Facilitating photonics innovation, through a modular, integration technology platform

Project Information

SmartPhotonics

Grant agreement ID: 858999

DOI

10.3030/858999

Project closed

EC signature date 9 June 2019

Start date 1 July 2019

End date 30 September 2022

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 4 606 087,50

EU contribution

€ 3 224 261,25

Coordinated by

SMART PHOTONICS BV
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - SmartPhotonics (Facilitating photonics innovation, through a modular, integration technology platform)

Reporting period: 2021-10-01 to 2022-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Photonics is best known for fibre optics, where it enables lightning-fast data connectivity across long distances and digital cameras that are small and potent. Today Photonics is widely seen as offering a next paradigm enabling faster data transfer and new functionality in smart sensing.
Now, the IoT market for sensing solutions and the Telecom sector is predicted to explode over the next few years, driven by AI technologies. So far, the high-volume photonics industry has mainly been composed of discrete (non-integrated) components such as stand-alone lasers. Emerging integrated chips production exclusively takes place within vertically integrated production lines, making it impossible for thousands of sensor and data technology companies to use this technology to address the many applications that benefit from highly accurate measurements, speed and better component integration in compact devices.
SMART has developed a suite of world class photonics functional modules, which can be combined together as “building blocks”, within an integrated semiconductor platform, based on Indium Phosphide (InP). This generic integration technology simplifies the design of photonics circuits and allows SMART complete flexibility to quickly build up functional PIC chips to meet any given application.
The Phase 2 project will help industrialise the manufacturing processes and prepare for scale-up. The project is strategic to the company as it will develop the processes needed for reliable volume production, set-up a pilot line and develop a Process Design Kit – a software tool – that will empower customers to faster design chips with custom functionality based on SMART’s technology platform.
The specific objectives for the project are four:
1. To industrialise the production process for photonic components and demonstrate scaled manufacture
2. To develop new functionalities, expanding the set of building blocks available to allow more applications to be realised by customers
3. To create a design infrastructure that enables first time right designs through predictive models for the basic building blocks
4. To undertake commercial preparations necessary for market readiness

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Objectives achieved:
- Setup operational excellence framework to get insight into the fabrication: control of the planning of the fabrication, set up SPC for process control.
- Stabilize the platform process on several unit processes: reached process capability Cpk>1 for main processes in epitaxy, lithography, etching and deposition.
- Set up a plan for volume manufacturing
- Secured additional 35M funding for investment in new equipment

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Semiconductor photonics can be built from Indium Phosphide (InP), Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) and Silicon (Si). Most photonics systems which integrate multiple components into single chips (PICs) are built from either Si or InP. The main difference between these platforms is that while Si can only produce passive components to manipulate light, InP can also form active components which generate light (such as lasers and amplifiers). Therefore, InP systems have a great advantage in being able to be fully integrated, without the need for external light sources, thus achieving the inherent advantages of integration: limited interconnections, high density, low power, low cost, better, more reliable and robust operation.

Disruptive nature of SMART: SMART is unique as an independent InP foundry, which produces photonic components exclusively for third parties, and in this way makes photonic technology accessible to SMEs as well as large companies. All other producers of PICs are vertically integrated, developing capabilities for their own, narrow use cases, and are not accessible to other innovators. Their design systems do not offer the flexibility of the modular approach, so that each new application must be laboriously built from scratch.

SMART Photonics MPW with a number of applications combined on one wafer