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Open Platform Supports Laser Integration on Silicon PICs

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Newly launched company OpenLight has introduced the first open silicon photonics platform with integrated lasers. The platform reaches a level of laser integration and scalability that enables accelerated development of high-performance photonic integrated circuits (PICs) in applications including telecom, datacom, lidar, health care, AI, and optical computing.

Laser integration has long been a challenge in silicon photonics; adding discrete lasers is costly and labor intensive due to the challenging alignment process. As the number of laser channels and overall bandwidth increases, integration becomes more important.

Crucially, Openlight’s technology uses an indium phosphide (InP) modulator that OpenLight COO Thomas Mader noted is unique to the company and provides very low loss to deliver a significant improvement over silicon modulators. 

OpenLight debuted by name this week following the close of a transaction in April between Synopsys and Juniper Networks that intended to form a separate, independent company.

The technology has passed qualification and reliability tests on Tower Semiconductor’s PH18DA production process. By processing the InP materials directly on the silicon photonics wafer, the PH18DA platform reduces the cost and time required to add lasers, enabling volume scalability and improved power efficiency. Additionally, monolithically integrated lasers improve overall reliability and simplify packaging.


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“OpenLight’s open silicon photonics platform with integrated lasers enables scaling from one laser to hundreds, or even thousands of lasers per PIC, all monolithically integrated at the wafer level,” Mader said. “With our platform, companies can enter emerging markets faster, accelerate new applications, and completely change the way their teams build photonic systems of tomorrow.”

OpenLight expects the first open multi-project wafer shuttle run on the PH18DA process as well as 400G and 800G reference designs with integrated lasers to be available in summer 2022.

The key elements that differentiate OpenLight, Mader said, are its “open” recipes for chip designs combined with the unique integrated lasers on which those recipes are based. The company develops modular templates of photonic chip designs with an emphasis on integrated InP lasers, operating between 1310 and 1550 nm. Customers can use these PDKs to develop a chip design that has already been validated.

“OpenLight is paving the way for the new generation of silicon photonics by enabling the scalable integration of lasers in pluggable and co-packaged optics,” said Aveek Sarkar, vice president of engineering at Synopsys. “The combination of Synopsys’ unified electronic and photonic design solution and OpenLight’s innovative silicon photonics platform will significantly accelerate the development of photonics ICs.”

OpenLight’s platform includes integrated lasers, optical amplifiers, modulators, photodetectors, and other key photonic components to form a complete solution for low-power, high-performance photonics ICs. In addition, OpenLight offers select PIC designs and design services to accelerate time to market.

Published: June 2022
Glossary
modulator
A modulator is a device or component that modifies a carrier signal in order to encode information for transmission over a communication channel. The process of modulating involves varying one or more properties of the carrier signal, such as its amplitude, frequency, or phase, to represent the information being sent. Modulation is a fundamental technique in communication systems for encoding analog or digital data onto a carrier wave. There are several types of modulators, each with its own...
gain
Also known as amplification. 1. The increase in a signal that is transmitted from one point to another through an amplifier. A material that exhibits gain rather than absorption, at certain frequencies for a signal passing through it, is known as an active medium. 2. With reference to optical properties, the term may be defined in two ways: a. the relative brightness of a rear projection screen as compared with a perfect lambertian reflective diffuser; b. the ratio of brightness in footlamberts...
integrated laser
A type of laser for which a large number of the components can be fabricated in or upon a single substrate.
indium phosphide
Indium phosphide (InP) is a compound semiconductor material composed of indium (In) and phosphorus (P). It belongs to the III-V group of semiconductors, where elements from groups III and V of the periodic table combine to form a variety of important semiconductor materials. Indium phosphide is known for its favorable electronic and optical properties, making it widely used in the fabrication of optoelectronic devices. Key features and properties of indium phosphide include: Bandgap: Indium...
lidar
Lidar, short for light detection and ranging, is a remote sensing technology that uses laser light to measure distances and generate precise, three-dimensional information about the shape and characteristics of objects and surfaces. Lidar systems typically consist of a laser scanner, a GPS receiver, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU), all integrated into a single system. Here is how lidar works: Laser emission: A laser emits laser pulses, often in the form of rapid and repetitive laser...
integrated photonics
Integrated photonics is a field of study and technology that involves the integration of optical components, such as lasers, modulators, detectors, and waveguides, on a single chip or substrate. The goal of integrated photonics is to miniaturize and consolidate optical elements in a manner similar to the integration of electronic components on a microchip in traditional integrated circuits. Key aspects of integrated photonics include: Miniaturization: Integrated photonics aims to reduce the...
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