Research Status of Silicon Photonic Integration in Taiwan's Academia

Abstract

Silicon photonics related photonic Integration are the disruptive technologies that will alter the competiveness of various high-tech products and enable new applications. They are driving the evolution of data center interconnect, advanced driver assistance systems, internet of things, biomedical sensing, quantum computing, and intelligent industry, which are synchronous with the scope of the Science and Technology Development Strategies of Taiwan Government. Taiwan has very strong semiconductor and photonic industry that lays a solid foundation for developing the industry of silicon photonics and photonic Integration. There have been quite a few research and development activities on this emerging field in the universities, research institutes, and companies. Since August 2018, the Ministry of Science and Technology initiated the Silicon and Photonic Integration Research Program to promote the research on this emerging field and to integrated the research resources of the academia and research institutes. In this talk, I will highlight the ongoing projects supported by this program. The photonic integration based on both silicon photonics and III-V materials will be covered. The strategy of building the eco-systems of silicon photonics industry in Taiwan that includes the design, manufacturing, packaging, testing, and system applications will also be discussed. Some examples of photonic integrated chips for communication, sensing, and bio-medical applications will be addressed.