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Organ‐on‐chip (OoC) systems are microfluidic in vitro platforms constructed to expand the current understanding of organ‐level physiology and response. This technology holds significant potential to transform drug discovery, precision medicine, and disease modeling while reducing animal model use. Recent developments in OoC technology have shown great promise, demonstrated using relatively simple microfluidic designs. Currently, the consensus in the OoC‐related literature is that the future of OoC technology lies in the development of robust platforms that offer higher throughput, improved customization, and higher levels of integration of sensing and actuation modalities. The implementation of silicon micro‐nanofabrication technologies can foster such a transition, but the application in the field remains limited. In this review, an overview of silicon micro‐nanofabrication technologies is provided that have been or can be applied in the realization of compact OoC systems, with focus on integrated actuation and sensing modalities. Emerging technologies are highlighted for the heterogeneous integration of silicon‐based and polymer‐based components in OoC systems for the realization of compact and multimodal OoC platforms. Finally, the most promising avenues are outlined for silicon technology within the framework of OoC and the future of biomedical research and personalized medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This article presents a European research project addressing migrant children's participation in the education system in seven countries. The article primarily concerns a part of the research project, based on transcribed recordings of facilitated classroom activities in primary and secondary schools, prefaced by a summary of the research findings that provides a background. The analysed facilitated classroom interactions show forms of hybrid integration based on the ways in which migrant and nonmigrant children exercise agency, sharing their personal cultural trajectories. The paper shows the importance of using research on classroom activities for the support of educational policies at local, national and European level. The analysis also suggests the ways in which these policies can be supported by the use of resources based on field research. Finally, the paper briefly focuses on the support of classroom activities in exceptionally unpredictable conditions, such as the COVID‐19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin film lithium niobate (TFLN) has become a promising material platform for large scale photonic integrated circuits (PICs). As an indispensable component in PICs, on-chip electrically tunable narrow-linewidth lasers have attracted widespread attention in recent years due to their significant applications in high-speed optical communication, coherent detection, precision metrology, laser cooling, coherent transmission systems, light detection and ranging (LiDAR). However, research on electrically driven, high-power, and narrow-linewidth laser sources on TFLN platforms is still in its infancy. This review summarizes the recent progress on the narrow-linewidth compact laser sources boosted by hybrid TFLN/III-V semiconductor integration techniques, which will offer an alternative solution for on-chip high performance lasers for the future TFLN PIC industry and cutting-edge sciences. The review begins with a brief introduction of the current status of compact external cavity semiconductor lasers (ECSLs) and recently developed TFLN photonics. The following section presents various ECSLs based on TFLN photonic chips with different photonic structures to construct external cavity for on-chip optical feedback. Some conclusions and future perspectives are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquaculture is expected to play a vital role in solving the challenge of sustainably providing the growing world population with healthy and nutritious food. Pathogen outbreaks are a major risk for the sector, so early detection and a timely response are crucial. This can be enabled by monitoring the pathogen levels in aquaculture facilities. This paper describes a photonic biosensing platform based on silicon nitride waveguide technology with integrated active components, which could be used for such applications. Compared to the state of the art, the current system presents improvements in terms of miniaturization of the Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) and the development of wafer-level processes for hybrid integration of active components and for material-selective chemical and biological surface modification. Furthermore, scalable processes for integrating the PIC in a microfluidic cartridge were developed, as well as a prototype desktop readout instrument. Three bacterial aquaculture pathogens (Aeromonas salmonicida, Vagococcus salmoninarum, and Yersinia ruckeri) were selected for assay development. DNA biomarkers were identified, corresponding primer-probe sets designed, and qPCR assays developed. The biomarker for Aeromonas was also detected using the hybrid PIC platform. This is the first successful demonstration of biosensing on the hybrid PIC platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a temperature sensor based on a polymer–silica heterogeneous integrated Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) structure is proposed. The MZI structure consists of a polymer waveguide arm and a doped silica waveguide arm. Due to the opposite thermal optical coefficients of polymers and silica, the hybrid integrated MZI structure enhances the temperature sensing characteristics. The direct coupling method and side coupling method are introduced to reduce the coupling loss of the device. The simulation results show that the side coupling structure has lower coupling loss and greater manufacturing tolerance compared to the direct coupling structure. The side coupling loss for PMMA material-based devices, NOA material-based devices, and SU-8 material-based devices is 0.104 dB, 0.294 dB, and 0.618 dB, respectively. The sensitivity (S) values of the three hybrid devices are −6.85 nm/K, −6.48 nm/K, and −2.30 nm/K, which are an order of magnitude higher than those of an all-polymer waveguide temperature sensor. We calculated the temperature responsivity (RT) (FSR→∞) of the three devices as 13.16 × 10−5 K, 32.20 × 10−5 K, and 20.20 × 10−5 K, suggesting that high thermo-optic coefficient polymer materials and the hybrid integration method have a promising application in the field of on-chip temperature sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the characteristic of ubiquitous radar emitting low-gain wide beam, a method of long-time coherent integration (LTCI) is required to enhance target detection capability. However, high-speed and highly maneuverable targets can cause Doppler frequency migration (DFM), range migration (RM), and velocity ambiguity (VA), severely degrading the performance of LTCI. Additionally, the number of targets is unknown and variable, and the presence of clutter further complicates the target tracking problem. To address these challenges, we propose a hybrid integration method to achieve joint detection and estimation of multiple high-speed, and highly maneuverable targets. Firstly, we compensate for first-order RM using the keystone transform (KT) and generate corresponding sub-range-Doppler (SRD) planes with different folding factors to achieve VA compensation. These SRD planes are then stitched together to form an extended range-Doppler (ERD) plane, which covers a broader velocity range. Secondly, during the track-before-detect (TBD) process, tracking is performed directly on the ERD plane. We use the sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) approximation of the probability hypothesis density (PHD) to propagate multi-target states. Additionally, we propose an amplitude-based adaptive prior distribution method and a line spread model (LSM) observation model to compensate for DFM. Since the acceleration of the target is included in the particle state, using particles to search for DFM does not increase the computational load. To address the issue of misclassifying mirror targets as real targets in the SRD plane, we propose a particle space projection method. By stacking the SRD planes to create a folding range-Doppler (FRD) space, particles are projected along the folding factor dimension, and then, the particles are clustered to eliminate the influence of the mirror targets. Finally, through simulation experiments, the superiority of the LSM for targets with acceleration was demonstrated. In comparative experiments, the proposed method showed superior performance and robustness compared to traditional methods, achieving a balance between performance and computational efficiency. Furthermore, the proposed method's capability to detect and track multiple high-speed and highly maneuverable targets was validated using actual data from a ubiquitous radar system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the rapidly evolving field of integrated photonics, integrated microwave photonics (MWP) stands out as a critical domain for on-chip signal processing applications. Over the past decade, harnessing stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) has yielded remarkable progress in this area due to its frequency tunability and unique narrowband resolution that can be achieved in a small footprint. The present article offers a comprehensive review of recent research focused on Brillouin scattering in photonic integrated circuits that guide light and sound, with a specific emphasis on heterogeneous and hybrid integration techniques tailored for applications in microwave photonics. The methodologies for realizing Brillouin hybrid circuits not only enable the seamless integration of Brillouin functions into complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor CMOS-compatible circuits but also facilitate the amalgamation of various active and passive functionalities on a single chip. Our discussion encompasses an overview of the strategies employed in harnessing Brillouin interactions, along with an examination of the associated challenges and limitations. Furthermore, we delve into both the existing and potential applications of this technology within the MWP systems domain, underscoring its multifaceted impact on contemporary research and future technological landscapes.

This paper is based on a Horizon 2020 research project on the enhancement of migrant children's ability to contribute to the change of their conditions of integration in the education system in seven countries (Children Hybrid Integration: Learning Dialogue as a way of Upgrading Policies of Participation, CHILD‐UP; GA 822400). The paper draws on data collected in vocational schools, with adolescents aged 14–16, in Italy. It draws on transcribed interactions to analyse activities in school classrooms in which facilitators support migrant adolescent's agency in producing narratives of their personal cultural trajectories. The paper shows how facilitators and adolescents share the rights of telling the narratives, the gender differences that become visible in the adolescents' narratives, and the ways in which facilitation supports the hybrid integration of migrant adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐throughput satellite (HTS) is an ideal way to realize cross‐regional massive, multifaceted digital exchange services, and it requires a signal processing module that can be massively multiplexed and has high flexibility. Due to the limitations of the frequency characteristics, microwave integrated circuits are difficult to meet this requirement. One solution to this problem is photonic integrated circuits (PICs). However, full‐size PIC satellite payloads containing main optoelectronic components are extremely challenging to implement on monolithic or hybrid integrated platforms. Here, the study demonstrates a hybrid integrated on‐chip microwave‐photonic satellite repeater with large‐scale multiplexing potential and high flexibility. This is a demonstration of a hybrid integration of a InP/Si3N4 external cavity laser, arrayed InP modulators, and semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs), as well as multifunctional Si3N4 signal processors, to fulfill a 1 × 4 Ka‐band repeater module with on‐chip arrayed frequency down‐conversion and outstanding narrowband photonic channelization. When combined with the full‐chip photonic RF repeater, broadband, highly integrated, and cost‐effective communications satellite payloads will become realizable more quickly in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates how dialogic negotiations contribute to the enhancement of pupils' epistemic authority. The analysis was based on two interactions collected in a primary school and a higher secondary school in Italy, as part of a European research project promoting dialogue-based activities. The aim of the research was to investigate children's agency and participation in changing their social and cultural conditions of hybrid integration. Their participation was promoted in different ways to facilitate dialogue, which enhanced dialogic negotiations and narrative interlacement. The analysis demonstrates that, through dialogic negotiations, children and adults shape the meanings of children's personal stories together and create a network of interlaced narratives. Both these conditions impact on children's participation in knowledge production and identity construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquaculture is expected to play a vital role in solving the challenge of sustainably providing the growing world population with healthy and nutritious food. Pathogen outbreaks are a major risk for the sector, so early detection and a timely response are crucial. This can be enabled by monitoring the pathogen levels in aquaculture facilities. This paper describes a photonic biosensing platform based on silicon nitride waveguide technology with integrated active components, which could be used for such applications. Compared to the state of the art, the current system presents improvements in terms of miniaturization of the Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) and the development of wafer-level processes for hybrid integration of active components and for material-selective chemical and biological surface modification. Furthermore, scalable processes for integrating the PIC in a microfluidic cartridge were developed, as well as a prototype desktop readout instrument. Three bacterial aquaculture pathogens (Aeromonas salmonicida, Vagococcus salmoninarum, and Yersinia ruckeri) were selected for assay development. DNA biomarkers were identified, corresponding primer-probe sets designed, and qPCR assays developed. The biomarker for Aeromonas was also detected using the hybrid PIC platform. This is the first successful demonstration of biosensing on the hybrid PIC platform.

Based on the characteristic of ubiquitous radar emitting low-gain wide beam, a method of long-time coherent integration (LTCI) is required to enhance target detection capability. However, high-speed and highly maneuverable targets can cause Doppler frequency migration (DFM), range migration (RM), and velocity ambiguity (VA), severely degrading the performance of LTCI. Additionally, the number of targets is unknown and variable, and the presence of clutter further complicates the target tracking problem. To address these challenges, we propose a hybrid integration method to achieve joint detection and estimation of multiple high-speed, and highly maneuverable targets. Firstly, we compensate for first-order RM using the keystone transform (KT) and generate corresponding sub-range-Doppler (SRD) planes with different folding factors to achieve VA compensation. These SRD planes are then stitched together to form an extended range-Doppler (ERD) plane, which covers a broader velocity range. Secondly, during the track-before-detect (TBD) process, tracking is performed directly on the ERD plane. We use the sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) approximation of the probability hypothesis density (PHD) to propagate multi-target states. Additionally, we propose an amplitude-based adaptive prior distribution method and a line spread model (LSM) observation model to compensate for DFM. Since the acceleration of the target is included in the particle state, using particles to search for DFM does not increase the computational load. To address the issue of misclassifying mirror targets as real targets in the SRD plane, we propose a particle space projection method. By stacking the SRD planes to create a folding range-Doppler (FRD) space, particles are projected along the folding factor dimension, and then, the particles are clustered to eliminate the influence of the mirror targets. Finally, through simulation experiments, the superiority of the LSM for targets with acceleration was demonstrated. In comparative experiments, the proposed method showed superior performance and robustness compared to traditional methods, achieving a balance between performance and computational efficiency. Furthermore, the proposed method’s capability to detect and track multiple high-speed and highly maneuverable targets was validated using actual data from a ubiquitous radar system.

Germanium (Ge) nanostrip was embedded in a polymer and studied as a waveguide. The measurements reveal that this new type of semiconductor/polymer heterogeneous waveguide exhibits strong absorption for the TE mode from 1500 nm to 2004 nm, while the propagation loss for the TM mode declines from 20.56 dB/cm at 1500 nm to 4.89 dB/cm at 2004 nm. The transmission characteristics serve as an essential tool for verifying the optical parameters (n-κ, refractive index, and extinction coefficient) of the strip, addressing the ambiguity raised by spectroscopic ellipsometry regarding highly absorbing materials. Furthermore, the observed strong absorption for the TE mode at 2004 nm is well beyond the cut-off wavelength of the crystalline bulk Ge (~1850 nm at room temperature). This redshift is modeled to manifest the narrowing of the Tauc-fitted bandgap due to the grain order effect in the amorphous Ge layer. The accurate measurement of the nanometer-scale light-absorbing strips in a waveguide form is a crucial step toward the accurate design of integrated photonic devices that utilize such components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ultra-wideband (UWB) interconnect technology using indium phosphide (InP)-based transitions for coupling the output signals from terahertz (THz) photodiodes featuring coplanar waveguide (CPW) outputs to low-loss dielectric rod waveguides (DRWs) is presented. The motivation is to exploit the full bandwidth offered by THz photodiodes without limitations due to standard rectangular waveguide interfaces, e.g., for future high data rate THz communications. Full electromagnetic wave simulations are carried out to optimize the electrical performance of the proposed InP transitions in terms of operational bandwidth and coupling efficiency. The transitions are fabricated on 100-µm-thin InP and integrated with silicon (Si) DRWs. Experimental frequency domain characterizations demonstrate efficient THz signal coupling with a maximum coupling efficiency better than − 2 dB. The measured 3-dB and 6-dB operational bandwidths of 185 GHz and 280 GHz, respectively, prove the multi-octave ultra-wideband features of the developed interconnect technology. The 6-dB operational bandwidth covers all waveguide bands between WR-12 to WR-3, i.e., a frequency range between 60 and 340 GHz. In addition, the multi-octave performances of the fabricated interconnects were successfully exploited in proof-of-concept THz communication experiments. Using intermediate frequency orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), THz communications are demonstrated for several frequency bands using the same interconnect. Considering soft-decision forward error correction, error-free transmission with data rates of 24 Gbps at 80 GHz and 8 Gbps at 310 GHz is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid integrated diode lasers based on combining semiconductor optical amplifiers with low-loss Si$_{3}$N$_{4}$-based feedback circuits enable great laser performance for advanced photonic circuits. In particular, using high-Q Si$_{3}$N$_{4}$ ring resonators for frequency-selective feedback provides wide spectral coverage, mode-hop free tuning, and high frequency stability on short timescales, showing as ultra-narrow intrinsic linewidths. However, many applications also require long-term stability, which can be provided by locking the laser frequency to a suitable reference. We present the stabilization of a hybrid-integrated laser, which is widely tunable around the central wavelength of 1550 nm, to a fiber-based optical frequency discriminator (OFD) and to an acetylene absorption line. By locking the laser to the OFD, the laser's fractional frequency stability is improved down to $1.5\cdot 10^{-12}$ over an averaging time of 0.5 ms. For absolute stability over longer times of several days, we successfully lock the laser frequency to an acetylene absorption line. This limits the frequency deviations of the laser to a range of less than 12 MHz over 5 days.

Tunable semiconductor lasers have many important applications such as wavelength division multiplexing, light detection and ranging, and gas detection. The increased interest in silicon photonics has led to the rapid development of miniaturized on-chip tunable semiconductor lasers. However, silicon has poor light-emitting properties. Therefore, realizing high-performance tunable semiconductor lasers requires the integration of light sources with silicon. In this study, we review silicon-based light source integration methods and the development of silicon-based integrated tunable semiconductor lasers. Considering that narrow-linewidth performance greatly expands the applications of tunable semiconductor lasers, methods for reducing the linewidth of tunable lasers are summarized. Finally, the development trends and prospects for silicon-based integrated light sources and silicon-based integrated tunable lasers are analyzed and discussed.

Silicon nitride (SiN) emerges as an important platform for ultralow loss photonic integrations with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor compatibility. However, active devices, such as modulators, are difficult to realize on pure SiN due to the lack of any electro-optic (EO) properties of the material. Here, an SiN and lithium niobate (LN) heterogenous integration platform supporting high-performance EO modulators on SiN waveguide circuits is introduced. An efficient evanescent coupling structure is realized for low-loss light transitions between the SiN waveguide and the LN ridge waveguide with a measured mode transition loss of only 0.4 dB. Based on this heterogeneous platform, an EO Mach-Zender interference modulator on SiN is built with unprecedented loss, efficiency, and bandwidth performances. A half-wave voltage of 4.3 V with a modulation bandwidth of 37 GHz and an overall insertion loss of 1 dB is measured for a 7-mm long device. Data transmission up to 128 Gb s-1 with a bit-error-rate of <2.4 × 10-4 is also demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Climate change necessitates a paradigm shift toward using clean energy technologies and carbon dioxide (CO 2) capture from emitting sources to alleviate the greenhouse effect and meet sustainable development objectives. Among the competing carbon capture technologies, high CO 2 storage capacity, use of water, and low capturing cost are critical advantages for applying gas hydrate based CO 2 capture. However, high equilibrium pressure and slow kinetics are issues in gas hydrate formation. The review contributes an exhaustive analysis of hydrate based technology and the additives used to stimulate hydrate formation, focusing on thermodynamic and kinetic promoters. Furthermore, the recent emerging research progress of hydrate-based CO 2 capture encompassing nanoparticles, porous materials, synergists, and hybrid hydrate-membrane methods is also presented. Heat integration in the process of novel hydrate-membrane with promoters has drawn attention appreciably to tackle energy, cost, and ecological concerns, including improvement in technology readiness level. Furthermore, innovative approaches, challenges, and aligned research and development opportunities are presented, which will assist the researchers in exploring advanced promoters and hybrid integrated technologies to compete with existing CO 2 capture technologies. • A review on hydrate-based novel method of CO 2 capture is presented. • Hydrate promoters along with their synergetic effects are critically discussed. • Concepts of hybrid integration of hydrate based technology are discussed. • The potential, challenges, and prospects of gas hydrate technology are summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microwave photonics (MWP) is an emerging field that studies the interaction between microwave and lightwave for myriad communication and information applications. Recently, new opportunity for MWP has emerged driven by the advances of integrated photonics. However, despite significant progress made in terms of integration level, a fully on‐chip MWP functional system comprising all the necessary photonic and electronic components, is yet to be demonstrated. Here, the status quo is broken and a complete on‐chip solution for MWP system is provided, by exploiting hybrid integration of indium phosphide, silicon photonics, and complementary metal‐oxide–semiconductor electronics platforms. Applying this hybrid integration methodology, a fully chip‐based MWP instantaneous frequency measurement (IFM) system is demonstrated. The unprecedented integration level brings great promotion to the compactness, reliability and performances of the MWP IFM system, including a wide frequency measurement range (2–34 GHz), ultralow estimation errors (10.85 MHz), and a fast response speed (≈0.3 ns). Furthermore, the chip‐scale MWP IFM system is deployed into realistic tasks, where diverse microwave signals with rapid‐varying frequencies at X‐band (8–12 GHz) are accurately identified in real‐time. This demonstration marks a milestone for the integrated MWP, by providing the technology basis for the miniaturization and massive implementations of various MWP systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin film 4H-silicon carbide (4H-SiC) is emerging as a contender for realizing large-scale optical quantum circuits due to its high CMOS technology compatibility and large optical nonlinearities. Though, challenges remain in producing wafer-scale 4H-SiC thin film on insulator (4H-SiCOI) for dense integration of photonic circuits, and in efficient coupling of deterministic quantum emitters that are essential for scalable quantum photonics. Here, hybrid integration of self-assembled InGaAs quantum dot (QD)-based single-photon sources (SPSs) with wafer-scale 4H-SiC photonic chips prepared by ion slicing technique is demonstrated. By designing a bilayer vertical coupler, generation and highly efficient routing of single-photon emission in the hybrid quantum photonic chip are realized. Furthermore, a chip-integrated beamsplitter operation for triggered single photons through fabricating a 1 × 2 multimode interferometer (MMI) with a symmetric power splitting ratio of 50:50 is realized. The successful demonstration of heterogeneously integrating QD-based SPSs on 4H-SiC photonic chip prepared by ion slicing technique constitutes an important step toward CMOS-compatible, fast reconfigurable quantum photonic circuits with deterministic SPSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hybrid mtegrated 89 GHz sub-harmonic mixer based on Schottky diode was proposed for meteorological monitoring radiometer. In this paper, based on the theory of miliimeter wave mixing technoiogy, a three-dimensional electromagnetic model of diode ss estabtshed in the Held simulation software, and a W-band 89 GHz sub-harmonic mixer ss designed based on the three-dimensional electromagnetic model. The simulation and test results show that when the Local Oscilator (LO) ss txed at 45 GHz, the conversion loss is better than 14 dB from 84 to 94 GHz, and the minimum conversion loss is 9 dB. The measured results are consistent with the simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A flexible and fast tunable laser based on hybrid integration is proposed, which can realize single and multi-wavelength reconfigurable output by controlling the on or off of semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) array in combination with a tunable arrayed waveguide grating (AWG). The wavelength switching time achieves <0.8 ns. The stable output power of the tunable laser is >16 dBm with >70 dB side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) and 6.4 nm tunability. The designed laser exhibits narrow linewidths down to 1 kHz and longitudinal mode spacing of 0.8 nm, which is suitable for ITU-T standards and the output power meets the requirements of coherent optical communications. A broadened spot-size converter (SSC) for bi-directional transmission is designed and implemented with a power coupling efficiency about 0.93 and an optical bandwidth of more than 200 nm. Demonstration of the 100 Gb/s quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) self-homodyne coherent optical transmission based on designed laser is achieved. • The tunable laser can realize single and multi-wavelength reconfigurable output. • The wavelength switching time achieves < 0.8 ns. • The stable output power of the tunable laser is > 16 dBm with > 70 dB SMSR and 6.4 nm tunability. • The laser exhibits narrow linewidths < 1 kHz and longitudinal mode spacing of 0.8 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An 8-channel monolithically integrated narrow linewidth multi-wavelength laser array (NL-MLA) combined with the commercial 8 × 1 planar lightwave circuit (PLC) coupler by the photonic wire bonding (PWB) technique is demonstrated in this paper. A distributed feedback (DFB) laser with the high-reflection and anti-reflection coatings (HR-AR) and the tapered asymmetric corrugation-pitch-modulated (TACPM) grating structure is proposed. The TACPM grating is achieved by the reconstruction equivalent chirp (REC) technique, which is low-cost and of high wavelength accuracy. According to the numerical simulation results, under the unavoidable impact of the facet phase of the HR end, the TACPM DFB laser suppresses the longitudinal spatial hole burning (LSHB) effect significantly, while having better single-mode performance and control of wavelength compared with the conventional HR-AR DFB laser. An 8-channel HR-AR TACPM DFB NL-MLA is fabricated with the 0.8 nm wavelength spacing design. The hybrid integration between the 8-channel NL-MLA and the PLC chip is achieved using the PWB technique. Both good single-mode performance and accurate wavelength interval of 0.8 nm can be obtained when all channels work simultaneously. The laser linewidth is below 273.8 kHz with good uniformity, and the relative intensity noise is under −159.6 dB/Hz for each channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attributed to its advantages of super mechanical flexibility, very low-temperature processing, and compatibility with low cost and high throughput manufacturing, organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) technology is able to bring electrical, mechanical, and industrial benefits to a wide range of new applications by activating nonflat surfaces with flexible displays, sensors, and other electronic functions. Despite both strong application demand and these significant technological advances, there is still a gap to be filled for OTFT technology to be widely commercially adopted. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the current status of OTFT technologies ranging from material, device, process, and integration, to design and system applications, and clarifies the real challenges behind to be addressed.

A hybrid integrated 89 GHz sub-harmonic mixer based on Schottky diode was proposed for meteorological monitoring radiometer. In this paper, based on the theory of millimeter wave mixing technology, a three-dimensional electromagnetic model of diode is established in the field simulation software, and a W-band 89 GHz sub-harmonic mixer is designed based on the three-dimensional electromagnetic model. The simulation and test results show that when the Local Oscillator (LO) is fixed at 45 GHz, the conversion loss is better than 14 dB from 84 to 94 GHz, and the minimum conversion loss is 9 dB. The measured results are consistent with the simulation results.

A hybrid integrated 89 GHz sub-harmonic mixer based on Schottky diode was proposed for meteorological monitoring radiometer. In this paper, based on the theory of millimeter wave mixing technology, a three-dimensional electromagnetic model of diode is established in the field simulation software, and a W-band 89 GHz sub-harmonic mixer is designed based on the three-dimensional electromagnetic model. The simulation and test results show that when the Local Oscillator (LO) is fixed at 45 GHz, the conversion loss is better than 14 dB from 84 to 94 GHz, and the minimum conversion loss is 9 dB. The measured results are consistent with the simulation results.

The urgent need to address the global sustainability issues that modern society is currently facing requires the development of micro and nanotechnologies, which rely largely on functional materials. Beyond studies focused solely on low-dimensional materials, broader research related to multifunctionality has shown that the major efforts to meet these criteria for new electronic, photonic, and optoelectronic concepts, particularly to achieve high-performance devices, are still challenging. By exploiting their unique properties, a comprehensive understanding of the implications of research for the synthesis and discovery of novel materials is obtained. The present article encompasses innovation research as an alternative optimization and design for sustainable energy development, bridging the scaling gap in atomically controlled growth in terms of surface heterogeneity and interfacial engineering. In addition, the corresponding research topics are widely regarded as a scientometric analysis and visualization for the evaluation of scientific contributions into the early 20 years of the 21st century. In this perspective, a brief overview of the global trends and current challenges toward high-throughput fabrication followed by a scenario-based future for hybrid integration and emerging structural standards of scalable control design and growth profiles are emphasized. Finally, these opportunities are unprecedented to overcome current limitations, creating numerous combinations and triggering new functionalities and unparalleled properties for disruptive innovations of Frontier technologies.

• Achieved 78.9% energy and 65.91% exergy efficiencies in hybrid FC system. • Integrated SOFC-MCFC system boosts CO 2 recycle, reducing emissions. • System's optimal emission point at 0.1513 kg/kWh showcases pollution mitigation. • Utilizes biomass gasification, leveraging renewable resources for cleaner energy. The burning of fossil fuels at an ever-increasing rate is accompanied by significant anthropogenic CO 2 emissions that are surpassing the carbon cycle in nature. Fuel cell (FC) technology serves as the fundamental basis for hybrid energy systems, which exhibit potential in addressing environmental and energy concerns. This study harnesses the gasification of biomass as a renewable resource in conjunction with two types of high-temperature fuel cells. The investigated system includes a gasifier, solid oxide fuel cell, molten carbonate fuel cell, gas turbine, and steam turbine. In this system, the oxidation of unused fuel through sustainable technology is facilitated by positioning the molten carbonate fuel cell downstream of the solid oxide fuel cell. Additionally, this placement enhances the recirculation of CO 2 within the system. A comprehensive examination has been undertaken to ascertain the effects of many variables on energy and exergy efficiency, levelised cost of energy, and CO 2 emission index. Moreover, the Sankey diagram of the system under investigation was implemented to examine the exergy interaction between its various components. Also, in order to ascertain the optimal point of the system, two sets of objective functions—levelised cost of energy paired with CO 2 emission index, and exergy efficiency coupled with levelised cost of energy—were chosen for multi-objective optimisation utilizing genetic algorithm method. The findings of sensitivity analysis reveal a consistent positive correlation between the levelised cost of energy and both energy and exergy efficiency across nearly all parameters examined. Furthermore, the results of parametric study indicate that CO 2 recirculation within the system is of utmost importance in mitigating its emission. The effectiveness of the system is evidenced by multi-objective optimisation with levelised cost of energy and CO 2 emission index as objective functions results, which show a commendable exergy efficiency of 41.52 % alongside a reduced cost of 26.98 $/GJ and a CO 2 emission index of 0.124 kg/kWh. Additionally, the investigated system is able to achieve an exergy efficiency of 47.68 % with a levelised cost of energy of 31.95 $/GJ and a CO 2 emission index of 0.141 kg/kWh at the optimum point with the objective functions of exergy efficiency and levelised cost of energy. Additionally, comparing the outcomes of performed optimisations with findings from research performed on a power generation system incorporating waste management, as well as an integrated system featuring a high temperature fuel cell, reveals improvements in exergy efficiency, levelised cost of energy, and CO 2 emission index. These comparisons highlight the advancements in efficiency, cost, and environmental impact achieved by the optimised system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A hybrid-integrated 400 GbE ROSA using silica-based AWG and InP-based PD arrays is fabricated, which performs satisfying coupling efficiency between AWG and PD arrays, small signal O/E responses, eye diagrams and sensitivities. The fabricated ROSA has promising prospects to support higher transmission data rate by simply replacing the PD arrays and TIA arrays with higher-speed types. • In this work, a total reflection surface at the end facet of the AWG is used to realize a 90 degrees shift in the optical path, and realize a convenient hybrid integration method. This structure is designed and optimized using FDTD. • Eight-channel O-band LWDM AWG with an improved Rowland circle is designed and fabricated, which performs flat-top spectrum, satisfying uniformity and polarization insensitivity. A silica-based hybrid-integrated receiver optical subassembly (ROSA) for 400 Gbps Ethernet (400GbE) is demonstrated, which consists of an 8-channel silica-based arrayed waveguide grating (AWG), two 4-channel InP-based surface-illuminated photodetector (PD) arrays, two 4-channel transimpedance amplifier (TIA) arrays, and a high-frequency flexible printed circuit (FPC). All lanes of the ROSA exhibit responsivities of over 0.539 A/W, 3-dB bandwidths of greater than 30.86 GHz, and receiver sensitivities of less than −11.7 dBm. The ROSA has achieved a transmission rate of 8 × 50 Gbps for data center interconnect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-time integration is an effective method for improving the signal–to–noise ratio (SNR) of an echo. However, if the target radar cross-section (RCS) fluctuates over the long integration time, the traditional coherent integration and noncoherent integration methods will produce significant performance losses, making it impossible to achieve a favorable integration performance at low SNRs. This study proposes a new hybrid integration method based on the generalized Radon–Fourier transform (GRFT) and generalized Radon transform (GRT) for targets with which echoes are partially coherent. First, a coherent integration is performed with GRFT within the optimal coherent processing segment using optimal coherent processing segmented matching. Then, the GRT is used for noncoherent integration between the coherent processing sections, and the target motion parameters are obtained through a global search. Compared with the GRFT, GRT, and moving target detection (MTD)-GRT methods, the proposed method applies to targets with arbitrary RCS fluctuations, arbitrary cross-range cells, and cross-Doppler cells, and offers the best detection performance. Finally, both simulation results and measured data processing results demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A widely tunable hybrid InP-Si3N4 dual laser module (DLM) with low linewidth and relative intensity noise (RIN) is used to develop a wavelength and frequency flexible optical fronthaul system for high-capacity wireless networks. The wavelength flexible (over C-band) delivery of 5G signals over an analog radio-over-fiber (A-RoF) system, incorporating wireless transmission at 60 GHz is demonstrated. A phase noise (PN) and frequency offset (FO) cancelling receiver is used to overcome phase/frequency noise from the DLM due to thermal fluctuations, and this reduces the received (error vector magnitude) EVM to as low as 5%. Using the same DLM we demonstrate the mm-wave frequency flexible (over sub-V-band) delivery of 5G and WiGig signals over a simplified converged fronthaul link. The experimental results show excellent performance with bit error ratio (BER) values as low as 8.46×10-6 and 1.11×10-4, and lowest EVMs of 2.4% and 6.1%, achieved for sub-V-band 5G and WiGig signals, respectively. In addition to highlighting the high flexibility of the DLM, this work also presents an approach to deploy this source in future optical-wireless access networks paving way for beyond 5G and 6G technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon nitride (Si3N4) has a higher nonlinear threshold compared to silicon, which reduces the effect of two-photon absorption. However, the low thermo-optic coefficient and the reduced refractive index contrast of thin Si3N4 waveguides lead to a low thermal tuning speed and low thermal efficiency. This paper demonstrates a widely tunable III-V/Si3N4 hybrid-integrated external cavity laser with a relatively faster switching time. The Si3N4 external feedback circuit is based on 800-nm-thick Si3N4 waveguides with an optical confinement factor of 87%. It allows the reduction of the oxide under-cladding layer thickness to 4 μm and the oxide upper-cladding layer to 1.7 μm without additional loss. The switching time between two non-adjacent lasing wavelengths is 60.7 μs. The maximum output power is 34 mW under 500 mA injection current. The side mode suppression ratio is more than 70 dB over the tuning range of 58.5 nm. The laser intrinsic linewidth is 2.5 kHz.

Die-level thinning, handling, and integration of singulated dies from multi-project wafers (MPW) are often used in research, early-stage development, and prototyping of flexible devices. There is a high demand for thin silicon devices for several applications, such as flexible electronics. To address this demand, we study a novel post-processing method on two silicon devices, an electrochemical impedance sensor, and Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) die. Both are drawn from an MPW batch, thinned at die-level after dicing and singulation down to 60 µm. The thinned dies were flip-chip bonded to flexible substrates and hermetically sealed by two techniques: thermosonic bonding of Au stud bumps and anisotropic conductive paste (ACP) bonding. The performance of the thinned dies was assessed via functional tests and compared to the original dies. Furthermore, the long-term reliability of the flip-chip bonded thinned sensors was demonstrated to be higher than the conventional wire-bonded sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of physical paper is often preferred due to its unique physical properties that improve various aspects of reading. However, digital media and information are more engaging, diverse, and up to date, thereby challenging the existence of paper in our everyday life. By combining the two types of media in a seamless way, the interactivity of multimedia content can complement the reading experience, maintaining the unique feel of paper books. The current state of the art addressing this application negatively impacts the reading experience and often does not consider the manufacturability and sustainability of the proposed solutions. Herein, the Magic Bookmark, a technical solution for automatically recognizing the open page of a physical book, to provide seamless augmentation without changing the user's behavior and experience significantly is introduced. Three alternative solutions are implemented, with various degrees of ease of use, manufacturability at scale, and reliability of data reading. The optimal realization is found to be a reflective optical readout array, for which routes to implementation that may allow blending the graphical and functional aspects of the augmented book are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced field‐effect transistors (FETs) with nontrivial gates (e.g., offset‐gates, mid‐gates, split‐gates, or multi‐gates) or hybrid integrations (e.g., with diodes, photodetectors, or field‐emitters) have been extensively developed in pursuit for the "More‐than‐Moore" demand. But understanding their conduction mechanisms and predicting current–voltage relations is rather difficult due to countless combinations of materials and device factors. Here, it is shown that they could be understood within the same physical picture, i.e., charge transport from gated to nongated semiconductors. One proposes an indicator based on material and device factors for characterizing the transport and derives a unified and simplified solution for describing the current–voltage relations, current saturation, channel potentials, and drift field. It is verified by simulations and experiments of different types of devices with varied materials and device factors, employing organic, oxide, nanomaterial semiconductors in transistors or hybrid integrations. The concise and unified solution provides general rules for quick understanding and designing of these complex, innovative devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power of radiation in the continuous-wave mode of microdisk lasers with InGaAs/GaAs quantum-well dots hybrid integrated with a silicon substrate with the epitaxial side down using a thermocompression compound has been investigated. Because of a decrease in thermal resistance and suppression of self-heating, there is an increase in the current values at which power saturation and laser generation quenching occur, as well as an increase in the maximum power. In microdisks with a diameter of 19 μm, the largest value of the optical output power was 9.4 mW in the continuous-wave mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On‐chip stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in arsenic trisulfide (As2S3) planar waveguides lead to a range of outstanding demonstrations in microwave photonics signal generation and processing. However, the lack of other integrated functionalities, high back reflections, and large in‐ and out‐fiber coupling losses in high index contrast waveguides cause a number of serious impairments and lessen the applicability of microwave photonic devices. In this report, a hybrid integration scheme is demonstrated where As2S3 waveguides optimized for SBS gain are coupled with very low losses via a vertical taper to a high index contrast and versatile germanosilicate (Ge:SiO2) platform. The Ge:SiO2 waveguide is optimally mode‐matched to commercially available high numerical aperture optical fiber to achieve very low coupling losses. The structure has very low back reflection due to the adiabatic nature of the taper and negligible refractive index difference across the fiber‐chip interface. The hybrid architecture exhibits a similar Brillouin gain coefficient to its monolithic counterpart but with an improvement of >3 dB/facet fiber‐to‐chip loss and >20 dB reduction in facet reflectivity. The hybrid structures demonstrated will bring chalcogenide‐based chip scale SBS devices closer to practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a miniaturized, minimally invasive high-density neural recording interface that occupies only a 1.53 mm2 footprint for hybrid integration of a flexible probe and a 256-channel integrated circuit chip. To achieve such a compact form factor, we developed a custom flip-chip bonding technique using anisotropic conductive film and analog circuit-under-pad in a tiny pitch of 75 μm. To enhance signal-to-noise ratios, we applied a reference-replica topology that can provide the matched input impedance for signal and reference paths in low-noise aimpliers (LNAs). The analog front-end (AFE) consists of LNAs, buffers, programmable gain amplifiers, 10b ADCs, a reference generator, a digital controller, and serial-peripheral interfaces (SPIs). The AFE consumes 51.92 μW from 1.2 V and 1.8 V supplies in an area of 0.0161 mm2 per channel, implemented in a 180 nm CMOS process. The AFE shows > 60 dB mid-band CMRR, 6.32 μVrms input-referred noise from 0.5 Hz to 10 kHz, and 48 MΩ input impedance at 1 kHz. The fabricated AFE chip was directly flip-chip bonded with a 256-channel flexible polyimide neural probe and assembled in a tiny head-stage PCB. Full functionalities of the fabricated 256-channel interface were validated in both in vitro and in vivo experiments, demonstrating the presented hybrid neural recording interface is suitable for various neuroscience studies in the quest of large scale, miniaturized recording systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The burgeoning research into two-dimensional (2D) materials opens a door to novel photonic and optoelectronic devices utilizing their fascinating electronic and photonic properties in thin-layered architectures. The hybrid integration of 2D materials onto integrated optics platforms thus becomes a potential solution to tackle the bottlenecks of traditional optoelectronic devices. In this paper, we present the recent advances of hybrid integration of a wide range of 2D materials on integrated optics platforms for developing high-performance photodetectors, modulators, lasers, and nonlinear optics. Such hybrid integration enables fully functional on-chip devices to be readily accessible researchers and technology developers, becoming a potential candidate for next-generation photonics and optoelectronics industries.

We demonstrate a high-power on-chip 1550-nm laser implemented by passive flip-chip integration of a curved-channel, double-pass InGaAsP/InP slab-coupled optical waveguide amplifier (SCOWA) onto a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) containing a silicon nitride (SiN) waveguide and distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) grating. The combined chip-scale SCOW external cavity laser (SCOWECL) has single mode emission with 312 mW of optical power at a drive current of 2.5 A, and exhibits a side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of 55 dB, peak photon conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10%, low relative-intensity noise (RIN) of ~160 dB/Hz, and an integrated linewidth of 192 kHz. Additionally, we demonstrate a multi-wavelength SCOWECL array comprised of four SCOWAs coupled to SiN-waveguide DBR gratings. The four-element array generates 80 mW per channel when the SCOWAs are driven in parallel (1.25 A/channel) with ~1-nm wavelength spacing centered at 1533 nm. We describe the fabrication and hybrid integration processes. The measured SCOWA-to-waveguide coupling loss is estimated to be 1.6 +/-1.0 dB which agrees well with the simulation.

The use of physical paper is often preferred due to its unique physical properties that improve various aspects of reading. However, digital media and information are more engaging, diverse, and up to date, thereby challenging the existence of paper in our everyday life. By combining the two types of media in a seamless way, the interactivity of multimedia content can complement the reading experience, maintaining the unique feel of paper books. The current state of the art addressing this application negatively impacts the reading experience and often does not consider the manufacturability and sustainability of the proposed solutions. Herein, the Magic Bookmark, a technical solution for automatically recognizing the open page of a physical book, to provide seamless augmentation without changing the user's behavior and experience significantly is introduced. Three alternative solutions are implemented, with various degrees of ease of use, manufacturability at scale, and reliability of data reading. The optimal realization is found to be a reflective optical readout array, for which routes to implementation that may allow blending the graphical and functional aspects of the augmented book are proposed.

Abstract Advanced field‐effect transistors (FETs) with nontrivial gates (e.g., offset‐gates, mid‐gates, split‐gates, or multi‐gates) or hybrid integrations (e.g., with diodes, photodetectors, or field‐emitters) have been extensively developed in pursuit for the “More‐than‐Moore” demand. But understanding their conduction mechanisms and predicting current–voltage relations is rather difficult due to countless combinations of materials and device factors. Here, it is shown that they could be understood within the same physical picture, i.e., charge transport from gated to nongated semiconductors. One proposes an indicator based on material and device factors for characterizing the transport and derives a unified and simplified solution for describing the current–voltage relations, current saturation, channel potentials, and drift field. It is verified by simulations and experiments of different types of devices with varied materials and device factors, employing organic, oxide, nanomaterial semiconductors in transistors or hybrid integrations. The concise and unified solution provides general rules for quick understanding and designing of these complex, innovative devices.

The tumor-vascular interface is a critical component of the tumor microenvironment that regulates all of the dynamic interactions between a growing tumor and the endothelial lining of the surrounding vasculature. In this paper, we report the design and development of a custom-engineered tumor-vascular interface system for investigating the early stage tumor-mediated pro-angiogenic dysfunctional behavior of the endothelium. Using representative endothelial cells and triple negative breast cancer cell lines, we established a biomimetic interface between a three-dimensional tumor tissue across a mature, functional endothelial barrier using a magnetically hybrid-integrated tumor-vascular interface system, wherein vasculature-like features containing a monolayer of endothelial cell culture on porous microfluidic channel surfaces were magnetically attached to tumor spheroids generated on a composite polymer-hydrogel microwell plate and embedded in a collagen matrix. Tumor-mediated endothelial microdynamics were characterized by their hallmark behavior such as loss of endothelial adherens junctions, increased cell density, proliferation, and changes in cell spreading and corroborated with endothelial YAP/TAZ nuclear translocation. We further confirm the feasibility of drug-mediated reversal of this pro-angiogenic endothelial organization through two different signaling mechanisms, namely, inhibition of the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway and the Notch signaling pathway, thereby demonstrating the utility of the tumor-vascular interface platform for rapid, early stage prediction of antiangiogenic drug efficacy. Overall, our work emphasizes the importance of our strategic engineering approach for identifying some unique, physiologically relevant aspects of the tumor-vascular interface, which are otherwise difficult to implement using standard in vitro approaches.

Synthetic aperture radar is a remote sensing technology finding applications in a wide range of fields, especially related to Earth observation. It enables a fine imaging that is crucial in critical activities, like environmental monitoring for natural resource management or disasters prevention. In this picture, the scan-on-receive paradigm allows for enhanced imaging capabilities thanks to wide swath observations at finer azimuthal resolution achieved by beamforming of multiple simultaneous antenna beams. Recently, solutions based on microwave photonics techniques demonstrated the possibility of an efficient implementation of beamforming, overcoming some limitations posed by purely electronic solutions, offering unprecedented flexibility and precision to RF systems. Moreover, photonics-assisted RF beamformers can nowadays be realized as integrated circuits, with reduced size and power consumption with respect to digital beamforming approaches. This paper presents the design analysis and the challenges of the development of a hybrid photonic-integrated circuit as the core element of an X-band scan-on-receive spaceborne synthetic aperture radar. The proposed photonic-integrated circuit synthetizes three simultaneous scanning beams on the received signal, and performs the frequency down-conversion, guaranteeing a compact 15 cm2-form factor, less than 6 W power consumption, and 55 dB of dynamic range. The whole photonics-assisted system is designed for space compliance and meets the target application requirements, representing a step forward toward a deeper penetration of photonics in microwave applications for challenging scenarios, like the observation of the Earth from space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerating progress in printed electronics technology transforms the future of the manufacturing process in industrial applications, consumer electronics, and healthcare products. However, real‐life applications demand for circuits and systems that are robust and can stay functional under strong and frequent mechanical deformations. Herein, both empirical and analytical approaches to gain insight on the reliability of ultrathin bare dies on soft and highly stretchable printed circuits are used. To this end, a set of conductive ink and adhesive variants are used to develop a stretchable wireless temperature logger as the test device. The electromechanical performance of the conductive inks is first verified through the screening tests and the most suitable candidates are selected to use with different anisotropic conductive adhesives (ACAs) for chip bonding process. The performance of the test devices (per ink–adhesive combination) is tested through cyclic elongation of 60 samples to provide statistical results. Different failure modes are visualized through cross‐sectional images using broad ion beam (BIB) milling and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The findings, herein, recognize pad delamination, air voids at the chip‐to‐substrate interface, stiffness of the conductive adhesives, and bonding parameters (pressure and temperature) as the key contributors to the contact failures in the chip assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]