Adastra, while it's true this deal is all about RF, I must chime in to clarify applicability to POET's platform.
Recent research has been looking towards photonics based RF filters, with promise to offer advantages over traditional microwave and RF filter technologies much the way cutting edge wafer scale photonics has over conventional optics. If we look to POET's own presentations, they refer to RF enabled interposers in a generic sense when describing the combination of electrical and optics on the OI platform. While I agree it seems unlikely POET is somehow involved in the Broadcom/Apple deal, an RF enabled OI chip as it pertains to 5G/6G telecommunications could very well be something to look forward to sometime in the future.
An article published last month:
WASHINGTON — Researchers have developed a new chip-sized microwave photonic filter to separate communication signals from noise and suppress unwanted interference across the full radio frequency spectrum. The device is expected to help next-generation wireless communication technologies efficiently convey data in an environment that is becoming crowded with signals from devices such as cell phones, self-driving vehicles, internet-connected appliances and smart city infrastructure.
“This new microwave filter chip has the potential to improve wireless communication, such as 6G, leading to faster internet connections, better overall communication experiences and lower costs and energy consumption for wireless communication systems,” said researcher Xingjun Wang from Peking University. “These advancements would directly and indirectly affect daily life, improving overall quality of life and enabling new experiences in various domains, such as mobility, smart homes and public spaces.”
In the Photonics Research journal co-published by Chinese Laser Press and Optica Publishing Group, the researchers describe how their new photonic filter overcomes the limitations of traditional electronic devices to achieve multiple functionalities on a chip-sized device with low power consumption. They also demonstrate the filter’s ability to operate across a broad radio frequency spectrum extending to over 30 GHz, showing its suitability for envisioned 6G technology.
“As the electro-optic bandwidth of optoelectronic devices continues to increase unstoppably, we believe that the integrated microwave photonics filter will certainly be one of the important solutions for future 6G wireless communications,” said Wang. “Only a well-designed integrated microwave photonics link can achieve low cost, low power consumption and superior filtering performance.”
https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/analog/article/21266276/microwaves-rf-photonic-ic-brings-highperformance-reconfigurable-filtering-to-microwave-signals
https://www.azooptics.com/News.aspx?newsID=28257
link to referenced publication in the above article:
https://opg.optica.org/prj/fulltext.cfm?uri=prj-11-5-682&id=528987
