The revolution that took place in the 1960s with the irruption of the manufacture of microchips for radio and television electronics has been experienced, multiplied by a thousand, since the 1990s in the manufacture of microchips for fiber optics and the use of light as a transmission element by means of integrated circuits. These new microchips are known as the photonic chips and it is expected that in 2025 the industry responsible for its manufacture will reach a 49% annual growth.
Spain and China are betting heavily on the photonic chip technology. Aid from the State is being well received by the Galician city of Vigo to start the construction of photonic chip factories. This new industry will favor research and attract other companies to the area.
This is something very positive, since the pandemic caused the microchip production centers to completely stop their chains, thus creating a gap between supply and demand, which led to an exorbitant rise in prices. If it is achieved that the photonic chip industry is channeled towards smaller companies, such as the one in Vigo, differential growth will be achieved.
It is expected that the first production line of photonic chips of multi-material and cross-size is expected to arrive in the Chinese city of Beijing in 2023 hand in hand with the company tune in. These chips are not currently being produced on a large scale anywhere in the world, so they will put Beijing at the forefront of the market.
From 2015 to 2021, the national market for photonic chips grew from 800 to 2.08 million of Dollarswith an annual growth of more than 15%.
Their manufacture involves fewer structural requirements than in the case of electronic chips, since they do not require high-end lithography machines such as extreme ultraviolet lithography. That is why in China they could use already existing raw materials to start up the photonic chips.
You have to remember that a photonic integrated circuit or optical integrated circuit It is a microchip that contains two or more photonic components that constitute a functional circuit. With this technology, light is transported and processed by means of photonswhich differs with the electronic integrated circuits that they use for it electrons.
In addition, it differentiates them that the photonic integrated circuit generates functions for information signals imposed at optical wavelengths, typically in the visible or near infrared spectrum.
Its main use
The photonics It has become such a developed and integrated technological branch in our day to day that we are not even aware of its presence. The photonic chips have evolved hand in hand with fiber optic cabling networkwhich allows us to hold remote conversations in real time, that is, they process information much faster.
The photonics it appears integrated into our day to day in fiber sensors or spectrometers, gas sensors or medical microfluidics. The photonic chips used for 3D printer lasers, remote controls or vehicle crash sensors
For example, did you know that thanks to the photonic chips Would it be possible to get a projection on tumors and your ability to suffer from them in the future? And only using a drop of blood!
In short, the photonic chips offer higher transmission speeds than electronic chips, not to mention that they consume less energy. The calculation speed and the transmission rate are 1,000 times higher to those of electronic chips.
