High-performance silicon Photonic NEMS devices for communication networks

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Silicon photonics is rapidly gaining industry acceptance as a cost-effective technology for building opticalcomponents for data communication networks. Silicon photonic waveguides are extremely compact, with atypical width of a few hundred nanometers, and they can be fabricated using conventional CMOSmicroelectronics process, which allows for low-cost manufacturing of optical components and large-scaleintegration with electronics on the same chip. This research aims to demonstrate the feasibility of integratingnanoscale electromechanical structures (NEMS) with silicon nanophotonic waveguides to perform importantdata communication functions, such as switching and modulation. The technology could offer superiorperformance over existing silicon photonic devices in terms of high speed and low power consumption.Compared to conventional micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), NEMS-based silicon photonic devicesare also much more compact, which allows for large-scale integration with photonic integrated circuits andCMOS microelectronics on the same chip.The collaborating industry partner is Preciseley Microtechnology Corp., an Edmonton-based provider ofMEMS products and services. With its extensive expertise in MEMS design and manufacturing, the companyis well-positioned to exploit the silicon photonic NEMS technology developed through this project andfacilitate its transfer to the market. In addition to the commercial benefits to the industry partner, the project isalso expected to benefit Canada through the development of home-grown expertise in silicon photonics andNEMS technologies, as well as the training of highly qualified personnel in the micro/nanotechnology andtelecommunication sectors.