Many optical components, such as waveguides, modulators, lasers and detectors, made together on one chip with low loss at a cost that allows volume.
Scope
In scope: integrated photonic circuits, such as silicon nitride, silicon and III-V platforms, and their loss, integration of sources and detectors, and fabrication. Out of scope: the systems that use them, covered by quantum/quantum-interconnect and computing/low-energy-data-movement.
Proposed: the statement and scope are written, but the metrics, target or gaps are not complete yet. One sourced number is a real contribution.
Metrics
Waveguide propagation loss headline
Optical power lost per unit length in an integrated waveguide, at the stated wavelength and geometry. Lower is better.
Current (2024-01-01)1.77 dB m⁻¹
Target–
Limit–
Conditions. Silicon nitride waveguides with an 80 nm core, made in an anneal-free process at no more than 250 C.
Note. as_of is the publication year; the abstract gives no date. No target yet: the loss a quantum interconnect or an optical memory link needs has not been sourced.
Silicon nitride gives the lowest waveguide loss, and integrating III-V and silicon materials has made large-scale nitride circuits with lasers and detectors possible. Ultra-low loss has been reached in an anneal-free process at no more than 250 C, which is compatible with CMOS back-end steps; keeping that loss while lasers, modulators and detectors share the chip, at volume, is the open problem.
Low-energy data movementOptical links promise low energy per bit over longer distances than electrical links, and need integrated photonic chips to be made in volume.
Quantum interconnectOptical links between modules need low-loss waveguides, modulators and detectors integrated on chip.
Arrows point from a technology to what it requires. Select a node to open it.