Silicon Photonics: From Fundamentals to Future Directions

Dear Colleagues,

In the past decade, we have witnessed the rapid development of silicon photonics, especially in heterogeneous material integration, the trend towards system integration, and the expansion of application fields.

The development of silicon photonics is not limited to the performance evolution of pure-silicon devices but is also closely related to exploring and integrating new materials. Early work involved combining silicon with three to five semiconductors to achieve on-chip lasers and amplifiers. Subsequently, silicon nitride was introduced significantly for ultra-low-loss waveguides and nonlinear applications. Through hybrid integration, ferroelectric materials, such as lithium niobate, have brought about a revolution in high-speed electro-optical modulators. The recent rise of two-dimensional and phase-change materials has enabled the possibility of creating ultra-compact modulators, photodetectors, and reconfigurable devices. At the same time, emerging material platforms, such as topological photonic structures, organic polymers, and quantum-engineered metamaterials, show great potential to redefine light–matter interactions on silicon chips.

Researchers have recently focused on building multi-physics collaborative, functionally reconfigurable photonic integrated systems for various applications such as datacom, optical computing, optical spectrometers, biosensing, LiDAR, microwave photonics, and quantum computing. The latest advancements in silicon photonics and AI are closely linked. Integrating components such as lasers, modulators, filters, and photodetectors creates a photonic platform for neural network operations. This advances photonic computing and enhances the potential of future silicon photonic devices, demonstrating improved efficiency and reduced energy consumption in handling big data and complex tasks compared to traditional electronics.

This Special Issue covers the latest developments in silicon photonics, from basic principles to cutting-edge innovations. It invites contributions on heterogeneous integration, device engineering, and new applications, with the goal of creating a roadmap for next-generation photonic systems that go beyond traditional limits. Original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Novel materials and heterogeneous integration platforms;
• Advanced silicon photonic devices and integrated chips;
• Photonic engines and accelerators for artificial intelligence;
• Integrated optical paths in quantum computing;
• Co-packaged optics and advanced packaging techniques;
• Programmable photonics and dynamic reconfigurable devices;
• High-speed optical interconnects and data center transceivers;
• Advanced sensors based on silicon photonics;
• Ultra-low-power photonic neural networks and neuromorphic computing;
• Integration of silicon photonics with edge computing and IoT;
• Silicon-based acousto-optic modulation technology.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Zanyun Zhang
Dr. Zan Zhang
Dr. Huan Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• silicon photonics
• optical communication
• optical sensing
• quantum communication
• optical computing
• metasurfaces
• photonic integrated circuits
• two-dimensional materials
• heterogeneous integration