The Invention History of Multi-Chip Integrated Silicon Photonics

It began simply because silica processes were very difficult to locate at the time while silicon processes were flourishing, which prompted my shift to silicon semiconductors. Since I was an obscure engineer back then, I did not feel confident seeking collaboration with only a WDM or a modulator, so I developed a complete multi-chip integrated silicon photonics architecture instead. I started preparing presentations for potential partners in 2004, but a detour occurred. During my regular paper study, I saw Intel’s silicon photonics based on silicon light-emitting technology published in Nature. I quickly wrote a manuscript and submitted it to point out that the silicon light-emitting route was mistaken. After it was rejected, I chose to make the information public and let history decide who was correct. At that time, the concept of multi-chip packaging silicon photonics was ridiculed as the ignorant talk of an amateur. Furthermore, if my submission to Nature had not been rejected in 2004, I would not have made the multi-chip integrated Silicon Photonics architecture public. By doing so, I turned it into a public good. This event also led me to move away from mainstream values and embark on a life dedicated to self-funded creation for the public interest. Whether it is Wikipedia or the Nobel Prize, the focus is always on mainstream academic recognition. Consider this fact: during the years when I proposed the silicon photonics architecture for multiple chip integration, I was dismissed as an amateur. How could the academic community possibly recognize me? In the days of floppy disks and CDs, many files were damaged. Fortunately, the critical evidence remains intact. Otherwise, I would never be able to clear my name.