Integrated Photonics
Shaping our future with the power of light
Photonics – the generation, processing and detection of light – is crucial to our future internet, energy, preventive healthcare, mobility and security. At TU/e we develop new materials and devices, integrated circuits and systems to create game-changing solutions that enable faster and more reliable data communication at lower energy cost, sensitive sensors for a better health, and unbreakable cryptography.
Light: the essential ingredient for future technology
Today’s data traffic has reached its limits. The microelectronics we use to process data lacks the efficiency we need to meet our ever increasing demands on bandwidth and speed. And datacenters around the world already use up more than three percent of all the electricity we generate. Without any mitigating measures, this energy consumption will rise to double-figure percentages of global power consumption.
Photonics – the technology that uses light instead of electrons to carry information – not only has a much higher processing speed than microelectronics, it also consumes considerably less energy per processed bit of information. However, ongoing innovation is necessary to sustainably support increasing demand in areas such as internet bandwidth, connectivity and computational power for business, entertainment, health, mobility, sustainable energy supply, air and drinking water quality, sustainable agriculture, safety and communications.
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Integrated Photonics @ DDW 2019
We are proud that our work on Integrated Photonics was presented at the TU/e Drivers of Change exhibition of the Dutch Design Week (DDW) in October. The DDW is the biggest design event in Northern Europe. Every year It attracts more than 350,000 visitors from home and abroad. The following Integrated Photonics projects were presented:
OPERATION OF LIGHT GUIDES: the operation of light guides as the basis for optical chips
PHOTONIC INTEGRATION FOR SENSORS: simpler interrogators for better sensors
SMART BED: invisible pressure sensor that monitors movements during sleep
NANOWIRE SOLAR CELL: extra solar energy thanks to nanoscale design
SEEING NANO-MATTER WITH THE NAKED EYE: see with the naked eye how nanophotonic structures modify light emission
FASTER INTERNET FOR 5G: running new 5G mobile applications through faster access to the network
OPTICAL WIRELESS COMMUNICATION: towards an ultrafast wireless internet
Related research groups
The six TU/e groups working on Integrated Photonics together cover three fields:
- Photonic materials and devices
- Photonic integrated circuits
- Photonic systems
Institute for Photonic Integration
The TU/e Institute for Photonic Integration (IPI) integrates all research areas crucial to photonics (materials and devices, components, circuits, systems) and cooperates with initiatives that bring photonic research results to a higher Technology Readiness Level.
The Institute’s ultimate mission is to break through current technological and theoretical limits in photonics along the entire value chain, thereby contributing to solving some of society’s most pressing problems such as the imminent congestion of our electronic superhighway. This is done by fostering expertise and training engineers and researchers to develop new photonics applications and integrate electronics with photonics. The groups brought together within IPI provide exactly the expertise needed to achieve this.
Meet our researchers
Our research projects
Our research in the area of Integrated Photonics covers the whole chain from materials to system engineering. We develop and integrate new materials and components on the nanoscale, connect micro-photonic integrated circuits and micro-electronic integrated circuits, and devise solutions to enable the next generation 5G network.
Meet some of our projects.
Our job opportunities
"In photonics, with relatively simple steps, you can make great contributions to achieve new things. And TU/e is the best place to do photonics research, since we provide a rich working environment, excellent facilties and ample job opportunities in the Brainport region."
Andrea Fiore, Scientific Director of the TU/e Institute for Photonic Integration (IPI)
Dr. Winzer received TU/e Honorary Doctorate
Peter Winzer is a prolific author, holds numerous patents, and is a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher. He obtained many awards, among which Bell Labs Fellow, IEEE Fellow, OSA Fellow, the Thomas Alva Edison Patent award, and in 2018 the John Tyndall award, the highest recognition in the domain of optical communication. Winzer also made great contributions to the professional societies, serving on numerous conference and journal boards; amongst others, he was the Editor in Chief of the photonics flagship IEEE/OSA Journal of Lightwave Communication from 2013 to 2018.
Winzer has received a TU/e Honorary Doctorate on September 27th at MomenTUm 2019. Continuing and strengthening the research cooperation with the optical systems research at TU/e, he also will be a visiting professor at TU/e.
PhotonDelta Fast Career Track program
During the past 30 years the explosive growth of the internet has radically altered our lives. Photonics, the technology that uses light to transmit information, has played a key role in this revolution. The next years will see even more radical changes in areas such as communications, healthcare, agro-food, energy supply and mobility. The market is growing fast and thousands of jobs will be created. TU/e is the place to start a career in this field.
Do you want to be part of this future?
Then you should consider the new PhotonDelta Fast Career Track program. This program involves TU/e Master students in Applied Physics or Electrical Engineering in photonics research and applications from the start. You will participate to exciting research projects, define new photonic-based solutions to industrial problems, network with peers and professionals, and get first-hand contact with companies hiring in this field. Read more
Interested? For registration or questions, please send an email to photonicscareer@tue.nl
Partners in (semi)Industry
The Institute for Photonic Integration explicitly aims to develop scientific knowledge and technology which enables industry to bring new photonic products to the market. Through the Integrated Photonics ecosystem PhotonDelta IPI is part of, we maintain intense and mutually benefitting partnerships with companies and knowledge institutions.
Feel free to contact us in case you are interested to cooperate with us.
Meet some of our partners
News
The growing importance of Photonic Terahertz Systems
Professor Idelfonso Tafur Monroy used his inaugural lecture to enlighten us on how networks of people, ideas and technology can help to realize our preferred future by 2030. He also explains how to bridge fundamental research into Photonics and Terahertz waves to the urgent application needs of various industries.
Idelfonso Tafur Monroy, Full Professor in the Electro-Optical Communication group and the Institute for Photonic Integration in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e)
Contact us
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Visiting address
Institute for Photonic IntegrationFlux 0.155Building number 19Groene Loper 55612 AE EindhovenThe Netherlands -
Postal address
Institute for Photonic IntegrationFlux 0.155PO Box 5135600 MB EindhovenThe Netherlands -
Contact person
Yvonne van Kempen