, GNSS time and position, onboard storage, magnetic and thermal context sensing, and an RP2040 payload computer. The design review then identified the physical-probe, analog, guarding, bias-range and interference-control work still required before fabrication.

I designed the first electronics revision of a CubeSat receiver intended to detect very-low-frequency electromagnetic signals produced by lightning. Rev A combines a search-coil input, analog amplification and filtering, 12-bit digitisation, event-processing electronics, power and protection, and ground-development interfaces. Reviewing the design made the harder part clear: a sensitive VLF receiver has to distinguish natural signals from aliasing, calibration signals, and electrical noise generated by the spacecraft itself.

I designed the first electronics revision of a CubeSat payload intended to detect gamma-ray bursts and timestamp individual detector pulses precisely enough for comparison with other spacecraft and observatories. Rev A brings together pulse amplification, triggering, pulse-height digitisation, GNSS timing, storage, SiPM bias power, housekeeping, and an STM32 payload computer. Reviewing it exposed the most important remaining gaps: the scintillator and SiPM detector head is not yet present, pulse shaping still has to be added, and the timing path must be calibrated end to end before the timestamps can support scientific comparison.

I designed the first electronics revision of a CubeSat photometer intended to measure the brightness of a selected star over several hours and look for the small, repeatable dip caused by a known transiting exoplanet. Rev A combines a BPW34 photodiode, a transimpedance amplifier, a 16-bit ADC, a calibration-light interface, onboard storage, power and development electronics. The design review made the harder problem clear: a transit-like dip can also be produced by pointing error, temperature drift, stray light or electronics drift, so those effects have to be measured well enough to rule them out.

I designed the first electronics revision of a CubeSat particle monitor intended to map how energetic-particle radiation changes along an orbit during quiet and storm-time conditions. Rev A explores multiple silicon-detector channels, pulse amplification and shaping, programmable thresholds, coincidence detection, contextual magnetic and motion sensing, onboard storage, and spacecraft interfaces. The design review made the central challenge clearer: four detectors are only useful as four science channels if their geometry, shielding, calibration, timing and independent signal paths are actually defined.