Photonic integrated circuit

A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) is a compact device that combines multiple optical components—like lasers, waveguides, and detectors—onto a single chip, similar to how electronic circuits group transistors. It manipulates light to transmit, process, and analyze information, enabling faster and more efficient data communication, sensing, and computing. By integrating these components, PICs reduce size, cost, and power consumption compared to traditional bulk optical setups, making advanced optical technologies more scalable and practical for applications such as internet data centers, telecommunications, and medical instruments.