Our research, however fundamental, has a clear path out of the laboratory, into the real world, thereby creating a truly competitive technology. We invent to innovate.

Martijn Heck is professor in the Photonic Integration group of the Electrical Engineering department at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). He is also still a part-time group leader at Aarhus University in Denmark, where he founded the Photonic Integrated Circuits group in 2013. Heck is a globally recognized and internationally oriented expert in photonic integration, with broad experience in ground-breaking basic research, applied research and technology transfer. He has specific interest in the application of this technology in sensors, microwave and terahertz photonics, quantum technology, and interconnects.

In his career, Heck has been deeply involved in the realization of the first successful multi-project wafer run of the European platform for photonic integration JePPIX, the development of the hybrid silicon platform technology, now commercialized by Intel and Juniper, from component level to full circuit level fabrication, and the invention of the ultra-low loss waveguide technology, with world-record low loss.

Heck has a strong background in photonic integration. As a generalist, his experience spans the whole chain of optical chip design, fabrication and characterization. He also has specialist expertise in ultrafast integrated laser technology and microwave photonics. Heck has worked with all the major photonic integration platforms: indium phosphide, silicon on insulator and silicon nitride photonic integrated circuits.

Martijn Heck received his MSc in Applied Physics in 2002 and his PhD in 2008, both from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). After obtaining his doctorate, he worked as a (postdoctoral) researcher, first at TU/e (2007-2008), then at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (2008-2009) and finally at University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) in the USA (2009-2013). Heck then moved to Aarhus University (Denmark) to become an associate professor and established the Photonic Integrated Circuits group. In 2020, Heck was appointed professor in the Photonic Integration group at TU/e.