Silicon Photonics for the next-generation of communication systems

Silicon is widely regarded as the material of choice for systems operating in the 3 to 5 m middle infrared (MIR) range. However, the material can be used in a much wider operating range — from 1.2m to 7m or even higher, with typical applications including NIR imaging or IR spectroscopy. The low density of silicon (2.329 g/cm3) makes it ideal for use in weight-sensitive applications.

Silicon photonic systems are used for producing, processing, manipulating, and exploiting light for faster data transmission both between and within microchips. The optical medium is made of silicon optics, and infrared wavelengths (typically 1.55 micrometres) are employed in fiber-optic telecommunication systems for operation. Consequently, numerous electronics manufacturers and academic research organisations are actively researching silicon photonics, which uses optical interconnects to allow quicker data transport between and within microchips.

Contrary to conventional technology, silicon photonics is a disruptive technology with a wide range of applications. High-performance computing, sensors, and data centres are all its significant applications. Optical data transmission provides for substantially faster data rates, while also removing difficulties caused by electromagnetic interference. Other fields of optical communications, such as fibre to the home, could benefit from the technology.

Silicon photonics can also be viewed through the lens of photonics, which has traditionally been based on other optical materials. The use of silicon-based photonic devices, such as electrically pumped silicon lasers and silicon amplifiers, could lead to considerably cheaper photonic devices. It enables for a range of applications that were previously unavailable due to high costs.

Silicon optics is rapidly improving in terms of performance and capability, with numerous fabrication facilities and foundries producing advanced passive and active devices such as modulators, photo detectors, and lasers. The integration of photonics and electronics has been critical in increasing the speed and aggregate bandwidth of silicon photonics-based assemblies, with multiple approaches to achieving transceivers with capacities of 1.6 Tbps and higher. Electronics progress has also been rapid, with state-of-the-art chips containing tens of billions of transistors. The convergence of progress in silicon photonics and electronics means that co-packaged silicon photonics and electronics allow for the continued development of these technologies.

As silicon photonics combines the advantages of integration and photonics-high data densities and transmission over longer distances,-silicon photonics is widely acknowledged as the next-generation communication systems.