As the information age progresses, we see ever increasing demands on our communications and computing technology, including decreasing size, maximizing bandwidth, reducing energy consumption, enhancing connectivity, and improving security. Advances in microphotonic systems, in particular those integrated on silicon, are allowing us to meet these rising demands. By integrating micro/nanophotonic devices on silicon, we can leverage the existing multi-billion dollar infrastructure of the semiconductor electronics industry and fabricate high-speed photonic devices with electronic devices on the same chip. Besides critical cost-effective and energy-efficient high-speed links in data centers, innovations in silicon photonics are driving many next-generation technologies, including advanced imaging systems, displays, remote sensors, and biosensors, to name a few. However, despite enormous research and development efforts and early-stage commercialization of silicon photonics technology over the last decade, silicon still has several major limitations as a photonic material. Significant challenges include its poor light emission properties, visible light absorption and strong two-photon absorption, inhibiting nonlinear ultrafast devices. To provide these and other functionalities missing in silicon, novel photonic materials and nanoscale devices that can be easily integrated within a silicon platform are vital.
