InP Photonic Integrated Circuits

InP is an ideal integration platform for optical generation, switching, and detection components operating in the range of 1.3-1.6 m wavelength, which is preferred for data transmission in the most prevalent silica-based optical fiber. We review the current state of the art in advanced InP photonic ICs.

I. Introduction

Photonic integration has a very rich and active research history dating back to the late 1960s [1]. This area of development that started with the integration of a handful of devices saw the first commercial deployment of large-scale photonic ICs (LS-PICs), with over 50 discrete components monolithically integrated onto to a single InP substrate, only five years ago. Experimentally, monolithically integrated devices on InP with well over 200 components have been demonstrated to date.