Plenary Speakers

May 9

Ray Chen (University of Texas, Austin)

  Advancement from VLSIs to Integrated Photonics for Sensing, Interconnects and Computing with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Applications

Abstract: 

The advancement of sensing, interconnects and computing is mainly from the R&D works on electrons and photons, which carry drastically different characteristics defining different technology roadmaps. Due to the saturation of the Moore’s law, the advantages of photon-based devices provide solutions with the unprecedented performance. In this talk, we will present the integrated photonic devices covering near and mid-IR wavelengths for biosensing, SERS and spectroscopy sensing for Methane, Nitrogen Dioxide, CO, Ethanol, Ammonia, and TEP. Mid-IR Lidar Chip centered at 4.6 micron will also presented.

Today’s fabrication of planar photonic circuits is reaching the limits of integration density. The minimum feature sizes are fundamentally limited by the wavelength (~1 μm) of light and the refractive index contrast achievable in the optical materials. By utilizing the unique feature of photons, which are Bosons by definition, we can further enhance the interconnectivity physically stacking optical waveguide layers without interference to significantly enhance the number of interconnects on one optical layer.

Silicon photonics for both digital and analog computing will be introduced with low latency, high bandwidth and multi-wavelength operations for AI and ML applications. Multiple photonic circuits were demonstrated to ensure low latency, high bandwidth and low energy consumption without compromising the machine learning accuracy. A myriad of data sets has been explored. And the details will be presented in the plenary talk.

Richard Penty (Cambridge University)

  Integrated Photonic Switch Fabrics and their Applications: From AI Datacenters to 6G Fronthaul Networking

Dayong Jin (University of Technology Sydney/Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo)

  Opportunities in Organelle Diagnostics and Therapy

Abstract:

My presentation will highlight the opportunities in imaging, sensing, and modulating organelles in live cells. First, I will introduce our recently published work on segmentation of up to 15 distinct organelles structures. I will then present the new progress we made in developing high-speed, high-throughput, and super-resolution imaging system as well as algorithms for organelle segmentation and data analytics of their interconnectivity within organelle networks, offering unprecedented insights into the nanoscale world inside living systems. The research around organelle diagnostics and therapies represents a "blue ocean" for future multidisciplinary research, spanning instrumentation engineering, nanotechnology, data analytics, organelle biology, and clinical therapeutic innovations. In my seminar, I will emphasize several recent breakthroughs we have just made, including the first observation of Insulin Growth Factor 1 transport, the full picture on mitochondrial fission process, and a new finding on organelle homeostasis collapse in melanoma cells following tyrosine treatment, etc.

Jay Guo (University of Michigan)

 From Nanoimprinted Devices to Layered Thin Films designed by AI, A Path towards Real World Applications

Abstract:

This talk hopes to introduce a few works related to photonics/optoelectronics. First NanoImprinted polymer microring resonators are shown to be excellent ultrasound detectors, and were exploited for photoacoustic imaging and tomography to utilize its high bandwidth and sensitive response to acoustic waves. A second work is to seek ITO replacement with an ultrathin and stable silver film as the flexible transparent electrode, and was used in OPV, and in OLED where the waveguide mode responsible for light trapping was shown to be removed, leading to enhanced light extraction efficiency. Such transparent conductors have been commercialized by mature industrial sputtering process and applicable to a wide range of applications. For the design and optimization of this and other thin film structures, we show that deep learning approach (reinforcement learning and GPT) can automatically design sophisticated structures to give the desired optical response, and can facilitate gaining insight on the working mechanism of the AI-produced structure. 

Valery Tuchin (Saratov State University)

  Breakthrough Benefits of Optical Imaging, Spectroscopy and Treatment Thanks to Tissue Optical Clearing

Abstract:

This work summarizes cutting-edge developments in tissue optical clearing (TOC) method using biocompatible immersion optical clearing agents (OCAs) for intravital optical imaging, optical diagnostics, and phototherapy [1-4]. Multimodality approach based on optical clearing is discussed. It will be shown that the TOC method significantly improves and expands the capabilities of advanced multimodal optical spectroscopy/imaging and phototherapy techniques. The delivery of an OCA to living tissue ensures its transparency over a broad spectral range from deep UV to NIR and to THz, thus increases the imaging depth with enhanced contrast. TOC provides additional markers for monitoring diabetes mellitus complications and cancer cell detection using robust optical measurements of molecular diffusivity and blood microcirculation. This study was supported by the RSF grant no. 24-44-00082.