Caltech breakthrough brings fiber-optic performance to silicon chips
Caltech researchers have developed a new method to print germano-silicate glass waveguides directly onto silicon wafers, achieving signal loss levels comparable to optical fiber. By using a 'reflow' process to achieve atomic-level smoothness, the team created circuits that outperform existing silicon nitride technology by a factor of 20 at visible wavelengths.
Why it matters
This breakthrough could significantly reduce energy consumption in data centers and enable more precise optical technologies, such as quantum computers, high-performance gyroscopes, and advanced AI communications infrastructure.
Caltech researchers have found a way to move light across silicon wafers with exceptionally little signal loss, reaching levels at visible wavelengths that approach those of optical fiber. The advance could support a new generation of highly coherent and energy-efficient photonic integrated circuits (PICs), with potential uses ranging from optical clocks and gyroscopes to AI data center communications and quantum computing.
Optical fiber already forms much of the hidden infrastructure behind modern communications. It allows information to travel over long distances at high speed because the glass inside the fiber is extremely pure and its surface is engineered to be exceptionally smooth. As a result, most of the light entering one end can reach the other without being absorbed, scattered, or otherwise lost. Researchers refer to this as ultralow loss performance.
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