The global semiconductor industry is entering a defining era. With projections suggesting the market will surpass $1 trillion by 2030, much of this explosive growth is being fuelled by the relentless rise of artificial intelligence (AI). However, the demand for raw computing power is only part of the story. Equally critical is the need for
One debate that continues within the integrated photonics community is how far, or rather how soon, integrated photonics will transform data centres into more efficient, monolithic computing platforms for AI. To be clear, integrated photonics has long formed the interconnect between data centre racks and switches. But “integrated” has come to mean something different as
Fueled by streaming video, online gaming, remote offices, and generative artificial intelligence (AI), the exploding demand for bandwidth is rippling throughout data centre architectures, where it is felt most acutely by the humble pluggable optical transceiver. Most transceivers connecting the switches, servers, and other network systems in today’s data centres support signal processing rates of
No technology platform can do it all in integrated photonics. In this final installment of a four-part series, we’ll review strengths and weaknesses of the major photonic platforms and take a closer look at how combinations of them unlock the full potential of integrated photonics. Whenever an emerging technology comes in multiple flavors, you’re inclined
No technology platform can do it all in integrated photonics. In part III of a four-part series, we take a closer look at a base material that stands out for its seamless integration with existing CMOS infrastructure: silicon. The origin of silicon photonics Capable of propagating high data rates at relatively low power dissipation, light
A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) is a microchip containing two or more photonic components which form a functioning circuit, hence also called photonic chip. Photonic components utilise photons (or particles of light) as opposed to electrons. As they move at the speed of light, photons have a wide bandwidth and minimal energy loss, making them
No technology platform can do it all in integrated photonics. In part II of a four-part series, we take a closer look at a base material that stands out for its ability to produce light, thus allowing for the fabrication of active components: Indium Phosphide. Why Indium Phosphide Is Widely Used as a Light Source
With the next IPSR-I Roadmap Meeting scheduled for November 2022 at the PIC Summit Europe in Eindhoven, we provide a round-up of the spring meeting, and take a look ahead at what’s to come this autumn. Join the IPSR-I Roadmap Meeting on November 8th by registering via PIC Summit Europe. The previous IPSR-I Roadmap event in
No technology platform can do it all in integrated photonics. That’s why we are looking for the characteristics of the various technology platforms of photonic integrated circuits. In this article, we take a closer look at a base material that stands out for its low light losses and broad spectral coverage: Silicon Nitride (SiN). In
Faster, lighter, more durable, and ultimately also cheaper: the advantages of photonic circuits are considerable, for a wide range of applications. And the Netherlands plays an important global role in the development and application of this key technology. In recent years, partly due to the policies of the government, provinces, and Brainport, PhotonDelta has laid
No single integrated-photonics technology can do it all: they need to be combined for maximum functionality. The set of techniques to do that – hybrid or heterogeneous integration – is a key growth driver for the Dutch integrated-photonics industry. This article explains what heterogeneous integration is and why it matters. In electronics, the vast majority
New H2020 project INSPIRE will revolutionize photonic integrated circuit technology by combining highest optoelectronic efficiencies in InP photonics and lowest optical loss in SiN photonics, in a single platform through wafer-scale micro-transfer printing technology.Major photonic integration platforms, i.e., silicon, silicon nitride (SiN) or indium phosphide (InP) based, are now mature and make their impact in
The 2020 Integrated Photonics System Roadmap – International (IPSR-I) is a global reference document that reveals the full potential of integrated photonics. It has been released jointly by MIT’s Initiative for Knowledge and Innovation in Manufacturing (IKIM) in Cambridge, which runs the AIM Photonics Academy project and PhotonDelta, based in Eindhoven, Netherlands. It charts the
The Integrated Photonics Systems Roadmap – International 2020 overview, a joint initiative of AIM academy and PhotonDelta, has been released on 10-10-2019. The objective of the IPSR-I is to establish and sustain a trust based global network of Industrial and R&D partners, who are working together on defining and creating future Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC)