AIM Photonics Attracts Interest from Industry, Government, Academia

The American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics (AIM Photonics) announced the successful conclusion of its Fall 2018 members meeting that gave its partners an opportunity to discuss collaboration efforts on advanced photonic integrated circuit technology design, manufacturing, and commercialization.

AIM Photonics leaders and partners discussed the latest process design kit, or PDK, which was developed and recently announced by Analog Photonics and SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly). The PDK provides SMEs with a key resource for the development of the baseline technology and design of the products to be manufactured, benefiting from the expertise of leading partnering design companies.

Combined with multiproject wafer (MPW) runs, AIM Photonics’ updated PDK provides members of the Department of Defense-sponsored initiative, which is spearheaded by SUNY Poly, access to world-class silicon photonics components for the development of optical transceivers or systems used in all levels within data centers and high-performance computers, as well as applications such as lidar and sensors.

The MPW processing time has decreased from 130 days in 2016 to fewer than 80 days, even as additional mask levels and functionality are added. MPW runs are scheduled to take place each quarter and provide an opportunity for companies to lower product development risk and amount of investment, while reducing time to market.

AIM Photonics provided its members an advanced look at the latest performance metrics, some first achieved only by AIM Photonics and members in SUNY Poly’s semiconductor processing facility. AIM plans to share the metrics with attendees of the Defense Manufacturing Conference (DMC 2018) this December in Nashville, Tenn.

“The AIM Photonics Members Meeting provided a great opportunity to receive updates about this important initiative as it advances the photonics sector and the related applications in a variety of areas, which can lead to critical technological achievements, and NASA is proud to partner with AIM Photonics on this effort,” said Michael A. Krainak, head of NASA's Laser and Electro-Optics Branch and NASA representative to AIM Photonics.

The members meeting included keynotes on quantum silicon photonics by Syrus Ziai, PsiQuantum VP of Engineering, and on the National Nanotechnology Initiative by director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), Lisa Friedersdorf.

AIM Photonics is one of a number of Manufacturing Innovation Institutes, an industry-driven public-private partnership that focuses the nation’s capabilities and expertise to capture critical global manufacturing leadership in a technology that is both essential to national security and positioned to provide a return on investment to the U.S. economy.