Report addresses market potential of silicon photonics
Lyon, France--A new report from Yole Développement, "Silicon Photonics: Big Investments, Small Business," addresses the large potential of silicon photonics, which blends optical technology with low-cost CMOS semiconductor processing. The market is forecasted to grow by a factor of 3 in 5 years but as inter and intra-chip communications continue to emerge, it could grow by a factor of 10 by 2020, according to the report.
"Silicon photonics is a disruptive technology that enables a new breed of monolithic optoelectronic devices. The goal is to deliver economic optical connectivity everywhere, from network level to intra-system level, and eventually to chip-to-chip," explains Dr. Eric Mounier, senior analyst, MEMS Devices & Technologies at Yole Développement.
Although silicon photonics can address a wide range of applications, very few companies are actually shipping products. Potential markets include data communications (datacom; data centers and campus applications), telecommunications (telecom; metro and long-haul applications), metrology and sensors, medical (DNA, glucose, and molecular and cellular analysis), and military/aerospace/scientific.
Datacom is the major market--major datacom protocols are all moving to high-speed signaling and passing 10 Gbit/s, where reach and signal integrity issues are surfacing for both copper and optical technologies. In order to surpass 25 Gbit in datacom protocols, silicon photonics will make sense, as it can enable low-cost, high-speed interconnects supporting data rates at and beyond 25 Gbit/s.
For more information, please visit http://www.i-micronews.com/reports/Silicon-Photonics-Investments-Small-Business/1/315/.
-----
Subscribe now to Laser Focus World magazine; it's free!
LFW Staff
Published since 1965, Laser Focus World—a brand and magazine for engineers, researchers, scientists, and technical professionals—provides comprehensive global coverage of optoelectronic technologies, applications, and markets. With 80,000+ qualified print subscribers in print and over a half-million annual visitors to our online content, we are the go-to source to access decision makers and stay in-the-know.