Discussion on the Development of Integrated Circuits and Photonics-electronics Convergence

After more than 60 years of exponential rapid development, the most advanced process node of integrated circuits has come to 1 nm. In the past decade, the development of integrated circuits has shifted, from planar proportional scaling to three-dimensional equivalent scaling, from performance-driven to power-consumption-driven, from unit integration to system integration, and the industry generally believes that it has entered the post-Moore era. At present, integrated circuits are facing three major technical challenges, which results in great difficulties in reducing size. Not only is process upgrading slowing down, but the cost exceeds 10 billion dollars. Some wafer fabs such as GLOBALFOUNDRIES have given up advancing to more advanced processes, while only a few such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Samsung, Intel, and Imec continue to advance towards More Moore. This article studies the theoretical space for further utilization from the dimensions of integration and energy consumption, and briefly introduces the technology evolution roadmap of International Roadmap for Devices and Systems (IRDS) for the next 15 years. Beyond Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) is committed to finding potential devices and methods that are significantly superior to traditional CMOS through innovation in principles, materials, structures, etc., and this exploration is still in the forefront of academic research. The industry is paying more attention to More than Moore (MtM) technologies such as System-in-Package (SiP), heterogeneous integration, and chiplets. Due to the current difficulties and limitations faced by information hardware technology stemming from the physical properties of electrons, photons are highly anticipated because of its difference from electrons. Now photonics is being generalized from traditional transmission technology to Information Communications Technology (ICT) full-scale connection technology, and gradually entering complex functional domains such as computing, processing, and routing. Photonics-electronics convergence has gradually become an important development direction of information technology. Photonics-electronics convergence is mainly reflected in two dimensions, functional dimension synergy and hardware dimension integration. This article introduces the progress of these two dimensions, and points out that silicon-based heterogeneous integration and hybrid integration are the current focus of the chip-level photonics-electronics convergence, which makes the development of optoelectronics exhibit the remarkable characteristics of "microelectronization". Photonics-electronics convergence is just beginning, and in its exploration process. The article concludes three points. At first, the attention to adaptive changes should be paid at the system architecture level, not just stay at the chip level. Secondly, the convergence still requires innovation in various aspects such as new materials, new devices, new processes, new equipment, and new systems. Thirdly, photonics-electronics convergence cannot be narrowly limited to the current focus on MtM direction, but also should recognize its many possibilities in the direction of Beyond CMOS.