TRLUP – Photonic and electrical chip integration

The rapid rise in global telecommunications, fueled by artificial intelligence and edge computing, is placing unprecedented pressure on existing infrastructure. Data centers, in particular, are struggling to meet surging demands for bandwidth and energy efficiency, raising concerns about scalability and environmental impact. To address this, our team has developed a novel photonic telecom switch designed to overcome the performance and energy limitations of traditional electronic switches. These switches form the backbone of communication between service providers, internet exchanges, and hyperscale data centers but are increasingly bottlenecked by the limits of electronic processing. Our approach uses a passive optical computing architecture, allowing for significantly higher bandwidth and lower energy consumption than current electro-optic systems.
In addition to enhanced performance, our design emphasizes ease of integration and troubleshooting, which makes it more practical for real-world deployment. The switch offers two key advantages: it improves throughput while significantly reducing energy use. This not only enhances performance but also lowers capital and operating costs, making the infrastructure more scalable and sustainable.

We have successfully demonstrated the system in a laboratory setting using bulk and fiber-based components, and are transitioning from this lab-scale setup to a compact, chip-integrated version suitable for field deployment. A central challenge is integrating the PIC with control and RF electronics into a single, co-packaged system capable of active operation. This project will address that challenge by providing the micro-assembly expertise and system integration support needed to bridge the gap between lab demonstration and deployable hardware, ultimately enabling the commercialization of our energy-efficient photonic telecom switch.

Faculty Supervisor:

Chantal Piché

Student:

Partner:

V1 Studio

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Advanced Manufacturing; Information and Communications Technology; Nanotechnology

University:

Cégep de Thetford

Program: