Photonics@SG 2026

Presentation Title: Photonic-Electronic Co-packaging and Addressing Production Scale-up Challenges through Design Standardisation and Pilot Lines. Abstract: The talk will present some of the latest developments in photonic and electronic packaging technologies, and how these technologies can transition from research to pilot-scale manufacturing. Particular focus will be given to packaging materials such as glass, the co-design of packaging processes with equipment development, and the development of standardised process design kits. The talk will also highlight important research initiatives in advanced packaging, particularly the recently launched European Pilot Lines, which aim to address the challenges of transitioning advanced packaging research to manufacturing-scale-up. Bio: Prof. Peter O'Brien is Head of the Photonics Packaging & Systems Integration Group at the Tyndall Institute, University College Cork, Ireland. He is also Director of the European Photonics Pilot Line (PIXAPP), Leader of Advanced Packaging in the new EU Chips Act Photonics Pilot Line (PIXEurope), and Director of the European Photonics Academy. Prof. O'Brien previously founded and served as CEO of a start-up manufacturing specialty photonic systems for biomedical applications, which he sold in 2009. He was a postdoctoral researcher at the California Institute of Technology and a research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he developed submillimetre-wave devices for remote sensing applications. He received his degree and PhD in Physics from Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork, respectively.

Presentation Title: 2D hBN for GaN Technologies: Scalable Epitaxy, Micro-LEDs, and Deep-UV Advances Abstract: Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), a two-dimensional ultrawide-bandgap semiconductor, is emerging as a foundational platform for next-generation III-nitride optoelectronics. Its weak van der Waals interface enables scalable epitaxial growth, mechanical release, and transfer of freestanding GaN-based heterostructures, supporting heterogeneous integration and flexible device architectures. Recent advances include MOVPE growth of h-BN and III-nitride heterostructures on 6-inch wafers, membrane liftoff of LEDs, and transfer onto arbitrary substrates. Vertical integration of RGB micro-LEDs grown on h-BN and graphene further enables full-color micro-LED displays. A selective-area van der Waals epitaxy approach yields detachable micro-LEDs from 100 μm down to 1.4 μm with smooth, as-grown sidewalls and well-defined facets; these devices can be released as membranes and transferred without degradation. Beyond its role as a template, h-BN also functions as an active material: Mg-doped h-BN can replace p-AlGaN to achieve electrically injected emission near 290 nm, offering a promising route to efficient deep-UV LEDs. Bio: Dr. Abdallah Ougazzaden is President of Georgia Tech-Europe in France, Co-Founder and Co-President of the Lafayette Institute, and a Professor in ECE School at the Georgia Institute of Technology. With over 30 years of experience in semiconductor and optoelectronic research, he began his career at CNET/France Telecom, later working at Optoplus/Alcatel and Bell Labs in the United States, where he led semiconductor materials programs for high-speed optical communications. He subsequently held management positions at Agere Systems and TriQuint (now Qorvo). Joining Georgia Tech in 2005 as a tenured professor, he helped create the GT-CNRS International Research Laboratory at GTE and served as its director for 12 years. His research focuses on wide bandgap semiconductors and 2D materials. He has authored more than 500 publications and holds 30 patents. His distinctions include the Légion d’Honneur (2019), the Stellab Award (2015), and Georgia Tech’s Steven A. Denning Award (2013).

Presentation Title: Optical Metasurfaces for Imaging, Sensing, and Display Abstract: Metasurfaces, composed of nanostructure arrays, enable high-resolution imaging across various wavelengths from UV to acoustic waves, with applications in displays, sensors, and bio-imaging. While design and manufacturing challenges exist, emerging fabrication methods like nanoimprint lithography and photolithography are advancing their commercialization potentials. Bio: Prof. Rho is a Yeon-San (延山) Endowed Chair Professor and Mu-Eun-Jae (无垠斋) Endowed Chair Professor at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Korea, with a joint appointment in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical Engineering. He received his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley (2013), M.S. at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (2008) and B.S. at Seoul National University, Korea (2007) all in Mechanical Engineering. Prior joining POSTECH, he conducted postdoctoral research in Materials Sciences Division & Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and also worked as a principal investigator (Ugo Fano Fellow) in Nanoscience and Technology Division & the Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne National Laboratory.

Presentation Title: Chip-Scale Unification of the Terahertz and the Megahertz Abstract: Photonics and electronics operate in the terahertz and megahertz, vastly different frequency regimes. We have invented a cohesive framework that will enable us to interface these two frequency regimes by building coherence intrinsically, into the system itself, introducing an alternative paradigm for opto-electronic integration where ultra-low phase nose is demonstrated. Bio: Brian Sia is an assistant professor at School of EEE, NTU. His interests include GPS-free navigation, coherent radar, photonic-RF transmission, THz-GHz/MHz interface paradigms, leveraging ultra-coherent lasers and integrated photonics as the driving platform. To date, patents authored by Brian have been the subject of licensing fees from industry in excess of 900,000 SGD. Brian serves as the consultant to deep-tech startups in Southeast Asia and the US. Brian’s work have been featured in numerous news outlets such as MIT news.

Presentation Title: On-chip SNSPDs for Quantum Photonics and Single-photon Imaging Abstract: Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) have become the gold standard for single-photon detection, combining broadband high efficiency with ultra-low dark counts, rapid recovery, and excellent timing jitter. Their performance underpins both fundamental quantum optics and an expanding range of quantum and classical photonic technologies. In this talk, I will present our recent advances in materials heterointegration and nanophotonic design that enable compact on-chip detectors, photon-number resolution, and quantum-state tomography. I will also highlight emerging applications in classical photonics, including single-photon imaging and LiDAR, where SNSPDs are pushing the limits of sensitivity and long-range performance. Bio: Cesare Soci is an applied physicist specializing in optical spectroscopy and nanophotonics. He earned his Laurea and Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Pavia, followed by postdoctoral appointments at the University of California, Santa Barbara (2005-2006) and the University of California, San Diego (2006-2009). He joined Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in 2009, where he holds joint appointments in SPMS and EEE. At NTU, he leads the Optical Science of Nanomaterials & Nanophotonic Technologies (OSON) laboratory and serves as Acting Director of the Centre for Disruptive Photonic Technologies. His research spans nanowire detectors, integrated photonics, light-emitting metasurfaces, and other optoelectronic devices. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics Singapore (IPS), Optica (formerly OSA), and SPIE.

Presentation Title: Electrically-pumped Topological Photonic Crystals Lasers Abstract: In electrically-pumped semiconductor lasers, microfabricated structures like photonic crystals have been employed to reduce device footprints. Recently, topological concepts have been integrated into the design of photonic crystal lasers, enabling unprecedented robustness to perturbations and unique laser performance. In this talk, I will present how band topology, which is invariant under small deformations, generates robust topological lasing states in semiconductor laser flatforms. In addition, I will introduce how photonic crystals lasers are designed using other promising topological concepts, such as Dirac vortex (or Majorana zero) cavities and topologically nontrivial flatband bound states in the continuum (BICs), for achieving robustness of lasing frequencies, structural beam engineering, and miniaturization while maintaining good laser performance. Bio: Prof. WANG Qijie is a President Chair Professor in Optoelectronics at the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) and the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS) NTU. He is an Optica Fellow. He is a co-recipient of the Institution of Engineers Singapore, Prestigious Engineering Achievement Team Award of Singapore Twice in 2005 and 2017, respectively, the prestigious Singapore Young Scientist Award 2014, Nanyang Research Award 2015 (Young Investigator), ARC Sciences Nanotechnology Medal and Prize, 2021, and NTU College of Engineering Research Excellence Award, 2022.

Presentation Title: Flat Optics Technologies Abstract: Metasurfaces present an exciting opportunity to replace conventional bulk optical components with much more compact and functional flat optics, which can be manufactured at large scale using conventional semiconductor nanofabrication. In National Semiconductor Translation and Innovation Center (NSTIC) we are developing flat optics design and manufacturing processes to translate this new technological platform to industrial products. In this talk, I will highlight our research and translational capabilities and show several examples of developed flat optical technologies, including high-efficiency focusing lenses for visible light, wide-field-of-view imaging camera modules for visible and near-IR, hyperspectral imagers, 1-micron-pixel liquid crystal displays for AR glasses and directional micro-LEDs. Bio: Arseniy Kuznetsov received his double PhD degree from University of Paris 13 (France) in 2005 and from Institute of Applied Physics RAS (Russia) in 2006. Since 2007 till 2011 he worked at the Laser Zentrum Hannover (Germany) as Humboldt Research Fellow. Since October 2011 till now he has been working in A*STAR (Singapore) where he is currently appointed as Senior Principal Scientist, Director of Optics and Electronics Division, and Vice President of the National Semiconductor Translation and Innovation Center (NSTIC). His R&D and management activities are devoted to development of novel nanodevices based on dielectric nanoantennas and metasurfaces. He is an author of >100 journal papers and a co-inventor of >20 filed patent applications. For his pioneering research on dielectric nanoantennas and metasurfaces, he was awarded 2016 IET A F Harvey Engineering Research Prize and 2017 NRF Investigatorship Award. In 2020 he was elected to be an Optica Fellow.

Presentation Title: Silicon Photonics Heterogeneous Integration (Si-PHI) - Augmenting Performance Through Multi-Material Integration Abstract: Silicon photonics heterogeneous integration (Si-PHI) enables performance beyond the limits of silicon by incorporating multiple best-in-class materials - such as III–V, SiN, and lithium niobate - onto a common platform. Si-PHI is poised to enable next-generation optical communication, computing, and sensing systems by combining the strengths of diverse material platforms into a unified silicon photonics ecosystem. This presentation will highlight recent technology advances in multi-material integration, covering process innovations, platform development, and demonstrations of various devices using Si-PHI. We will also discuss emerging opportunities toward scalable manufacturing. Bio: Dr. Luo received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in 2010, specializing in silicon photonics. He began his career as a Scientist at A*STAR’s Institute of Microelectronics (IME), focusing on silicon photonic integrated circuits (Si-PICs) and heterogeneous optoelectronic integration. In 2017, he co-founded Advanced Micro Foundry (AMF), where he led the development of silicon photonics integration platforms and Process Design Kits (PDKs). He returned to IME in 2023 as a Principal Scientist and, in 2024, was appointed Head of the Photonics & Sensors Department at IME and Vice President of Silicon Photonics Platform Technology at the National Semiconductor Translation and Innovation Centre (NSTIC), where he leads the development of next-generation silicon photonics heterogeneous integration. Dr. Luo is a Fellow of Optica, a Senior Member of IEEE, a Lifetime Member of SPIE, and a member of PMI. He currently serves as editorial board member of SPIE Advanced Photonics Nexus. He previously served as Associate Editor of Optica Photonics Research (2022 - 2025) and IEEE Photonics Technology Letters (2020–2024) and Guest Editor of the IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics Focus Issue on Hybrid Integration for Silicon Photonics (2020–2022). He also actively contributes to major international conferences such as the IEEE Photonics Conference and the IEEE Silicon Photonics Conference, Asia Communications and Photonics Conference, etc. He has authored or co-authored over 200 publications, contributed to 5 book chapters, and holds more than 30 patents.

Presentation Title: Device Performance of BEOL Ge Epitaxy on Si Devices Abstract: Integration of near-infrared photodetectors in the back-end-of-line requires low temperature growth of Ge (<450 C). We have developed low temperature epitaxial growth of Ge on Si using commercial tools and processes. We have fabricated high performance, vertical incidence Ge-on-Si photodiodes under these thermal budget constraints with as-grown diodes achieving high IQE and low dark current densities at 1310 nm. The photodiode design incorporates a uni-traveling-carrier (UTC) design, demonstrating that Ge material quality is sufficiently high for minority carriers to diffuse to the Ge/Si interface. Post-growth annealing up to 550 C was applied to improve device performance. Low-temperature grown Ge-on-Si photodiodes give comparable performance to diodes processed at high temperatures despite thermal budget constraints. Bio: Dr. Michel received his PhD from the University of Paderborn in Germany. After conduction post-doctoral research at the AT&T Bell Laboratories, he moved to MIT to conduct research on Si-based microphotonic devices, eventually specializing in Ge-on-Si integration. He has published more than 300 refereed scientific papers, 5 book chapters, and more than 30 awarded patents.

Presentation Title: Scaling Generative AI: From Rack-Bound Systems to Unified Optical Compute Fabrics Abstract: The exponential growth of Large Language Models (LLMs) is placing unprecedented demands on data center infrastructure, where data movement has emerged as the primary bottleneck. As model sizes scale to trillions of parameters, traditional electrical interconnects are hitting physical limits in reach and data rate, leading to severe power dissipation within the rack and constraining the performance of high-radix AI clusters. This presentation examines the architectural shift required to overcome these trade-offs and enable next-generation AI scale-up. We will explore how separating compute resources from the constraints of a single rack requires a new class of connectivity, namely Optical I/O. By integrating photonics directly with the compute package (Co-Packaged Optics), architects can create multi-rack clusters that function as a unified, high-performance fabric with significantly lower energy per bit. Finally, we illustrate how this disaggregated future is attainable today through the world’s first UCIe-compliant optical chiplet, proof of the pathway toward standardized, interoperable connectivity. Bio: Luigi Ranno is a photonics researcher and engineer specializing in integrated photonic devices, advanced photonics architectures, and optical interconnects. He is currently a Senior Engineer at Ayar Labs, where he is developing next-generation co-packaged optics solutions essential for scaling high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Luigi earned his PhD in Computational Materials Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His doctoral work focused on novel optical packaging strategies using micro-optics, innovative approaches for heterogeneous integration, and the demonstration of a record-performance photonic sensor chip for detecting dissolved lead ions. Before MIT, Luigi completed his integrated Beng + MEng at Imperial College London, investigating computational methods for plasmonic nanoparticle simulations and new strategies for semiconductor material growth. Luigi actively collaborates across academia and industry to push the boundaries of high-speed optical I/O and computing.