Imec Demonstrates 28Gb/s Silicon Photonics Platform For High-Density, Low Power WDM Optical Interconnects

At last week’s Integrated Photonics Research, Silicon and Nanophotonics Conference (IPR, San Diego, July 13-16, 2014), imec has demonstrated improved performance of various key building blocks for high-density low-power wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) optical interconnects in silicon. The achievements are an important milestone for imec’s fully integrated silicon photonics platform (iSiPP25G) for high-performance optical transceivers, extending the performance towards 28Gb/s and beyond.

Imec has demonstrated, at wafer-scale, a ring-based Wavelength-Division Multiplexing filter with an improved thermo-optic tuning efficiency better than 1nm/mW per channel, a thermally tunable 28Gb/s ring modulator with an efficiency of 260pm/mW and a high-speed germanium photodetector achieving an average responsitivity of 0.85A/W, and opto-electrical bandwidth of 50GHz with dark currents at –1.0V below 50nA. The devices are all integrated on imec’s iSiPP25G platform and extend imec’s Si photonics portfolio, also including low-loss (<2.5dB/cm) strip waveguides, highly efficient grating couplers (2.5dB insertion loss), 25Gb/s Mach-Zehnder modulators and more.

“Imec’s Silicon Photonics platform provides 28Gb/s performance for integrated photonics circuits for telecom and datacom industries. Companies can benefit from our silicon photonics capability through established standard cells, or explore the functionality of their own designs in Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) runs,” stated Philippe Absil, program director at imec. “Through our MPW offer, fabless R&D teams can access a cost-efficient silicon photonics solution, with state-of-the-art performance, design flexibility and superior CD and thickness control”.

Imec offers the platform for silicon photonics via ePIXfab (supported by Ghent University), Europractice IC service and MOSIS, a provider of low-cost prototyping and small volume production services for custom ICs.The next passive run is now open for registration (deadline September 15th) with first wafers out in January 2015. Imec’s third active ISIPP25G run is now open for registration (deadline November 10th) with first wafers out in June 2015. Support, registration and design kit access will be organized by imec’s services via its Europractice IC service, in collaboration with world-wide MPW partners.

About ePIXfab
ePIXfab is the European Silicon Photonics Platform co-funded by the EU. ePIXfab is a consortium of partners coordinated by imec-UGent partnership. Other members of the consortium are CEA-LETI (France), IHP (Germany) TNO (Netherlands), Tyndall (Ireland), VTT (Finland) and CMC Microsystems (Canada); providing together diverse expertise from design to packaging thus supporting the emergence of a fabless ecosystem in Silicon Photonics. For more information, visit www.epixfab.eu.

About imec
Imec performs world-leading research in nanoelectronics. Imec leverages its scientific knowledge with the innovative power of its global partnerships in ICT, healthcare and energy. Imec delivers industry-relevant technology solutions. In a unique high-tech environment, its international top talent is committed to providing the building blocks for a better life in a sustainable society. Imec is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and has offices in Belgium, the Netherlands, Taiwan, US, China, India and Japan. Its staff of over 2,080 people includes more than 670 industrial residents and guest researchers. In 2013, imec's revenue (P&L) totaled 332 million euro. For more information, visit www.imec.be. And www.imec.be/imecmagazine.

About Ghent University And Intec
Ghent University, abbreviated to UGent, is one of the major universities in the Dutch-speaking region of Europe.  It distinguishes itself as a socially committed and pluralistic university in a broad international perspective.

The mission of the Department of Information Technology (Intec) of Ghent University is to provide high quality education from undergraduate to postgraduate level based on excellent research. To obtain this excellence on an international level Intec focuses its research effort on carefully chosen domains so as to achieve a critical mass in each of them. In the physical layer Intec – and more in particular its 85 people strong Photonics Research Group - has a focus on nanophotonic components and silicon photonics for application in telecom, datacom, sensing and biosensing.

About MOSIS
MOSIS is a low-cost prototyping and small-volume production service for VLSI circuit development. Since 1981, MOSIS has fabricated more than 50,000 circuit designs for commercial firms, government agencies, and research and educational institutions around the world. For more information, visit http://mosis.com/.