Meet imec fellow Joris Van Campenhout

“Joris has led silicon photonics technology at imec for the past fifteen years, establishing it as a global reference technology. His leadership, rigorous scientific approach, and broad technology knowledge from system to wafer fabrication are recognized by the world’s experts.” — Philippe Absil, VP R&D

Silicon photonics is a technology that started with the simple thrill of seeing light move through a chip and grew into one of the key building blocks for future computing systems.

As imec fellow Silicon Photonics and Vice President R&D, Joris Van Campenhout leads imec’s industry-affiliation R&D program on optical input/output (I/O). The program develops silicon photonics technology for next-generation AI, high-performance computing, and cloud datacenter systems.

Silicon photonics uses chip-based structures to guide and process light. In optical I/O, this makes it possible to move data in and out of computing systems using light instead of only electrical signals. As AI and datacenter workloads continue to grow, that shift is becoming increasingly important to increase bandwidth while reducing power consumption.

From first light to global technology platform

Joris has spent almost his entire career in silicon photonics. His journey began at Ghent University where he designed the first silicon photonics wafer processed in imec’s 200mm pilot line as part of his master’s thesis. “It was very interesting and joyful to see the first light propagating through these silicon waveguides,” he says.

That early experience became the foundation for a long-term research path. Joris obtained his MSc in Engineering Physics from Ghent University in 2002 and his PhD in Electrical Engineering in 2007. His doctoral research focused on integrating micro-lasers made from light-emitting compound semiconductor materials onto silicon chips.

After his PhD, he joined IBM’s T.J. Watson Research Center in the United States as a postdoctoral researcher, where he worked on silicon electro-optic switches and on-chip optical networks for future high-performance computing systems.

In 2010, Joris joined imec, where he continued to develop silicon photonics technologies for high-speed data communication.

Scaling data with light

Today, silicon photonics is considered a key technology for scaling data centers and other emerging applications. Electrical connections remain essential, but as systems become larger and data movement becomes more demanding, optical links can help overcome limitations in bandwidth, reach, and energy efficiency.

At imec, Joris leads work to research and develop optical input/output solutions that can scale optical interconnects to bandwidth densities beyond 10 Tbps/mm while consuming less than 1pJ/bit. This combination of high bandwidth and low energy consumption is essential for the next generation of AI, high-performance computing, and cloud datacenter systems, where moving data efficiently is becoming just as important as computing it.

Since 2014, Joris has led imec’s Optical I/O program. He also served as chief architect and development lead of imec’s 50 Gbps-capable silicon photonics platform, iSiPP50G.

Building technology through teams

Joris emphasizes that R&D is increasingly a team effort. The problems are too complex and the solutions too multidisciplinary to be solved by one person or one expertise area alone.

“I am very passionate about teams coming together and jointly tackling complex problems,” he says, “and ultimately delivering best-in-class solutions.”

That team-based approach is especially important in silicon photonics. Progress depends on the close alignment of design, process technology, device physics, integration, packaging, testing, and system architecture. Each choice affects the next. A successful platform needs to work not only as a collection of high-performing components, but as a manufacturable and scalable technology.

Choosing the right opportunities

As silicon photonics expands into new application domains, Joris also sees an important strategic challenge: choosing where to focus.

Imec has growing opportunities across optical interconnects, optical compute, optical sensing, and optical quantum applications. The challenge is not simply to pursue every possible direction, but to identify the opportunities that can create long-term value and help imec continue to grow.

“In my opinion, being selective in the type of projects we engage in is a key challenge,” Joris says. “The solution is to have strong cross-connections between different teams, groups, and expertise under the imec roof, so we can jointly find the best opportunities.”

That balance between scientific rigor, technology leadership, and strategic focus defines Joris’ role as an imec fellow. His work has helped move silicon photonics from early research into a platform technology with industrial relevance, while keeping an eye on the next set of challenges.

A message to young researchers

For young researchers, Joris’ advice is to dig deep, stay curious, and learn from the people around you.

“The first step is to understand the problem thoroughly. Not only the part you are directly responsible for, but the broader context: the system requirements, the integration challenges, the limitations of the technology, and the needs of future users.”

“The second is to use the environment around you. At imec, researchers are surrounded by experts in many fields. I see that as a unique opportunity.”

Silicon photonics has grown because many disciplines came together around a shared challenge. For Joris, the best solutions emerge when researchers combine depth with openness, and when teams are willing to connect their knowledge to solve each other’s problems.