Electronic-Photonic Integrated Systems for Ultrafast Signal Processing

The open access book with the title “Electronic-Photonic Integrated Systems for Ultrafast Signal Processing” is a final report of the same-titled DFG Priority Programme in the emerging field of integrated electronic-photonic systems using novel nanophotonic/nanoelectronic semiconductor technologies. The programme is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and coordinated by Prof. Christoph Scheytt from Heinz Nixdorf Institute, Paderborn. Over the course of six years and two project phases overall 19 principal investigators and their respective research groups conducted their research in a total of 20 funded projects.

The overall objective of the Priority Programme is to address nanophotonic/nanoelectronic technology from a system perspective by investigating fundamental electronic-photonic signal processing concepts, algorithms, and novel integrated system architectures using predominantly photonic processing. By photonic-electronic integration in advanced photonic-electronic semiconductor technologies, such as silicon-on-insulator (SOI), silicon nitride (SiN), and indium phosphide (InP), the limits of electronic signal processing can be disrupted. Ultra-fast and energy-efficient information processing is required in many applications, such as communication systems, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, smart factory, instrumentation, and medical technology. Besides speed and energy efficiency, these systems have unique properties like low-cost, miniaturization, robustness, programmability.

The research and the results of the programme can be categorized in three core areas which pertain to:

• Ultra-broadband electronic-photonic signal processing with bandwidth far beyond electronic bandwidth
• Frequency synthesis as well as high-speed data converters enabled by ultralow-jitter femto-second-pulse-lasers
• Optical/THz sensing

Prof. Dr.-Ing. J. Christoph Scheytt (Member, IEEE) received the Diploma (M.Sc.) and Ph.D. (Hons.) degrees from Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany, in 1996 and 2000, respectively. In 2000, he co-founded advICo microelectronics GmbH, a German IC design house for RFIC and fiber-optic IC design. For six years he was the CEO of advICo. From 2006 to 2012, he was with the Leibniz Institute for High-Performance Microelectronics (IHP), Frankfurt (Oder), as the Head of the Circuit Design Department. In 2012, he was appointed as a Full Professor of circuit design with the University of Paderborn, Germany, and the Research Group Leader of the Heinz Nixdorf Institute, Paderborn. Since 2016, he has been the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Heinz Nixdorf Institute. Since 2018, he has been the Leader of the Priority Program ‘‘Ultrafast Electronic Photonic Integrated Systems for Ultrafast Signal Processing’’ SPP 2111 of Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. He is a co-speaker of the recently established Institute for Photonic Quantum Systems (PhoQS), Paderborn. He has authored and coauthored more than 200 refereed journal articles and conference contributions and holds more than 20 patent families. His research interests include high-frequency and broadband IC design for communications and sensing, IC design with SiGe BiCMOS and CMOS technologies, silicon photonics, and photonic quantum signal processing.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Berroth (Life Senior Member, IEEE) received the Dipl.-Ing. degree from the University of the Federal Armed Forces, Munich, Germany, in 1979, and the Dr.-Ing. degree from Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany, in 1991. In 1987, he joined the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, and worked on device modeling and circuit design. Since 1996, he has been a Professor at the University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany. His main research interests are on design, modeling, and characterization of electronic and optoelectronic devices and integrated circuits.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Pachnicke (Senior Member, IEEE) received the M.Sc. degree in information engineering from City University, London, U.K., in 2001, the Dr.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering from TU Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany, in 2005, and the Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing. degree in business administration from Fern-Universität, Hagen, Germany, in 2005. From 2011 to 2015, he was with ADVA Optical Networking SE (now ADTRAN) working in the Advanced Technology Group (CTO Office) as Principal Engineer. Since 2016, he has been a Full Professor and heading the Chair of Communications, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany. He is the author or co-author of more than 260 scientific publications, author of a book on Fiber-Optic Transmission Networks (Springer, 2011) and holds several patents. Dr. Pachnicke has been serving on the technical program committees of the European Conference on Optical Communications (ECOC), the Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC), the Signal Processing in Optical Communications Conference (SPPCom), the Asia Communications and Photonics Conference (ACP) and the International Conference on Photonics in Switching and Computing (PSC) and was General Chair of the SPPCom Conference in 2024. He is a Fellow of the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association and a Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Prof. Dr. Jeremy Witzens was born in Schiltigheim, France, in 1978. He received the Engineering Diploma degree from Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France, in 2000, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA, in 2001 and 2005, respectively. From 2006 to 2009, he was a Senior Staff Engineer with Luxtera Inc. and from 2009 to 2010 a Principal Research Scientist with the University of Washington, Seattle Campus. Since 2011, he has been a Professor with RWTH Aachen University, where he leads the Chair of Integrated Photonics. He is a Managing Director of aiXscale Photonics GmbH that he co-founded in 2017.
Jeremy Witzens is the author of more than 170 journal and conference papers and 27 patent families. His research interests include silicon photonics and its application to communications, sensing, instrumentation and quantum / neuromorphic information processing. These include in particular optically enabled information processing, visible wavelength silicon nitride photonic integrated circuits and their application to the life sciences, as well as co-packaged optics and novel photonic packaging schemes. Dr. Witzens was the recipient of a research grant from the European Research Council (ERC) in 2011, the General Chair of the International IEEE Conference on Group IV Photonics (GFP) in 2017, the General Chair of the 10th Sino-German Joint Symposium on Opto- and Microelectronic Devices and Systems (SODC) in 2018, and the General Chair of the European Conference on Integrated Optics (ECIO) in 2024. He is a Sr. Editor of the SpringerOpen Journal PhotoniX.

Christian Kress received the B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in electrical engineering from Paderborn University, Paderborn, Germany, in 2013 and 2017, respectively. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree at the Heinz Nixdorf Institute and the Institute for Photonic Quantum Systems, Paderborn. He also serves as the Group Leader of the Broadband and Quantum Electronic-Photonic-Integrated Circuits Subgroup within the Department of System and Circuit Technology. His research interests include high-frequency analog integrated circuits for broadband transmitters, receivers, and analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters in various photonic technologies, such as silicon BiCMOS/CMOS photonics platforms and thin-film lithium-niobate-on-insulator (TFLN) photonic integrated circuits (PICs).

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Berroth (Life Senior Member, IEEE) received the Dipl.-Ing. degree from the University of the Federal Armed Forces, Munich, Germany, in 1979, and the Dr.-Ing. degree from Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany, in 1991. In 1987, he joined the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, and worked on device modeling and circuit design. Since 1996, he has been a Professor at the University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany. His main research interests are on design, modeling, and characterization of electronic and optoelectronic devices and integrated circuits.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Pachnicke (Senior Member, IEEE) received the M.Sc. degree in information engineering from City University, London, U.K., in 2001, the Dr.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering from TU Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany, in 2005, and the Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing. degree in business administration from Fern-Universität, Hagen, Germany, in 2005. From 2011 to 2015, he was with ADVA Optical Networking SE (now ADTRAN) working in the Advanced Technology Group (CTO Office) as Principal Engineer. Since 2016, he has been a Full Professor and heading the Chair of Communications, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany. He is the author or co-author of more than 260 scientific publications, author of a book on Fiber-Optic Transmission Networks (Springer, 2011) and holds several patents. Dr. Pachnicke has been serving on the technical program committees of the European Conference on Optical Communications (ECOC), the Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC), the Signal Processing in Optical Communications Conference (SPPCom), the Asia Communications and Photonics Conference (ACP) and the International Conference on Photonics in Switching and Computing (PSC) and was General Chair of the SPPCom Conference in 2024. He is a Fellow of the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association and a Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Prof. Dr. Jeremy Witzens was born in Schiltigheim, France, in 1978. He received the Engineering Diploma degree from Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France, in 2000, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA, in 2001 and 2005, respectively. From 2006 to 2009, he was a Senior Staff Engineer with Luxtera Inc. and from 2009 to 2010 a Principal Research Scientist with the University of Washington, Seattle Campus. Since 2011, he has been a Professor with RWTH Aachen University, where he leads the Chair of Integrated Photonics. He is a Managing Director of aiXscale Photonics GmbH that he co-founded in 2017.
Jeremy Witzens is the author of more than 170 journal and conference papers and 27 patent families. His research interests include silicon photonics and its application to communications, sensing, instrumentation and quantum / neuromorphic information processing. These include in particular optically enabled information processing, visible wavelength silicon nitride photonic integrated circuits and their application to the life sciences, as well as co-packaged optics and novel photonic packaging schemes. Dr. Witzens was the recipient of a research grant from the European Research Council (ERC) in 2011, the General Chair of the International IEEE Conference on Group IV Photonics (GFP) in 2017, the General Chair of the 10th Sino-German Joint Symposium on Opto- and Microelectronic Devices and Systems (SODC) in 2018, and the General Chair of the European Conference on Integrated Optics (ECIO) in 2024. He is a Sr. Editor of the SpringerOpen Journal PhotoniX.

Christian Kress received the B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in electrical engineering from Paderborn University, Paderborn, Germany, in 2013 and 2017, respectively. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree at the Heinz Nixdorf Institute and the Institute for Photonic Quantum Systems, Paderborn. He also serves as the Group Leader of the Broadband and Quantum Electronic-Photonic-Integrated Circuits Subgroup within the Department of System and Circuit Technology. His research interests include high-frequency analog integrated circuits for broadband transmitters, receivers, and analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters in various photonic technologies, such as silicon BiCMOS/CMOS photonics platforms and thin-film lithium-niobate-on-insulator (TFLN) photonic integrated circuits (PICs).