The birth of microelectronics in the early 1970s was the starting point of a paradigm shift that still fundamentally characterises our everyday lives in many respects today. The modern information society and the much-cited digitalisation of private and public life would be unthinkable without microelectronics. The carriers of information in microelectronics are the so-called electrons. The progressive improvement of microelectronics over decades through miniaturisation (the process by which technical devices, components or systems are made smaller, lighter and more efficient without restricting their functionality or performance) is now on the verge of reaching its physical limits - progress is stalling.

Photonics as the technology of the future

In the future, photonic circuits could trigger a revolution with a similar scope to the introduction of microelectronics. Here, the information carriers are light particles, so-called photons. According to the scientists involved in the project, the combination of electronic and photonic circuits on a microchip (integrated optoelectronics) holds out the prospect of functionalities that eclipse everything known to date in terms of speed and efficiency. In addition to information and communication technology, there are a wide range of possible applications in the field of sensor technology, including so-called quantum technologies.

While transistors are used as switches for electrical current in electronics, so-called modulators are required to switch light. To date, however, there has been a lack of modulators that can be integrated directly into low-loss photonic waveguides and electronic circuits. The NEPOMUQ project aims to close this gap by researching novel, optically non-linear perovskite materials that can be produced at low temperatures using solution processes.

Innovative application possibilities

"The integrated optical modulators envisaged by NEPOMUQ will make it possible to dynamically control the light guidance on photonic chips with electrical signals - and with negligible power consumption," says Dr Stephan Suckow, project manager from AMO GmbH in Aachen, project partner of the University of Wuppertal. "This innovation can pave the way for completely new design paradigms in integrated photonics. Possible applications include ultra-fast communication systems, laser displays and advanced optical sensors," explains Prof Dr Patrick Görrn from the Wuppertal Chair of Large Area Optoelectronics.

Prof. Dr Thomas Riedl, Head of the Chair of Electronic Components, also sees ground-breaking potential in the field of quantum technologies: "The technology could revolutionise ion-based quantum computing by enabling the production of photonic chips that can contain hundreds or even thousands of ions and manipulate their quantum states."

The first companies from the field of quantum computing are already signalling great interest in application-oriented follow-up projects. Companies from the field of communications technology are also supporting the work in NEPOMUQ and see prospects for utilising the research results.