Scalability of Large-Scale Photonic Integrated Circuits

Abstract

To keep up with the growing bandwidth demands, photonic integrated circuits (PICs) have been widely employed in various application scenarios where high capacity and high-bandwidthdensity interconnects are required. However, it is challenging to scale the PICs toward future petabit per second capacity requirements. We study the scalability bottlenecks of PICs in terms of guiding materials, dense integration approaches, wide-band optical sources, and highefficiency tunable and modulation devices. We also look for possible solutions to address these challenges. In the end, we provide a perspective on future PIC development. Moore's law for integrated photonics may last for a much shorter time than that in the microelectronics industry, requiring significant innovations and technological breakthroughs in PIC research.

Quantum Information with Integrated Photonics

“…The dependence and performance of computational tasks on the dimension of space and circuit elements was analyzed in Ref. [70]. Other open challenges for the achievements of the milestone have not been discussed: the realization of sources and detectors on chip for a standalone integrated photonic quantum device, and the coupling and control of the degrees of freedom of guided light by using nanomaterials.…”

Single-Mode Laser in the Telecom Range by Deterministic Amplification of the Topological Interface Mode

“…The rapid advancement of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) is currently driving innovation in multiple fields of modern technology, ranging from data communication, − quantum computing, − and sensing , to automotive applications such as LIDAR . Despite remarkable progress in component integration, the absence of an integrated on-chip light source remains a crucial limitation on silicon (Si)-based platforms. − While conventional bulk III–V semiconductor lasers have served as reliable workhorses in photonics, the need to seamlessly integrate these lasers onto a photonic chip demands a reimagining of their design. − Scaling down lasers not only facilitates their integration but also offers the potential for improved energy efficiency, enabling high-speed data transmission while minimizing power consumption. ,− Crucially, these nanoscaled lasers must preserve single-mode operation, a key requirement for many applications.…”

High‐Gain Waveguide Amplifiers in Ge25Sb10S65 Photonics Heterogeneous Integration with Erbium‐Doped Al2O3 Thin Films

“…Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) have been widely used from data communications to emerging applications like optical computing, sensing, imaging, and healthcare, which has been dramatically changing the way information is generated, manipulated, transmitted, and detected. [ 1,2 ] Various photonic devices, as their fundamental building blocks, such as on‐chip laser sources, [ 3 ] electro‐optical modulators, [ 4 ] and high‐speed photodetectors [ 5 ] have been developed to build more versatile and intelligent circuits. Integrated waveguide amplifiers are therefore becoming increasingly critical to provide gain compensations and meet the optical power requirements.…”