DARPA said Wednesday that the technology is built to help bolster the performance of electronics and microsystems and designed to eliminate the need for a separate layer for lasers on-chip.
“Not only can lasers be easily integrated onto silicon, but other components can as well, paving the way for advanced photonic integrated circuits with far more functionality than can be achieved today,” said Josh Conway, E-PHI program manager at DARPA.
According to the agency, the program is based on UCSB research about the possibility of putting multiple layers of indium arsenide on silicon wafers to result in billions of light-emitting “quantum dots.”
The team is now looking to using these findings to further its work toward optical amplifiers and other photonic components, DARPA said.