Ph.D. Candidate in Chemical Engineering
Armani Research Group, University of Southern California
Andre received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Southern California (USC) in 2014. Upon graduating, he continued his education at USC and is currently pursing his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering in the Armani Research Group. Currently, his research focus is on synthesizing and characterizing smart materials for integrated photonic devices.
Fabrication and characterization of moisture resistant silicon oxynitride microtoroids for stable long-term operation.
Covalent attachment of an organic molecular photoswitch for all-optical logic or long-term information storage.
Synthesis and characterization of magnetically tunable nanostructures for enhancement and modulation of optical resonators.
Below is a condensed list of journal publications and conference proceedings. For a full list, please contact for a CV.
• A. Kovach, D. Chen, S. Soltani, S. Poust, A.M. Armani, “Characterization of the thermo-optic coefficient of silicon oxynitrides using whispering-gallery-mode resonators”. (submitted)
• D. Chen, A. Kovach, S. Poust, and A.M. Armani, “Normal dispersion silicon oxynitride microresonator Kerr frequency combs”. (under review)
• D. Chen, A. Kovach, X. Shen, S. Poust, and A.M. Armani, "On-Chip Ultra-High-Q Silicon Oxynitride Optical Resonators", ACS Photonics 2017 4 (9), 2376-2381.
• A. Kovach, D. Chen, S. Soltani, S. Poust, A.M. Armani, “Characterization of the thermo-optic coefficient of silicon oxynitrides using whispering-gallery-mode resonators”. Laser Resonators, Microresonators, and Beam Control XX 10904-44.
• D. Chen, A. Kovach, X. Shen, S. Poust, A. M. Armani, "Environmentally stable integrated ultra-high-Q optical cavities", Laser Resonators, Microresonators, and Beam Control XX 10518, 105180W.
As part of his graduate studies, Andre has been fortunate to mentor four undergraduate students over the past few years. Additionally, Andre has been heavily involved in outreach programs either through EngX, which takes place every Spring semester, or through the SPIE/OSA chapter he founded.