Emerging Frontiers in Silicon Photonics

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2023) | Viewed by 19014

Special Issue Editor

Institute for Energy Efficiency, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Interests: Si photonics; quantum dot lasers; photonics integrated circuits
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue of Photonics, which will be dedicated to Emerging Frontiers in Silicon Photonics. Modern Si photonics opens a new era for high-bandwidth-density interconnection links as well as high-performance quantum information processing. Using the established CMOS electronics infrastructure, silicon photonics promise to revolutionize the photonics industry in the same way that CMOS design and processing revolutionized the microelectronics industry. By driving down photonic chip costs while enabling higher levels of photonic integration and functionality, a wide variety of applications have been enabled, including, but not limited to: data centers, supercomputers, chip-scale wearable sensors, and high-performance quantum information processing.  The aim of this Special Issue is to put together a collection of papers covering different applications (so as to offer a broad panorama of the possible silicon photonics purposes) to highlight the most recent scientific discoveries and trends in this continuously and rapidly evolving field.

Dr. Yating Wan
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • data centers
  • supercomputers
  • chip-scale wearable sensors
  • high-performance quantum information processing

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 1807 KiB  
Communication
High-Speed and High-Power Ge-on-Si Photodetector with Bilateral Mode-Evolution-Based Coupler
by Daimo Li, Yan Yang, Bin Li, Bo Tang, Peng Zhang, Xiangpeng Ou, Fujun Sun and Zhihua Li
Photonics 2023, 10(2), 142; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10020142 - 30 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2970
Abstract
We propose a germanium-on-silicon photodetector with a bilateral mode-evolution-based coupler. Based on the double-sided mode-evolution, the light illuminates the whole Ge absorption region uniformly, which alleviates the space-charge effects and decreases the saturation effects. The simulated results show 53% more photocurrent generation and [...] Read more.
We propose a germanium-on-silicon photodetector with a bilateral mode-evolution-based coupler. Based on the double-sided mode-evolution, the light illuminates the whole Ge absorption region uniformly, which alleviates the space-charge effects and decreases the saturation effects. The simulated results show 53% more photocurrent generation and more than 19 times the opto-electrical bandwidth than conventional butt-coupled photodetectors under high-power illumination. In addition, an equivalent circuit model is presented to investigate the limiting factors of bandwidth. A genetic algorithm is used to extract the parameter values of components in an equivalent circuit by fitting the simulated two-port S22 parameter. The results show significant improvement in high-power and high-speed performance compared with conventional butt-coupled detectors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Frontiers in Silicon Photonics)
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9 pages, 2291 KiB  
Article
Photodetector Based on Twisted Bilayer Graphene/Silicon Hybrid Slot Waveguide with High Responsivity and Large Bandwidth
by Siqi Yan, Ze Zhang, Weiqin Wang, Ziwen Zhou, Wenyi Peng, Yifan Zeng, Yuqin Yuan, Siting Huang, Xuchen Peng, Xiaolong Zhu, Ming Tang and Yunhong Ding
Photonics 2022, 9(11), 867; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics9110867 - 17 Nov 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2218
Abstract
Graphene/silicon hybrid photodetector operating at communication wavelength has attracted enormous attention recently due to its potential to realize bandwidth larger than 100 GHz. However, the responsivity is intrinsically limited by the low absorption from the atomic-thick graphene monolayer, which imposes significant obstacles towards [...] Read more.
Graphene/silicon hybrid photodetector operating at communication wavelength has attracted enormous attention recently due to its potential to realize bandwidth larger than 100 GHz. However, the responsivity is intrinsically limited by the low absorption from the atomic-thick graphene monolayer, which imposes significant obstacles towards its practical application. Although plasmonic structures has been widely applied to enhance the responsivity, it may induce the metallic absorption thus limit the responsivity lower than 0.6 A/W. Twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) has been reported to hold the ability to dramatically enhance the optical absorption due to the unique twist-angle-dependent van Hove singularities. In this article, we present a design of a silicon/TBG hybrid photodetector with a responsivity higher than 1 A/W and bandwidth exceeding 100 GHz. The enhanced responsivity is achieved by tuning the twisted angle of TBG to increase the absorption within the 1550 nm as well as utilizing the silicon slot waveguide to boost the mode overlap with TBG. The fabrication process of proposed design is also discussed demonstrating the advantages of low fabrication complexity. The proposed silicon/TBG photodetector could not only exhibit superior performance compared to previously reported silicon/monolayer graphene photodetector, but also pave the way for the practical application of graphene-based silicon optoelectronic devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Frontiers in Silicon Photonics)
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Review

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26 pages, 6503 KiB  
Review
Recent Progress in III–V Photodetectors Grown on Silicon
by Cong Zeng, Donghui Fu, Yunjiang Jin and Yu Han
Photonics 2023, 10(5), 573; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10050573 - 14 May 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4007
Abstract
An efficient photodetector (PD) is a key component in silicon-based photonic integrated circuits (PICs). III–V PDs with low dark current density, large bandwidth, and wide operation wavelength range have become increasingly important for Si photonics in various applications. Monolithic integration of III–V PDs [...] Read more.
An efficient photodetector (PD) is a key component in silicon-based photonic integrated circuits (PICs). III–V PDs with low dark current density, large bandwidth, and wide operation wavelength range have become increasingly important for Si photonics in various applications. Monolithic integration of III–V PDs on Si by direct heteroepitaxy exhibits the lowest cost, the largest integration density, and the highest throughput. As the research of integrating III–V lasers on Si flourishes in the last decade, various types of III–V PDs on Si with different device structures and absorption materials have also been developed. While the integration of III–V lasers on Si using various technologies has been systematically reviewed, there are few reviews of integrating III–V PDs on Si. In this article, we review the most recent advances in III–V PDs directly grown on Si using two different epitaxial techniques: blanket heteroepitaxy and selective heteroepitaxy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Frontiers in Silicon Photonics)
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25 pages, 7035 KiB  
Review
Recent Progress of Neuromorphic Computing Based on Silicon Photonics: Electronic–Photonic Co-Design, Device, and Architecture
by Bo Xu, Yuhao Huang, Yuetong Fang, Zhongrui Wang, Shaoliang Yu and Renjing Xu
Photonics 2022, 9(10), 698; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics9100698 - 27 Sep 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 6113
Abstract
The rapid development of neural networks has led to tremendous applications in image segmentation, speech recognition, and medical image diagnosis, etc. Among various hardware implementations of neural networks, silicon photonics is considered one of the most promising approaches due to its CMOS compatibility, [...] Read more.
The rapid development of neural networks has led to tremendous applications in image segmentation, speech recognition, and medical image diagnosis, etc. Among various hardware implementations of neural networks, silicon photonics is considered one of the most promising approaches due to its CMOS compatibility, accessible integration platforms, mature fabrication techniques, and abundant optical components. In addition, neuromorphic computing based on silicon photonics can provide massively parallel processing and high-speed operations with low power consumption, thus enabling further exploration of neural networks. Here, we focused on the development of neuromorphic computing based on silicon photonics, introducing this field from the perspective of electronic–photonic co-design and presenting the architecture and algorithm theory. Finally, we discussed the prospects and challenges of neuromorphic silicon photonics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Frontiers in Silicon Photonics)
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20 pages, 6948 KiB  
Review
Broadband and High-Efficiency Multi-Tasking Silicon-Based Geometric-Phase Metasurfaces: A Review
by Jinwei Zeng, Yajuan Dong, Jinrun Zhang and Jian Wang
Photonics 2022, 9(9), 606; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics9090606 - 26 Aug 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2659
Abstract
Silicon (Si)-based geometric phase metasurfaces are fantastic state-of-the-art light field manipulators. While the optical metasurfaces generally excel in the micro-control of light with supreme accuracy and flexibility, the geometric phase principle grants them the much-desired broadband phase manipulation property, free from material dispersion. [...] Read more.
Silicon (Si)-based geometric phase metasurfaces are fantastic state-of-the-art light field manipulators. While the optical metasurfaces generally excel in the micro-control of light with supreme accuracy and flexibility, the geometric phase principle grants them the much-desired broadband phase manipulation property, free from material dispersion. Furthermore, adopting Si as their fundamental material serves as a critical step toward applicable practice. Thanks to the optical lossless feature and CMOS compatibility, Si-based metasurfaces are bestowed with high efficiency and fabrication conveniency. As a result, the Si-based metasurfaces can be perfectly integrated into Si-based optoelectronic chips with on-demand functions, trending to replace the conventional bulky and insufficient macroscopic optical devices. Here we review the origin, physical characteristics, and recent development of Si-based geometric-phase metasurfaces, especially underscoring their important achievements in broadband, high efficiency, and multitasking functionalities. Lastly, we envision their typical potential applications that can be realized in the near future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Frontiers in Silicon Photonics)
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