POET Technologies Inc of Toronto, Canada – which, through subsidiary OPEL Defense Integrated Systems (ODIS Inc) of Storrs, CT, USA, has developed the proprietary planar-optoelectronic technology (POET) platform for monolithic fabrication of integrated III-V-based electronic and optical devices on a single semiconductor wafer – says that its chief scientist Dr Geoffrey W. Taylor is an invited speaker at the Empire Club of Canada's Spirit of a Pioneer series on 28 April.
Taylor will spotlight the firm's semiconductor solution in the context of industry efforts to sustain Moore's Law beyond the constraints of traditional silicon.
Taylor's original vision drove a dedicated team, over the past two decades, towards developing a semiconductor process that integrates both optical and electronic capability on a single chip, building up patents that cover the proprietary POET process. He is also a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Connecticut, which is the nexus for POET's R&D team.
Taylor will be introduced by executive chairman & interim CEO Peter Copetti, who will also provide the context to POET's debut in the semiconductor industry. Other key members of the team will also attend the meeting. "POET is a ground-breaking platform for manufacturers to build faster, more efficient semiconductor devices of any kind, beyond just electronics, beyond just optics, beyond silicon," says Copetti.
Taking Moore's Law to the next level
For nearly 50 years, Moore's Law has dictated the pace of technological change. As the number of transistors on a chip has doubled approximately every 1.5-2 years, this increases the performance capabilities of computing devices and the many functions they make possible.
Unfortunately, with existing silicon-based integrated circuits and manufacturing processes, performance and cost improvements under Moore's Law are increasingly unsustainable, and will soon come to an end, says POET. These physical limitations will increasingly impede electronics manufacturers from continuing to build smarter, faster, more efficient and cheaper devices, the firm adds.
POET believes that its approach - building on the performance advantages of gallium arsenide over silicon and, in parallel, integrating optics and electronics onto one monolithic chip - is a foundation for the next leap forward in technology. The POET platform is expected to provide potential customers - including foundries and device designers - with a rebirth of Moore's Law, and usher in a new wave of integrated circuits with improvements in size, power, speed and cost.
Spirit of a Pioneer series
Established in 1903, the Empire Club of Canada is one of Canada's oldest and largest forums. Members and speakers consist of some of the country's most influential leaders from sectors including business, government, industry, and science.
The Spirit of a Pioneer series hosts Canadian and international thought leaders. The addresses are broadcast across Canada on Rogers Cable and on occasion via live webcast. Each year, the Empire Club Foundation publishes each speech that season in 'The Red Book' - a yearbook distributed free of charge to 4000 university, secondary, and elementary school libraries in Canada, as well as Canadian embassies and consulates worldwide.
