Silicon photonics: the optical spice rack

Silicon is evolving as a versatile photonics platform with multiple functionalities that can be seamlessly integrated. The toolbox is rich, starting from the ability to guide and switch multiple wavelength sources at gigahertz bandwidths, to optomechanical MEMS and opto-fluidics devices. Some of the challenges in the field of silicon photonics are discussed; among them are the decrease of losses in silicon waveguides and the integration of silicon photonics with current CMOS microelectronics.