Frederic M. Davidson

Professor

 

Ph.D. 1969,       University of Rochester

B.S.  1964,        Cornell University

 

Contact Info:     Phone - (410) 516-7007

                        Fax      - (410) 516-5566

                        E-mail – fmd@jhu.edu

 

Web:

www.ece.jhu.edu/faculty/davidson.html

 

 

 

Professor Davidson's research interests are in the fields of quantum electronics and optical communications. His work in optical communications has been both theoretical and experimental, and has dealt with both systems design issues and device technology. His interests in quantum electronics have focussed on photorefractive materials and their device applications in optical signal processing contexts and as components in coherent optical communication systems.

 

His most recent research has centered on photo-electromotive force (PEMF) photodetection and its applications to various optical communication and Lidar systems. PEMF photodetectors perform a type of coherent optical detection that results in an output photocurrent only in response to a moving optical interference pattern. These devices have been shown to act as direct optical phase detectors in optical phase lock loops, and optical frequency difference measuring devices useful in optical velocimeters and in high-resolution optical spectrum analyzers.

 

Selected Publications

 

C.C. Wang, F. Davidson, and S. Trevidi, "Moving Space Charge Field Effects in Photoconductive Semiconductors with Interband Optical Excitation of Free Charge Carriers", J. Optical Society of America B, vol. 14, pp. 21-26, 1997.

 

C.C. Wang, and F. Davidson,  "Optical Spectral Analysis using Moving Space-Charge Field Effects in Photoconductive Semiconductors," J. Optical Society of America -B  vol. 13, pp. 1376-1383, 1996.

 

F. Davidson, C.C. Wang, and S. Trivedi, "A Simple Laser Velocimeter Using Photoconductive Semiconductors to Measure Optical Frequency Differences," Applied Optics, vol. 34, pp. 6496-6499, 1995.

 

F. Davidson, C.C. Wang, and S. Trivedi, "Transient Photocurrents in Photoconductive Semiconductors Generated by Step Phase Modulations," Optics Letters, vol. 20, pp. 175-177, 1995.

 

F. Davidson, C.C. Wang, and S. Trivedi,  "Electron-hole Competition Effects in Photocurrents Generated by Moving Space Charge Fields in Photoconductive Semiconductors with Deep Level Traps", Optics Communications, vol.111, pp.470-477, 1994.

 

F. Davidson and C.T. Field, "Coherent Optical Communication receivers with Photorefractive Optical Beam Combiners", J. Lightwave Technology, vol. 12,  pp. 1207-1223, 1994.

 

F. Davidson, C.C. Wang, and S. Trivedi, "Optical Phale Lock Loops with Photoconductive Semiconductor Phase Detectors", Optics Letters, vol. 19, pp. 774-776, 1994.

 

C.T. Field and F. Davidson, "Frequency Acquisition with Photorefractive Two-wave Mixing", Optics Letters, vol. 19, pp.78-80, 1994.