On the cusp of a major chip transition

Collaboration is key

Baltus, who has a thorough background in high frequency electronics himself, is thrilled to be expanding new horizons, he says. 'In electronics, we have entered a reasonably predictable phase, where there is still plenty to improve and research, but the major developments are history already. This hybrid technology is terra incognita again, which is a very exciting topic to work on.'

TU/e is rather uniquely positioned to be working on the challenges of combining electronics and photonics. There are several reasons for that. First of all, TU/e belongs to the international top in the field of semiconductor research and is well-known for its expertise in chip design. And for decades now, the Eindhoven university has been leading in indium phosphide photonics, also integrating the photonics material on silicon wafers. 'For me, what stands out is the fact that we are exceptionally strong in collaboration - both with industry and with each other, 'Baltus states. 'When you work on the integration of multiple technologies, you need to be able to look beyond borders, both in terms of disciplines and institutions.'