Despite facing sanctions from the United States, Huawei continues to advance its 5G technology by gradually reducing reliance on American components in its base stations. Meanwhile, the White House is rallying its allies to block the adoption of Huawei’s 5G equipment. However, these challenges haven’t deterred Huawei’s commitment to research and development.

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As the United States intensifies its chip embargo against China, the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) has released an annual report for technological development. This report serves as a strategic guide to navigate the embargo and promote autonomous technological growth comprehensively.
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On September 13th, Huawei and Xiaomi announced a global patent cross-licensing agreement that covers communication technologies, including 5G.

Huawei stated, “We are pleased to have reached this licensing agreement with Xiaomi. This agreement once again underscores the industry’s recognition of Huawei’s contributions in the field of communication standards and allows us to enhance our future research investment in mobile communication technologies.”

Xiaomi expressed, “We are delighted to have entered into a patent cross-licensing agreement with Huawei, which fully demonstrates the mutual recognition and respect for each other’s intellectual property rights. Xiaomi will continue to uphold its values regarding intellectual property, respecting intellectual property rights, seeking win-win, and building a long-term sustainable intellectual property partnership to promote technology for the benefit of a broader audience.”

Previously, on August 25th, Huawei and Ericsson announced a long-term global patent cross-licensing agreement, covering essential patents related to a wide range of standards, including 3/4/5G cellular technologies within the framework of standards organizations such as 3GPP, ITU, IEEE, IETF, and others. This agreement includes both communication network infrastructure and terminal device sales. According to the agreement, both parties license each other to use their respective standard patent technologies worldwide.

In addition to Xiaomi and Ericsson, Huawei has signed nearly 200 bilateral licensing agreements, and over 350 companies have obtained Huawei patent licenses.

According to official data, as of the end of 2022, Huawei holds over 120,000 valid authorized patents worldwide, with a significant presence in China, Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. Huawei holds over 40,000 patents in both China and Europe, as well as more than 22,000 patents in the United States.

(Photo credit: Xiaomi)

With the increasing demand for massive computing in fields such as AI, communication, and autonomous vehicles, the evolution of integrated circuits (ICs) has reached a physical limit under the premise of Moore’s Law. How can this limit be surpassed? The answer lies in the realm of optics. Currently, many domestic and international companies are actively embracing “Silicon Photonics” technology. When electronics meet photons, it not only addresses the signal transmission loss issue but is also considered a key technology that could usher in a new era, potentially revolutionizing the future world.

Integrated circuits (ICs) cram millions of transistors onto a single chip, performing various complex calculations. Silicon Photonics, on the other hand, represents integrated “light” paths, where light-conductive pathways are consolidated. In simple terms, it is a technology that converts “electronic signals” into “optical signals” on a silicon platform, facilitating the transmission of both electrical and optical signals.

As technology rapidly advances and computer processing speeds increase, communication between chips has become a critical factor in computing performance. For instance, when ChatGPT was first launched, there were issues with lag and interruptions during the question and answer process, which were related to data transmission problems. Therefore, as AI technology continues to evolve, maintaining computational speed is a crucial aspect of embracing the AI era.

Silicon Photonics has the potential to enhance the speed of optoelectronic transmission, addressing the signal loss and heat issues associated with copper wiring in current computer components. Consequently, semiconductor giants such as TSMC and Intel have already invested in related research and development efforts. In this context, we interviewed Dr. Fang Yen Hsiang, director of the Opto-Electronics Micro Device & System Application Division and Electronic and Optoelectronic System Research Laboratories at the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), to gain insights into this critical technology.

What Is the Relationship Between Silicon Photonics and Optical Transceivers?

An optical transceiver module comprises various components, including optical receivers, amplifiers, modulators, and more. In the past, these components were individually scattered on a PCB (printed circuit board). However, to reduce power consumption, increase data transmission speed, and minimize transmission loss and signal delay, these components have been integrated into a single silicon chip. Fang emphasizes that this integration is the core of Silicon Photonics.

Integrated Circuits’ Next Step: The Three Stages of Silicon Photonics

• Silicon Photonics Stage 1: Upgrading from Traditional Pluggable Modules

Silicon Photonics has been quietly developing for over 20 years. The traditional Silicon Photonics pluggable optical transceiver modules look very much like USB interfaces and connect to two optical fibers—one for incoming and one for outgoing light. However, the electrical transmission path in pluggable modules had a long distance before reaching the switch inside the server. This resulted in significant signal loss at high speeds. To minimize this loss, Silicon Photonics components have been moved closer to the server’s switch, shortening the electrical transmission path. Consequently, the original pluggable modules now only contain optical fibers.

This approach aligns with the actively developing “Co-Packaged Optics” (CPO) technology in the industry. The main idea is to assemble electronic integrated circuits (EIC) and photonic integrated circuits (PIC) onto the same substrate, creating a co-packaged board that integrates chips and modules. This co-packaging, known as CPO light engines (depicted in figure “d” below), replaces optical transceivers and brings optical engines closer to CPU/GPU chips (depicted in figure “d” as chips). This reduces transmission paths, minimizes transmission loss, and reduces signal delay.

According to ITRI, this technology reduces costs, increases data transmission by over 8 times, provides more than 30 times the computing power, and saves 50% in power consumption. However, the integration of chipsets is still a work in progress, and refining CPO technology will be the next important step in the development of Silicon Photonics.

• Solving the CPO Bottleneck and Beyond – Silicon Photonics Stage 2: Addressing CPU/GPU Transmission Issues

Currently, Silicon Photonics primarily addresses the signal delay challenges of plug-in modules. As technology progresses, the next stage will involve solving the electrical signal transmission issues between CPUs and GPUs. Academics point out that chip-to-chip communication is primarily based on electrical signals. Therefore, the next step is to enable internal chip-to-chip communication between GPUs and CPUs using optical waveguides, converting all electrical signals into optical signals to accelerate AI computations and address the current computational bottleneck.

• Silicon Photonics Ultimate Stage 3: The Arrival of the All-Optical Network (AON) Era

As technology advances even further, we will usher in the era of the “All-Optical Network” (AON). This means that all chip-to-chip communication will rely on optical signals, including random storage, transmission, switching, and processing, all of which will be transmitted as optical signals. Japan has already been actively implementing Silicon Photonics in preparation for the full transition to all-optical networks in this context.

Where Does Silicon Photonics Currently Face Technological Challenges?

Currently, Silicon Photonics faces several challenges related to component integration. First and foremost is the issue of communication. Dr. Fang Yen Hsiang provides an example: semiconductor manufacturers understand electronic processes, but because the performance of photonic components is sensitive to factors such as temperature and path length, and because linewidth and spacing have a significant impact on optical signal transmission, a communication platform is needed. This platform would provide design specifications, materials, parameters, and other information to facilitate communication between electronic and photonic manufacturers.

Furthermore, Silicon Photonics is currently being applied in niche markets, and various packaging processes and material standards are still being established. Most of the wafer foundries that provide Silicon Photonics chip fabrication belong to the realm of customized services and may not be suitable for use by other customers. The lack of a unified platform could hinder the development of Silicon Photonics technology.

In addition to the lack of a common platform, high manufacturing costs, integrated light sources, component performance, material compatibility, thermal effects, and reliability are also challenges in Silicon Photonics manufacturing processes. With ongoing technological progress and innovation, it is expected that these bottlenecks will be overcome in the coming years to a decade.

This article is from TechNews, a collaborative media partner of TrendForce.

(Photo credit: Google)

In the bustling tech bazaar, the iPhone 14 Pro and AirPods 3 are pioneering the tech industry by incorporating InP(Indium phosphide)-based EEL(Edge Emitting Laser). These devices are leveraging the unique attributes of long-wavelength technology for skin detection, which is a strategic move that highlights the gradual emergence of InP material in the consumer market.

Historically, data communication and telecom industries have acted as the primary fuel for the InP market, their demand for backbone network photoelectric and 400G/800G optical modules in data centers has been consistent. However, as the quality and refinement of 6-inch InP single-crystal growth technology advance, we see a reduction in production costs, thus unlocking a gateway to consumer applications.

Emerging Dual Frontiers: Consumer and Photonic Applications

Apple and other savvy smartphone OEMs are contemplating the introduction of long-wavelength InP-based EEL in their next-gen products. This would be used for physiological sensing in proximity sensors or possibly to replace the currently used 940nm GaAs-based VCSEL(Vertical Surface Emitting Laser) in 3D sensing.

Simultaneously, the evolution of autonomous driving is nudging automotive laser radars towards the 1550nm wavelength, a departure from the former 905nm. This shift promises increased detection range and improved protection for human eyes.

In the realm of photonics communication technology, a more significant growth driver stems from the trend of high-end EML(Electro-absorption Modulated Laser) replacing traditional DFBs(Distributed-feedback laser).

As next-gen data center applications are steered towards 400G/800G transmission speed solutions, EML laser chips promising high bandwidth performance and high yield will take the spotlight. They are anticipated to realize the high-speed transmission characteristics of single-wavelength 100G.

It is also worth noting that as fiber-optic access in the PON (Passive Optical Network) market gradually upgrades to the 25G/50G-PON solution, there is an evident trend towards integrated solutions combining laser chips and SOAs (Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers). This shift is driven by the increasing demands for higher transmission rates and output power, leading to the replacement of discrete DFB solutions.

Supply Chain Over-centralization: A Precursor to a Sellers’ Market?

This cornucopia of application scenarios signals tremendous market potential for InP-based components. However, one must question whether the supply chain is prepared for this windfall.

One of the concern is that the industry chain’s over-centralization might usher in a seller’s market situation.

InP substrate materials and epitaxial silicon wafers pose a high technological threshold and are primarily monopolized by few manufacturers, particularly those from Europe, the U.S. and Japan.

• The InP substrate material market is highly monopolized by Sumitomo Electric Industries, AXT, and JX NMM, which collectively account for 90% of market share in 2020.
• The epitaxy process is the crux of photonic chip production, with tech prowess directly impacting product performance and reliability. Key suppliers capable of providing InP epitaxy silicon wafers include IQE, Lumentum, and Sumitomo, among others.
• In terms of photonic chip technology, its value lies more in added functionality, necessitating process integration. This gives rise to IDM giants dominating the market. For instance, Lumentum, Sumitomo, and Mitsubishi dominate the 25G DFB laser chip market.

While the influx of newcomers from China is seen in the lower-tech optical module packaging sector, the core technologies upstream are still held firmly by international industry leaders, posing a challenging breakthrough for newcomers in the short term.

The growing interest in the market for this technology indicates that end-product manufacturers developing new applications based on InP will inevitably need to double down their efforts to ensure the stability of long-term supply. It remains to be seen whether the singularity of the supply chain will further restrict the proliferation of emerging applications in the end market.