26 August 2016

AIM Photonics releases integrated silicon photonics PDK

The US Department of Defense (DoD) consortium AIM Photonics (American Institute for Manufacturing Photonics) says that, after just one year of operation, i integrated silicon photonics process design kit (PDK) is now available to all those organizations that have executed membership agreements.

The milestone has resulted from a project led by SUNY Polytechnic Institute, encompassing a significant effort by Analog Photonics, to create a library of photonic components designed to work within the SUNY Poly silicon photonics process. The PDK will enable AIM Photonics members to access leading-edge silicon photonics technology to generate their own piece of real estate on the up-coming multi-project wafer (MPW) run.

"We look forward to providing many other groundbreaking photonics capabilities to the broader photonics community in the coming months and years, thereby fulfilling our charter as a member of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation," says Dr Michael Liehr, AIM Photonics' CEO and SUNY Poly's executive VP of Innovation and Technology.

AIM Photonics says that the PDK and the MPW capability are tangible examples of the benefits afforded to its members. Members are provided access to cutting-edge research and state-of-the-art fabrication, packaging, design and testing capabilities and enjoy the significant cost savings associated with consortium activities.

In addition to the typical custom layout information needed to create custom photonic devices, the PDK also includes intellectual property in the high-performance library of fundamental silicon photonic passive and active devices developed by Analog Photonics LLC.

"These library components can be quickly instantiated at a schematic level to create sophisticated system-level designs in a short amount of time," says Analog Photonics' CEO Mike Watts. "The capabilities of this library will enable next-generation photonic circuits to be developed quickly and reliably," he believes.

"This kind of system-level design methodology is beginning to be supported by leading electronic-photonic design automation (EPDA) companies and is critical for enabling large-scale integrated photonic designs with lower cost and schedule," says Brett Attaway, AIM Photonics' director of EPDA. "We could not have completed this initial release of the PDK without the strong support of our world-leading AIM member EPDA companies," he adds. "It's extremely important that we enable the next generation of integrated photonic design methodologies, and our EPDA member companies are enabling us to do that and help grow the industry with this PDK release."

Future releases of the PDK are planned over the next several years with improved validation data, models and new components added to the library.

AIM Photonics is planning to have several MPW fab runs in 2017, depending on demand, which may include up to three MPWs for the full silicon photonics process, and two MPWs with a reduced process for passive-only devices and three MPWs for interposers as demand requires. The first full silicon and interposer MPW runs in 2017 will start towards the end of the first quarter.

To ensure space for all interested parties, AIM Photonics is currently accepting reservations for these MPW runs. Those interested in participating in any of the 2017 MPW silicon photonics runs should e-mail Chandra Cotter at CCotter@aimphotonics.com by 31 October in order to guarantee a place. Interested parties can also sign up for the 2017 runs by visiting the consortium's website.

PDK and MPW fab access occurs solely through a MPW aggregator. The MOSIS Service has been chosen as the AIM Photonics MPW aggregator.

Tags: silicon photonics

Visit: www.aimphotonics.com/multiproject-wafer-mpw

Visit: www.mosis.com/vendors/view/AIM