Technology Developed to Boost Next-Generation Optical Semiconductor Performance by 100 Times

KAIST Discovers New Light Coupling Mechanism

A technology has been developed that can improve the performance of next-generation optical semiconductors, which are core components of LiDAR for autonomous vehicles and quantum sensors and computers, by more than 100 times compared to existing ones.

An illustration depicting light propagating without interference in the waveguide (path through which light travels) array of a meta-material-based photonic semiconductor developed by KAIST. Image source: Provided by KAIST.

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced on the 19th that a research team led by Professor Sang-Sik Kim of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science discovered a new optical coupling mechanism that can increase the integration density of optical semiconductor devices by more than 100 times.

Integrated optical semiconductor technology is a next-generation semiconductor technology that can create complex optical systems such as LiDAR and quantum sensors and computers on a single small chip, attracting extensive research and investment worldwide. In conventional semiconductor technology, the key was how small the units could be made, such as 5 nanometers or 2 nanometers, but increasing the integration density in optical semiconductor devices is a core technology that determines performance, price, and energy efficiency.

The number of devices that can be configured per chip is called integration density, and the higher it is, the more computations can be performed and the lower the manufacturing cost per unit. However, increasing the integration density of optical semiconductor devices is very difficult because crosstalk occurs between photons in closely spaced devices due to the wave nature of light.

Previous studies could only reduce light crosstalk under specific polarization conditions, but in this study, the research team developed a method to increase integration density even under polarization conditions previously considered impossible by discovering a new optical coupling mechanism.

Professor Kim said, "The interesting point of this research is that, paradoxically, the leaky wave (a characteristic where light spreads sideways), which was previously thought to greatly increase light crosstalk, was used to eliminate crosstalk. If the optical coupling method using the leaky wave revealed in this study is applied, it will be possible to develop various smaller and less noisy optical semiconductor devices."

The results of this study were published on the 2nd in the international journal Light: Science & Applications (paper title: Anisotropic leaky-like perturbation with subwavelength gratings enables zero crosstalk).

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