John Bowers: We are still at the dawn of photonics

Professor John Bowers has been a key contributing figure in the development of silicon photonics. In an interview, he reflects on his career, the technical advancements shaping silicon photonics, and its expanding role.

After 38 years at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Professor John Bowers (pictured) is stepping away from teaching and administrative roles to focus on research.

He welcomes the time it will free for biking and golf. He will also be able to linger, not rush, when travelling. On a recent trip to Saudi Arabia, what would have centered around a day-event became a week-long visit.

Bowers' career includes significant contributions to laser integration and silicon photonics, mentoring some 85 PhD students, and helping found six start-ups, two of which he was the CEO.

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Interview 7: Professor John Bowers

August has been a notable month for John Bowers.

Juniper Networks announced its intention to acquire Aurrion, the US silicon photonics start-up that Bowers co-founded with Alexander Fang. And Intel, a company Bowers worked with on a hybrid integration laser-bonding technique, unveiled its first 100-gigabit silicon photonics transceivers.

Professor John BowersBower, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), first started working in photonics in 1981 while at AT&T Bell Labs.

When he became interested in silicon photonics, it still lacked a good modulator and laser. "If you don't have a laser and a modulator, or a directly modulated laser, it is not a very interesting chip,” says Bowers. "So I started thinking how to do that."

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