Silicon Nanophotonics: Using Light to Speed up Computers

September 11, 2019
The Black Sheep Pub

247 S. 17th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

6:00pm

Ritesh Agarwal
University oof Pennsylvania
“Silicon Nanophotonics: Using Light to Speed up Computers”
 

In this talk I will briefly review the amazing progress made in the area of computer technology outlining some key advances leading to the development of modern computers. However, in order to continue the same rate of progress, we have to find new ways to make Silicon, a workhorse material in our computers perform new tricks or be able to integrate new technologies on a Silicon platform. This also includes new materials and devices that can perform the functions required for quantum computing technologies. I will motivate the use of light in making our computers faster and to do so, we will have to learn how to make Silicon emit light and perform basic computing functions, especially at the nanoscale. We will also discuss how more information can be encoded in light to assemble optical communication systems that can process much more information than what is possible with current technologies. Some of the ideas that are being pursued in my research group in enabling Silicon-based nanophotonics will be discussed along with how such nanodevices can also be used for quantum computers.