As AI tech guzzles more and more energy, Dr Yating Wan and her team aim to provide light relief with their quantum solution.
It’s always interesting to find out what draws people to their niche areas of research. For Dr Yating Wan, her undergraduate degree in civil engineering included too much engineering and not enough physics and maths, but then pure science didn’t have the draw of timely real-world applications for her work.
The – at the time nascent – field of silicon photonics was the perfect marriage of her interests. Not only is it heavy on the science, it also has potential for major real-world applications across various industries, particularly in the booming area of artificial intelligence (AI).
Shining a light
“Silicon photonics is all about using light on a chip instead of electricity to make things like communication systems faster and more energy efficient,” Wan explains. The research field is growing very quickly, she says, because of its potential uses for biosensors, autonomous vehicles, internet communications and of course AI – “areas that need technologies that are faster, use less power and are more affordable”. Big tech companies including Nvidia, TSMC and Intel are investing in silicon photonics because of this.
One of the challenges of the research is to get lasers directly onto silicon chips. Lasers are what produce light for the systems, Wan explains, but the problem is silicon is not a great material to work with light.
“That’s where my research comes in,” Wan says. “We’re using special materials like quantum dots to create very tiny, efficient lasers that can work directly on these silicon chips.”
These quantum dots are tiny semiconductor particles. “They are so small that their size actually controls how they emit light.” Wan says quantum dots are especially useful because they are efficient and reliable. “Unlike traditional materials to make lasers, the quantum dot can produce very, very stable and precise light even under challenging conditions like high temperatures or long operation times.
“I’m very lucky to be in this field,” Wan says, “because it’s not just about solving technical problems, it’s all about creating technologies that could really change how we handle data and energy in the future.”
A leading light
Wan, who leads the Integrated Photonics Lab at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, has just been announced as the early-career winner of the inaugural Sony Women in Technology Award with Nature. The judges commended Wan for making “significant contributions to the future of data communications” and potentially “revolutionising the future of silicon photonic sensors”.
The award was launched last year by Sony Group in partnership with the journal Nature to recognise outstanding women researchers in tech. One of the judges Dr Hiroaki Kitano, president of Sony Research, said the award aims to support “women researchers pursuing ground-breaking research and technology that will help civilisation thrive”. Each of the three winners receives $250,000 to accelerate their research and their work will be showcased on Nature.com.
Wan says receiving the award means so much to her “both personally and professionally”.
“On a personal level, it’s an incredible honour and a moment to reflect on how far I’ve come as a researcher. And it also reminds me of the amazing mentors and colleagues and students who have supported me all along the way. I really cannot do this without them.
“And also professionally, I think it’s a very big deal for my team and for our research because … it has really put a spotlight on what we are doing in silicon photonics and quantum dot. And that will definitely give us more visibility and resources to keep moving forward.”
Wan says that beyond what the award means for her, as a woman researcher in STEM “the award has an even deeper meaning, because it’s not just about me, it’s about representation”. Role models are really important, she thinks. She gives the example of relating to Marie Curie and all she achieved as a woman scientist in a man’s world. “Seeing a woman achieve so much in science can make us think, ‘oh, if she can do it, probably I can do it too’.
“This kind of sense of connection and inspiration is hopefully what we can all pass to even younger women and girls to show them that there is a place for them inside engineering and that their ideas and contributions are really important.”
Lighting the way
Talking to Wan, she gives a sense of the community and collegiality that’s needed to do impactful research. She describes her PhD supervisor Prof Kei May Lau as “an incredible mentor”. Wan’s research into silicon photonics was so new when she started that there was very little work she could refer to and even in her group she was the only one researching the topic. This meant the journey could be isolating and difficult at times. However, her supervisor always encouraged Wan and believed in her abilities. Without this support, Wan says she could not have achieved what she has so far.
And she mentions Prof John Bowers who, she says, probably “shaped my career direction before I even realised it”. Bowers put silicon photonics on the map, Wan explains. Working with him during the last year of her PhD and for five years as a postdoc was a dream come true, she says – the beautiful surroundings of UC Santa Barbara where he works didn’t hurt either.
For Wan, the mentor-mentee relationship doesn’t just go one way, however. “I think sometimes my students are kind of my mentors.
“When we are exploring new ideas, sometimes they can give very fresh perspectives that teach me to see things in a different way.
“I think I have learned a lot from my students.”
As well as teaching and guiding students in the practical and academic aspects of the research, which she makes time to do on a weekly basis, Wan says it’s also important to motivate students but creating an inspiring atmosphere.
“We’re doing some exciting things. We’re making a difference.
“This is a message that my supervisors passed to me, so they never micromanage, but they give you this motivation and that motivation gives you the energy to go further in your field.”
A light energy
Energy is one of the big selling points of silicon photonics. Light travels much faster than electricity and consumes much less energy. This is why for long-haul communications, fibre is used instead of cables to transmit light, Wan explains.
But, in her case, she’s talking about short distances – chip to chip and on-chip communications. Electricity and copper are still used in these technologies, generating lots of heat. This is why data centres expend huge amounts of energy just for cooling.
So, Wan says, if you use light to transmit the data, you can eliminate the heat generated by the electricity, which makes everything much more efficient. This makes it a major draw for AI companies.
But there are other areas where the technology has potential, including quantum communication. “It’s all about securely transmitting quantum information over long distances, right? And for that you need a reliable and efficient way to generate light.
“So, if we can integrate light sources directly onto silicon chips, we can help to create very scalable and affordable quantum communication systems.”
Unsurprisingly, Wan doesn’t have a huge amount of time for hobbies, as she is so dedicated to her work. However, when she gets the chance, she loves to ski. “Because when you are skiing, you have to be focused, otherwise you fall.
“It’s like research, you have to be very focused.”
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