RQC Seminar

261st RQC Seminar

  • Speaker

    Dr. Amir Youssefi
    ( CTO & Co-Founder, EDWATEC )

  • Date

    11:00-12:00, Friday, April 17, 2026

  • Venue

    Hybrid( Zoom,
    W319-321 Meeting Room, 3F, Cooperation Center, Wako Campus / 和光地区 研究交流棟3階 ミーティングルーム (W319-321) (S41))

  • Title

    On-Chip Optical Gain: How Erbium Doped PICs Bridge the Missing Element in Silicon Photonics

  • Inquiries

    yasunobu.nakamura[at]riken.jp

Abstract
Amir Youssefi will present the erbium-doped photonic integrated circuit (Er-PIC) platform developed at EDWATEC and EPFL, which enables on-chip optical amplification and lasing for silicon photonics—serving as a critical engine for high-speed interconnects in AI infrastructure and data centers. As demand grows for compact and scalable optical amplification, particularly in data centers and long-haul interconnects, Erbium-doped waveguide amplifier technology harnesses low-loss silicon nitride waveguides and incorporates erbium ion implantation to address long-standing challenges in miniaturizing optical amplifiers. Such devices offer up to a 1,000-fold reduction in footprint compared to traditional fiber-based technologies (EDFA) while matching their performance.

Additionally, he presents erbium-integrated lasers with ultra-narrow linewidths, broad tunability, and exceptional stability. These advances bridge the gap between bulky fiber systems and semiconductor-based solutions, unlocking new possibilities in communications, sensing, and LiDAR. Mr. Youssefi will conclude by outlining the progress in scalable manufacturing, robust packaging, and seamless integration with silicon photonics—laying the foundation for the broad adoption of Er-PICs in next-generation optical transceivers and co-packaged optics.

Bio:
Dr. Amir Youssefi is the co-founder and CTO of EDWATEC SA, a Swiss startup developing Erbium-doped photonic integrated circuits for on-chip optical amplification and lasing. He received his PhD from the Laboratory of Photonics and Quantum Measurement (LPQM) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and his B.Sc. in both Electrical Engineering and Physics from Sharif University of Technology, Iran. His research was focused on photonics, hybrid quantum systems, quantum opto-mechanics, and electro-optic devices. In 2012, he was awarded the silver medal in the 43rd International Physics Olympiad in Estonia. He was awarded the 2023 Swiss Nanotechnology Prize, recognizing his activities in development of ultra-coherent quantum oscillators.


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