###High‐functionality III‐V on Silicon Photonic Integration for Next‐Generation Systems
Project ID: 2228bd1151 (You will need this ID for your application)
Research Theme: Information and Communication Technologies
UCL Lead department: Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE)
Lead Supervisor: Michael Wale
Project Summary:
This project aims to develop and evaluate key capabilities for future systems through a new photonic integrated circuit (PIC) platform based on the epitaxial growth of III‐V semiconductors on silicon. By combining the active device functionality and high electro‐optic performance of III‐V devices with advanced manufacturing on silicon wafers, scalable to large wafer sizes, we expect to create new capabilities that will transform the performance and economics of communications and sensor systems. We will seek to establish the optimum balance of functionality between the silicon and III‐V parts of the platform and determine the fundamental limits to performance in future applications.
III‐V semiconductors provide the basis for highly capable integrated photonic circuits. Lasers and PICs based on III‐V materials power the internet and thus underpin modern life. Silicon photonics can offer highly scalable manufacturing on large wafers, thus allowing very low cost in volume production, but lacks active functions. The latter typically need to be added in a hybrid manufacturing scheme, which increases cost and complexity whilst constraining platform capability and performance.
The initial focus of the PhD project will be on the functional building blocks and integration sub‐ systems required for high‐speed communications and advanced sensors. Building on the basic elements (amplifiers, detectors, waveguides, etc.) which are presently under development, the project will look at how these can be combined and integrated to form the basis for more complex structures. As we are seeking to develop devices operating at very high frequencies (>40GHz), electrical signal integrity, crosstalk and parasitic interactions will need to be fully characterized and understood, alongside the optical properties such as loss, balance, crosstalk, spectral purity, and electro‐optic efficiency. These will be world‐first developments, aimed at performance levels matching or exceeding those achieved on existing dedicated platforms, in a platform with unparalleled scope for manufacturing scalability