May 19, 2015

Image of a waveguide superlattice under a high-resolution electron microscope, artificially colored to show the optical field confined in one waveguide. Electrical engineers at Rutgers University have created a method of integrating denser elements on optical chips. This technology may one day be used to make computer chips and data centers run faster and more cost-effective. As silicon integrated circuits (ICs) have transformed our life, silicon photonic chips are anticipated to open a new chapter for the information technology, providing novel means for communications and processing data. Ever increasing integration density, which has proven key to the success of silicon ICs as capsulated in the Moore's law, will also be crucial to future development of silicon photonic chips. Towards this goal, a team led by Rutgers electrical engineering associate professor Wei Jiang recently reported a high-density waveguide integration technology for silicon photonic chips that can lead to ultra-dense broadband optical interconnects, drastic cost-reduction for certain silicon photonic chips, and wide-angle, energy-efficient laser beam steering.