September 20, 2024. Three leading photonic integrated circuit companies announce collaboration to provide a seamless path for heterogeneous integration with Micro Transfer Printing (MTP).
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Microelectronics
X-FAB: World’s first integrated value chain platform initiative for heterogeneous integration in photonics
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Illustration of micro transfer printing. Photo: X-FAB
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In a bold move to revolutionize photonic integrated circuits (PICs), three of the industry’s leading companies, X-Celeprint, Ligentec and X-FAB, are joining forces to simplify and improve heterogeneous integration through Micro Transfer Printing (MTP). This collaboration is designed to close existing gaps in the value chain and enable a seamless transition from research and development to mass production.
In response to the global need to reduce power consumption, emissions and material waste, innovations in advanced photonic integration and packaging technologies are paving the way for a greener future while delivering scalable, high-performance solutions for the industry.
Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are at the forefront of technological innovation, poised to enable breakthrough applications and overcome current technological barriers. The future of PICs is moving toward chiplets that combine the best materials and components to create hybrid solutions.
Today, manufacturing these hybrid chiplets is a complex and cumbersome process for customers because there is no integrated supply chain that streamlines the path from development to production.
To address this challenge, three industry leaders have joined forces to create a fully integrated value chain that simplifies the development and industrialization of hybrid PICs:
- Ligentec: A leading supplier of low-loss silicon nitride (SiN) PICs that enable next-generation optical systems.
- X-Celeprint: A leading provider of micro-transfer printing (MTP), offering the ability to integrate various active materials onto PIC platforms.
- X-FAB: A leading specialty foundry for feature-rich analog mixed-signal ASICs, MEMS, microsystems and photonics, providing scaling and volume production capabilities.
Together, these companies will work to provide customers with a complete, seamless solution covering all phases from early technology assessment and R&D through design support, prototyping and piloting to volume production.
As a first step in this collaboration, Ligentec will integrate photodetectors into its low-loss SiN platform using MTP technology. This will be offered as an additional module to the regular Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) runs, offering customers an easy entry with a low barrier to entry. X-Celeprint will contribute its extensive expertise in process development, while X-FAB will ensure a smooth transition from prototyping to volume production.
“After years of intensive research and development, we are seeing significant acceptance and interest in the microdroplet process. The technology maturity level in photonics integration has reached the stage where it can be brought to market and provide customers with a powerful solution to address the challenges of hybrid PICs,” explains Kyle Benkendorfer, CEO of X-Celeprint.
“No single material system can fulfill the diverse requirements of photonics. Heterogeneous integration is essential, and with Micro Transfer Printing we have the ideal technology to combine the best active materials with our powerful SiN platform,” adds Thomas Hessler, CEO of LIGENTEC. “This not only improves functionality, but also opens the door to new applications and innovations.”
“We see MTP as a promising technology with enormous future potential. X-FAB supports this collaboration and ensures a smooth and efficient transition from prototyping to large-scale production,” says Volker Herbig, VP BU Microsystems at X-FAB.
This combined offering covers the entire customer process and provides clear and accessible pathways from R&D to high volume production. Future functionalities, such as light generation and modulation, will be integrated in the next phases, further expanding the potential of this technology.
Abbreviations
ASIC – Application-Specific Integrated Circuits
MTP – Micro Transfer Printing
PIC – Photonic Integrated Circuit
F&E – Research and Development
SiN – Silicon Nitride
About LIGENTEC
LIGENTEC provides application-specific photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for customers in high-tech industries such as quantum computing, advanced computing, communications, autonomous driving, aerospace and biosensors. LIGENTEC’s technology, originally developed at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), is patented and fully CMOS-compatible. This technology enables the production of PICs with better performance than today’s cutting-edge technology. In addition, active components can be integrated to enable even more functionality on the chip. By combining the advantages of the low-loss silicon nitride material with wafer-level manufacturing and integration, LIGENTEC addresses the key challenges of integrated photonics today, including low losses and short production cycles. LIGENTEC offers a smooth transition from R&D to volume production supported by its low entry barrier MPW services, customized PIC development and high volume production in a 200mm CMOS foundry certified to IATF 16949. LIGENTEC is based in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Corbeil-Essonnes, Île-de-France, France, and is ISO 9001:2015 certified.
About X-Celeprint
X-Celeprint is an innovative technology company specializing in micro-transfer printing, an advanced heterogeneous integration process that enables the assembly of ultra-thin, ultra-small and high-performance semiconductor devices on a variety of substrates. This innovative approach facilitates the development of next-generation electronic systems with an efficient, scalable and environmentally friendly production approach that covers applications in data communications, sensing, LIDAR, quantum computing, medical devices and more. X-Celeprint’s innovative solutions are designed to meet the evolving needs of the technology industry and develop smaller, faster and more power-efficient electronic systems. X-Celeprint is based at the Tyndall National Institute in Cork, Ireland, and at Micross, which has a trusted/ITAR-compliant 200mm wafer fab with extensive heterogeneous capabilities in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Both facilities feature MTP technology in their R&E advanced packaging lines to assist customers with rapid prototyping. X-Celeprint licenses the MTP technology, which consists of more than 750 worldwide patents and 190 pending applications.
About X-FAB
X-FAB is a global foundry group that provides its customers with a comprehensive range of specialty technologies and design IP to enable the development of world-leading semiconductor products manufactured at X-FAB’s six wafer fabs in Malaysia, Germany, France and the United States. With its expertise in analog/mixed-signal technologies, microsystems/MEMS and silicon carbide (SiC), X-FAB is the development and manufacturing partner for its customers, who are mainly active in the automotive, industrial and medical end markets. X-FAB employs around 4,500 people and has been listed on Euronext Paris (XFAB) since April 2017.
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Photo: X-FAB
