Demonstrating Programmable Nonlinear Quantum Photonic ICs


A technical paper titled “Programmable Nonlinear Quantum Photonic Circuits” was published by researchers at Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, University of Bristol, and Ruhr-Universitat Bochum. Abstract: "The lack of interactions between single photons prohibits direct nonlinear operations in quantum optical circuits, representing a central obstacle in photonic quantum tech... » read more

Thermal Crosstalk Modelling And Compensation Methods for Programmable Photonic ICs (TU Denmark, iPronics)


A technical paper titled “Thermal Crosstalk Modelling and Compensation Methods for Programmable Photonic Integrated Circuits” was published by researchers at the Technical University of Denmark and iPronics Programmable Photonics. Abstract: "Photonic integrated circuits play an important role in the field of optical computing, promising faster and more energy-efficient operations compared... » read more

Silicon Photonics Manufacturing Ramps Up


Circuit scaling is starting to hit a wall as the laws of physics clash with exponential increases in the volume of data, forcing chipmakers to take a much closer look at silicon photonics as a way of moving data from where it is collected to where it is processed and stored. The laws of physics are immutable. Put simply, there are limits to how fast an electron can travel through copper. The... » read more

An All-Optical General-Purpose CPU And Optical Computer Architecture (Akhetonics)


A technical paper titled “An All-Optical General-Purpose CPU and Optical Computer Architecture” was published by researchers at Akhetonics. Abstract: "Energy efficiency of electronic digital processors is primarily limited by the energy consumption of electronic communication and interconnects. The industry is almost unanimously pushing towards replacing both long-haul, as well as local c... » read more

Research Bits: Feb. 6


Laser printer for photonic circuits Researchers from the University of Washington and University of Maryland propose a faster, cheaper way to fabricate and reconfigure photonic integrated circuits. The method uses a laser writer to write, erase, and modify circuits into a thin film of phase-change material similar to what is used for recordable CDs and DVDs. The researcher say the method co... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: June 28


Making uniform wafers Scientists from the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (KIMM) and Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU Singapore) propose a technique that combines nanotransfer printing with metal-assisted chemical etching to improve wafer uniformity and increase yield. The researchers used a chemical-free nanotransfer printing technique that transfers gold nanost... » read more

Rising Fortunes For ICs In Health Care


Semiconductors are increasingly finding their way into a variety of medical devices, after years of slow growth and largely consumer electronics types of applications. Nearly every major chipmaker has a toehold in health care these days, and many are starting to look beyond wearable such as the Apple Watch to devices that can be relied on for accuracy and reliability. Unlike in the past, the... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: June 15


Low-loss photonic IC Researchers at EPFL built a photonic integrated circuit with ultra-low loss. The team focused on silicon nitride (Si3N4), which has orders of magnitude lower optical loss compared to silicon. It is used in low-loss applications such as narrow-linewidth lasers, photonic delay lines, and nonlinear photonics. In applying the material to photonic ICs, they took advantage... » read more