Photonic Integrated Circuits ( PICs) have been demonstrated with very low on-chip loss, for example with Ligentec’s low-loss silicon nitride ( SiN) PIC platform. The connection of these integrated photonic circuits to optical fibre arrays is often a challenge in terms of performance and cost. Vanguard Automation GmbH and Ligentec have now demonstrated a low-loss coupling by using standard PDK elements.
Vanguard Automation GmbH (a Mycronic company), the developer of 3D-printed Photonic Photonic Integrated Circuits ( PICs) have been demonstrated with very low on-chip loss, for example with Ligentec’s low-loss silicon nitride ( SiN) PIC platform. The connection of these integrated photonic circuits to optical fibre arrays is often a challenge in terms of performance and cost. Vanguard Automation GmbH and Ligentec SA have now demonstrated a low-loss coupling by using standard PDK elements.
Vanguard Automation GmbH (a Mycronic company), the developer of 3D-printed Photonic Wire Bonding (PWB) and Facet-Attached Micro-Lens (FaML) technology for photonic integration and packaging and Ligentec SA, producer of all nitride core PICs announces the results of their successful collaboration to bring photonic integration with PWBs to Ligentec’s low loss SiN PIC platform.
Dr Laura Horan, Product Management Lead at Vanguard Automation commented: “Our strategic collaboration with Ligentec highlights our technology’s versatility, enabling us to deliver photonic connectivity solutions to PICs via 3D nano-printed PWBs.”
Through the development of a standardised chip design with edge couplers available in the
Ligentec PDK, Vanguard Automation and Ligentec have achieved seamless connectivity between an SMF fiber array and SiN PICs. A total insertion loss of less than 1.5 dB has been demonstrated. Ligentec’s high quality SiN PIC production process and Vanguard Automation’s reliable and repeatable 3D-printing process for the production of PWBs, ensures the delivery of high-yield photonic integration solutions.
Michael Geiselmann, CCO of Ligentec, added: “This flexible and high performance interconnection method is another step to simplify the development of PIC based solutions while preserving the benefits of our low loss platform.”
