Semiconductor Engineering has an article by Ed Sperling today, "Photonics Moves Closer To Chip", see http://semiengineering.com/photonics-moves-closer-to-chip/.

I very much enjoyed reading it, because the POET technology solves at least two of three of the fundamental problems mentioned in the article that are hampering photonics today:

• "To really hit the mainstream, price-sensitive chip market, two key problems have to be solved. First, there needs to be a better way to attach a laser, which is the light source for photonics, to a silicon platform."
  
  Solved by the POET technology.
  
  
• "The second challenge deals with how to extend the life of those lasers."
  
  I'd like to know how POET lasers behave in this respect. I could imagine that they have a longer lifetime, because they are monolithically integrated, but I'd really like to hear a statement from POET Technologies regarding this issue. I sent them this question.
  
  
• "So far, an entire system that incorporates electrical and optical has not been commercially available on a single die, and it doesn’t appear likely anytime soon."
  
  Solved by the POET technology. I think the author will be surprised anytime soon.