Table 5.
The top technical challenges for various silicon photonics applications in communication, computing, signal processing and sensing (as of 2023)
| Top R&D challenges | #1 | #2 | #3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMDD XVRs | Mod. BW, FoMefficiency | Multi-λ lasers & WPE | Gain, noise of PD+TIA |
| Coherent XVRs | Mod. BW, FoMefficiency | Low-complexity DSP | Gain, noise of PD+TIA |
| Photonic Switch Fabric | Phase Shifter FoMefficiency, power, extinction ratio | SOA | Scaling, Packaging |
| Quantum Comm. (QKD) | Readout/Control of large SPD arrays | Mod. FoMefficiency at cryo-temperature | Integrating SPS arrays |
| Quantum Computing | Qubit performance | Similar to QKD #1-3 but at much large scale | IL of actives, passives, couplers |
| Photonic Computing | Scaling analog processing | Memory | IL of actives & passives |
| Microwave Filtering | SFDR | Laser noise & power | Modulator & PD linearity |
| Microwave Oscillators | Laser noise | PD & TIA noise | Stability |
| FMCW LIDARs | Mod. FoMefficiency | Multi-λ tunable & narrow-linewidth lasers | Scaling, Packaging |
| Gyroscopes | Waveguide loss | Bias drift, internal reflections & isolation | Laser linewidth |
| Biosensing Spectrometers | Operational λ | Waveguide phase-error | Stability & replicability |
| Evanescent-field Biosensors | Stability & replicability | Functionalization | Packaging |
| OCT | Internal reflections & isolation | Laser tuning range or Modulator linearity | Fiber to free-space coupling |