Programmable photonics : an opportunity for an accessible large-volume PIC ecosystem

We look at the opportunities presented by the new concepts of generic programmable photonic integrated circuits (PIC) to deploy photonics on a larger scale. Programmable PICs consist of waveguide meshes of tunable couplers and phase shifters that can be reconfigured in software to define diverse functions and arbitrary connectivity between the input and output ports. Off-the-shelf programmable PICs can dramatically shorten the development time and deployment costs of new photonic products, as they bypass the design-fabrication cycle of a custom PIC. These chips, which actually consist of an entire technology stack of photonics, electronics packaging and software, can potentially be manufactured cheaper and in larger volumes than application-specific PICs. We look into the technology requirements of these generic programmable PICs and discuss the economy of scale. Finally, we make a qualitative analysis of the possible application spaces where generic programmable PICs can play an enabling role, especially to companies who do not have an in-depth background in PIC technology

The Installation of Prince Mangkubumi Performing Javanese History

Representation of Javanese history in performance plays an important role in the self-characterization of the Special Region of Yogyakarta. It legitimizes the power of the rulers and strengthens the identity of the city and its inhabitants. The audiences know the stories and this is part of the fun. In the study of oral traditions it is essential to take these performances into account. In the stories featuring famous political figures from the history of Mataram and Yogyakarta, there is an intricate relationship between the written and the spoken word: all are based on both oral and written traditions and are performed ‘orally\u27. Prince Mangkubumi, who was to become the first sultan of Yogyakarta in 1755, is one of the historical personages who are protagonists in various performance genres. Focusing on the tale of Prince Mangkubumi\u27s accession to the throne, I shall reflect on how the televised kethoprak version combines a (written) text with a mediated (aural/visual) performance to present the story

Building graph-based programming strategies for reconfigurable photonic circuits

We have developed a graph representation of programmable photonic mesh circuits that can be used by pathfinding algorithms. We modified the Dijkstra algorithm to observe only physically possible connections in the graph, demonstrating flexible rerouting in case of node malfunction

Discretization effects of digital control of thermally tunable 2x2 MZI couplers

We describe how digital voltage driving of tunable 2×2 Mach-Zehnder couplers with thermo-optic phase shifters introduces discretization errors which significantly affect programmable photonic circuits. Performing quantitative analysis, we show that proper biasing of couplers and simultaneous driving of arms can improve discretization errors

An equivalent circuit model of the traveling wave electrode for carrier-depletion-based silicon optical modulators

We propose an equivalent circuit model for the coplanar waveguide (CPW) which serves as the traveling wave electrode to drive carrier-depletion-based silicon modulators. Conformal mapping and partial capacitance techniques are employed to calculate each element of the circuit. The validity of the model is confirmed by the comparison with both finite-element simulation and experimental result. With the model, we calculate the modulation bandwidth for different CPW dimensions and termination impedances. A 3 dB modulation bandwidth of 15 GHz is demonstrated with a traveling wave electrode of 3 mm. The calculation indicates that, by utilizing a traveling wave electrode of 2 mm, we can obtain a 3 dB modulation bandwidth of 28 GHz