Silicon photonics (Conference Presentation)

In the past few years we went from the ability to miniaturize a handful of optical components to being able to print massive optical circuits on a microelectronic chip composed of thousands of optical components. These optical circuits enable one to control the flow of light in unprecedented ways and are opening the door to applications that only a decade ago were unimaginable. The idea for guiding light on silicon chip originated in the 1980s but only in the early 2000s the viability of the platform was demonstrated. I will describe the challenges that silicon photonic faced in its infancy, and the work that helped overcome these challenges. I will also discuss the current state of art of silicon photonics, where larger and more complex systems are now putting higher demands and setting up new challenges for the technology.