PAIR Seminar: Prof. YAO Jianping delivers "Photonic Integrated Circuits for Next-Generation Microwave Photonic Systems"
PAIR Seminar Series
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Date
11 Jun 2025
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Organiser
PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
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Time
14:30 - 16:00
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Venue
Lecture Theatre FJ301, 3/F, Chan Tai Ho Building, PolyU (Limited seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis) Map
Speaker
Prof. YAO Jianping
Enquiry
PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research info.pair@polyu.edu.hk
Summary
Prof. YAO Jianping from the University of Ottawa, Canada, delivered the PAIR Seminar titled “Photonic Integrated Circuits for Next-Generation Microwave Photonic Systems” on 11 June 2025 on the PolyU campus. The seminar drew over 70 attendees in person and engaged an online audience of more than 15,300 from various countries and regions who joined the live broadcast on social media platforms.
The seminar commenced with a warm welcome and introduction of the speaker by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR. Prof. Yao began his presentation with an overview of microwave photonics (MWP), emphasising that the technology uses light as a carrier and photonic and optoelectronic devices for the generation, transmission, control and processing of microwave signals. He compared the properties of four major material systems including indium phosphide (InP), silicon nitride (Si3N4), lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) and silicon on insulator (SOI), highlighting that SOI, Si3N4, and LNOI are playing important role in implementing photonic integrated circuits (PICs).
Prof. Yao further explored current applications of photonic integrated MWP systems. These included: true time delay networks for wideband beamforming, optoelectronic oscillators for low-phase-noise, high-frequency microwave generation, programmable signal processors for versatile photonic signal processing, high-sensitivity optical sensors and integrated MWP radar, etc.
In his closing remarks, Prof. Yao emphasised that the PICs’ miniaturised size, wide bandwidth and low loss, enhanced functionality and increased scalability enable the microchips to bring powerful solutions for MWP systems, paving the way for next-generation systems in radar, wireless communications (5G/6G), AI computing, delivering greater speed, bandwidth and dynamic range. He also stressed that heterogenous integration is a key challenge in the field, but it also presents opportunities for future development.
Following the presentation was a lively question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. LU Chao, Director of Photonics Research Institute (PRI) and Chair Professor of Fiber Optics. The audience engaged in a productive dialogue with Prof. Yao.
Please click here for an online review:
Photo Gallery
Trailblazing PAIR Seminar by Prof. YAO Jianping on the Advancement of Microwave Photonic Systems
Prof. YAO Jianping
- Distinguished University Professor
- University Research Chair in Microwave Photonics
- University of Ottawa, Canada
YAO Jianping is a Distinguished University Professor and University Research Chair in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Ottawa, Canada. He has been working in Microwave Photonics and has published over 400 peer-reviewed journal papers and over 300 conference papers, with over 30,000 citations and an H-index of 91. He served as Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Photonics Technology Letters from 2017 to 2021 and was an elected member of the IEEE Photonics Society Board of Governors from 2018 to 2021. He was Chair of the IEEE MTT-S Microwave Photonics Technical Committee from 2016 to 2021 and was an IEEE Distinguished Microwave Lecturer from 2013 to 2015. He received the IEEE R.A. Fessenden Award in 2018 and the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society Microwave Applications Award in 2025. Prof. Yao is a Fellow of IEEE (2012), Optica (2010), the Canadian Academy of Engineering (2012), and the Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada (2018).
