Silicon photonics

The technical developments in silicon photonics, and various applications, are discussed. Silicon photonics is based on silicon on insulator (SOI) technology and involves a number of applications, including optical interconnects, low cost telecommunications, biosensors, and optical sensors. Increased bandwidth and cost effectiveness are the major drives in the development of the technology. The cost reduction can also benefit analog optical links and other microwave photonics systems. Light emission involve bulk crystalline silicon being an indirect bandgap material implying that the upper and the lower electronic states do not have the same value of momentum. Raman scattering is used to overcome the indirect band structure of silicon. The advantage of the technique involves the ability to use pure silicon without the need for NCs or Er doping.