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Photonics Photonic integrated circuit Electronic circuit Interferometry Waveguide Computer science Optical switch Electronics Programmable logic device Electronic engineering Optoelectronics Optics Physics Electrical engineering Engineering Computer hardware

Wim Bogaerts , Lukas Van Iseghem , Mi Wang , Hong Deng , Xiangfeng Chen , Iman Zand , K. P. Nagarjun , Umar Khan ·

YOU? · · 2021 · Open Access · · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2600687 · OA: W3202925653

Programmable photonic circuits, in contrast to classical photonic integrated circuits (PIC), can be configured at run-time to route light along different paths and perform different optical functions. This is accomplished by a mesh of interconnected waveguides that are coupled using electrically actuated tunable couplers and phase shifters. Such a waveguide mesh can redefine the connectivity between functional building blocks, but can also be configured into interferometric and resonant wavelength filters. The generic nature of such programmable PICs will lower the threshold to develop new applications based on photonic chips, in a similar way as programmable electronics.