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Silicon Photonics: Applications

Silicon photonics is an evolving technology that uses optical rays instead of electrical conductors to transfer data between computer chips faster and with greater bandwidth. It has applications in digital communications and beyond, such as optical debugging of high-speed data, expanding wireless networks, and enabling lower-cost lasers for biomedical uses. Some of the main building blocks being investigated for silicon photonics include continuous silicon lasers, high-speed silicon modulators, cascaded silicon Raman lasers, and practical silicon-core optical fibers fabricated using a drawing process similar to traditional glass fibers.

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195 views10 pages

Silicon Photonics: Applications

Silicon photonics is an evolving technology that uses optical rays instead of electrical conductors to transfer data between computer chips faster and with greater bandwidth. It has applications in digital communications and beyond, such as optical debugging of high-speed data, expanding wireless networks, and enabling lower-cost lasers for biomedical uses. Some of the main building blocks being investigated for silicon photonics include continuous silicon lasers, high-speed silicon modulators, cascaded silicon Raman lasers, and practical silicon-core optical fibers fabricated using a drawing process similar to traditional glass fibers.

Uploaded by

Rick Tander
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Silicon Photonics

Applications

Introduction

Photonics is the technology of signal processing, transmission and


detection where the signal is carried by photons (light)

Optical technology has always suffered from its reputation for being
an expensive solution, due to its use of exotic materials and
expensive manufacturing processes.
Silicon photonics is an evolving technology in which data is
transferred among computer chips by optical rays. Optical rays can
carry far more data in less time than electrical conductors.

Purpose of Silicon Photonics

The computing and communications industries


face increasing challenges to deliver more data
faster
Silicon photonics may even have applications
beyond digital communications, including optical
debug of high-speed data, expanding wireless
networks by transporting analog RF signals, and
enabling lower-cost lasers for certain biomedical
applications.

Main building blocks for investigation

Applications

1. Continuous Silicon Laser

Two-Photon Absorption

2. First GHz Silicon Modulator

3. The First Cascaded Silicon Raman Laser

4. Practical silicon-core optical fiber

Optical fibres typically comprise a glass core surrounded by another


glass of similar composition and are fabricated by a process of heating
and drawing out into long wires. The US team is using a similar
manufacturing approach but has replaced the glass core with silicon.

The silicon-core optical fibre is fabricated by sleeving the silicon


core inside a silica (glass) cladding at the temperature where the
glass cladding softens and draws into fibre (approximately 1950C).

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