Silicon Photonics Design · visual companion

Every figure,
explained from scratch.

Chrostowski & Hochberg's Silicon Photonics Design, chunk by chunk: a beginner-friendly diagram computed from the physics, with the verbatim book text right beside it. Nothing skipped.

All 365 sections live · every one book-checked and independently reviewed
Compact design: focusing grating couplers
vision-verified ✓zoom to 12×verbatim source text
365sections
308explainer diagrams
57key-point cards
13chapters
Inside

Built for understanding,
not for skimming.

Diagrams from first principles

Every figure is computed from the physics in the text — solved equations, real dispersion, drawn to scale. Nothing is traced or copied.

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The exact text of every chunk sits right under its diagram, with its place in the book cited, so you never lose the thread.

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Every figure passes an automated geometry check and an independent visual review for legibility, clipped labels and correctness.

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Tap any figure to open the viewer: pinch or scroll to zoom, drag to pan. Figures are vectors, so labels stay razor-sharp.

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Press / and type — every passage about detectors, gratings or ring modulators, with the matching sentence highlighted.

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Sections you finish are ticked off per chapter and remembered on your device. One tap takes you back to where you stopped.

The book

Thirteen chapters,
turned visual.

Front matter
5 sections · 5 cards
all live
1
Fabless silicon photonics
30 sections · 29 diagrams · 1 card
all live
2
Modelling and design approaches
31 sections · 27 diagrams · 4 cards
all live
3
Optical materials and waveguides
32 sections · 26 diagrams · 6 cards
all live
4
Fundamental building blocks
46 sections · 41 diagrams · 5 cards
all live
5
Optical I/O
36 sections · 31 diagrams · 5 cards
all live
6
Modulators
24 sections · 19 diagrams · 5 cards
all live
7
Detectors
37 sections · 33 diagrams · 4 cards
all live
8
Lasers
22 sections · 19 diagrams · 3 cards
all live
9
Photonic circuit modelling
25 sections · 20 diagrams · 5 cards
all live
10
Tools and techniques
17 sections · 16 diagrams · 1 card
all live
11
Fabrication
11 sections · 10 diagrams · 1 card
all live
12
Testing and packaging
33 sections · 24 diagrams · 9 cards
all live
13
Silicon photonic system example
15 sections · 13 diagrams · 2 cards
all live
Back matter
1 section · 1 card
all live
Sample figures

A look at the diagrams.

Compact design: focusing grating couplers
C089 · Compact design: focusing grating couplers5.2 Grating coupler › 5.2.3 Design methodology
Convergence testing: simulation span
C013 · Convergence testing: simulation span3.2.4 1D slab – numerical › Convergence tests
Taper-length optimization of coupling efficiency
C094c · Taper-length optimization of coupling efficiency5.3 Edge coupler › 5.3.1 Nano-taper edge coupler