Exploring Silicon Photonics: Shaping the Future of Optical Communication

Silicon Photonics: A Comprehensive Guide to the Future of Optical Communications

Integrated photonics, also known as planar lightwave circuits or integrated optical circuits, revolutionizes optical communication by leveraging the properties of light to process and transmit information. This cutting-edge technology offers superior efficiency and compactness compared to traditional electronic components, paving the way for faster and more energy-efficient communication systems. With its interdisciplinary nature encompassing materials science, quantum physics, and electrical engineering, integrated photonics presents an exciting and promising field of study and research in today's digital era.


Integrated Photonics: Comprehensive Guide to Optical Communication

<p data-block-key="h2p5l" id="isPasted"><strong>Engineers at Caltech and the University of Southampton in England have collaboratively designed an electronics chip integrated with a photonics chip (which uses light to transfer data)&mdash;creating a cohesive final product capable of transmitting information at ultrahigh speed while generating minimal heat.</strong></p><p data-block-key="927ce">Though the two-chip sandwich is unlikely to find its way into your laptop, the new design could influence the future of data centers that manage very high volumes of data communication.</p><p data-block-key="1qg5g">&quot;Every time you are on a video call, stream a movie, or play an online video game, you&#39;re routing data back and forth through a data center to be processed,&quot; says Caltech graduate student Arian Hashemi Talkhooncheh (MS &#39;16), lead author of a paper describing the two-chip innovation that was published in the&nbsp;<em>IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits</em> on November 3. &quot;There are more than 2,700 data centers in the U.S. and more than 8,000 worldwide, with towers of servers stacked on top of each other to manage the load of thousands of terabytes of data going in and out every second.&quot;</p><p data-block-key="323r2">Just as your laptop heats up on your lap while you use it, the towers of servers in data centers that keep us all connected also heat up as they work, just at a much greater scale. Some data centers are even built underwater to cool whole facility more easily. The more efficient they can be made, the less heat they will generate, and ultimately, the greater the volume of information that they will be able to manage.</p><p data-block-key="bna4g">Data processing is done on electronic circuits, while data transmission is most efficiently done using photonics. Achieving ultrahigh speed in each domain is very challenging, but engineering the interface between them is even more difficult.</p><p data-block-key="8h0ki">&quot;There is a continuous demand for increasing the speed of data communication between different chips not only in data centers but also in high-performance computers. As the computing power of the chips scale, the communication speed can become the bottleneck, especially under stringent energy constraints,&quot; says&nbsp;<a href="https://eas.caltech.edu/people/azita" target="_blank">Azita Emami</a>, the Andrew and Peggy Cherng Professor of Electrical Engineering and Medical Engineering; executive officer for electrical engineering; and senior author of the paper.</p><p data-block-key="vd4s">To address this challenge, the Caltech/Southampton team designed both an electronics chip and a photonics chip from the ground up and co-optimized them to work together. The process, from the initial idea to the final test in the lab, took four years to complete, with every design choice impacting both chips.</p><p data-block-key="7shuu">&quot;We had to optimize the entire system all at the same time, which enabled achieving a superior power efficiency,&quot; Hashemi says. &quot;These two chips are literally made for each other, integrated into one another in three dimensions.&quot;</p><p data-block-key="6vnfo">The resulting optimized interface between the two chips allows them to transmit 100 gigabits of data per second while producing just 2.4 pico-Joules per transmitted bit. This improves the electro-optical power efficiency of the transmission by a factor of 3.6 compared to the current state-of-the-art. A picojoule is one-trillionth of a Joule, which is defined as the energy released in one second by a current of 1 ampere through a resistance of 1 ohm&mdash;or about 0.24 calories.</p><p data-block-key="40cog">&quot;As the world becomes more and more connected, and every device generates more data, it is exciting to show that we can achieve such high data rates while burning a fraction of power compared to the traditional techniques,&quot; says Emami.</p><p data-block-key="8ce67">The paper is titled &quot;<a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9938431" target="_blank">A 100Gb/s PAM4 Optical Transmitter in A 3D-Integrated SiPh-CMOS Platform Using Segmented MOSCAP Modulators</a>.&quot; Co-authors include Caltech graduate student Minwo Wang (MS &#39;18) as well as Weiwei Zhang, David J. Thomson, Martin Ebert, Li Ke, and Graham T. Reed of the University of Southampton. This research was funded by Rockley Photonics and the U.K. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.</p>

The chip sandwich: an electronics chip (the smaller chip on the top) integrated with a photonics chip, sitting atop a penny for scale. (Credit: Arian Hashemi Talkhooncheh)

Engineers at Caltech and the University of Southampton have collaboratively designed an electronics chip integrated with a photonics chip (which uses light to transfer data)—creating a cohesive final product capable of transmitting information at ultrahigh speed while generating minimal heat.

Electronic-Photonic Chip Sandwich Pushes Boundaries of Computing and Data Transmission Efficiency

<p id="isPasted"><strong>PhotonFirst develops and manufactures photonics sensing technologies to measure temperature, strain, pressure, shape and acceleration in objects ranging from buildings to airplanes to medical devices. On the occasion of the opening of their new office at High Tech Campus Eindhoven, we asked CEO Daan Kersten about their developments and ambitions, which include a stock market listing within the next five years.</strong></p><p>Although PhotonFirst&rsquo;s experience in photonics spans over fifteen years the company only came into existence this year, having hived off from their sister company Technobis in Alkmaar. With the new name also came a new ambition, to grow fast and float the company on the stock market in five years&rsquo; time. And they hired a new CEO to make that happen. Daan Kersten, who headed the 3D-print company Additive Industries for nearly eight years, is tasked with making PhotonFirst grow into a multinational with a hundred million euro turnover. &nbsp;</p><p>&ldquo;Eindhoven and especially the High Tech Campus is the hotspot of the photonics industry in The Netherlands, so it made sense to open a second office here,&rdquo; Kersten explains their move to Campus. &ldquo;We already had intensive partnerships with SMARTPhotonics and BRIGHT Integrated Photonics, who help us design and manufacture our photonics chips. They are also located in Eindhoven, so it&rsquo;s good to be geographically close. And Eindhoven is full of the kind of talent we need to support our growth.&rdquo;</p><p><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nECSgTxGfiU?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" style="width: 767px; height: 436px;"></iframe></span></p><h2 id="isPasted">Airplane wing</h2><p>PhotonFirst is one of the pioneers in integrated photonics sensing. They develop and distribute photonics chips and sensors that accurately measure the condition, use and wear and tear of an object, machine or system. Think of the shape of airplane wings, the strain on a bridge or the downforce on a race car.</p><p>Integrated photonics, the technology of light, is a relatively new and more efficient way to measure these parameters. Kersten: &ldquo;Traditionally strain was measured with bulky electrical units and strain gauges. Our sensors are integrated into glass fibers, which means they are much smaller and lighter. You can basically install them anywhere, which is why the aerospace industry is interested since it can be mounted into an airplane wing. And because we don&rsquo;t work with electronics there is no disturbance through magnetic or electronic fields. These benefits make data collection more reliable and accessible.&rdquo;</p><p>Data is the new gold of the maintenance industry, since it tells you exactly when fatigue occurs and parts have to be maintained, repaired or replaced. That is why integrated photonics sensing is considered a breakthrough technology for smarter maintenance by adding predictive and preventive capabilities.</p><h2>Heartbeat in a blood vessel</h2><p>So how does the technology work exactly? The basics are simple enough: a glass fiber cable is outfitted with tiny mirrors called Fibre Bragg Gratings (FBGs). A light signal is shot through the cable and partially reflected by the FBG mirrors. Any force or pressure impacting the object where the glass fiber is installed, like the wind on the rotor of a wind turbine or the pounding of thousands of cars on a bridge, will alter the shape of the glass fiber cable, which in turn changes the position of the mirrors and consequently the properties of the light reflected. Because the FBGs will reflect the light differently depending on the force of pressure, it tells you everything you need to know about how the object behaves, expands, shrinks, changes or degenerates over time.</p><p>As a practical example of how this technology is used Kersten says they are currently exploring ways in which they can measure the temperature in the battery packs of electric cars. The energy efficiency and range of electric cars depends for a large part on the temperature distribution in the batteries. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s almost impossible to measure that with the conventional measurement systems,&rdquo; Kersten says. &ldquo;But our technology allows measurements in many different places inside the batteries without increasing their size or adding more weight to the car. This could significantly improve the driving range of electric cars.&rdquo;</p><p>Another inspiring example is in the medical field, where PhotonFirst conducts experiments with surgeons on haptic feedback. During minimally invasive surgery, like inserting a hollow tube through a patient&rsquo;s skin, PhotonFirst&rsquo;s system can let the surgeon know exactly how much pressure he is exerting on the pincher that is holding the tissue. The FBGs inside the surgical tool respond to the stress and strain in the pincher and translate these to haptic feedback on the handle of the tool. Surgeons said they could feel the heartbeat in the blood vessel through the handle bar. The added value of feeling their own pressure allows surgeons to handle the instrumentation even more effectively for the benefit of the patient&rsquo;s treatment.</p><p><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1660222294121-Daan+AJ+Kersten%2C+foto+Beeld+Werkt.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><h2 id="isPasted">Global innovation leader</h2><p>Apart from automotive and medical PhotonFirst also has clients in aerospace, high-tech systems, energy and infrastructure markets. Most clients are located abroad, with Asia and North America as the biggest growth markets. The ultimate ambition is to become global innovation leader in integrated photonics sensing. To make that happen they need to achieve more volume in their applications, says Kersten. &ldquo;When we&rsquo;re able to produce our systems in large volumes the technology becomes much cheaper, which makes it more attractive to investors.&rdquo;</p><p>The biggest bottleneck to the growth is the fact that photonics is still a relatively unknown field for many business leaders, Kersten says. That is why he wants to use the next few years to actively identify the best possible applications together with their clients.</p><p>To do that PhotonFirst is growing the team and is looking for good technical salespeople who can help shape their international expansion. &ldquo;Anyone interested can contact us.&rdquo;</p>

PhotonFirst develops and manufactures photonics sensing technologies to measure temperature, strain, pressure, shape and acceleration in objects ranging from buildings to airplanes to medical devices.

PhotonFirst wants to become global innovation leader in integrated photonics sensing

<p id="isPasted">Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) are devices that can provide gain to the optical signal power in optical fibers, often used in long-distance communication fiber optic cables and fiber-based lasers. Invented in the 1980s, EDFAs are arguably one of the most important inventions, and have profoundly impacted our information society enabling signals to be routed across the Atlantic and replacing electrical repeaters.</p><p>What is interesting about erbium ions in optical communications is that they can amplify light in the 1.55 mm wavelength region, which is where silica-based optical fibers have the lowest transmission loss. The unique electronic intra-4-f shell structure of erbium &ndash; and rare-earth ions in general &ndash; enables long-lived excited states when doped inside host materials such as glass. This provides an ideal gain medium for simultaneous amplification of multiple information-carrying channels, with negligible cross-talk, high temperature stability and low noise figure.</p><p>Optical amplification is also used in virtually all laser applications, from fiber sensing and frequency metrology, to industrial applications including laser-machining and LiDAR. Today, optical amplifiers based on rare-earth ions have become the workhorse for optical frequency combs (2005 Nobel Prize in Physics), which are used to create the world&rsquo;s most precise atomic clocks.</p><p>Achieving light amplification with rare-earth ions in photonic integrated circuit can transform integrated photonics. Already in the 1990s, Bell Laboratories were looking into erbium-doped waveguide amplifiers (EDWAs), but ultimately abandoned them because their gain and output power could not match fiber-based amplifiers, while their fabrication doesn&rsquo;t work with contemporary photonic integration manufacturing techniques.</p><p>Even with the recent rise of integrated photonics, renewed efforts on EDWAs have only been able to achieve less than 1 mW output power, which is not enough for many practical applications. The problem here has been high waveguide background loss, high cooperative upconversion &ndash; a gain-limiting factor at high erbium concentration, or the long-standing challenge in achieving meter-scale waveguide lengths in compact photonic chips.</p><p>Now, researchers at EPFL, led by Professor Tobias J. Kippenberg, have built an EDWA based on silicon nitride (Si<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub>) photonic integrated circuits of a length up to half meter on a millimeter-scale footprint, generating a record output power of more than 145 mW and providing a small-signal net gain above 30 dB, which translates to over 1000-fold amplification in the telecommunication band in continuous operation. This performance matches the commercial, high-end EDFAs, as well as state-of-the-art heterogeneously integrated III-V semiconductor amplifiers in silicon photonics.</p><p>﻿&ldquo;We overcame the longstanding challenge by applying ion implantation &ndash; a wafer-scale process that benefits from very low cooperative upconversion even at a very high ion concentration &ndash; to the ultralow-loss silicon nitrideintegrated photonic circuits,&rdquo; says Dr Yang Liu, a researcher in Kippenberg&rsquo;s lab, and the study&rsquo;s lead scientist.</p><p>&ldquo;This approach allows us to achieve low loss, high erbium concentration, and a large mode-ion overlap factor in compact waveguides with meter-scale lengths, which have previously remained unsolved for decades,&rdquo; says Zheru Qiu, a PhD student and co-author of the study.</p><p>﻿&ldquo;Operating with high output power and high gain is not a mere academic achievement; in fact, it is crucial to the practical operation of any amplifier, as it implies that any input signals can reach the power levels that are sufficient for long-distance high-speed data transmission and shot-noise limited detection; it also signals that high-pulse-energy femtosecond-lasers on a chip can finally become possible using this approach,&rdquo; says Kippenberg.</p><p>The breakthrough signals a renaissance of rare-earth ions as viable gain media in integrated photonics, as applications of EDWAs are virtually unlimited, from optical communications and LiDAR for autonomous driving, to quantum sensing and memories for large quantum networks. It is expected to trigger follow-up studies that cover even more rare-earth ions, offering optical gain from the visible up to the mid-infrared part of the spectrum and even higher output power.</p><hr><p><strong id="isPasted">References</strong></p><p>Yang Liu, Zheru Qiu, Xinru Ji, Anton Lukashchuk, Jijun He, Johann Riemensberger, Martin Hafermann, Rui Ning Wang, Junqiu Liu, Carsten Ronning, and Tobias J. Kippenberg. A photonic integrated circuit based erbium-doped amplifier. Science, 17 June 2022. DOI:&nbsp;<a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abo2631" rel="noopener" target="_blank">10.1126/science.abo2631</a></p>

An erbium-doped waveguide amplifier on a photonic integrated chip. Credit: EPFL Laboratory of Photonics and Quantum Measurements/Niels Ackerman

EPFL scientists have built a compact waveguide amplifier by successfully incorporating rare-earth ions into integrated photonic circuits. The device produces record output power compared to commercial fiber amplifiers, a first in the development of integrated photonics over the last decades.

Boosting light power revolutionizes communications and autopilot

<p id="isPasted"><strong>Introduction</strong></p><p>Optical communication has been around for millennia, while the earliest electrical device created to do so was the photophone, invented in 1880. Fast forward to the present, the potential of optics and photonics for communication is rapidly expanding and will be the foundation of future communication systems. This article provides an overview of the data communications applications where integrated photonics will make a significant impact in the coming decades.</p><h3>Integrated Photonics in Data Centers</h3><p>The combined storage capacities of all the data centers of the world surpass 13 Exabytes. For context, 1 Exabyte is roughly equal to 1 billion Gigabytes. This number is only set to grow as new possibilities open up in the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Big data.</p><p>As the amount of data transfer increases, the conventional copper cables used for interconnecting the servers tend to bottleneck the bandwidth of the entire system. Typically, a copper cable hits its limits within a few Gbps, whereas the limits of an optic fiber are purely theoretical.</p><p>This is the reason why making use of Integrated Photonics and optic fibers present as the best way to combat the bottleneck. The crazy hundreds of GBps or TBps transfer speed and ultra-low latencies required in the data centers are realizable with PICs. But the applications of PICs are not just limited to that. Instead of simply replacing all the copper wires with optic cables, silicon photonics can be used to make onboard components like high-bandwidth transmitters and receivers.</p><p>PICs can be used for anything from enabling communication between two chips on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) to long-haul communications for data center interconnects. The possibilities are endless. A significant improvement in the performance of data centers can be achieved by using optic fiber communication and PICs in data centers.</p><p>Another issue that needs our attention is the increasing energy demand of the data centers. Data centers are estimated to consume more than 3% of the world’s total electricity, which seems relatively small, but with the voracious demand for connected devices, cloud computing, and systems, the potential for this to exponentially jump is viable.<sup>[3]</sup></p><p>Cooling systems alone account for the highest energy consumption within the data centers. Compared to conventional electronics, systems that are powered by photonics generate a lot less heat. Hence, PICs don’t require any dedicated cooling systems; and not having dedicated cooling systems eventually reduce the overall electricity consumption. <sup>[4]</sup></p><h3>Integrated Photonics in Intercontinental communication</h3><p>Fiber-optic communication is probably among the earliest applications of photonics. The technology works on the principle of total internal reflection. First, the data at the source is encoded into optical signals. These signals are sent via an optic fiber to the receiver, where the signals are converted back to their original forms. The signals are reflected multiple times internally in the core of the communication link before finally reaching the destination.</p><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="false" style="width: 766px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjM0OTA1NTkwNTMxLVBpY3R1cmUyLnBuZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner" contenteditable="true">Undersea optic fiber link. Source:&nbsp;<a href="https://acacia-inc.com/blog/undersea-fiber-cables-are-connecting-our-world/" id="isPasted" target="_blank">Arcadia Communication (Cisco)</a></span></p></span></span></div><p id="isPasted">Optic fiber is the fastest mode of wired communication known yet. The first optic fiber communication systems were developed by German physicist Manfred Börner back in the year 1965. It was then the idea of reducing the attenuation of optic fibers below 20 dB/Km seemed possible. In the decades that followed, developments in optic fibers led to a drastic reduction in the attenuation levels, and optic fibers with attenuation of under 4 dB/Km were made available. This reduced the number of repeaters required between a link, ultimately bringing down the cost of the setup.<sup>[5]</sup></p><p>Even though the initial establishment of optic fiber communication seemed higher at first, over the long run, the technology emerged as an affordable alternative to conventional copper wires. This caught the interest of telecom companies that started adopting it for long-range communication. Today, the technology has become the most widely accepted mode of wired communication between cities, states, and nations.</p><h3>Integrated Photonics for Vehicular communication</h3><p>The world is shifting from vehicles that run on fossil fuels to electric and hybrid vehicles.<sup>[6]&nbsp;</sup>While Electric Vehicles (EVs) are completely powered by electricity, hybrid vehicles can smartly switch between petrol/diesel and electricity.</p><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="false" style="width: 766px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjM0OTA1NjM3NTI0LVBpY3R1cmUzLnBuZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner" contenteditable="true">Cars from the future. Mercedes Benz Vision Avtr Concept. Source:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/vehicles/passenger-cars/mercedes-benz-concept-cars/vision-avtr/" id="isPasted" target="_blank">Mercedes</a></span></p></span></span></div><p id="isPasted">But a truly smart EV is much more than just a vehicle powered by electricity. It is a complete package of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) enhancing the traveling experience. There is a lot of real-time computing occurring, and with self-driving vehicles, the amount of computing and communication speed required is even higher.</p><p>The collection (and processing) of data from all the sensors in the electric vehicle can be done faster with integrated photonics. Check out our previous article, <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-road-ahead-for-integrated-photonics-in-automotive" target="_blank">The Road Ahead for Integrated Photonics in Automotive</a>, for more on the topic.</p><h3>Applications of Integrated Photonics in 6G networks</h3><p>5G networking services have recently picked up pace in different parts of the world, and we’re yet to hit its limits. The next generation of mobile networks is anticipated to be rolled out by the end of this decade, and integrated photonics has the potential to play a key role in the development of this technology. <sup>[7]</sup></p><p id="isPasted">6G could be based on photonics defined radio.<sup>&nbsp;[8]</sup> This will bring the benefits of optics to mobile communication. We are still not sure how fast the future network will be, but if speculations are to be believed, the speeds could touch a whopping 1 TBps mark. The technology might even bring free-space optical communication to the table. 3D holographic videos, 8K streaming, AR/VR, cloud gaming, smart vehicles, and cities are just some areas where 6G is set to bring big changes.</p><h2>Scalability of the technology</h2><p>There are some significant hurdles to cross when it comes to making photonic communication a widely implemented technology. Dispersion is one such problem that arises due to imperfections in the design of optic fibers (birefringence).<sup>[9]</sup> This affects long-distance photonic communication. Optical systems also suffer from harsh crosstalk. Then there are unwanted signals in a communication channel (as in a telephone, radio, or computer) caused by transference of energy from another circuit. Another scalability problem stems from the acute shortage of skilled engineers and technicians in the photonics industry. As a result of all the challenges, the scaling of integrated photonics has been almost 10x slower than conventional electronic ICs. <sup>[11]</sup></p><h2>Conclusion</h2><p>In this article, we discussed the basic principles of PIC-based communication and explained the various applications of the technology. We also listed some of the challenges that researchers face today when working with PICs.</p><p>It is necessary to understand that this is just a beginning for integrated photonics, much like how the period of the 1960s and 1970s was for electronics. The next decade is crucial for the research and development of integrated photonics, and its use in applications such as data centers not only provides benefits for speed but can help deliver a more energy-efficient future.</p><p><strong><em>About the sponsor: PhotonDelta&nbsp;</em></strong></p><p><a href="https://www.photondelta.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>PhotonDelta</em></a><em> is a growth accelerator for the Dutch integrated photonics industry. PhotonDelta works with partners across the industry, including universities, startups, and established foundries, to develop a solid industry growth strategy and funding opportunities that will enable the integrated photonics industry to reach its potential. PhotonDelta has developed several roadmaps that outline growth paths for Integrated Photonic technologies, including automotive and biosensing. They are currently working on a data and communications roadmap that we will outline in our next article. You can register now for the launch of the roadmap&nbsp;</em><a href="https://photondelta.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8e6bf2c7a8e8141c613f65d0f&id=a42b86da52" target="_blank"><em>here.</em></a></p><h3><em>References and further reading:</em></h3><p>[1] What Is a Data Center?, accessed 19 April 2021 &lt;<a href="https://www.cisco.com/c/en_in/solutions/data-center-virtualization/what-is-a-data-center.html" target="_blank">https://www.cisco.com/c/en_in/solutions/data-center-virtualization/what-is-a-data-center.html</a>&gt;</p><p>[2] Data center storage capacity worldwide from 2016 to 2021, by segment, accessed 21 April 2021 <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/638593/worldwide-data-center-storage-capacity-cloud-vs-traditional/" target="_blank">https://www.statista.com/statistics/638593/worldwide-data-center-storage-capacity-cloud-vs-traditional/</a></p><p>[3] How Much Energy Do Data Centers Really Use?, accessed 19 April 2021 &lt;<a href="https://energyinnovation.org/2020/03/17/how-much-energy-do-data-centers-really-use/" target="_blank">https://energyinnovation.org/2020/03/17/how-much-energy-do-data-centers-really-use/</a>&gt;</p><p>[4] The evolution of data center cooling, accessed 19 April 2021 &lt;<a href="https://www.deltapowersolutions.com/en-in/mcis/technical-article-the-evolution-of-data-center-cooling.php" target="_blank">https://www.deltapowersolutions.com/en-in/mcis/technical-article-the-evolution-of-data-center-cooling.php</a>&gt;</p><p>[5] Wikipedia contributors, 'Optical fiber', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, accessed 22 September 2021 &lt;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Optical_fiber" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Optical_fiber</a>&gt;</p><p>[6] What you need to know about electromobility, accessed 19 April 2021 &lt;<a href="https://www.infineon.com/cms/en/discoveries/electromobility/" target="_blank">https://www.infineon.com/cms/en/discoveries/electromobility/</a>&gt;</p><p>[7] B. Zong, C. Fan, X. Wang, X. Duan, B. Wang and J. Wang, "6G Technologies: Key Drivers, Core Requirements, System Architectures, and Enabling Technologies," in IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 18-27, Sept. 2019, doi: 10.1109/MVT.2019.2921398.</p><p>[8] Z. Baiqing, Z. Xiaohong, L. Xiaotong, W. Jianli and C. Yijun, "Photonics Defined Radio: Concept, Architecture and Applications," 2017 Asia Communications and Photonics Conference (ACP), Guangzhou, China, 2017, pp. 1-3.</p><p>[9] Polarization Mode Dispersion: Concepts and Measurement, accessed 19 April 2021 &lt;<a href="https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Polarization_Mode_Dispersion_Concepts_and/a25153" target="_blank">https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Polarization_Mode_Dispersion_Concepts_and/a25153</a>&gt;</p><p>[10] Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing, accessed 19 April 2021 &nbsp;&lt;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/dense-wavelength-division-multiplexing" target="_blank">https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/dense-wavelength-division-multiplexing</a>&gt;</p><p>[11] Photonic Integrated Circuits for Optical Communications, accessed 19 April 2021 &lt;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqb2DWlJT4E" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqb2DWlJT4E</a>&gt;</p>

Inside the world’s largest data center, the Citadel by Switch. Source: TechVision

Integrated Photonics holds the potential to change data communication. Here’s a glimpse of the connected future.

Integrated Photonics in Data Communication: Applications in different sectors and trends

<p><em id="isPasted">Together with&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/ansys" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Ansys</em></a><em>, a developer of simulation software, we are creating a series of content about the technologies that make sustainable transportation possible. &nbsp;Read the foundation article of the series <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/decarbonization-sustainability-and-innovations-in-transportation-and-mobility" target="_blank">here</a>, and our introduction to the Indy Autonomous Challenge&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-indy-autonomous-challenge" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>here.</em></a></p><p dir="ltr" id="isPasted">Integrated Photonics (IP) is the use of light for applications traditionally tackled by electronics. IP can be used in telecommunications, medical applications, and automotive applications. IP integrates multiple photonic functions on a Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) fabricated using automated wafer-scale generic integration technology over silicon, silica, or Indium Phosphide (InP) substrates. Complex photonic integrated circuits can generate, process, and detect light, in analogy to how electronic integrated circuits do for electronic signals by way of connecting multiple discrete single-function components and relevant optical interfaces.&nbsp;</p><h2 dir="ltr">Complex systems require advanced methods of design support</h2><p dir="ltr">PICs have undergone a dramatic increase in complexity in recent years, with the number of photonic components integrated on a single chip continuously increasing.<sup>[1]</sup> Microelectronics reached this milestone of integration over 40 years ago with the emergence of the first analysis programs for electronic circuits (ECs). In a similar way, software tools enabling the automated design process and testing for PICs are now an important prerequisite for increasing the number of integrated elements per chip, lowering their production costs, and broadening their application reach.&nbsp;</p><div class="fr-img-space-wrap">&nbsp;<span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="false" style="width: 788px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><p dir="ltr"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjMwMDU0OTg0MjkxLWV6Z2lmLmNvbS1naWYtbWFrZXIgKDEzKS5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Illustration of a cutaway optical sensor"><span class="fr-inner" contenteditable="true"><i id="isPasted">A simulation of a fiber optical connector interacting with electronic systems.</i></span></p></span></span></div><h3 dir="ltr">Delivering Photonic Circuit Simulation</h3><p dir="ltr">PIC design comes with unique challenges, including layout, error checking, and circuit modeling. While electronic designers use a traditional electronic design automation (EDA) flow, standard EDA flows simply aren’t equipped to integrate photonics circuits and components into their electronic counterparts reliably or effectively. There is a multitude of simulation options available for PIC designers and engineers. The unique requirements of the sector have spurred several open source<sup>[2]</sup> or low-cost software projects in addition to <a href="https://www.ansys.com/blog/lumerical-integrated-photonics-technology" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">significant investment</a> from leading simulation companies. The complexity of PICs continues to be a challenge for simulation software developers who have to address both amplitude and phase modulation in each component, which makes it very difficult to predict the behavior of large circuits with many components due to interference effects. Specialized and specific PIC simulation software allows the design of photonic components, circuits, and systems and enables modeling of the interaction between optical, electrical, and thermal effects.&nbsp;</p><h2 dir="ltr">Photonic Integrated Circuits for Automotive applications &nbsp;</h2><p dir="ltr">As the amount of electronic content in cars continues to increase the potential for PIC also rises rapidly. &nbsp;There is a wide range of applications within both fully electric and increasingly electrified ICE motor vehicles suitable for PIC. PICs have the potential to be a crucial element that enables electric and electric autonomous cars to become ubiquitous. Just as with automotive design discussed in previous articles in this series, simulation software plays a vital role in designing PICs and the systems they are a part of.&nbsp;</p><h3 dir="ltr">Integrated simulation for accurate LIDAR design&nbsp;</h3><p dir="ltr">All self-driving vehicles require various sensors to form a perception of their surroundings and navigate to the destination. These sensors act as the eyes and ears for automobiles. LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a leading choice for many manufacturers.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">The circuitry of LIDAR is exceptionally complex. Both the sensing photonics and controlling electronics need to be developed with meticulous care. &nbsp;Like many other ADAS technologies, LIDAR systems will likely incorporate PIC into future designs, enabling faster, lower cost, and smaller circuits to be deployed. &nbsp;Simulation plays a vital role in developing and testing LIDAR technology. &nbsp;However, for LIDAR systems that use PICs, simulation of just the LIDAR module is not enough to ensure the device’s optimum performance.&nbsp;</p><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="false" style="width: 766px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><p dir="ltr"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjMwMDU1NDE3Mjk1LWV6Z2lmLmNvbS1naWYtbWFrZXIgKDE0KS5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Simulated city street with a vehicle with simulated antenna beams"><span class="fr-inner" contenteditable="true">Lidar simulation. Image credit Ansys.</span></p></span></span></div><p dir="ltr">Using <a href="https://www.ansys.com/blog/lumerical-integrated-photonics-technology" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">specialized integrated photonic simulations</a>, engineers can assess the performance of the emitting laser, as well as the nanoscale integrated phased array (or liquid crystal) used to form and steer the beam. The laser beam propagation and its interaction with the environment are then modeled using macroscopic optical simulation technology. Then, engineers can model how the integrated sensor receives the laser signal calculated from the macroscopic optical simulation.</p><p dir="ltr">In the past, when simulating LIDAR systems, users needed to acquire integrated photonic information from measurements or vendors, but in recently launched simulation packages, this data is already integrated, assisting engineers to create high-fidelity simulations that can help them optimize source and detector designs. Additionally, various foundries have also partnered with simulation developers to provide engineers with high-quality photonic process design kits (PDKs). As a result, engineers can simulate and characterize a full electro-optical communication or sensing system.</p><h2 dir="ltr">Conclusion</h2><p dir="ltr">PICs will herald a new era of exponential innovation with a significant impact on the automotive sector. Simulation tools will play a vital role in the automotive industry to rapidly conceptualize, test, and implement the upcoming technologies powered by Integrated Photonics. Advanced simulation packages that provide complex data suites and integration with foundries will assist in the rapid development of essential technologies such as LIDAR, critical to a decarbonized transportation future.&nbsp;</p><h2 dir="ltr"><em>About the sponsor: Ansys</em></h2><p dir="ltr"><em>Through the extensive range of simulation software, Ansys enables innovators to take over challenging problems in engineering. In the automotive sector, simulation of battery management systems, electric motors, structural assemblies, advanced embedded software, electronic chips, networks, sensors, and a lot more is made simple by Ansys.</em></p><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.ansys.com/blog/lumerical-integrated-photonics-technology" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Ansys Lumerical&nbsp;</em></a><em>is an advanced photonics simulation suite that enables engineers to model the most challenging problems in photonics. The software is an all-in-one solution for carrying out the device and system-level simulations. Ansys Lumerical also comes with scripting support and can interface with popular third-party applications like MATLAB and Python for numerical analysis, visualization, and optimization. With Ansys, it is possible to exponentially innovate and engineer what’s ahead in the automobile industry.</em></p><p dir="ltr"><em><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjMwMDU1NTQzNDAwLUFuc3lzIGJhbm5lciBpbWFnZS5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></em><br></p><h2 dir="ltr">References:</h2><p dir="ltr">1. Smit M, van der Tol J, Hill M. Moore's law in photonics. Laser &amp; Photonics Reviews. 2011;6(1):1-13.</p><p dir="ltr">2. Ploeg S, Gunther H, Camacho R. Simphony: An Open-Source Photonic Integrated Circuit Simulation Framework. Computing in Science &amp; Engineering. 2021;23(1):65-74.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p>

Next-gen simulation tools accelerate innovation for Integrated Photonic automotive applications. 

Simulation accelerates the development of Photonic Integrated Circuits for automotive applications

<section><p><strong>Photonic chips, powered by light rather than electricity, are the future. They will pave the way for self-driving vehicles, innovations in healthcare, and, of course, energy-efficient data and telecommunications. But bridging academic research to industry is not so straightforward. With this in mind, TU Eindhoven, University of Twente, TNO and PhotonDelta are launching the <em>Photonic Integration Technology Center&nbsp;</em>(PITC), a R&amp;D center focused on accelerating the development of integrated photonics technology.</strong></p></section><section tabindex="-1"><p>The possibilities of our current electronic chip technology are slowly but surely reaching their limits due to resistance, which is released in the form of heat as electrons travel through the copper conduits between transistors in chips. That resistance weakens the signal as it passes through the material. &nbsp;</p><p>Unlike electrons, light particles, or photons, lack mass and charge so they do not experience resistance. Moreover, light has properties allowing it to carry much more information, making it the ideal technique to accelerate the transfer of data within and between chips. Provided you know how to tame the light in the right way.</p><h3>From Lab To Fab</h3><p>TU/e has been putting significant investments into this lighting technology for years, and is a global leader in integrated photonic research. And while TU/e is well known for its close cooperation with industry, making the step from lab to factory could do with an extra push. Hence the new <em>Photonic Integration Technology Center.</em></p><p>Sylwester Latkowski, TU/e researcher and the brand-new scientific director of the Center: "This R&amp;D center will build a bridge to really get photonic chips to the market. In fact, we experience a gap when it comes to maturing the technology. As researchers, we work up to an advanced prototype, but the industry lacks the resources to move forward with that," Latkowski explains.</p><h3>Knowing What The Market Needs</h3><p>He continues: "Our role model is <a href="https://www.imec-int.com/en/about-us" target="_blank">imec</a>, the R&amp;D hub for nano and digital technologies for semiconductor electronics industry. With them you really see how much value there is of having a large center for research and development in the chain. And that such an overarching center can perfectly well co-exist alongside the established institutes, start-ups, companies, large industries and universities."</p><p>Fortunately our work is not a matter of conjecture. Latkowski: "We know exactly what we need to do, what the next steps are and how we need to approach them. The bandwidth, the energy consumption, the price and the time frame.”</p><p>"In this respect, we also differ from academia. We're not targeting papers or mentoring PhD students. We are purely focused on what the industry is looking for, what the next generation products and applications need and at what moment which product is wanted," he explains.</p><p>This involves a very different scale than what researchers are used to. Latkowski: "Success is defined in a completely different way, and that requires a completely new way of thinking. What may be a large volume for academics and some of the businesses, say thousands of chips, is very small for industry. They measure success by seeing millions of chips a month rolling off the assembly line.”</p><h3>Silicon Or Indium Phosphide?</h3><p>"Electronic chips and multiple forms of photonic chips will be used side by side over the next five to ten years," Latkowski predicts. The center is therefore fully committed to so-called hybridization, integrating a variety of photonic chips alongside electronic ones. As every material has its own strengths.</p><p></p><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 788px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1622716440440-csm_IMG_7878_315a510efc.jpg" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner">Photo: Florian Lemaitre&nbsp;</span></span></span><p class="fr-img-space-wrap2">He refers to the various materials from which photonic chips can be constructed. A well-known material that TU/e researcher Kevin Williams and his group are working on, for example, is indium phosphide (InP), a material that can generate, modulate and amplify light itself but for which no very-large-scale infrastructure has yet been developed.</p><p>Silicon based chips can more easily be integrated with the current silicon based fabrication processes used for electronics. For example, the chips based on silicon nitride (Si3N4) that the University of Twente is developing or the full silicon chips that TU/e researcher Erik Bakkers and his group are working on, and which was <a href="https://www.tue.nl/en/news/news-overview/08-04-2020-eindhoven-researchers-present-revolutionary-light-emitting-silicon/" target="_blank">recently demonstrated to be capable of emitting light</a>”.</p><h3>Self-Driving Car</h3><p>That there is a market for cost-effective integrated photonic chips is apparent when we look at self-driving cars. Photonic components are already in use for the cameras and LIDAR modules that provide full surveillance of the surrounding and allow the vehicle to accelerate and brake automatically.</p><p>But one LIDAR sensor of an autonomous Google car, for example, can cost as much as 60.000 dollars. An autonomous car needs at least 6 of such sensors to be able to view the surroundings with sufficient extent of detail and not make any mistakes.</p><p>Latkowski: “The car industry has calculated that the photonic components should cost a maximum of 50 dollars to be a cost-effective solution for the car market. Integrated photonics can then be a game-changer. It brings many advantages over discrete component-based photonic systems, in terms of size, stability, performance, reliability, and cost.”</p><p>Full integration, in which one chip contains photonics and electronics together, is the next step. "Only then can photonics chips gradually take over as the costs of production become less and less," Latkowski concludes.</p><hr><p>This article was first published here: <a href="https://www.tue.nl/en/our-university/departments/mathematics-and-computer-science/the-department/news/news-overview/01-06-2021-netherlands-tames-the-light-in-photonic-chips/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.tue.nl/en/our-university/departments/mathematics-and-computer-science/the-department/news/news-overview/01-06-2021-netherlands-tames-the-light-in-photonic-chips/</a></p></div><p></p></section>

A new applied R&D center accelerates chip technology development towards industry and applications.

Netherlands tames the light in photonic chips

<section><p><strong>Our access to the internet is made possible by an ensemble of technologies such as photonic integrated circuits (PICs). There is also potential for PIC devices in healthcare or sensing, however their use in these applications is limited by issues with scalability and high-throughput manufacturing. The TU/e-coordinated H2020-funded project INSPIRE seeks to change how PIC devices are fabricated to make them suitable for applications beyond communications and speed up their large-scale production. INSPIRE has received close to 5 million euros in funding and has just been officially launched.</strong></p></section><section tabindex="-1"><p>The technological world is built on a foundation of electronic devices. In recent years though there has been an upsurge in the use of <em>photonic</em> devices, particularly for data transfer applications. These photonic devices are based on materials like silicon, silicon nitride (SiN) and indium phosphide (InP).</p><p>While these devices have the potential for wider impact in other fields like sensors used in aircraft or communication devices, their uptake is limited as different materials need to be effectively combined to meet performance requirements.</p><p>For example, high-performance fiber sensors used in infrastructure monitoring and microwave signal processing in RADAR systems both require low-noise operation and ultra-low degradation of signals. This can only be achieved through a combination of materials in the manufacturing process. If this manufacturing process can be properly scaled to allow for large-scale production, it is expected that these photonic devices can have a major impact on sensing applications.</p><p><br></p><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 788px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1616801247953-csm_Micro_transfer_image_88d0e3eeb3.jpg" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner">Source: INSPIRE project&nbsp;</span></span></span>&nbsp;</div><section tabindex="-1"><h3><strong>Be Inspired</strong></h3><p>To facilitate the combination of these high-performance, so-called III-V opto-electronic materials in photonic devices, INSPIRE is developing wafer-scale micro-transfer printing technologies, and the project has received H2020 funding to the tune of 5 million euros to achieve its goals.</p><p>In micro-transfer printing, devices are first made on a source wafer, after which they are transferred to a target wafer (see image). This printing concept has been established and widely applied by project partner X-Celeprint to different wafers and materials. The INSPIRE project is focusing on the next step: parallel device printing with accurate placement where many integrated devices can be printed at the same time.</p><p>The INSPIRE micro-transfer printing technology will be validated for three specific cases: fiber sensors to measure stress, strain, and temperature for use in airplane safety measures, a microwave photonic radio-frequency (RF) pulse generator with application in RADAR and wireless communication, and optical switches for energy-efficient data centers. Compact versions of the III-V opto-electronic components will be developed, enabling designers to use this platform for a wide range of applications.</p></section><section tabindex="-1"><h3><style type="text/css"></style><style type="text/css"></style><span data-sheets-formula="=PROPER(R[-1]C[0])" data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":3,"12":0}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"Combining Established Fabrication Technologies"}'>Combining Established Fabrication Technologies</span></h3><p>INSPIRE aims to sustain Europe’s industrial leadership in photonics by consolidating established fabrication approaches, such as those from the pioneering pure-play foundry and TU/e spinoff SMART Photonics and the silicon photonics pioneer imec, with the micro-transfer printing technology of X-Celeprint.</p><p>This will result in a world-first fabrication platform that combines the strengths of two of the most well-known PIC manufacturing platforms. Methods will chiefly be developed for the coupling of SiN and InP processes, but could also be used for silicon-based photonics.</p><p>INSPIRE coordinator prof. Martijn Heck from Eindhoven University of Technology is excited by the possibilities that lie ahead: “By combining SMART and imec technologies, with only minor changes to the fabrication processes, we can leverage the major investments in the development of these platforms from the last decade. We can thus significantly reduce the time needed to transfer our technology out of the lab, and make a faster and telling impact in new application areas.”</p></section><section tabindex="-1"><h3><style type="text/css"></style><style type="text/css"></style><span data-sheets-formula="=PROPER(R[-1]C[0])" data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":3,"12":0}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"Onwards To Application"}'>Onwards To Application</span></h3><p>And the potential of the INSPIRE approach is demonstrated by the participation of industrial partners such as Dr. Jerome Bourderionnet from THALES: “The INSPIRE platform enables high-performance building blocks, such as low-linewidth lasers, which are at the heart of THALES’ applications for optical signal processing at large, or sensing integrated systems.”</p><p>INSPIRE aims to create a full-function PIC platform, compatible with open-access pilot manufacturing, and with an order of magnitude lower cost for volume production.</p><p>INSPIRE’s generic approach makes the technology widely applicable and ensures that European innovators can focus their research and development directly on manufacturing platforms. As a result, it should take a shorter time to bring these PIC technologies to market.</p><p>The INSPIRE project consortium is made up of TU/e, imec, Thales, University of Cambridge, X-Celeprint, SMART Photonics, and Amires. The project officially started on 1<sup>st</sup> January 2021. The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement n°101017088, project INSPIRE.</p></section><hr><p><style type="text/css"></style><style type="text/css"></style><span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":513,"3":{"1":0},"12":0}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"This article was first published here"}'>This article was first published here:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tue.nl/en/our-university/departments/mathematics-and-computer-science/the-department/news/news-overview/24-03-2021-new-project-set-to-inspire-advances-in-photonic-devices/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.tue.nl/en/our-university/departments/mathematics-and-computer-science/the-department/news/news-overview/24-03-2021-new-project-set-to-inspire-advances-in-photonic-devices/</a></span></p></section>

H2020-funded INSPIRE project to lead a revolution in photonic integrated circuits with so-called micro-transfer printing technology and establishment of world-first fabrication platform.

New project set to INSPIRE advances in photonic devices

<h1>Faster, cheaper disease diagnosis</h1><p>Biosensing refers to the detection of biomolecules using an analytical device that combines a biological component with a physicochemical detector. <a href="about%3Ablank" target="_blank">Silicon photonic biosensors</a> based on evanescent wave detection are among the leading types of technology that can deliver genuine point-of-care (PoC) devices. PoC devices will play a huge role in the global prevention of and fight against disease.</p><p>Most medical diagnostics techniques use time-consuming, expensive, and specialized techniques performed by trained technicians at the laboratory level. The distance between the patient, the diagnostic centre, and the return of results can lead to long wait times for diagnosis and expensive testing. There is a need for a portable, easy to-use, and highly sensitive lab-on-a-chip (LOC) platform for real-time diagnosis. The advantages over current methods include reduced time, costs, and a reduction in the need for highly trained staff making fast cheap testing more widely available; a scenario that has come starkly into focus during the 2020 global coronavirus pandemic.</p><h1>Towards an Integrated Photonics Point of Care Future</h1><p>The emerging field of Integrated Photonic (PIC) based biosensors offers advantages to the PoC industry such as miniaturization, extreme sensitivity, robustness, reliability, potential for multiplexing (multiple simultaneous tests) and mass production at low cost. This cutting-edge technology requires support and a collaborative approach to ensure its potential is maximized.</p><p>The Netherlands is a global leader in PIC research, development, and production. Various research institutes and private companies have led IP breakthroughs for more than a decade. This innovation is assisted and supported by PhotonDelta, a growth accelerator for the Dutch integrated photonics industry. &nbsp;To further innovation in the area of IP biosensing, PhotonDelta has created <a href="https://www.photondelta.com/news/the-road-to-next-gen-biosensing-photondelta-roadmap/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a roadmap for the technology</a> that supports the mission of PhotonDelta to grow the business based on integrated photonics in the Netherlands. The roadmap illustrates the path towards medical devices based on integrated photonics.</p><p>This article will outline the role of integrated photonics in enabling the development of biosensors that will be a key part of our future health care systems while highlighting the core points from the PhotonDelta roadmap, including:</p><ul><li>Describing the current trends and drivers.</li><li>Outlining the technological solutions based on integrated photonics.</li><li>Providing an overview of the challenges and opportunities.</li><li>Outlining the industry ecosystem.</li></ul><h1>Point of Care testing</h1><p>The Point-of-Care testing market is significant and growing quickly, even in pre-Covid times. The need for advanced point of care testing has become increasingly clear during the coronavirus pandemic. The value growth of the PoC market is expected to grow from $4.8B in 2019 to $10.1B in 2025, at a CAGR of 13.0%. The associated biosensor device market (microfluidic chips) was valued at $500M in 2019 with an estimated growth to $777M by 2025 at CAGR of 7.7%.<sup>1</sup></p><p>The drivers for an increase in PoC testing include the severe cost pressure on global health care systems as a result of the aging population and a focus to reduce the impact of the world's deadliest diseases.</p><p>Point of Care testing exists in a wide range of segments. Each has its own set of priorities and required technologies.</p><h2><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjE1OTY4Mzg3ODMxLTIyLnBuZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Timeline and trends</h2><p>PoC testing has undergone a significant transformation over the last two decades. In the early 2000s, PoC testing enjoyed a huge breakthrough with the wide availability of simple tests such as blood glucose levels. These handheld devices offered fast results, although their cost was still relatively inhibitive for mass availability. In the resulting years, increasingly complex tests required increasingly complex instrumentation. Large, expensive, and lab-bound testing instruments were common. These instruments decreased in size as breakthroughs in Integrated Circuits (IC) and other technologies allowed, PoC testing demands a further reduction in the size of instruments, with the long-term goal to deliver instrument-free consumables.</p><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 788px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjE1ODE3MDY5Nzk3LVBvaW50IG9mIENhcmUgVGVzdGluZyBEZXZlbG9wbWVudCBUaW1lbGluZSAoMSkuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Point-of-Care testing is moving towards instrument-free consumables.&nbsp;</span></span></span><h1 class="fr-img-space-wrap2">Integrated photonics biosensor technology</h1></div><p>Integrated photonics biosensor technology has the potential to deliver fast, affordable, and highly accurate biosensor testing applications useful for PoC. Integrated biosensors are miniaturized in Integrated Circuit-like processes and can be produced in large quantities which leads to very low cost and thus disposability. Because of their very small size and the integration processes, a limited sample volume is needed, the time to result is fast, and the sensor area can be filled with many sensing structures for multiplexing.</p><p>The integrated biosensor concept hinges on the biomarker/bioreceptor interaction. The integrated biosensor device combines a biological or biomimetic recognition element with a transducer which converts a specific (bio)chemical interaction into a measurable signal. The selective biological receptor determines the specificity and response time of the test in combination with the layer of the sensor which determines where the receptors are attached while being antifouling elsewhere. The main bioreceptors are antibodies, DNA strands, aptamers or enzymes, and biomimetic materials. The method of inclusion or immobilization of the receptor on the transducer surface is critical for performance. The more different types of bioreceptors that can be defined on the active surface, the more powerful the biosensor is.</p><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjE1OTY4ODIyNjA5LUFuYWx5dGUgKCBiaW9tYXJrZXIpICBpbiBzYW1wbGUgKCBibG9vZCApICgxKS5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><h2>SiN offers advantages</h2><p>PIC biosensors using Silicon Nitride (SiN) waveguides offer several intrinsic advantageous properties. They work in a very wide wavelength range from visible to near-infrared, avoiding the water absorption window of water and allowing fluorescence detection. This wavelength range makes it easy to combine them with a cheap laser source, reducing their cost and size. &nbsp;Biosensors based on SiN PICs are highly sensitive. A very low detection limit can be achieved by using self-referencing optical structures that eliminate sources of noise like temperature variations. For more technical detail on PIC-based biosensors, read our other article <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/how-integrated-photonics-accelerate-the-roll-out-of-point-of-care-diagnostics-for-covid-19-cancer-and-other-diseases" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here.</a></p><h2><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/438875125" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" style="width: 788px; height: 447px;"></iframe></span>Cost and size</h2><p>PIC biosensor technology can deliver the low cost, portable tests that the healthcare industry demands. In general, cost per test must be lower than clinical lab testing, unless the value provided by the short time to result is very high, then higher cost per test is worthwhile. &nbsp;The main route to driving down the cost is mass manufacturing the same way the IC industry has done for ICs: the production of many million PICs per year based coming from large substrate wafers which are processed in highly automated lines.</p><p>The drive is now towards instrument-free consumables. This means shrinking the analyzer and test chip to a disposable which can easily be held in hand. The coronavirus ‘fast tests’ are a good example of this.</p><h2>Multiplexing and time to result</h2><p>One of the key advantages PIC based PoC testing offers is the ability for significant multiplexing. These tests are able to interrogate several targets at one time resulting in more accurate and streamlined testing procedures. The trend for tests with only 2 or 3 bioreceptor types are ‘fast tests’ with results delivered in under 15 minutes. Tests with significant multiplexing, for so-called syndromic testing, such as microbiological screening or cancer profiling that may have more than 200-plex should aim to be returned in under an hour or at least significantly faster than conventional tests.</p><h1>Challenges and Opportunities</h1><p>An important long-term goal for PIC biosensor PoC testing is to remove the need for any instrument (benchtop or handheld) instead have disposable testing instruments using smartphones for display purposes. The key targets of reducing cost, addressing appropriate sensitivity, managing time to results, and increasing multiplexing drives the field forward, however, each of these targets will be hit at different times depending on their own set of technological challenges. Given the complexity of the market, profitable applications can be envisioned to arise already when only one or a few of these targets are met.</p><h2>Opportunities</h2><p>Outside of efficient and low-cost PoC testing, there are several drivers in life sciences and health care that can be addressed by integrated photonics. These include the continuous monitoring of biomarkers (wearable, minimally invasive, ingestible, or implantable). There is also the possibility of a combination of monitoring of biomarkers with simultaneous therapy, within the framework of personalized medicine, such as in-situ diagnostics of organ-on-a-chip systems.</p><h2>Challenges</h2><p>Challenges for the development of PIC-based PoC tests centers on a trade-off between cost and robustness/reliability. There are several directions the technology could take depending on the timing of the maturation of some of the technology and the focus that leading developers take. A multi-disciplinary approach towards assay development, biochemistry, surface functionalization, microfluidics, and an integrated approach to industrialization is necessary for high cadence innovation.</p><h1>Industry ecosystem</h1><p>The biosensing ecosystem is complex and requires significant collaboration between diverse groups to ensure continued increased innovation. A high-level overview of the industry's leading players and influencers demonstrates how a collaborative approach to PIC biosensors for PoC is essential.</p><p><strong>Platform provider:&nbsp;</strong>Offers a hardware platform (instrument &amp; disposable) that enables the integration of standardized assays, with sample preparation and detection.</p><p><strong>Assay provider:</strong> Comes with its own assay (reagents) and collaborates with the platform provider to integrate the assay on the hardware.</p><p><strong>Disposable manufacturer:&nbsp;</strong>Combines the elements from the platform provider and the assay provider. May also obtain optical biosensors from the foundry.</p><p><strong>Distributor:</strong> Is the conduit to the end-user. May also be the platform provider and even the assay provider.</p><p><strong>End-user:</strong> Any customer having purchased the instrument from the platform provider</p><p><strong>Others:</strong> providing packaging, assembly, and testing equipment; R&amp;D services.</p><h1>Next steps</h1><p>Even pre-Covid, there is a sizeable, fast-growing market for PoC testing, with a large number of potentially profitable product/market segment combinations. The most significant growth area is in complex molecular diagnostics that require low-cost disposable biosensors that deliver fast results and have extensive multiplexing capability. A collaborative approach, particularly between diagnostic companies and platform providers is key for globally relevant innovation.</p><p><a href="https://www.photondelta.com/news/the-road-to-next-gen-biosensing-photondelta-roadmap/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Download the PhotonDelta roadmap here. </a></p><hr><h1><em>About the sponsor: PhotonDelta</em></h1><p><a href="about%3Ablank" target="_blank"><em>PhotonDelta</em></a><em>&nbsp;is a growth accelerator for the Dutch integrated photonics industry. Its objective is to promote the adoption of integrated photonics and support companies to get prioritized access to the Dutch Integrated Photonics supply chain. Furthermore, PhotonDelta runs a new business creation program that provides companies, ranging from startups to SMEs and big organizations, with access to strategy, market, and funds.</em></p><p><em>Through its wide network within the industry, PhotonDelta has gathered insights on market trends, challenges, and product roadmaps. This information is used to drive business creation, investments, and strategic technology roadmaps. Furthermore, PhotonDelta actively supports start-ups and SMEs to facilitate their involvement with the Dutch integrated photonic supply chain. This includes facilitating options for establishing a solid presence in the Netherlands.</em></p><p><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjE1ODE3MTg3NDczLXBob3RvbiBkZWx0YSBhcnRpY2xlIGJvdHRvbSBiYW5uZXIuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></p><h1><em>References and further reading</em></h1><p>1. Point-of-Need 2020 – including PCR-Based Testing- report-www.yole.fr</p>

Point of care (PoC) testing diagnoses patients at the point of need rather than in a medical facility reducing time to diagnosis and increasing patient care.

Integrated photonics: key enabler of bio-sensing for the fight against diseases

<section><p><strong>In order to keep up with the growth in - mobile - data traffic, wireless signals with an increasingly shorter wavelength are required. Doctoral candidate <a href="https://research.tue.nl/en/persons/alvaro-morales-vicente" target="_blank">Álvaro Morales Vicente</a> investigated how you can generate and transmit so-called millimeter waves with the use of photonic chips.</strong></p></section><section tabindex="-1"><p>Those of us working from home who -&nbsp;out of necessity or by choice -&nbsp;have taken a closer look at their Wi-Fi network recently, will know that the router sends signals over two frequencies: 2.4 Gigahertz and 5 Gigahertz. The latter connection is faster, but also has a shorter range unfortunately, due to the shorter radio waves (6 centimeters instead of 12.5) -&nbsp;which is why an extra Wi-Fi point is sometimes needed to enhance the signal.</p><p>In order to provide everyone with ultrafast internet indoors and outdoors, to allow self-driving cars to communicate with each other, or to enable wireless data transfer within data centers, ‘data rates’ of several Gigabits per second are required. For this, even higher frequencies are needed, ranging from 30 to 300 Gigahertz, corresponding to wavelengths of a few millimeters.</p><h2>Beat</h2><p>This poses several challenges, doctoral candidate Álvaro Morales Vicente from Spain says. “Since short waves cover a smaller range, the signals need to be steered in a very specific direction over a short distance. That can be done with several antennas in a row.” In addition, generating such high frequencies with traditional electronics is no easy task in itself, Morales Vicente emphasizes. “The main problem is the limited bandwidth of the modulation that can be handled by traditional electronics, which means that you cannot achieve the desired high bit rates.”</p><p>There is an alternative: using laser light to very accurately generate the desired radio frequencies. Laser light has a much higher frequency than radio waves, but combining two laser beams with slightly different ‘colors’ leads to a periodic variation in light intensity caused by interference, Morales Vicente explains. “That difference frequency can be converted to a radio signal with the use of a light detector.” This phenomenon is comparable to the ‘beating’ you can hear when you pluck two strings of a slightly out of tune guitar.</p><p><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 788px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1606906402771-csm_Sluitstuk+detailfoto+Javier+P%C3%A9rez+Santacruz_ba8a309c78.png"><span class="fr-inner">Photonic chip that steers the radiation direction of millimeter-wave radio signals for high-speed wireless communications. Foto: Javier Pérez Santacruz&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><h2>Optical Chip</h2><p>The next essential step is ‘aiming’ the millimeter waves to bring the signal from A to B. “That too works with interference. When the signal is transmitted by a row of antennas, each with a slightly different delay, the radio signal is steered in a certain direction.” Morales Vicente managed to realize this effect at different wavelengths in the lab by creating the signals on an optical chip.</p><p>Optical generation of millimeter waves is energy-efficient and flexible, but this technology is still in its infancy. “The major challenge is to combine all the necessary steps in a handy device. That includes generating a signal with the right frequency, modulating this to store data in it, and steering the millimeter waves in a specific direction to deliver said data.”</p><p>The idea is that all this can eventually be done on an optical chip, a technology in which TU/e is leading. Morales Vicente: “I still used separate lasers to generate the signals, but I have already carried out a study on how to realize this on an optical chip.”</p><hr><p><style type="text/css"></style><style type="text/css"></style><span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":3,"12":0}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"This article was first published here"}'>This article was first published here:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tue.nl/en/our-university/departments/mathematics-and-computer-science/the-department/news/news-overview/30-11-2020-radio-from-laser-light/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.tue.nl/en/our-university/departments/mathematics-and-computer-science/the-department/news/news-overview/30-11-2020-radio-from-laser-light/</a></span></p></section>

Álvaro Morales Vicente will defend his thesis on December 7th at the department of Electrical Engineering of the TUe

Radio from laser light

<p><em>This is the first article in a series dedicated to integrated photonics. In this article, we introduce you to the technology, its history, and its materiality.&nbsp;</em></p><h2>What is integrated photonics?</h2><p>Integrated Photonics (IP) is the use of light for applications traditionally tackled by electronics. It can be used in a wide range of areas including telecommunications such as 5G networks, biosensors for speeding up medical diagnosis, and in automotive where it is used in LiDAR. IP consists of integrating multiple photonic functions on a Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) fabricated using automated wafer-scale generic integration technology over silicon, silica, or Indium Phosphide (InP) substrates. Integrated photonics dramatically improves the performance and reliability of these photonic functions while simultaneously reducing the size, weight, and power consumption.</p><h2>Electronics versus Photonics</h2><p>A good introduction to IP is by understanding its similarities and differences with traditional electronic circuits. Where electronics deal with the control of electrons on a chip, photonics does the same with photons. Photons are the fundamental particles of light.</p><p>Conventional integrated circuits (ICs) conduct electricity by allowing the flow of electrons through the circuit. Electrons are negatively charged subatomic particles that interact with both other electrons and other particles. These interactions slow electrons down as they move through circuits, this limits the amount of information that can be transmitted; it also generates heat, which in turn causes energy and information losses.</p><p>Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) use photons. Photons move at the speed of light with almost no interference from other photons. This greatly increases the bandwidth (the data transfer rate) and speed of the circuit, without big energy losses making PICs significantly more efficient than their IC counterparts.&nbsp;</p><p>Integrated photonic components use "waveguides", which confine and direct the light in the desired directions (by total internal reflection), much the same way as metallic wires do for electrical signals. A PIC provides functions for information signals on optical wavelengths typically in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light#:~:text=Visible%20light%20is%20usually%20defined,%E2%80%93750%20terahertz%20(THz)." target="_blank">visible spectrum</a> or near-infrared 850 nm-1650 nm.</p><p>The elements on a PIC are connected via waveguides. The chip elements can be both passive (e.g. couplers, switches, modulators, multiplexers) and active (e,g amplifiers, detectors, and lasers). These components are integrated and fabricated onto a single substrate, which creates the compact and robust photonic device.</p><p>A key difference between electronic circuits and PICs is in the primary device that is used for fabrication. In an electronic integrated circuit, the main device is the transistor. But, in PIC, there is no particular main device that dominates in the fabrication. According to its application, the PIC will be designed with a range of fabrication devices. This integration presents opportunities to reduce current bulky, complex, and expensive optical systems in an integrated chip-scale way that has increased stability and robust operation, reduced size and power consumption, and cost-effective large-scale fabrication of even complex circuits.</p><p><img class="fr-fic fr-dib" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNjA1MTAzODE2MTczLXRpbWVsaW5lNS0wMS5qcGciLCAiZWRpdHMiOiB7InJlc2l6ZSI6IHsid2lkdGgiOiA5NTAsICJmaXQiOiAiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;"></p><h1>Fabrication and materials</h1><p>PICs are currently fabricated on both standard element semiconductors and compound semiconductors to dielectric materials and <a href="https://www.rp-photonics.com/nonlinear_crystal_materials.html" target="_blank">nonlinear crystal materials.</a> The specific application requirements drive the choice of the most suitable substrate material as each material has its own specific advantageous features and limitations. For example, lithium niobate can be used to fabricate low-loss waveguide devices or integrated flexible chalcogenide glass to make photonic crystals with mechanical flexibility.</p><p>The transparency and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refractive_index" target="_blank">refractive index</a> of the materials as well as their ability to directly generate light defines the properties of the finished PIC and its uses. The material's bend loss and bend radius also impact the PIC properties. Bend loss describes propagation losses (reduction in power density) in an optical fiber (or other waveguide) caused by bending while the bend radius describes the amount a fiber can bend without breaking. The major substrates today are Indium Phosphide (InP)-based monolithic integration and Silicon Photonics but Silica (SiO2 &nbsp;and Silicon Nitride (SiN) are also growing areas.</p><h2>Indium Phosphide (InP)</h2><p>Indium phosphide (InP) is the most developed platform for PICs. InP allows for the integration of both active and passive elements such as high-performance amplifiers, lasers, modulators, and detectors in combination with interferometers within one chip in the 1.1 – 1.6 μm spectral window. InP integrated photonics are used in data communications, precision metrology (for example LIDAR in autonomous vehicles), spectrometry, and imaging. </p><p>Much of the most impactful research into InP has been done in the Netherlands and several organizations and research groups continue to lead the way. The Smart Photonics foundry in Eindhoven is a leader in production services for Indium Phosphide based photonic components. The foundry and its associated services offer support for researchers and businesses to test and expand their use of InP PICs.</p><h2>Silicon Photonics (SiPh)</h2><p>Building on the success of silicon (Si) as the foundation of IC reliability, silicon photonics (SiPh) is a critical part of integrated photonics development. Silicon photonic devices can be manufactured using existing semiconductor fabrication techniques, and as silicon is already used as the substrate for most ICs, both optical and electronic components can be integrated on to the chip to create hybrid devices.</p><p>Si is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transparency_(optics)" target="_blank">transparent</a> to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrared_light" target="_blank">infrared light</a> with wavelengths above about 1.1 micrometers (μm) &nbsp;- making it suitable for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiber_optic_telecommunication" target="_blank">fiber optic telecommunication</a> systems which uses 1.55 micrometer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelength" target="_blank">wavelength</a>. It also has a very high <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refractive_index" target="_blank">refractive index</a>, of about 3.5, much higher than that of silicon oxide (1.5), which allows strong confinement of light in Si structures embedded in silicon oxide (waveguides). These properties make Si well suited for usage in telecom.</p><p><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 788px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNjA1MTAzODQyNjM0LUdJSlMxMjI4LUVkaXQuanBnWzc3XS5qcGciLCAiZWRpdHMiOiB7InJlc2l6ZSI6IHsid2lkdGgiOiA5NTAsICJmaXQiOiAiY292ZXIifX19"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false"><span lang="EN-US">PHIX – Gijs van Ouwerkerk, courtesy of QuiX</span>&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><h2>Silicon Nitride (SiN)</h2><p>Silicon Nitride (SiN) based platforms are of recent growing interest due to their large transparency window (from visible to MIR) and ultra-low optical losses compared to other PIC platforms. Silicon nitride (SiN) excels at passive light processing in the visible, near-infrared (NIR), and IR range thanks to its very low light intensity loss in the waveguide, small bend radii, and adjustable polarization. If required by the application, active components made in another technology platform (i.e. InP) can be coupled to SiN PICs into the same package through PIC-level hybrid integration processes.</p><p>The proprietary waveguide concept, called TriPleX, from the Dutch company, <a href="https://www.lionix-international.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://www.lionix-international.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lionix International</a>, has the lowest propagation losses reported for silicon nitride waveguides (0.1 dB/cm down to 0.1 dB/m). It operates in a broad wavelength band ranging from 405 nm to 2350 nm. Furthermore, they have developed a patented tapering method that converts low contrast modes for optimal fiber coupling, to high contrast modes for small bending radii.&nbsp;</p><p>There are several large scale <a href="https://www.nwo.nl/en/research-and-results/research-projects/i/21/32421.html" target="_blank">research projects</a>  underway that are aiming to eliminate the number of current assembly steps and provide both lossless transitions between materials and a lower-cost manufacturable process.</p><h2>Lithium niobate (LiNbO3)</h2><p>Lithium niobate (LiNbO3) is a nonlinear crystal material suitable for devices performing nonlinear functions - that is functions that take advantage of this material property. A good example <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electro-optic_modulator" target="_blank">electro-optic modulators</a> or acousto-optic transducers. Waveguides can be fabricated on lithium niobate substrates controlled by a lithographic method. Adding or ‘doping’ rare-earth ions to Lithium niobate makes amplifiers and lasers possible. &nbsp;LiNbO3 has the property of birefringence - which means its refractive index depends on its polarization direction. This creates opportunities for polarization control, which may then be used for filtering purposes or other similar applications. However, this property also makes it more difficult to form polarization-independent devices, which are often required for optical fiber communications.</p><h1>Innovation through collaboration</h1><p><a href="https://www.photondelta.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PhotonDelta</a>, a Dutch public-private partnership consisting of a cohesive cluster of companies and highly qualified knowledge institutes, has been formed to accelerate and reduce time to market of integrated photonics products. PhotonDelta stimulates and facilitates cooperation between stakeholders within the ecosystem providing fertile ground for developing the common business strategy, setting goals, and stimulating cooperation between partners in the Netherlands and beyond. PhotonDelta helps to amplify and scale existing companies and kickstart new ones by having access to significant funding through its industry building and growth accelerator program.</p><h1>Conclusion</h1><p>Integrated Photonics is an emerging field of technology already demonstrating massive future potential in applications across multiple fields. Much of this emerging industry developments/scale-ups and relevant R&amp;D are occurring in the Netherlands supported and driven by the leadership of PhotonDelta. PICs will continue to increase in efficiency and speed, both driving disruptive innovation, I.e. enabling (radically) new products and markers, as well as improving existing systems.</p><p>In our next article, we explore the key technology areas for Integrated Photonics. We’ll guide you through how the technology is impacting automotive, biosensors, communications, quantum computing, and data storage.</p><div align="center"><hr align="center" size="0" width="100%"></div><h1><em>About the sponsor: PhotonDelta</em></h1><p><em>PhotonDelta is a growth accelerator for the Dutch integrated photonics industry. Its objective is to promote the adoption of integrated photonics and support companies to get prioritized access to the Dutch Integrated Photonics supply chain. Furthermore, PhotonDelta runs a new business creation program that provides companies, ranging from startups to SMEs and big organizations, with access to strategy, market, and funds.</em></p><p><em>Through its wide network within the industry, PhotonDelta has gathered insights on market trends, challenges, and product roadmaps. This information is used to drive business creation, investments, and strategic technology roadmaps. Furthermore, PhotonDelta actively supports start-ups and SMEs to facilitate their involvement with the Dutch integrated photonic supply chain. This includes facilitating options for establishing a solid presence in the Netherlands.</em></p><p><em><img class="fr-fic fr-dib" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjA1NjEzNjc0MjkwLXBob3RvbiBkZWx0YSBhcnRpY2xlIGJvdHRvbSBiYW5uZXIuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 788px;"></em><br></p><p><br></p><div language="JavaScript"><div language="JavaScript"><div language="JavaScript"><div language="JavaScript"><br></div></div></div></div><p><br></p>

 PHIX – Gijs van Ouwerkerk, courtesy of QuiX

Article 1 of our Integrated Photonic Series: Integrated Photonics is set to revolutionize electronic devices, circuits, and telecommunication systems

An introduction to Integrated Photonics

<p><em>This article is sponsored by PhotonDelta, a growth accelerator for the integrated photonics industry. Its network consists out of chip designers, module companies, foundries, researchers, software developers as well end-customers. Through their sponsorship, PhotonDelta supports knowledge building and resource sharing on this topic.</em></p><h1>Introduction</h1><p>Integrated photonics is the rapidly emerging field of photonics that works to integrate multiple photonic functions into integrated circuits for communication, sensing, and, going forward, computing applications. Complex photonic circuits can now generate, process, and detect light, in analogy to how electronic integrated circuits do for electronic signals by way of connecting multiple discrete single-function components (e.g. dedicated lasers, photodetectors) and relevant optical interfaces.</p><p>As many communication and sensing applications already make use of light, solid-state integration on a Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) carries the promise of significant reduction of size, weight, manufacturing costs, and power consumption while improving reliability, in comparison to the assembling and packaging of multiple discrete photonics components and bulk optics.</p><p>Integrated photonics are already applied in impactful applications such as high-speed fiber-based optical communications, next-generation low-cost environmental mapping systems, and lab-on-chip biosensors for fast and accurate analysis of biological samples.</p><p>For a more comprehensive introduction to Integrated Photonics read our previous <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/an-introduction-to-integrated-photonics" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">foundation article on the topic</a>. This article will focus on the areas PICs are being applied and how they are accelerating innovation in these sectors.</p><h1>Automotive</h1><p>The automotive industry is going through a rapid transformation driven by trends including electrification, autonomous vehicles &amp; driver support systems, and changes in mobility patterns and city infrastructure. These trends will influence not only the physical design and capability of commercial, public, and individual vehicles but also the broader social and economic impacts of changes to car/fleet ownership and use. The increased need for sensors in vehicles, in the electric/hybrid drivetrains as well as in advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) up to autonomous driving systems, creates new significant opportunities for the integrated photonics industry (Figure 1).</p><h2><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 788px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNjA2MjAzOTEyMTU5LUFEQVMuanBnIiwgImVkaXRzIjogeyJyZXNpemUiOiB7IndpZHRoIjogOTUwLCAiZml0IjogImNvdmVyIn19fQ=="><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Figure 1. An example of an ADAS system.&nbsp;</span></span></span>Lidar</h2><p>The role of integrated photonics in the automotive sector has so far been modest, but its potential is extensive and touches all aspects of the vehicle and system design. One promising area is in <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/seeing-the-light-researchers-combine-technologies-for-better-light-control" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lidar</a> (Light Detection And Ranging) systems, used to assist autonomous vehicles to ‘see’. Currently, these laser-based systems are extremely expensive, often costing more than tens of thousands of dollars for a single system which limits their commercial availability. Additionally, these early systems carried with them concerns about their reliability, eye safety (due to the close to visible range wavelength regions used), and limited accuracy (given the relatively simple ranging schemes possible). Integrated photonics offers the opportunity to reduce this cost and increase system safety<sup>[1]</sup>.</p><p><a href="https://news.mit.edu/2010/explained-doppler-0803#:~:text=The%20Doppler%20effect%2C%20or%20Doppler,the%20source%20approaches%20the%20observer." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Doppler effect</a> is the term given to the phenomena of the frequency of a wave changing when its source is in motion relative to an observer. Frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) Lidar works by measuring the doppler shift coherently, preventing interference from sunlight and other lidar systems. This system design offers distance resolution but comes at the cost of low acquisition speed and requires a highly coherent, as well as precisely chirped, laser source. Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology have <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2239-3.epdf?sharing_token=8awhPK7bY8-NhCsu_UpQ4tRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0O5vYNz8blttgNr8QtgeZcckxVk2YwyJUrdECE9S2yFSZiDVQhFdep4yLgcTlf3Xpzj-Vh0QRmBjODOGv3VU9UN1FbfxVj2R7kdYd-x8K4xH3pscwq9ozftp_lxb0GWasRGEb14fDj258OnxyFYLYzOY9V6eWP8XstlG_lFYEbROutXTZHPaKpADZtTFsUBI-A%3D&tracking_referrer=physicsworld.com" target="_blank">outlined</a> how a novel approach multiplexes a single FMCW laser using a high-quality silicon-nitride microresonator on a photonic chip.</p><p>PhotonDelta is currently developing a roadmap for integrated photonics applications for the automotive industry, with a focus on the potential of Lidar, set to be published in early 2021.&nbsp;</p><h1>Continuum-of-Care</h1><p>The traditional healthcare paradigm of focusing on diagnosis and treatment of patients only after they are seriously ill has been under growing pressure to change due to increasing costs, growing populations, and rapid demographic changes (i.e. aging). There is a growing <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/seven-healthcare-industry-trends-to-watch-in-2020" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">global trend</a> to approach healthcare more holistically, with a particular focus on prioritizing prevention before illness, ensuring that populations can stay healthy for as long as possible. Additionally, there is also an increased focus on rehabilitation, ensuring that former patients can rapidly and fully recover to good health using a broader approach to healthcare than just medication.</p><p>Traditionally the diagnosis and treatment of patients occur in specialized centers (i.e. clinics and hospitals). A holistic approach to health requires decentralization, i.e. shifting diagnosis and treatment <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/honey-i-shrunk-the-detector" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">closer to the patients</a>, with the ultimate vision including remote diagnosis and treatment from people’s homes. Despite strong evidence that this approach would reduce national health costs and improve patients' prognosis while reducing hospital time and resources, there has been little movement in the national health care approach around the world. To implement a more forward-looking healthcare method, an alternative to hospital-specific medical devices must be created – and this is where Integrated Photonics can provide the answer.</p><p>Light has the relevant property that a number of its parameters may change under the effect of its interaction (e.g. reflection, refraction, scattering) with bio body tissues and fluids. Light-based sensors have already been adopted into many medical devices and they will continue to be introduced at a large scale.</p><p>Integrated Photonics offers the possibility to dramatically reduce the cost and size of hospital oriented medical devices and therefore kickstart a new approach to diagnosis and treatment. Several global companies are addressing this challenge by developing Integrated Photonic technology in two main areas: &nbsp;bio-sensing (see below) and Optical Coherent Tomography (OCT) &nbsp;which is a diagnostic method for eyes, skin, and neurology diseases. Within this emerging area, PhotonDelta is developing a roadmap for integrated photonics applications for the Continuum-of-Care, with a focus on bio-sensing, set to be published in early 2021.</p><h2>Biosensors</h2><p>Silicon Nitride PICS (SiN PICs) are optimal for the detection of biological molecules. They work in a very wide wavelength range from visible to near-infrared which means they avoid the water absorption window of water and allow fluorescence detection. This wavelength range makes it easy to combine them with a cheap laser source. SiN allows for a small bend radius which means the light-contacting waveguide can be rolled up to create a very long light path on the chip’s surface. This results in a long interaction time of the light with biomolecules that are in the vicinity of the surface making the biosensors based on SiN PICs highly sensitive. They also offer the ability for simultaneous multiplexed sensing of different target molecules by using the same body fluid (e.g. blood, saliva) – ie they can test for multiple items at once. &nbsp;A full view of how a photonic biosensor works can be <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/how-integrated-photonics-accelerate-the-roll-out-of-point-of-care-diagnostics-for-covid-19-cancer-and-other-diseases" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">accessed here.</a></p><p><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 788px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNjA2MjA1MTIyOTU0LVNvbGVyLWltZzEuanBnIiwgImVkaXRzIjogeyJyZXNpemUiOiB7IndpZHRoIjogOTUwLCAiZml0IjogImNvdmVyIn19fQ=="><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Nanophotonic interferometric biosensor for multiplexed analysis of protein and nucleic acid biomarkers. [Dámaso Torres/ICN2]&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p>PIC-based biosensors are expected to be applied in a multitude of areas, such as health-related targets (e.g. glucose monitoring in diabetes patients, early detection of the onset of cancer or infectious diseases), environmental applications (e.g. the detection of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticides" target="_blank">pesticides</a> and pollutants), and the food industry (e.g. determination of antibiotics or hormone<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Drug_residue&action=edit&redlink=1" target="_blank">&nbsp;residues</a> in food, early detection of infectious diseases). Dutch-based Lionix International is developing PIC-based biosensors to develop <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/how-integrated-photonics-accelerate-the-roll-out-of-point-of-care-diagnostics-for-covid-19-cancer-and-other-diseases" target="_blank">rapid testing</a> for COVID-19.</p><h1>Data &amp; telecommunications</h1><p>Research indicates that the total internet demand is growing at about 40% per year. This is driven by a huge appetite for video - Netflix now takes up to 30% of the internet’s bandwidth at peak hours. Mobile access to video is becoming more widespread as are video-centred applications such as Tik-Tok. Data consumption per device is rapidly increasing. Mobile users in North America are expected to reach 48 GigaBytes (GB) per month per smartphone by the end of 2023<sup>[2]</sup>. Integrated photonics has the potential to provide significant power, space, and cost savings, and new functionality when integrated into optical communication systems. They can also <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/well-formed-disorder-for-versatile-light-technologies" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">increase the transmission capacity</a> of existing communication systems.</p><p>Dutch-based startup, <a href="https://effectphotonics.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Effect Photonics</a>, has been developing in this field for more than a decade and their first product a 10 Gb/s DWDM tuneable optical transceiver module is now ready for market (Figure 2). The module has an autotuning feature, in which the module scans the network for what channel to use. No engineer is required to program it at installation: it’s plug-and-play and hot-pluggable. The next step is higher bandwidths, a 25Gb/s is in the works with 100 and 400/600 channels in the works too.</p><p><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 788px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNjA2MjA0Mjc3MzY4LUVmZmVjdC1QaG90b25pY3MtVUstOTQtd2ViLXJlYWR5LmpwZyIsICJlZGl0cyI6IHsicmVzaXplIjogeyJ3aWR0aCI6IDk1MCwgImZpdCI6ICJjb3ZlciJ9fX0="><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Figure 2: A tuneable optical transceiver module.</span></span></span></p><h2>Advanced components for 6G networks</h2><p>Photonic technology will play a key role in 6G networks across different segments. In 6G transport, it has the potential to allow the transmission and routing of large amounts of data traffic at an acceptable cost. In data centers, photonic interconnect and switching will introduce a new architecture that can reduce energy consumption while providing a high level of flexibility in resource utilization. There is also promising research into photonic <a href="https://www.osapublishing.org/abstract.cfm?uri=OEDI-2018-OT3A.2" target="_blank">beam-forming networks</a> based on packaged integrated photonic circuits. Additionally, integrated photonics may be able to help achieve some functions of future radio systems that will enable further evolution towards the 6th generation of mobile networks.</p><h1>Quantum Computing</h1><p>Quantum computers based on photons instead of electrons have many advantages. A key advantage is the ability for the computer to operate at room temperature A classic quantum computer needs to be maintained at temperatures well below freezing for optimal performance making their storage and maintenance extremely costly and fragile.</p><p>Earlier this year Canadian based startup, Xanadu announced the release of the world's first publicly available photonic quantum computing platform. Applicants can access 8, 12, and soon 24 qubit machines over the cloud. Despite this historic breakthrough, the potential of photonic quantum computing has not even begun to be tapped.</p><h2>More applications to come</h2><p>Other application domains and market segments for Integrated Photonics are expected to mature within 5-10 years. These include fiber-based sensor systems for real-time, and highly accurate distributed structural health monitoring, applications in energy grids and wind turbines, defense and aerospace applications as well as in monitoring systems for highly critical structures such as dikes and bridges. &nbsp;Another exciting area is NIR spectral sensing modules and components for analysis of fruit and vegetable nutrients, taste, and structure insights, which will meet increasing global concerns about food safety, storage, and traceability. Selected Integrated Photonics applications will be addressed in future articles.</p><h1>Conclusion</h1><p>Integrated Photonics is a rapidly emerging technology and industry which offers a dramatic reduction of costs and size for many communications and sensing components. As such offering huge potential to enable disruptive innovative products and solutions across industries and applications. Integrated Photonics is growing rapidly into one of the defining technologies of our time. &nbsp;</p><hr><h1><em>About the sponsor: PhotonDelta</em></h1><p><a href="https://www.photondelta.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>PhotonDelta</em></a><em>&nbsp;is a growth accelerator for the Dutch integrated photonics industry. Its objective is to promote the adoption of integrated photonics and support companies to get prioritized access to the Dutch Integrated Photonics supply chain. Furthermore, PhotonDelta runs a new business creation program that provides companies, ranging from startups to SMEs and big organizations, with access to strategy, market, and funds.</em></p><p><em>Through its wide network within the industry, PhotonDelta has gathered insights on market trends, challenges, and product roadmaps. This information is used to drive business creation, investments, and strategic technology roadmaps. Furthermore, PhotonDelta actively supports start-ups and SMEs to facilitate their involvement with the Dutch integrated photonic supply chain. This includes facilitating options for establishing a solid presence in the Netherlands.</em></p><h1><em><img class="fr-fic fr-dib" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNjA2MjAzNDcwNjM2LXBob3RvbiBkZWx0YSBhcnRpY2xlIGJvdHRvbSBiYW5uZXIuanBnIiwgImVkaXRzIjogeyJyZXNpemUiOiB7IndpZHRoIjogOTUwLCAiZml0IjogImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 788px;"></em></h1><h1><em>References</em></h1><ol start="1" type="1"><li><a href="https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Integrated_Photonics_Looks_to_Advance_Safety_for/a64791" target="_blank">https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Integrated_Photonics_Looks_to_Advance_Safety_for/a64791</a></li></ol><ol start="2" type="1"><li>ERICSSON Mobility Report November 2017, Mobile data traffic growth outlook. [Online] Available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/ mobility-report/reports/november2017/mobile-data-traffic-growth-outlook</li></ol><p><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

Article 2 of our Integrated Photonics series: Integrated Photonics is enabling innovation in a broad and expanding list of applications.

Key Application Areas for Integrated Photonics

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integrated photonics

integrated photonics

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