Integrated photonics for communications and computing

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By 2016, the number of Internet-connected devices will be nearly three times the number of people on Earth. Computing devices, including tablets and smartphones, are causing an explosion of data that must be transmitted and processed in an energy-efficient manner. Integrated photonics has a critical role in solving the severe energy and data capacity problems facing computing and communications. Light is the most efficient way we know to transport large volumes of data across distances that span our cities and continents. With the growing pervasiveness of mobile and cloud computing, huge amounts of data must also be communicated in much shorter distance networks, such as those inside datacenter facilities and buildings. Can we translate the unique benefits of optical communications to meet these demands in communication and computing? The proposed research program addresses this challenge by exploring the integrated photonic devices and circuits required for communications and computing in the coming decade. We will demonstrate the photonic circuits that send and receive data at least ten times faster than today's state-of-the-art while consuming at most the same power. We will shrink the sizes of the optical devices by more than thousand-fold so they are as short as the wavelength of the light itself. We will use the most sophisticated nano-fabrication processes for integrated photonics to demonstrate our concepts. The research program will train graduate students in the technical and collaborative skills to become technology innovators and leaders. The training is enhanced by national and international partnerships with the private and public sectors. Through the research and training, this program will benefit Canada by increasing the nation's competitiveness in the rapidly growing and changing field of information and communication technology.