INFOGRAPHIC communications applications where the materials’ wide transparency range is most important, like gasand bio-sensing.
Silicon has an indirect bandgap, making it an inefficient light emitter. This necessitates combining silicon with III-V materials to integrate lasers and photodetectors, increasing platform complexity. Building PICs on a monolithic indium phosphide( InP) platform solves this issue. InP has a direct bandgap, suitable for light sources and photodetectors, and is already used in telecommunications. However, InP PICs are generally more expensive with higher adsorption losses and smaller, costlier wafers.
These factors have limited uptake of monolithic InP, with the material more commonly integrated into silicon photonics platforms instead. Nonetheless, IDTechEx noted that it offers the most well-rounded performance amongst PIC materials during its material platform benchmarking for Silicon Photonics and Photonic Integrated Circuits 2025 – 2035: Technologies, Market, Forecasts – with projected cost savings over the next decade expected to increase its importance in the overall market.
Thin Film Lithium Niobate( TFLN) PICs are at a lower technology readiness level. TFLN ' s chemical stability limits compatibility with standard CMOS processes, and, as with silicon, other materials must be integrated as light sources and detectors. However, TFLN ' s low-loss and strong electro-optical performance, thanks to its moderate Pockels effect, make it ideal for high-performance modulation applications, including quantum systems and ultrahigh throughput transceivers.
Barium Titanite( BTO) exhibits one of the strongest known Pockels effects and an electro-optical coefficient 100 times larger than TFLN, marking the gold standard for modulation performance. However, its higher losses compared to TFLN limit its usefulness in transceiver applications, suggesting that quantum photonic systems where modulation efficiency is paramount mark its best product-market fit. While important in the long term, this is expected to represent scaling challenges. Unlike TFLN, BTO lacks an open PDK( Process Design Kit), adding to adoption challenges.
The future of photonic integrated circuits
IDTechEx ' s analysis expects SOI to remain dominant in the PIC market. However, monolithic InP and TFLN are projected to gain market share due to growing applications beyond communications and the need for ever-higher modulation speeds in computing.
Despite its shrinking share of the overall pie, the silicon photonics market is expected to continue growing at a CAGR of 20 % over the 10-year forecast period of IDTechEx’ s report Silicon Photonics and Photonic Integrated Circuits 2025 – 2035: Technologies, Market, Forecasts representing huge opportunity. The report compares silicon photonics and emerging platforms, outlining key players and applications such as AI transceivers, co-packaged optics and programmable photonics to forecast market growth. p
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