FROM MICROELECTRONICS TO PHOTONICS: A 2025 REVIEW ON SILICON PHOTONICS INTEGRATION
Keywords:
Silicon Photonics, Microelectronics, Photonic Integration, Heterogeneous Integration, 3D Stacking, Optical Interconnects, Photonic Integrated Circuits.Abstract
Silicon photonics is a new technology that has overcome the barrier between microelectronics and photonics by introducing the ability to incorporate optical and electronic devices onto a mono silicon substrate. Silicon photonics uses established methods of fabrication to provide high-speed data communication, low-energy usage, and scalable systems to the contemporary computing and communication systems. In this review, the latest developments in material, platform and integration strategies are outlined, such as heterogeneous integration and 3D stacking. Application areas in data communication, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and sensing are mentioned, and the critical problems of thermal management, complexity of integration and cost are mentioned. The paper ends with a reflection of the future trends where silicon photonics can disrupt the high-performance computing, network, and new photonic technologies.
