Shining a Light: Popović Recognized For Innovations in Integrated Photonic Circuitry
by Allison Kleber
Professor Miloš Popović’s work on building a bridge between electronics and photonics, which spans more than a decade, has been recognized with a 2021 IEEE Region 1 Technological Innovation Award. In collaboration with researchers from UC Berkeley and MIT, his team developed leading platforms for the design of silicon photonic circuits: microchips that manipulate light. Not only do these platforms enable computer processors to communicate with light, but they allow for the monolithic integration of electronic circuits and optical devices; that is, they are integrated on a single silicon chip.
This groundbreaking technology led to an academic demonstration of the world’s first such microprocessor in 2015; that same year, Professor Popović co-founded Ayar Labs, Inc., now an industry leader in developing in-package (monolithically integrated) photonic I/O for high-performance processors for demanding applications, including artificial intelligence and big data analytics.
Today, Professor Popović’s research group here at BU continues to develop cutting-edge photonics technologies for new applications in quantum communication and computing, cryogenic signal processing, 6G wireless, and lidar imaging. The group has been a field leader in high-performance silicon optical component design, applying novel theoretical concepts to demonstrate record performance in various basic building block photonic components, from high-efficiency “grating couplers” for fiber-to-chip optical interfaces to “rapid adiabatic” beam splitters. Popović holds a PhD from MIT; he was named an Innovation Career Development Professorship with the BU College of Engineering in 2017.