Imec and Ghent University make single-chip microwave photonics system
Comms networks today rely on high-speed fibre-optic links and microwave transmission. But as demand for higher data rates and operation at higher frequencies grows, new systems need tighter integration between these two modes of communication to overcome signal processing complexity, high transmission losses, and power-hungry electronics.
Now researchers at Imec and Ghent University have demonstrated a fully-integrated single-chip microwave photonics system, combining optical and microwave signal processing on a single silicon chip.
They say this breakthrough could replace bulky and power-hungry components, enabling faster wireless networks, low-cost microwave sensing, and scalable deployment in applications like 5G/6G, satellite communications, and radar systems. The results were published in Nature Communications.
The chip integrates high-speed modulators, optical filters, photodetectors, as well as transfer-printed InP lasers, making it a compact, self-contained and programmable solution for high-frequency signal processing.
The key innovation lies in the novel combination of a reconfigurable modulator and a programmable optical filter enabling efficient modulation and filtering of microwave signals while significantly reducing signal loss. This combination enhances overall performance allowing the system to handle complex signal processing tasks with greater flexibility and efficiency for a wide range of applications.
The chip is built on Imec’s standard iSiPP50G silicon photonics platform, which includes low-loss waveguides and passive components, high-speed modulators and detectors, and thermo-optic phase shifters for tuning the optical response. To provide an integrated light source, the researchers incorporated an InP optical amplifier (developed by III-V Lab) on the chip using the microtransfer-printing technology developed at the Photonics Research Group (Imec/Ghent University). In combination with on-chip tunable filter circuits, this allows the optical amplifier to function as a widely tunable laser, further enhancing the system’s versatility.
“The ability to integrate all essential microwave photonics components on a single chip marks a major step toward scalable and energy-efficient high-frequency signal processing,” said Wim Bogaerts, professor in the Photonics Research Group at Ghent University and Imec. “By eliminating bulky external components, this technology paves the way for more compact, cost-effective solutions in next-generation wireless networks and advanced sensing systems.”
Reference
Deng, H., Zhang, J., Soltanian, E. et al. Single-chip silicon photonic engine for analog optical and microwave signals processing. Nat Commun 16, 5087 (2025).
