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:: Microphotonics: Hardware for the Information Age ::
Key Points and Goals
Executive Overview
Full Chapter
- The future of components technology will be determined by
electronic-photonic convergence and short (<1 km) reach
interconnection.
- This direction is triggering a major shift in the leadership of the
component industry from information transmission (telecom)
to information processing (computing, imaging).
- The skill set required for this path does not exist at any single
institution.
- A precompetitive R&D Consortium should be established to
create the new competence and to recommend standards.
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Introduction
- Educate suppliers on critical technical, industry, and policy barriers
and create a forum for discussing potential solutions or alternatives.
- Drive process development
- Establish a common platform to drive higher scale in manufacturing.
- Encourage development of new tools specialized for photonics.
- Recommend the adoption of new standards.
- Ensure a sustainable supply chain for optical communications.
- Focus limited investment resources on critical problems.
- Develop and promote a successful foundry model for photonics.
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Vision
Full Chapter
- Optical networks will enable sophisticated applications such as
transmission of "presence" in teleconferencing,
computer-assisted surveillance, instant access to multimedia,
real-time weather telemetry in navigation, and cost-effective Lidar
for autos.
- Ubiquitous computing and communications will revolutionize medicine,
education, and social interaction. Medical personnel could have
instant access to complete virtual patient files and schoolchildren
could visit the great libraries and museums of the world from their
desks.
- While electro-mechanical switches provided the backbone of the
20th century's analog networks, new optical components are needed to
realize the potential of the digital age.
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Current State of the Industry
Full Chapter
- The entire photonics industry has a large and growing total
addressable market (TAM).
- The broad number of applications that are served by the photonics
industry has resulted in technical and market fragmentation, giving
rise to many micro-industries with smaller TAMs.
- The communications sector of the photonics industry has recently
undergone tremendous restructuring, and based on present market
conditions, will require additional change.
- The number of suppliers vying for a share of the
communications-centered photonics TAM forces one of two behaviors:
- An outsourced manufacturing model, as the possible
revenue/company doesn't easily allow for profitable support of an
internal manufacturing infrastructure.
- Large-scale consolidation of the present supply base.
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Transceivers
Full Chapter
- The ITU DWDM Grids map out sufficient capacity for growth in
telecommunications traffic over the next decade under most foreseeable
circumstances. Challenges for the telecommunications industry are to
fill the available capacity at low cost and are therefore largely
economic. Similarly, FTTH and new optical access technologies present
no fundamental technical challenges over this time period.
- Higher-performance data communications and interconnect
applications are currently at or close to the limit of the capacity
available. Challenges for data communications are, therefore, both
technical and economic.
- In higher-performance applications, the NGT will contain signifi
cant electronic processing to compensate for optical link dispersion
as well as improve data rates and system performance. It will also
contain higher levels of optoelectronic integration,
multiple-wavelength agile sources, and some ability to adapt to
different standards.
- New opportunities in interconnects for consumer appliances will
emerge due to the fall in the cost of digital imaging and
storage. Similar emerging applications exist for automotive wiring
harnesses and avionics applications.
- Emerging applications may provide first market opportunities for
newer materials platforms due to the requirements for low cost
integration but modest optical performance.
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Silicon Optoelectronics
Full Chapter
- There are bandwidth limits for electronic-based transmission of
data, even for very short distances (<2 m).
- Major markets are approaching these speed limits now.
- Traditional photonic solutions will be too expensive for these
short distance connections.
- Leveraging a silicon infrastructure, silicon microphotonics offers
compelling possibilities.
- Compatible photonic integration, packaging, and interconnect
strategies will be required.
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III-V Materials
Full Chapter
- III-V material systems possess properties that achieve superior
optical device performance, which cannot be achieved currently by
silicon-based materials.
- InP has been the leading III-V platform for monolithic integration
of active devices because of performance and reliability requirements
and compatibility with optical requirements of fiber amplified
telecommunication systems.
- Higher levels of monolithic integration are expected to continue
and would include the addition of key passive optical building blocks
to address next-generation fi ber access architectures and protocols
such as 100 Gb/s ethernet.
- Process improvements, standards on functional building blocks,
availability of simulation tools, and the evolution of a market driver
permitting the achievement of economies of scale in manufacturing are
necessary to meet cost objectives.
- Standardizing photonic integrated circuits (vs. full
electronic/photonic integration) that can address a broad range of
applications including non-telecom markets would enable an order of
magnitude reduction of the cost curve.
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Organic Materials
Full Chapter
- Polymeric materials are ideal for planar circuit processing.
Deposition and pattern transfer are achieved with low cost and high
precision by spin coating and photolithography, or by mechanical means
such as embossing, molding, and stamping.
- Plastic materials have been used extensively for packaging and
transmission media.
- Organic materials can be processed with reduced temperature
excursions. This property allows rapid manufacturing and ease of
integration with electronics.
- Complex switching and routing circuits with state of the art
performance have been demonstrated on a polymer waveguide
platform.
- The success of hybrid integration on the organic materials
platform depends critically on a cost effective 'pick-and-place'
assembly technology.
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Conclusions
Full Chapter
- Customization will be replaced by standardization.
- Planar integration will drive cost reduction.
- Electronic-photonic convergence will drive new functionality.
- Circuit simulation and wafer-level test platforms will be
essential.
- The packaging hierarchy will include optical chip carriers without
a permanent fiber attach.
- The required breadth of capability and resources does not
currently exist in one place.
- We recommend that the new Industry Consortium expand its focus
toward the creation of the necessary competence and the recommendation
of standards.
Goals for the next 10 years are:
- A standard component platform
- A common manufacturing infrastructure
- Industry-wide R&D that is leveraged to reduce the product
development cycle time
- Establishment of a common architecture platform across market
sectors with a potential $20B in annual revenue.
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