Photonics Integrated Circuits: a hot topic at ECOC 2019!
The 45th edition of ECOC in Dublin confirmed the boom of photonics integrated circuits (PIC) throughout the telecom industry. Half of the exhibitors were presenting PIC-related technologies and activities. Designers, manufacturers, institutes, standards bodies and test assembly & packaging vendors highlighted their presence on this fast-growing market. There were also PIC workshops for experts and sessions on PIC market evolution and opportunities. For instance, Lisa Huff, Principal Analyst, Optical Components at Ovum, gave an overview of data center networks, discussing how optical integration and silicon photonics will transform the telecom landscape.
This forecast is shared by many analysts. As silicon photonics technology is strongly impacting the market, LightCounting research predicts an accelerated sales growth of products based on silicon photonics in 2020-2024, due to the use of DR4, FR4, DR1 and FR1 transceivers. In just 5 years, they estimate that the market will double from $6.9B to $12B in 2023, mainly due to the large increase in indium phosphide (InP) and silicon photonics technologies. Data from Stratistics MRC also indicate a year-on-year growth of 31%.
PIC testing – key insights
Our expert François Couny, Product Line Manager, was onsite at EXFO’s booth showcasing a comprehensive line of passive and active optical component testing solutions designed for PIC characterization. We asked him a couple of questions and grabbed some key insights.
