COUNCIL POST
Suresh Venkatesan Forbes Councils Member, CEO of POET Technologies, photonics and optoelectronics developer for the data center and telecommunications markets.
Article:
The technology sector is thirsting for innovation. Bottlenecks with data — caused partly by the pandemic-driven, work-from-home phenomenon — have challenged the optoelectronics and semiconductor industries to find solutions for demanding customers in a wide variety of verticals.
In a world that wants data delivered at light speed, global interest in photonics is, naturally, growing. Photonics, a blend of electronics and optics, holds the promise to provide the performance needed to keep up with the digital habits of society. With more dependable laser capabilities, new photonics solutions can transfer light at historic speeds, allowing device manufacturers to unlock broader applications and prepare next-generation products.
Photonics will allow for faster downloads, higher-quality streaming, more precise collection of digital data and rapid advancement of technology that can bring innovations only seen in sci-fi to reality. Many of these applications will be the culmination of years of work by engineers thriving to adapt highly complex science for practical use. In recent years, photonics has made inroads in commercial applications, and 2022 is lining up to be pivotal for the industry.
Here are four topics in photonics that are expected to gain more attention in the coming year:
1. Artificial intelligence
When most people think of AI, they think of robotics. But AI use cases are often far less dramatic than the dancing robots that have gone viral. AI is a key element in the machine-learning tools that provide improvements in cybersecurity, image-recognition software, online shopping experiences and almost anything else that is digitally executed.
An area to watch in 2022 is the wearables market, particularly for devices that have medical utility. ABI Research predicted that the wearables market will top $60 billion this year. By 2025, it could reach $138 billion, according to another research company.
These smart devices — watches, glasses, health monitors and more — are becoming essential parts of our lives, much like TVs and home appliances. We rely on them to make sure we reach our minimum daily step count, don’t exceed our desired calorie intake and limit our screen time.
Solutions are on the horizon to make these devices even smarter. Two to look for include chip-scale integration of spectrometers — instruments that measure and analyze the movement of light — for mobile devices and miniature 3D sensing and imaging solutions for robotic surgery applications.
To be ready for what appears to be a coming revolution in AI, company leaders should already be thinking of how smarter software and machines can streamline their operational efficiency.
2. Lidar
The dream of autonomous driving rests partly on lidar, an acronym that stands for “light detection and ranging.” Engineers use lidar to create three-dimensional visual images. A lidar device typically includes a high-intensity laser tool, a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) and a GPS transceiver. The images it creates help enterprises implement real-world disruptive changes.
In the automobile industry, lidar’s mapping solutions have already helped cars understand what’s around them. The gamut of the images computerized vehicles now collect enables manufacturers to bring cars to the market that can parallel park or negotiate steep inclines without driver assistance. But for fully autonomous driving, lidar needs to evolve.
The lidar market is forecast to reach $7 billion by 2027, driven by the demand for self-driving cars and reliable 3D maps. While autonomous cars are the most well-known application for lidar technology, lidar is also used in health care, defense, aerospace and urban planning. Achievements in photonics will accelerate its potential and manufacturing demand will continue to drive adoption in 2022 and beyond.
3. Investment in chip manufacturing
According to Reuters, the “chip investment boom is just getting started.” The biggest companies in the chip-making industry have recently announced major investments in multiple jurisdictions, with the goals of meeting customer demand and avoiding another painful global shortage. The spending in 2021 was record-setting. Estimates say global chip manufacturers paid $146 billion in capital expenses last year.
It’s not only private investment that has heated up. The CHIPS Act would inject $52 billion in spending in the U.S. chip-manufacturing industry. Such investment is aimed to protect American interests and recover some of the chip-making power the nation has lost.
4. Directly modulated lasers at higher speeds
Consistent laser execution is critical to photonics success. The optoelectronics industry has managed to incorporate directly modulated lasers (DMLs) to deliver 100G and 200G performance. Increasing that performance to 400G and beyond has been challenging but also deeply desired.
The reason the industry wants to get DMLs to perform at higher speeds is largely about compatibility with existing architectures. If you can have a base product, like an optical engine, that allows customers to swap out lasers for their desired speed, it reduces the cost and assembly time.
Based on our internal findings, savings of up to 40% can be realized through the hybrid integration of optics and electronics on a single chip for 100G and 200G transceiver devices. Stable, scalable DML performance at 400G would suggest the same savings and assembly efficiency could happen at 800G and in co-packaged optics, a technology that can propel photonics innovation to the next level.
Breakthroughs that use high-performance waveguides to move the lasers through narrow channels are forecast to hit volume manufacturing in 2022. The “flip-chip” assembly of those DMLs leads to fully integrated optical engines that are significantly smaller than existing solutions. Once these 100G and 200G products reach the market, device manufacturers and data center customers will see immediate improvements in the performance of their commercial applications. A 400G DML-enabled product, which could be introduced to the industry this year, would act like a slingshot and propel innovation in a number of sectors.
As photonics plays a larger role in our lives, the excitement around the industry builds. In 2022, it should have an unprecedented commercial impact, signaling even greater growth in the years ahead.
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