OFC tutorial: III-V and silicon photonic integrated circuit technologies

Technologies can change rapidly and profoundly: • Traditional drivers for photonic integration: — Cost, size, power reduction for “stable configurations” (telelcom) — Also opportunities/drivers where role changes to critical enabling technology • Higher level modulation formats & coherent solutions, low-power transceivers/arrays; • Si photonics will be increasingly powerful, but will still have to compete for a spot with high performance incumbent InP PIC technology • But… new markets & drivers on the horizon with potential for dramatic change in technology and market dynamics of photonic integration: — Enabling the scaling of electronic functionality in client applications — New requirements drives new performance metrics • Need for ultra high density, ultra-low power, while maintaining high digital signal fidelity — Need for unprecedented intimacy between photonics and electronics