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June 2021
Vol. 35, No. 3
www.PhotonicsSociety.org
Highlights From CLEO
Also Inside:
• Iluminando el Futuro
• IEEE Photonics Journal Editor-in-Chief Introduces Twelve Technical Areas
35photos03_r1.indd 1 6/16/21 9:45 AM
35photos03_r1.indd 2 6/16/21 9:45 AM
June 2021
Vol. 35, No. 3
www.PhotonicsSociety.org
Highlights From CLEO
Also Inside:
• Iluminando el Futuro
• IEEE Photonics Journal Editor-in-Chief Introduces Twelve Technical Areas
June 2021 Volume 35, Number 3
FEATURE
CLEO Highlights������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������4
–– CLEO 2021
15 Industry Engagement��������������������������������������������������������������������������������10
• Life at a Photonics Startup: Lessons Learned
Get to Know Your IEEE Photonics Society Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Photonics Worldwide—This Is My Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
• International Science Leaders Launch a Global Pledge to Trust Science
• IEEE Foundation Surpasses $30 Million Fundraising Goal
• LASER-TEC Spotlight: Optics and Photonics Technicians Network
Careers and Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
• IEEE Photonics Society—Call for Nominations
• IEEE Photonics Distinguished Lecturer Selection for 2021–2022 Announced
• Recognition at CLEO 2021
• Members Elected to the National Academy of Engineering
20
• National Academy of Sciences Elects New Members
Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
• Iluminando el Futuro
• International Day of Light: Celebrating ‘Light Alumni’ & Volunteer Contributions
• Why You Need to Reset Your Relationship with Failure
• Aim High and No One Can Stop You
Conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
• Save the Date—2021 Summer Topicals
• Save the Date—2021 IEEE Research and Applications of Photonics in Defense
• Save the Date—2021 Education and Training in Optics & Photonics
• Save the Date—27th International Semiconductor Laser Conference
• Save the Date—2021 IEEE Photonics Society Conference
• Save the Date—2021 IEEE Group IV Photonics
34 Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
• IEEE Photonics Journal Editor-in-Chief Introduces Twelve Technical Areas
• JLT CFP: Multi-band Optical Networks
• JSTQE CFP: Hybrid Integration for Silicon Photonics
• JSTQE CFP: Machine Learning in Photonic Communications
and Measurement Systems
• JSTQE CFP: Lidars and Photonic Radars
• JSTQE CFP: High Density Integrated Multipurpose Photonic Circuits
• JSTQE CFP: Nonlinear Integrated Photonics
COLUMNS
Editor’s Column . . . . . . . . . . 2 President’s Column . . . . . . . . . . . 3
June 2021 IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 1
35photos03_r1.indd 1 6/16/21 9:56 AM
Editor’s IEEE Photonics Society
Column
DOMINIC SIRIANI
President Associate Editor of Northern Europe
Carmen Menoni Martin Lavery
Colorado State University, USA University of Glasglow School of
Email: c.menoni@ieee.org Engineering, UK
It’s hard to believe we’re just about midway through Past President Email: Martin.Lavery@glasgow.ac.uk
2021 already. A lot has happened in the past six months, Chennupati Jagadish Associate Editor of Southern Europe
Australian National University
Ivana Gasulla
and it looks as if a whole lot more is to come in the next Australia
ITEAM Research Institute
Email: ChennupatiJagadish@anu.edu.au
six. I’m sad to say that there have been many tragedies in Universitat Politècnica de València,
President-Elect Spain
this timespan, and our hearts go out to those who have René-Jean Essiambre Email: ivgames@iteam.upv.es
Bell Labs, Nokia, USA
experienced this sadness and suffering. In moments like email: rene.essiambre@nokia-bell- Student Editor
these, I’m reminded of a quote from Thích Nhâ´t Ha·nh: labs.com Naznin Akter
INSYST Integrated Nanosystems
“Without suffering, there’s no happiness. So we shouldn’t Secretary-Treasurer
Research Lab,
Dan M. Marom
discriminate against the mud. We have to learn how to The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Florida International University, USA
Israel Email: naznin@ieee.org
embrace and cradle our own suffering and the suffering Email: danmarom@mail.huji.ac.il
Student Editor
of the world, with a lot of tenderness.” For those expe- Board of Governors Senta L. Jantzen
riencing pain or suffering, I hope those words provide G. Bosco M. Mashanovitch Optoelectronics Research Centre
Y. Chembo L. Oxenlowe University of Southampton
even a minute sense of solace. And, as a community, we L. Galdino S. Ralph
Southampton
R. Horng M. Sander
are here to cradle tenderly that suffering, to nurture it to M. Hutchinson M. Suzuki
SO17 1BJ, UK
A. Kasukawa J. Yao Email: s.jantzen@soton.ac.uk
allow happiness to thrive. No one suffers alone, and col-
Vice Presidents Regular Contributors
lectively we will press forward, ever stronger. Conferences—Perry Shum Christopher R. Doerr
And so on the other side of this coin is hope. As a Membership & Regional Doerr Consulting, LLC, USA
Activities—Fatima Garcia-Gunning Email: cdoerr@doerrconsult.com
scientific community, we have a lot to look forward to. Publications—Seb Savory
Professional & Technical
For one, I’m writing to you on the International Day Development—Anna Peacock
Daniel Renner
Freedom Photonics, USA
of Light, a celebration of the impact light and optics Newsletter Staff Email: drenner@freedomphotonics
has on the whole of humanity. Moreover, another reason Editor-in-Chief .com
Dominic Siriani
for celebration is the election of several of our members Cisco Systems, Inc., USA Akhil Kallepalli
Email: dsiriani@ieee.org University of Glasgow, UK
to the National Academy of Sciences and the National Email: akhilkallepalli@ieee.org
Associate Editor of North America
Academy of Engineering, as well as the announcement Alex Yasha Yi
University of Michigan, USA Patryk Urban
of our new Distinguished Lecturers. Congratulations to Email: yashayi@umich.edu Wave General, Poland
them all! Associate Editor of Australia
Email: patryk.j.urban@ieee.org
Accompanying this ramping up in activity is a deluge Joel Carpenter Ryan Aguinaldo
The University of Queensland Australia
of conferences. The adjusted schedule of 2021 has CLEO, Email: j.carpenter@uq.edu.au
Northrop Grumman Corporation,
USA
OFC, Summer Topicals, RAPID, ECOC, and many oth- Associate Editor of Central, Latin and Email: Ryan.Aguinaldo@ngc.com
ers taking place within about a four month span. CLEO South America
Juan A. Hernandez Cordero
kicks off this conference marathon, and it’s the highlight Staff Editor
National Autonomous University of
Mexico, Mexico Lisa Sandt
of this issue. Our dedicated and diligent editors Ivana Email: jhcordero@iim.unam.mx IEEE Photonics Society
445 Hoes Lane
Gasulla and Alex Yasha Yi worked overtime to provide Associate Editor of Asia & Pacific Piscataway, NJ 08854
highlights and insights from conference chairs, speakers, Nicholas H. L. Wong
Tel: 1 732 465 6662
GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore Pte. Ltd.,
Fax: 1 732 981 1138
and participants to you in the most timely and expedient Singapore
Email: ipsnewsletter@ieee.org
Email: n.hl.wong@ieee.org
manner. We hope you enjoy reading about the exciting
events and talks! IEEE prohibits discrimination, harassment, and
As always, there’s much more to this issue than I bullying. For more information, visit http://www.
ieee.org/web/aboutus/whatis/policies/p9-26.html.
can cover in this small space, including many more
events, interviews, and advice columns. However, one
IEEE Photonics Society News (USPS 014-023) is published bimonthly
that I’d briefly like to highlight is the “Iluminando el by the Photonics Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Futuro” STEM Initiative. This is a wonderfully ambi- Engineers, Inc., Corporate Office: 3 Park Avenue, 17th Floor, New
York, NY 10017-2394. Printed in the USA. One dollar per member per
tious and far-reaching project that seeks to improve year is included in the Society fee for each member of the Photonics
community STEM outreach in Latin America. It’s a Society. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and at additional
mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Photonics
great example of the philanthropic work of our Soci- Society Newsletter, IEEE, 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854.
ety’s members and an excellent model for others look- Copyright © 2021 by IEEE: Permission to copy without fee all or part
ing to make an impact. of any material without a copyright notice is granted provided that
the copies are not made or distributed for direct commercial
With that, as usual, I will close by thanking you for advantage, and the title of the publication and its date appear on
reading the Newsletter and ask that you reach out to us each copy. To copy material with a copyright notice requires spe-
cific permission. Please direct all inquiries or requests to IEEE
with questions, comments, and suggestions. We look Copyrights Office.
forward to hearing from you!
2 IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER June 2021
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President’s
Column
CARMEN S. MENONI
The 2021 conference season is here and as in 2020 our conferenc- conference will cover 11 technical topics from applications and
es are going virtual. The decision to use a virtual platform was enabling technologies in the photonics defense space to nanophotonics,
not an easy one. However, due to existing travel restrictions the optical imaging and advanced photonics manufacturing. RAPID
IEEE Photonics Society decided to offer all of its 2021 confer- complements SUM both technically and by engaging a broader
ences a virtual format option again this year; similarly for our co- photonics audience. The keynote speaker this year is Bindu R.
owned conferences, the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Nair, from the United States Office of the Secretary of Defense
(CLEO 2021) and the Optical Fiber Conference (OFC 2021). (OSD). With an expertise in Material Science and Engineering,
Virtual platforms do come with benefits, such as offering flex- she oversees and coordinates OSD’s $2.5 billion investment in
ibility in participation and increasing technical breadth. high risk research projects in the fields of physical science, life
For example, the 2021 IEEE Photonics Conference, scheduled science, environmental science, and applied mathematics. This
for October 2021, has been streamlined to 12 subject categories talk will give us all a better understanding of how government
to focus on technology-driven and application-focused topics. A and science policy, development, and planning intersect.
newly combined topical area of “Microwave Photonics & Avion- Our chapters have also been active in organizing conferenc-
ics/Vehicle Fiber-Optics & Photonics” will be featured. New Spe- es that link audiences worldwide. At the end of April the Stu-
cial Symposia have also been introduced on: Deep Tissue Imaging dent Chapter Mangalam College of Engineering, Kottayam,
and Quantum Sensing; Machine Learning and Photonics; and Ultrafast Kerala, India, organized the IEEE International Conference on
Mid-infrared Laser Sources and Applications. The goal of the sym- Nanoelectronics, Nanophotonics, Nanomaterials, Nanobiosci-
posia is to showcase vast, cross disciplinary topics and promising ence and Nanotechnology (5NANO2021) that was very well
new technical approaches that are of interest to our members. attended by participants from Asia, Europe, Australia and the
The Plenary Speakers this year will be: Sir John Pendry of Americas. These types of events offer a platform to train our
Imperial College London, Paul Prucnal of Princeton University, future leaders in Photonics around the world.
Hui Cao of Yale University, Hong Hou of Intel. We greatly look Another conference of mention is the SBFoton: Internation-
forward to their talks, which address some of the most complex al Optics and Photonics Conference 2021, led by The Brazil-
technologies in the photonics field: the study of metamaterials on ian Photonics Society and sponsored by the IEEE Photonics
to structures that vary in time and space; neuromorphic photonics, opti- Society and OSA. The conference went fully online in late May,
cal code division multiple access; terahertz optical asymmetric demulti- offering free full interactive access to technical sessions in both
plexing; nanophotonics; biophotonics; and silicon photonics. Spanish and English to countries throughout IEEE Region 9
The conference has made significant changes to its registra- (Latin America). A rendition of our Society’s “Photonics Lab
tion costs that will offer free registration to IEEE Photonics So- Tours” program was featured, along with tutorial sessions and
ciety student members, and significantly discounted options for a virtual paper competition. Aspects of the recorded conference
student non-members. With this opportunity the IEEE Pho- will be offered on our Societies’ websites. Stay tuned!
tonics Society intends to attract talented students and members Conferences are a preeminent venue to bring visibility to
across the scientific community, as well as increase the visibility photonics innovation, and its impact on society. We are eager to
of their work. In addition, the Society has plans to present 10 come back to in-person conferences, to the opportunities and in-
Graduate Student Fellowships during the conference’s virtual teraction they provide members of our community to exchange
awards ceremony, and students will be selected for prestigious ideas, to learn from one another, and to congratulate those who
“Best Paper Awards”, a key feature of the annual conference. have championed our field forward and deserve to receive pres-
Additional interactive professional development programs for tigious awards in-person. However, we have also learned new
students, i.e. trainings and tutorials, industry workshops, and and creative ways to engage through virtual platforms, in which
events designed to foster interaction between different genera- we hope to further bring into our physical conferences.
tions of members, will be announced in the coming months. Ultimately, we owe ourselves and our future innovators of
As the Society’s “incubator” conference, the IEEE Summer tomorrow, who are aspiring photonics professionals, every op-
Topicals Meeting Series, scheduled virtually for July 2021, will portunity to interact with prospective collaborators, employ-
feature five topics this year: Photonics for Information Processing; ers, and mentors worldwide, as well as grow and establish
Reconfigurable Optics and Photonics; Silicon-Integrated Mid-Infra- themselves in the field that has given us all so much.
red Photonics; Structured Light and Beyond; and Ultra-wideband
Optical Fibre Communication Systems. SUM brings an impressive With warm regards.
list of plenary, tutorial and invited speakers from all over the Carmen S. Menoni
world to promote the most recent advances in these fields. President (2020–2021)
The Research & Applications in Photonics Defense Con- IEEE Photonics Society
ference (RAPID) is scheduled for August 2021. Virtually, the c.menoni@ieee.org
June 2021 IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 3
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CLEO Highlights
CLEO 2021
Highlights From the Conference Chairs key distribution and random number generators. Prof. Mur-
nane (STROBE and JILA, University of Colorado at Boulder)
CLEO: Science & Innovations presented recent advances in the development of high-harmon-
Christophe Dorrer ic quantum sources and applications that are made possible by
University of Rochester, USA, cdorrer@lle.rochester.edu the unprecedented control of these short-wavelength sources.
Tara Fortier Dr. O’Brien (PSIQuantum) discussed recent developments in
National Institute of Standards and Tech., USA, quantum computing enabled by silicon photonics. Finally,
tara.fortier@nist.gov Prof. Willner (University of Southern California) addressed the
exciting progress in many aspects of optical telecommunica-
CLEO: Applications & Technology tions beyond optical fibers. The plenary session also hosted the
Jin Kang awards ceremony recognizing the professional achievements
Johns Hopkins University, USA, jkang@jhu.edu from members of the three societies sponsoring CLEO (Ameri-
Stephanie Tomasulo can Physical Society - Division of Laser Science Awards, IEEE
Naval Research Laboratory, USA, Photonics Society, and The Optical Society).
stephanie.tomasulo@nrl.navy.mil
CLEO: Fundamental Science
Natalia Litchinitser
Duke University, USA, natalia.litchinitser@duke.edu
Sergey Polyakov
National Institute of Standards & Technology, USA,
sergey.polyakov@nist.gov
Prof. Margaret Murnane presenting her plenary talk about
“Harnessing Attosecond Quantum Technologies”.
New this year, diversity and inclusion were highlighted
during one of the plenary sessions: Prof. Johnson (University
of Colorado at Boulder), the author of Inclusify: The Power of
Uniqueness and Belonging to Build Innovative Teams, described
practical means of how inclusion can help support diversity
within the workplace.
Like in 2020, CLEO was run this year in an all-virtual format, The CLEO workshops again addressed a large range of
which supported a large range of events complementing the technical topics that are relevant to the optics community.
high-quality technical program. The virtual format provided Introduced in 2019, these events allow for interaction of the
a convenient and accessible platform to support broad partici- audience with a panel of specialists representing different
pation from members of the international optics community. viewpoints on a topic of interest. This year, the workshop top-
While COVID19 has reduced everyone’s ability to do research ics included self-driving cars, photonic information process-
and travel, the virtual conference was a great opportunity to ing, the contributions of optics to fight future pandemics, and
present technical results, learn about new science and technol- the practical deployment of quantum technologies.
ogy, network with peers, brainstorm on technical and non- The status and recent progress in several technical topics
technical topics of interest to the optics community, and devel- were highlighted during the invited and contributed talks
op one’s career. Live presentations and interactive participation given at special symposia and Applications & Technology
from all attendees was encouraged during technical sessions, topical reviews. Three large events addressed high-power laser
plenary sessions, and special events. technology, advances in quantum technology, and photonics
Four luminaries in technical fields presented during the technologies for the COVID19 challenge. Focused sessions on
two plenary sessions. This was a great opportunity to learn other aspects of optics, photonics, optical telecommunications,
about advanced topics that are of general interest to the optics and their applications were held throughout the week.
community. Prof. Gisin (University of Geneva), highlighted A large variety of special events contributed to an excit-
the many aspects of quantum information science, from funda- ing CLEO 2021. Panel-based events were held on commu-
mental principles to commercial applications such as quantum nity-wide topics such as publishing, career paths in optics,
4 IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER June 2021
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p rofessional management, improving inclusion at conferences, q uantum networks. These are motivating entirely new funda-
and careers related to quantum technology. Companies dem- mental questions, feeding thus back from application to foun-
onstrated novel products and advanced applications during the dations. A natural question is how to test the quantumness of
Technology Showcase events. A memorial event highlighted a network, i.e., how to make sure that the network can’t be
the many technical contributions of Dr. Arthur Ashkin (2018 mimicked by a classical network. The answer brings back non-
Physics Nobel Prize) with participation of former colleagues locality, but now in a new form, named network non-locality
and other optics luminaries. OSA technical groups addressed which builds on the fact that in a network there are several
progress and hot topics in ultrafast optical phenomena, addi- independent sources that feed many parties [2].
tive manufacturing, integrated photonics, and metamaterials,
while an update on the US strategy to promote research in ul- [1] A. Ekert, Phys. Rev. Lett. 67, 661 (1991).
trafast intense laser systems was given. [2] for a review see A. Tavakoli et al., arXiv:2004.10700.
Short courses given by specialists again provided the oppor- [3] N. Gisin et al., Rev. Mod. Phys. 74, 145 (2002).
tunity for students and professionals to learn about new tech-
nical topics or improve their knowledge. This is an excellent Alan Eli Willner
venue where students and scientists looking to break into a Professor, University of Southern California, USA, willner@usc.edu
new field have the opportunity to learn directly from world-
class experts! Title: Optical Communications: Innovations and Applications
“Abound”
Highlighted Plenary Speakers
Optical communications has enjoyed
Nicolas Gisin tremendous impact over the past 50
Professor Emeritus, University of Geneva, nicolas.gisin@unige.ch years. Relatively soon after the con-
Professor, Schaffhasusen Institute of Technology, Geneva, Switzerland crete proposal of optical fiber commu-
nications was reported and the low-
Title: From Quantum Foundations to Quantum Communica- loss fiber invented, fiber-based
tions and Back communications dramatically impact-
ed the way society transfers informa-
Quantum information science started tion. However, there are other key
in 1991 with the insight that non-lo- areas beyond fiber-based communications that were also envi-
cal quantum correlations are crypto- sioned ~50 years ago but are only recently emerging. Such
graphic keys [1]. This connected fasci- emergence is due to enhanced capacity needs and critical in-
nating fundamental characteristics of novations, including advances in photonic integrated circuits
quantum entanglement, the resource (PICs). This plenary talk dealt with 3 examples of the innova-
leading to non-local correlations, to tions and emerging applications of optical communications.
potentially useful applications in mod- 1) Free-space optical communications: As opposed to RF,
ern cryptography. It was no longer optical links have high directionality and large band-
possible to dismiss entanglement as an elusive property of width. There is great excitement in the recent emer-
some peculiar quantum states, as this property allows for high- gence of deployed free-space optical links, be they
ly timely applications in our information-based society. through air or outer-space. Moreover, due to the ex-
A couple of decades later, quantum key distribution was tremely high losses of RF, even underwater links in the
a commercial product, as well as quantum random number blue-green are gaining significant interest.
generators, e.g., in the form of low power consumption chips
in smartphones. The next step will be the development of
First satellite picture illustrating a quantum experiment [3]. Overview of Alan Willner’s Plenary talk.
June 2021 IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 5
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cal trapping does not only work on inanimate objects but also
on “living things.” Unlike what he feared, the optical power
required to trap did not instantly kill the microorganisms.
By using a laser at a wavelength where microorganisms were
most transparent, they could be trapped for hours with little
or no damage. But if the power was increased sufficiently, they
would explode due to the presence of light. Arthur called this
phenomenon, opticution, or death by light.
Before he started using lasers, Arthur had worked mostly
with microwaves. When Arthur’s undergraduate studies in
Physics were interrupted by World War II, he was hired to
build high-power magnetrons for radar applications. Magne-
trons have now become very common as they are part of micro-
wave ovens. When Arthur started at Bell Labs after his Ph.D.,
Alan Willner presenting his Poster at CLEO 1987 in Baltimore. he joined the microwaves research department. During his first
decade at Bell Labs, Arthur worked on microwave amplifiers,
in particular on the traveling-wave tube. He mentioned that
2) Non-conventional wavelengths: Fiber systems are over- his experience with microwaves was a great source of ideas that
whelmingly in the near-IR, whereas free-space links he applied later to optical frequencies.
can take advantage of a much wider frequency range, After retiring from Bell Labs, Arthur wrote review articles
from THz to visible. Such systems may utilize: (a) na- and a book on optical trapping. He started to work on solar
tive high-speed communications components at other power, especially on ways to develop technologies for harness-
frequencies, and/or (b) wavelength-band conversion of ing the power of the sun at the lowest possible cost. Arthur
near-IR channels to other regions. would also regularly come to the picnics organized at the
3) Optical signal processing (OSP): OSP has long held Crawford Hill Laboratory in Holmdel, New Jersey, where he
the promise of high-speed operation and the avoidance would give very informative and entertaining speeches.
of inefficient optical-electrical-optical conversion. Al- More detailed summaries of Arthur Ashkin’s life can be
though OSP deployment has been limited, advances in found here:
PICs, power efficiency and multi-wavelength operation René-Jean Essiambre, “Arthur Ashkin: Father of the opti-
may soon enable the emergence of OSP for high-perfor- cal tweezers,” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., Vol. 118, No 7, paper
mance functions. e2026827118 (2021)
René-Jean Essiambre, “In memory of Arthur Ashkin,” Na-
ture Photon., Vol. 15, pp. 167-168 (2021)
Photonics Society Newsletter., October 2020, Volume 34,
Number 5, pp 16-17
Highlights From Selected Technical Sessions
More than 2,000 technical sessions were presented at CLEO,
including talks from more than 200 invited speakers, covering
29 topic categories — from breakthrough ideas to real-world
Steven Chu speaks at the Arthur Ashkin Memorial Symposium. applications. Contributed talks are rigorously peer reviewed by
the CLEO Committees. Some selected sessions:
Arthur Ashkin Memorial Symposium Applications & Technology Topical Reviews
Arthur Ashkin is known as the inventor of the optical twee- Emphasizes significant recent advances in the application of
zers. Arthur became captivated very early on by the effects photonics technologies to address current real world problems.
that the momentum of light can exert on objects. This fasci- Presentations by leaders in their fields highlight how impor-
nation started as a teenager while observing the effect of sun- tant advances are being realized.
light shining on a Crookes radiometer. This passion ultimately
led, decades later, to the discovery that light pressure from Special Symposia
two laser beams can immobilize objects if they are sufficiently Comprised of invited and contributed papers, on areas deemed
transparent at the laser wavelength. Arthur quickly realized to be topical and of special interest to conference attendees.
and demonstrated that by turning a laser beam upwards, small
transparent spheres can be made to levitate, i.e., radiation pres- Workshops
sure can compensate for gravity. About a decade later, Arthur Provides convivial, interactive, open fora to address topics not
demonstrated that a single laser beam, tightly focused by a covered by traditional presentations, but that are of interest
microscope objective, can strongly capture objects in all three and importance to the CLEO community. Workshops offer an
dimensions of space. A few years later, he discovered that opti- informal format to enable open discussion between moderators
6 IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER June 2021
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and panels of specialists and the audience to address technical cessing integrated photonic devices with low learning cost. In
or strategic questions that may lack clear consensus. contrast, physical implementation of reservoirs can be achieved
using a variety of physical phenomena in the real world, be-
Short Courses cause a mechanism for adaptive changes for training is not
Covers a broad range of topic areas at a variety of educational necessary. Actually, integrated photonics is one of the candi-
levels, and taught by highly-regarded industry experts on a dates of unconventional computing paradigms based on novel
number of subjects. Whether you choose a course designed for hardware. Although design principles for conventional ANNs
beginners or for more advanced instruction, the small size of have been examined comprehensively, the following issues re-
each class gives you an excellent opportunity for personalized quire further investigation: how to design physical reservoirs
instruction. Registrants receive one copy of the Course Notes, for achieving high computational performance and how much
which were distributed onsite. computational power can be attained by individual physical
RC systems. Integrated photonics applied to AI has become a
Special Events more important topic today and the session attracted a signifi-
Make the most of your attendance at CLEO with a range of cant number of attendees. The audience not only came from
networking and educational events. Special events range from the photonics community itself, but also from other AI related
receptions to career development programs. communities. Session goals were two-fold: one was to let our
photonics community to be aware of this emerging direction,
Integrated Photonics for Artificial Intelligence the other was to provide a platform for both integrated pho-
Integrated Photonics is enabling artificial intelligence (AI). tonics and AI communities to discuss some future directions
The combination of photonics and AI for photonics-enabled which will need experts in both areas to work together.
applications is an exciting new prospect. Artificial neural
networks (ANNs) constitute the core information processing Integrated Photonics in Neural Networks
technology in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine At the session “Integrated Photonics in Neural Networks I,”
learning, which have witnessed remarkable progress in recent Nicolas Fontaine from Nokia Bell Labs talked about multi-
years, and they are expected to be increasingly employed in plane light conversion to build unitary optical networks. Arash
real-world applications. ANNs are computational models Kazemian from Yangzhou QunFa Company presented an in-
that mimic biological neural networks. They are represented vited talk on “Machine Learning Based Optical Phased Arrays
by a network of neuron-like processing units interconnected Design for on-Chip Solid State Lidar System.” They are devel-
via synapse-like weighted links. In particular, integrated pho- oping 3D OPAs for integrated solid state Lidar systems with
tonic devices using reservoirs based on physical phenomena potentially low cost, compact size, light weight, low power,
have recently attracted increasing interest in many research high performance, and high reliability. It can be applied to
areas. Various physical systems, substrates, and devices have autonomous driving vehicles, UAVs, smart imaging and ro-
been proposed for realizing ANNs. A motivation for physical botics. Furthermore, it will not compromise the aerodynamics
implementation of reservoirs is to realize fast information pro- or the design aesthetics of the intelligent system.
Dr. Arash Kazemian from Yangzhou QunFa Company presenting an invited talk on “Machine Learning Based Optical Phased Arrays
Design for on-Chip Solid State Lidar System”
June 2021 IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 7
35photos03_r1.indd 7 6/16/21 9:46 AM
Volker Sorger from George Washington University talked pable of processing large-scale ~(2,000x1,000) matrices in a
about “Photonic TPU & Memory for Machine Intelligence.” single time-step and 100 microsecond-short latency, for acceler-
Here, he introduced a Photonic TPU (P-TPU), a PIC-based ating machine-learning applications. Christopher Yeung, from
ASIC for vector matrix multiplication acceleration and re- University of California, Los Angeles, talked about “Condi-
ported on a programmable multi-level non-volatile photonic tional Machine Learning-Based Inverse Design Across Multiple
random access memory (P-RAM). Classes of Photonic Metasurfaces.” They presented a machine
David Moss from Swinburne University of Technology learning-based photonics design strategy centered on encoding
gave an interesting contributed talk on “Optical Neuromor- image colors with material and structural data. Given input tar-
phic Processing Based on Kerr Microcombs.” They reported a get spectra, their model can accurately determine the optimal
new approach to ONNs based on integrated Kerr micro-combs metasurface class, materials, and structure.
that is programmable, highly scalable and capable of reaching
ultra-high speeds. They demonstrated a single perceptron at Lidar and Artificial Intelligence
11.9 Giga-OPS at 8 bits /OP, or 95.2 Gbps. They then demon- As lidar is one of the most important sensors in the future ar-
strated a convolutional accelerator at 11 Tera OPs/s. tificial intelligence, there was one Applications & Technology
Takuma Tsurugaya, NTT Device Technology Labs, NTT session devoted to this emerging field. Anton Lukashchuk,
Corporation, talked about “Reservoir Computing with Low- EPFL, talked about “Megapixel per Second Hardware Efficient
Power-Consumption All-Optical Nonlinear Activation Using LiDAR Based on Microcombs.” They showed a novel architec-
Membrane SOA on Si.” They demonstrated reservoir comput- ture for massively parallel FMCW lidar based on multi-het-
ing using a fiber delay line and membrane semiconductor opti- erodyne mixing of two triangular chirped soliton micro combs
cal amplifier on Si. Thanks to its small active volume and low using a single laser source and a single coherent receiver. They
fiber-coupling loss, the reservoir consumes only 43 mW for demonstrated a proof of concept experiment with 5.6 MPix/s
nonlinear activation. detection rates.
At the session “Integrated Photonics in Neural Networks Li-Yang Chen, University of California, Los Angeles, talked
II,” David Brady from Duke University gave an invited talk on “A Pulsed-Coherent Lidar System With a Chip Based Opti-
on “Optical Processing for Artificial Neural Vision.” Convolu- cal Frequency Comb.” They demonstrated a pulsed-coherent
tional neural networks have become established as the primary lidar system with a microresonator generated optical frequency
mechanisms for image processing over the past decade, while comb which achieves sub-10-um precision and 30-µm INL-
general purpose optical neural networks remain a long term Max with a 5-MSa/s sampling rate.
project. In the near term optical pre-filters act as the first layers Frank Rodriguez, University of California at Riverside,
of electronic deep convolutional networks and enable 10-100x talked about “Hybrid Machine Vision Systems Achieve High-
reduction in system power per reconstructed voxel. Speed Video Rates With Object and Scene Tracking.” Hybrid
Yidong Huang and Xue Feng, both from Tsinghua Uni- vision systems may enable real-time image processing in re-
versity, gave a presentation about “All-Optical Neural Net- mote, power/energy-limited applications. They demonstrated
work with Programmable Linear Transformation.” In their 40k/17k frame-per-second self-motion inference rates with
work, programmable arbitrary linear optical operations have optical processing, which is 3 orders of magnitude faster than
been demonstrated on discrete phase-coherent spatial modes. current all-electronic state-of-the-art.
Thus, they proposed and demonstrated a programmable ONN Xianyi Cao, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, presented on
scheme for various image identification tasks. “FMCW Ranging and Speed Measurement Based on Frequency
In the following four contributed presentations, Santosh Sweep Pre distortion of DFB Laser.” An iterative method for gen-
Kumar from Stevens Institute of Technology, talked about erating a linear frequency sweep from a DFB laser at 1550 nm
“Single-Pixel Image Classification via Nonlinear Optics and was demonstrated. An object with speed of ~6 m/s at 7 m was
Deep Neural Network.” They proposed and experimentally detected by the FMCW lidar, indicating a good sweep linearity.
demonstrated a hybrid system which utilizes a nonlinear mode- Zhi Li, Tsinghua University, talked on “Solid-State FMCW
selective optical method to extract the features with single- LiDAR Based on a 2D Disperser.” By employing a tunable la-
pixel detection and subsequently recognize the high-resolution ser and a 2D disperser, they experimentally realized a frequen-
images from a deep neural network. Lorenzo De Marinis, Scuola cy-modulated continuous-wave lidar system that performs
Superiore Sant’Anna and Alessandro Catania, from University ranging and two-dimensional non-mechanical beam-steering
of Pisa talked about “A Codesigned Photonic Electronic MAC simultaneously. Reconfigurable high imaging resolution and
Neuron with ADC-Embedded Nonlinearity.” They presented precise ranging are achieved.
a reduced-precision integrated photonic electronic multiply- Andrew Schober from Fibertek, Inc. gave an invited talk
accumulate (MAC) neuron with ADC-embedded nonlinearity. on “Mission-Driven Design of Laser Systems for Space-Based
The proposed device trades off speed with resolution, outper- Sensing and Communications.” He discussed how unique mis-
forming both analog and digital electronic solutions in terms sion requirements drive laser design features including perfor-
of speed and energy consumption. Mario Miscuglio, George mance, size, weight, power consumption, and reliability in the
Washington University, talked on “Massively-Parallel Ampli- context of specific lidar sensing and laser communications mis-
tude-Only Fourier Optical Convolutional Neural Network.” sions and systems.
Here they introduced a novel amplitude-only Fourier-optical Lucas Paulien, ONERA, presented on “Smoke Sensing with
processor paradigm and demonstrated a prototype system ca- a Short-Range Elastic Micro-Lidar.” The aim of this work was
8 IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER June 2021
35photos03_r1.indd 8 6/16/21 9:46 AMto present the advances in aerosols profiling with a short-range .cleoconference.org/home/virtual-exhibit/), and click on the
elastic lidar system. Their results demonstrated the feasibility exhibitor you like to visit.
of short-range elastic micro-lidar measurements of smoke. The Connect & Engage - Stop by an exhibitor booth, drop your
objective was to retrieve the radiative properties (backscatter- business card, or join private chats and group chats to learn
ing) of soot particles. more about the latest products and industry developments.
There were close to a hundred companies participating at this
CLEO Conference Virtual Exhibition year CLEO’s virtual exhibition.
Even though we couldn’t meet face-to-face this year, the attend- CLEO 2021 may be over, but attendees can still access hun-
ees could still meet and interact with exhibitors, make connec- dreds of hours of recorded technical sessions, special events and
tions, and discover new technological developments on their exhibition programming and the Virtual Exhibition. Access
own schedule. Here are just some of the ways for interaction: continues on the platform through 13 July 2021. Content ac-
Discover - Browse the exhibitor profiles at your own cess is based on registration type.
pace. Just hover over the logos on the website (https://www We hope to see you next year for CLEO 2022!
“Nick” Cartoon Series by Christopher Doerr
June 2021 IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 9
35photos03_r1.indd 9 6/16/21 9:46 AMIndustry Engagement
Life at a Photonics Startup: Lessons Learned
Manufacturing Integrated Photonics Or—So You Want to Be an
Entrepreneur?
Part 2: Production Is Not Development
By Michael D. Evans, DESc
(Part 1 of this article was published in the April 2021 issue of
IEEE Photonics Society Newsletter Vol 35, No. 2).
Production Is Not Development
The repetition of production processes is typically driven by
economics and the confidence of the development cycle, not the
next novel feature or cool science. Most development engineers
seek to change the product or service and implement new capa-
bility or new designs. Production engineers seek to satisfy the
minimum requirements necessary to create the most product,
at the highest yield, in the least time interval, while meeting
quality specifications established by customer requirements
or development engineering. Good manufacturing engineers
have a sense of profit and loss and know that production veloc-
ity can keep inventory and work-in-process, (WIP), low for
better financial results. Good development engineers under-
Figure 1. Terracotta Warriors – A manufacturing quest for copies.
stand the customer requirements and schedules established
by marketing and business development along with a deep
knowledge of the technology available to improve the function like a military campaign, and as with any disciplined regimen
and cost of the product line. One can understand how a funda- some contention between the development team is inevitable
mental objective to instigate change may conflict with a fun- and can be constructively managed by the product champion
damental objective to maintain consistent levels of quality and to achieve superior results.
control, Figure 1. Process-engineering or technology-transfer
specialists often moderate the contention between change and The Role of Contract Manufacturing
the status quo by introducing improvements to tooling, capi- New product introduction can explore contract manufacturing
tal equipment, testing, materials, processes and procedures. where the technical requirements and design specifications are
A good process engineer works with production engineering bid to companies that specialize in similar production. Particu-
and is familiar with the equipment and methods of production larly with emerging photonic products, contract manufacturers
but is also embedded in new product design efforts particu- are unlikely to have the tools and test capabilities required for
larly where no existing process is available or a new material product delivery and hence will purchase these and build the
is introduced. The process engineer is typically responsible for costs into the contract. The decisions concerning maintenance,
weaving new product into production processes and handling process methods and product flow are the responsibility of the
the product through new offline processes. The process engi- contract manufacturer. Captive manufacturing engineers and
neer provides in-line training for technical staff and acts as the quality engineers provide oversight and interface. Although
arbiter of data collected on the quality and capability of the the equipment costs are borne by the contractor, they are still
processes in relation to final product performance. A qualified paid by the development organization so the decision to con-
development team often has a technical design lead, process tract production is often related to the complexity and quan-
engineer and manufacturing engineer to optimize communi- tity of the new product and considers the nature of the contrac-
cation, accelerate product introduction and handle the work tor. Since the contracted manufacturer also must make a profit,
required to prove out new product before sales. This team is the cost of contract manufacturing often is higher than for a
responsible for prototype production using the exact methods captive concern. Labor costs, material transport and product
and processes intended for scaled production. The responsibil- distribution expenses can factor into the decision along with
ity can rest with fewer engineers, though the process slows and the character of the development corporation. There are no
risk is incurred. Manufacturing is a disciplined process not un- true contract manufacturers with dominant roles in photonics
10 IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER June 2021
35photos03_r1.indd 10 6/16/21 9:46 AMproducts, though small shops provide these services. Since the captive manufacturing is capacity utilization which risks un-
design information is lodged with the contract manufacturer, derused tooling and staff when the market cannot accept pro-
this information is learned by employees outside of the design duction. Each manufacturer must factor their risk of sales in
organization and can influence control of intellectual property. consideration of a manufacturing strategy.
Similarly, process development by the contract manufacturer is In any case, the methods of accelerated product introduc-
owned by the contractor and suited to the tools and methods tion are built around known tooling, existing processes and
developed for the product. Contract manufacturers can provide development designs that are able to take advantage of tribal
significant advantage for high-volume or high-mix production knowledge and market anticipation. Taking advantage of
where a captive supplier requires additional surge capacity. In alternate capabilities for tooling, substitution of materials,
such cases, a dedicated production line or specialized dedicated improvement of tolerances for assembly and changes in pack-
tooling may be economically beneficial for new product re- aging or interfaces provides ample design space for inven-
lease. As an example, specialized substrates were required for tion and market dominance. Corporate personality influences
advanced photonic assemblies and commercial products were the choices for manufacturing preferences since the actions of
inadequate, but the quantity was attractive for the supplier to technology leaders differ from those of fast followers or dis-
install dedicated equipment and processes for their single larg- ruptive market players. A technology leader and disruptive
est customer, providing attractive costs and essential materi- suppliers may require captive facilities to accelerate learning
als. This path was chosen instead of captive manufacturing of and derive improvements to tools and processes that are capa-
the material since the changes were within the capability of a ble of meeting the demands of new products. Careful review
commercial supplier. Raw materials, semiconductors, optical of industry practice, patent history and academic advance-
subassemblies, housings and other components may be candi- ments can influence the choice of manufacturing methods,
dates for contract manufacturing, not just overall assembly and supply chain structure and choice of captive and contract sup-
test. Many companies use contract manufacturing to build cir- pliers. Knowledge of production tools from similar industries
cuit card assemblies (CCA) since the operations are relatively can reveal breakthrough capabilities not just for emerging
similar for power, control and interface boards. The location of products, but as an example, historical capabilities from the
operations, quality and methods should be carefully audited semiconductor industry can favor affordable microphotonic
and controlled particularly since long distance supply lines are fabrication, integration and test. The telecommunication
prone to disruption from transportation, political and econom- industry has historically consumed and driven many new
ic factors. The cost of disruption can often lead to choices in photonic derivative products using modifications of existing
favor of captive production. tooling and practices.
The Role of Captive Manufacturing Unique Circumstances for
The captive supplier typically has a variety of advantages over Emerging Photonic Systems
contract assembly or embedded operations. The manufacturing Over the past 20 years, precision assemblies and micro-electro-
organization understands the characteristics of the processes, mechanical system integration has introduced breakthrough
products, materials and methods needed for photonic product advances in photonic product design and integration. The ever-
integration. This learning and know-how is often trade-secret increasing layers for semiconductor fabrication and through-
and can be the basis of profitable and rapid product introduc- silicon-via (TSV) technology have provided cooler, faster and
tion. A captive supplier has unique knowledge and access to easier interconnection that promises new generations of pho-
their development organization, and the tolerances and con- tonic products. The firms that specialize in compound semicon-
trols of product design can be optimized for rapid deployment. ductor heterostructures have further advanced lasers, nonlinear
The captive supplier also has control over the work hours and optics and specialized structures that force re-examination of
maintenance schedules for equipment and can tailor capacity to the processes, materials and methods available for future prod-
demand with clear understanding of the exposure to inventory ucts. Techniques like 3D printing have made it possible to pro-
and work in process. The advantage of captive manufacturing totype some products faster. New composites, materials, opti-
is summarized as: a) intimate understanding of the process, cal substrates and process methods have improved performance
materials, risks and options for affordable production, b) short- to near theoretical limits. Still, advances in thermal design,
est supply chain logistic advantages benefiting product veloc- mechanical stability, optical throughput and electromagnetic
ity and availability of prototyping using legitimate tools and design for speed and quantum limited systems will continue to
techniques well-suited to product, c) commonality with tools challenge the inventors of the 21st century. The micro-optical
and methods for any necessary repair or modifications for cus- bench and integration of components draws from a wealth of
tom product requirements, d) the ability to tailor testing for inventions and know-how to continue to decrease the size and
variations in customer specifications. To re-emphasize, captive increase the speed of communication products, sensors includ-
manufacturing provides a faster path for prototypes and famil- ing chip-scale LADAR, position sensors with optical gyros and
iarity of the processes so that development and manufacturing accelerometers and new products in data storage and high per-
only need to learn new features once, instead of transferring formance vector and scalar processing. Stacked chip and 3D
between suppliers or outside organizations. A more detailed monolithic designs are emerging.
understanding of the operation is possible and can be reflected Advances in photonic and microphotonic products will re-
in the enterprise planning (ERP) system. The downside for quire continued progress in engineering disciplines including:
June 2021 IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 11
35photos03_r1.indd 11 6/16/21 9:46 AM1) Packaging and Environments self-diagnosis will re-occur as it has for decades. Non-contact
2) Assembly and Automation test systems and reliable product handlers will often require
3) Interfaces customization so internal automation teams or an external con-
4) Automated Testing tractor relationship is highly desirable for the modern photonic
5) Tolerances and Precision manufacturer.
6) Affordability and Repair The need for improved precision and better accuracy never
Each area is a lengthy topic, but to summarize, we have diminishes, and as submicron precision is displaced by sub-
learned that packaging and environments require critical en- nanometer precision the requirements for power and perfor-
gineering attention to achieve advancements. We have gained mance will stress the fundamental materials. New materials
new software and faster processors capable of simulations that and new applications of heritage materials are inevitable.
speed product introduction and reduce errors and omissions. Tolerances will continue to decrease, only resisted by practi-
Although some learning is brought from the semiconduc- cal and intelligent manufacturing engineers with knowledge
tor and MEMS suppliers, new methods are needed for ever- of the limits of existing tooling and the demands of product
more-demanding environments including radiation-hardened compliance, yield and cost. The last summary item is often
systems for space and uncontrolled environments, for remote ignored since it is assumed that no scrap would be generated
sensing or automotive systems. The global telecommunication or at least it would be negligible as a cost of doing business.
expansion once provided many companies focused on automa- Manufacturing considers product defects within the spectrum
tion for fabrication, alignment, precision assembly and test- of acceptance from: a) use without consequence and change
ing, but the reduced size and increased complexity of evolving or b) for waivered use “as-is” after modification or repair. A
products will continue to challenge this specialty to provide repair process, similar to designed-in self-test or design-for-
affordable, reliable systems particularly for consumer goods. product maintainability, is a product feature that can signifi-
Professional organizations like IEEE have developed standards cantly improve product quality and improve the bottom line
as have international and other professional and industry trade of the business.
groups. Custom interfaces are still common particularly for in- The 21st century will find increasing numbers of 3D pho-
ternal subsystems where designers attempt to prevent external tonic systems, often predicted over the past 50 years. Thanks to
tampering or modification. Sufficient effort is spent on global the pioneering work of Dr. Philip Russel and his 1991 efforts
standards for emerging product introduction to use standard with hollow-core fiber, a rich field of materials, fabrication and
interfaces or comply with accepted quality systems. The in- simulation have developed. With the improvements of Multi-
terfaces and new designs affect testing. As size changes and physics simulation tools it is only to be expected that foundries
complexity increases the challenge of affordable testing will will provide design rules for integration and thermal manage-
grow more complex and the desire for reliable internal test and ment of future photonic products.
Short historical case studies are offered to provide insight
into challenges and unique solutions from photonic integra-
tion and manufacturing:
Case Study: Integrated Fiber
E/O and O/E Switch
The introduction of fiber-optic communication systems pro-
vided significant advantages in data throughput, cost of opera-
tion and the reduction in component size and cost. Developers
at AT&T Bell Laboratories were faced with the challenge of
integrating the E/O and O/E transitions between fiber and the
switching circuit on or about 1989. Where ceramic had al-
ways satisfied using microstrip or stripline designs, fiber data
rates introduced interference, crosstalk and unacceptable loss
for the emerging network. A team as described in this article
was assembled with Dr. Courtland N. Robinson, Dr. David B.
Powell, Robert Koehler, Dr. C.P. Wong and others. They con-
cluded that a new composite material, Figure 2, was required
to provide electrical and thermal performance along with the
assembly, integration and precision demanded by alignment
of the fiber cores to laser diodes or receivers. Critical material
reviews resulted in a reformulation of a commercial polymer
and used commercial fillers that provided the precise dielectric
constant, film thickness, uniformity, process consistency and
conductor interface without temperature degradation during
Figure 2. Film Integrated Circuit Using PHP92—AT&T POLY- component assembly and integration. Commercial photoresist
HIC ca. (1992) processes and flying probe test systems were modified to work
12 IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER June 2021
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