SILICON ON INSULATOR (SOI) PLATFORM

SiPhotonIC has developed 220SOI and 250SOI platforms, both optimized for operation at 1550nm and 1300nm for all compatible photonic applications.
The technology comprises well-characterized and ready-to-use libraries of building blocks that offer a great base to designers to launch their PIC development right with minimum effort and great flexibility.

The process is supported by a complete Process Design Kit (PDK) under the xPDK format available for both proprietary and open-source suites (Luceda, Synopsys, KLayout, GDS Factory, NAZCA, L-edit, GdsPy).
The xPDK package includes the necessary material to launch the tape out right away (i.e. design manuals, DRC rules & decks and reference designs) and can be obtained after registering and signing an NDA.

The SOI nano-fabrication service is available both as on-demand service and through scheduled MPW runs. We support a wide range of production volumes, from small quantities of PICs to full wafer batches.

To obtain the PDK and relevant design material, register through “ACCESS“.

 

STANDARD SOI PROCESS

The standard 220SOI and 250SOI PDK libraries offer a variety of building blocks to use for passive operation with thermo-optic phase shifting elements. The PDK libraries include full set of photonic components to launch your IC design and enhance them with your components:

      • Spot size converters
      • Vertical grating couplers (focusing and long taper)
      • Vertical 2D grating couplers for polarization splitting
      • Crosses
      • Directional couplers and Y-splitters
      • MMIs
      • MZIs
      • Spirals
      • Resonators
      • Filters
      • AWGs
      • Thermo-optic phase shifters
      • Polarization handling components
      • High speed ring modulators (*available soon)
      • High speed Mach-Zehnder modulators (*available soon)

Standard SOI delivery times (for on-demand runs, for MPWs refer to each MPW schedule)

      • Passives: 1.5 month FRO (1 month with rapid cycle premium)
      • Passives – T/O phase shifters: 2.5 months FRO (2 months with rapid cycle premium)

ADVANCED SOI PROCESSES

 SiPhotonIC offers the following advanced processes for the SOI platform, which can be requested on-demand:

      • Advanced process I: Deep trench etching for thermal isolation between elements
      • Advanced process II: State-of-the-art “Advanced-coupling SOI” with Aluminum-assisted grating couplers for sub-dB operation, extremely useful for sensitive applications where every dB counts, like quantum photonics. The technology can be used with both single polarization and dual polarization grating couplers. (About the technology)

Advanced SOI delivery times (for on-demand runs)

      • SOI with thermal isolation trenches: 3 months FRO (2.5 months with rapid cycle premium)
      • Advanced coupling SOI (passives / passives with T/O): 2.5-3.5 months FRO (2-3 months with rapid cycle premium)

 

CUSTOM SOI

SiPhotonIC offers fully-customized SOI photonic stacks tailored to your specific R&D requirements.

Whether you need modifications to our standard 220SOI and 250SOI platforms or a completely bespoke SOI stack fabricated, we provide the flexibility to adapt materials, layer structures and process parameters according to your application with maximum design freedom.

Examples from past custom SOI projects (in series): 
Si photonic crystal suspension, photonic crystals with SiO2 openings, Si-polymer slot waveguides for high-speed modulation, Si slot meta-surfaces, graphene Si E-O modulator, graphene heaters on Si waveguides, silicon nitride on SOI, Si deep etching, topology-optimized structures).

Custom SOI delivery times (on-demand runs)

      •  Contact us for project-specific delivery estimates

EARLY ACCESS SOI

Gain early access to the advanced SOI developments. You can experiment by joining one of our on-going development runs and benefit from accessing cutting edge technology with competitive pricing. Get in contact with us to learn more about our developments.