E L I T E
C H A N N E L PA R T N E R
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Photonic Integrated
Circuits – A High-Level
Overview
Over the past year or so, we have been talking with more and more companies about the benefits of
photonic integrated circuits, which can help their products reach faster speeds and achieve more power
and greater efficiency.
As interest continues to grow, we hear from an increasing number of engineers looking to gain a high-
level understanding of photonics, photonic integrated circuits, and tools that can help them leverage this
technology to develop better products faster. The goal of this whitepaper is to provide that information.
What is Photonics?
Photonics is the science of light waves. It includes the generation, detection, and manipulation of
light in the form of photons through emission, transmission, modulation, signal processing, switching,
amplification, and sensing.
What is a Photonic Integrated Circuit?
A PIC (photonic integrated circuit) is an integrated chip that contains components that work with particles of
light, or photons.
PICs can be made of different materials, including indium phosphide and silicon nitride. We mostly see them
made of silicon photonics (SiPh), because it is compatible with CMOS and can be manufactured with the same
foundry structure as integrated circuitry.
WHITEPAPER
