Silicon photonics articles from across Nature Portfolio

On-chip photonic neural network processors speed up image processing, but their scalability is limited by the number of input/output channels. Here, the authors develop a scalable image processing approach based on the compressive acquisition of real-world visual information via a single-input channel, and apply their setup as a compressive temporal encoder for highspeed imaging.

The generation of temporal Talbot effect, i.e., the formation of temporal self-imaging patterns, in integrated photonic devices, is limited by bulky setups that limit the repetition rate. The authors design a compact and tunable Talbot chip where the GHz-repetition-rate bright and dark pulse trains can be doubled without affecting their spectra.

The authors demonstrate a programmable and mappable silicon photonic coupled cavity array capable of implementing a wide range of tight-binding Hamiltonians. This work is useful for realizing integrated photonic analog quantum simulators.

Three-dimensional integration of distributed-feedback lasers and ultralow-loss silicon nitride waveguides results in ultralow-noise lasers without the need for optical isolators.

Topological photonics has promised new devices that are resistant to backscattering, leading to lower loss, greater nonlinearity, and smaller footprint. New research shows that in reciprocal photonic crystals, backscattering is unavoidable, implying that breaking reciprocity is essential to leveraging photonic Chern insulators.

Ferroelectric domain switching controlled by electrical pulses provides a controllable means to tune the refractive index of BaTiO₃ thin films. Now, a device based on this material is presented that is capable of implementing low-power, high-speed and CMOS-compatible programmable phase shifters in silicon photonic chips.

Light travels through disordered media on a random path that is hard to control. A comprehensive study has now shown that optical energy can be deposited at a desired depth in a disordered waveguide by injecting a light field with a particular shape.