Abstract:

The miniaturization of complex optical systems into fully integrated on-chip systems holds immense potential for enabling novel technologies and addressing the most pressing computing challenges at scale. For instance, the rapid growth of computationally intensive technologies such as artificial intelligence demands new paradigms for energy-efficient and high-bandwidth information transfer. Integrated photonics offers a promising solution owing to its high-bandwidth communication capability. However, scaling integrated photonic systems to be energy efficient, highly performing, and integrable with existing technologies remains a challenge. Heterogeneous integration, which combines different material platforms on a single chip, has emerged as a key approach to overcoming these limitations.

In this talk, I will present how heterogeneously integrated photonics enables advances necessary for two critical areas: optical interconnects for ultra-fast, low-power data transmission and chip-scale laser systems for compact, stable light generation. I will discuss recent innovations in materials, scalable integration techniques, and computer-aided optimization methods that push the boundaries of photonic co-design. Finally, I will highlight how heterogeneous photonics can shape the future of high-speed, low-energy computing platforms, both classical and quantum.

Bio:

Dr. Geun Ho Ahn is a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University (2024), working with Prof. Jelena Vučković on integrated photonics. During his graduate studies, Geun Ho was recognized James F. Gibbons Teaching Award, Stanford Graduate Fellowship, and KEF Fellowship. Prior to his graduate studies, Geun Ho was a research affiliate at UC Berkeley, working on optoelectronics systems as a Haas Fellow. He earned his bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. His primary research interest lies in the development of innovative photonic-electronic systems for optical interconnects, metrology, sensing, and quantum science through the innovations in photonic integration, materials, and computational optimizations.