20 June 2018

AMO uses Oxford Instruments process solutions to fabricate ultrafast graphene-based photonics devices for next-gen datacoms

© Semiconductor Today Magazine / Juno PublishiPicture: Disco’s DAL7440 KABRA laser saw.

UK-based Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology (OIPT) says that its fabrication solutions have been used by researchers at AMO GmbH, a non-profit SME based in Aachen, Germany, to develop a graphene-based photonics device capable of operating at a data rate of 25Gb/s per channel.

The devices convert optical modulation data into an electrical signal that can be interpreted by existing IT systems, and they have the potential to become key enablers for next-generation mobile communications unlocking data streams at ultrafast speeds with wide bandwidths.

Advances in Big Data and Internet of Things (IOT) technologies are driving development of long-range data centers with kilometers of data links. Keeping up with these ever increasing demands will require the development of faster and more efficient data links, says OIPT. Devices developed by AMO, within the European Graphene Flagship project, have set the bar in terms of high-speed photodetectors operating at telecom wavelengths. At this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC2018) in Barcelona, Spain at the end of February, AMO - along with collaborators with the Graphene Flagship project - demonstrated the world’s first graphene data communication link operating at 25Gb/s per channel. As such, the detector developed at AMO can reach speeds of up to 130GHz

“The latest results on high-speed graphene-based data communication are very encouraging,” comments AMO’s managing director professor Max Lemme. “They are a positive testament to AMO’s mission: to identify new materials and to demonstrate new technologies for future applications in electronics and optoelectronics, such as IoT and 5G. We can only achieve such results through our state-of-the-art R&D process line, which includes a large number of tools for scalable nanotechnologies, such as Oxford Instruments’ RIE, ALD and CVD tools,” he adds.

The devices were developed on AMO’s 6” device fabrication pilot line, which is equipped with Oxford Instruments fabrication solutions including ICP RIE, ALD and PECVD tools. Oxford Instruments offers solutions for the data communications market sector for both scaled-up production as well as novel device R&D. The detector’s fabrication involved: waveguide fabrication, III-V/2D materials mesa etching, and graphene/2D/novel materials deposition. Oxford Instruments also offers solutions for devices such as the indium phosphide (InP) edge-emitting lasers and vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) that are also key components of photonic data communications.

“We continue to invest in further developing and improving our cutting-edge device fabrication processes for datacoms and photonics through feedback from such impressive success stories,” says OIPT’s innovation and solutions director Frazer Anderson.

Tags: OIPT Graphene

Visit: www.oxford-instruments.com

Visit: www.amo.de

Visit: www.graphene-flagship.eu