Scientists at Caltech have developed ultra-low-loss optical pathways on silicon chips that can guide light with performance approaching that of optical fiber, particularly at visible wavelengths. The new technology uses the same type of glass found in optical fiber to create tiny waveguides directly on standard silicon wafers, allowing light to travel with exceptionally little signal loss. The researchers found that their new platform can outperform conventional silicon nitride technology by up to 20 times at visible wavelengths. It also enabled lasers with more than 100 times greater light coherence than previous designs, opening new possibilities for highly precise and efficient optical technologies. The breakthrough could help advance a wide range of applications, including optical clocks, gyroscopes, atomic sensors, quantum technologies, and AI data-center communications. By bringing fiber-like optical performance directly onto computer chips, the technology could also enable smaller, more energy-efficient photonic systems.
