LIGENTEC: 200 mm volume scale integrated SiN platform

STATE-OF-THE-ART SILICON NITRIDE PLATFORM

ALL-NITRIDE PERFORMANCE
Bending loss at 50μm radius< 0.005 dB
Propagation loss< 0.1 dB/cm
Minimum feature size200 nm
Mode field diameter
for edge coupling
> 2-10 μm (customizable)

Statistical Process Control

IP BLOCKS PERFORMANCE AN800
Delay line< 5 dB/m
Mach Zehnder
Interferometer (rejection)
> 22 dB
High Q Resonator> 2*106
20*106 (best measured)
Fiber chip coupling loss< 1.5 dB
Thermal Tuning> 4 nm, 4π – shift
π – shift < 100 mW

  • Optical propagation loss (<1dB/m in C-band)
  • Coupling to single mode fiber (<1dB/facet)
  • Thermal phase tuning (pi-shift < 15 mW)
  • High confinement ring resonators (Q factors >20M)
  • 200 mm, automotive qualified foundry partner
  • Statistical process control

Innovations in development:

  • Integration of Lithium Niobate modulators (LNOI)
  • Photodiode integration 
  • Gain materials
  • Other

DESIGN FLEXIBILITY

FABRICATION MODULES AND SELECTED PDK COMPONENTS

X2. Multi level photonics circuits

LoCA. Local cladding open for sensing and bonding

M1. High efficiency heater module for thermo-optic tuning

ExSpot. Spot size converters for mode matching to SMF in 1550nm

RIB. Enabling low loss grating coupler and polarisation management

Integration of active components

Low loss delay line

Mach-Zehnder Interferometer

Phase shifter

Tunable Mach-Zehnder

Tunable ring resonator

Polarisation management

Splitter

PDK Process Design Kit

LIGENTEC: 200 mm volume scale integrated SiN platform

STATE-OF-THE-ART SILICON NITRIDE PLATFORM

ALL-NITRIDE PERFORMANCE
Bending loss at 50μm radius< 0.005 dB
Propagation loss< 0.1 dB/cm
Minimum feature size200 nm
Mode field diameter
for edge coupling
> 2-10 μm (customizable)

Statistical Process Control

IP BLOCKS PERFORMANCE AN800
Delay line< 5 dB/m
Mach Zehnder
Interferometer (rejection)
> 22 dB
High Q Resonator> 2*106
20*106 (best measured)
Fiber chip coupling loss< 1.5 dB
Thermal Tuning> 4 nm, 4π – shift
π – shift < 100 mW

  • Optical propagation loss (<1dB/m in C-band)
  • Coupling to single mode fiber (<1dB/facet)
  • Thermal phase tuning (pi-shift < 15 mW)
  • High confinement ring resonators (Q factors >20M)
  • 200 mm, automotive qualified foundry partner
  • Statistical process control

Innovations in development:

  • Integration of Lithium Niobate modulators (LNOI)
  • Photodiode integration 
  • Gain materials
  • Other

DESIGN FLEXIBILITY

FABRICATION MODULES AND SELECTED PDK COMPONENTS

X2. Multi level photonics circuits

LoCA. Local cladding open for sensing and bonding

M1. High efficiency heater module for thermo-optic tuning

ExSpot. Spot size converters for mode matching to SMF in 1550nm

RIB. Enabling low loss grating coupler and polarisation management

Integration of active components

Low loss delay line

Mach-Zehnder Interferometer

Phase shifter

Tunable Mach-Zehnder

Tunable ring resonator

Polarisation management

Splitter

LIGENTEC process offers a state of the art, cost-effective platform with very high geometric accuracy. The process is accompanied by a complete PDK (available in L-edit, Calibre, Luceda and Synopsys). The PDK includes DRC rules files, and validated simulation film for our reference designs. Example of reference design:

  • Spot converters
  • Ultra low loss spirals
  • MZI, MMI
  • Ring resonators
  • Filters
  • AWG
  • Heaters
  • 2 x 2 mm
  • uniformity

An unique feature of the thick waveguides is their anomalous dispersion and their high damage threshold that is important in a range of nonlinear optical applications, including integrated quantum communication, supercontinuum generation in waveguides from pulsed lasers, femtosecond pulse generation from CW lasers using soliton generation in microresonators. The high power threshold enables applications such as LIDAR to propagate Watts of power in the waveguides. In addition the transparency window in the visible renders silicon nitride planar photonic circuits attractive for microfluidics and bio-sensing applications.

At the start, AN technology is named because most of the mode (>90%) is in the nitride waveguide. The high mode confinement:

  • Extends the transparency window to 3.0 µm in the MIR
  • Reduces the bending radius, making very compact design possible
  • Gives access to non-linear and quantum option through waveguide design
  • Can operate in very high power with/without non-linear effects
  • Reduced the propagation losses
The AN technology is available in two modular processes, developed from the ground up for photonics.

SILICON NITRIDE

Ultra wide transparency window reaching from 400-4000nm of wavelength

Large band gap providing ultra low propagation loss and high nonlinear coefficient for nonlinear integrated photonics applications

Refractive index of 2.00 enabling easy fiber coupling

Deposited amorphous material allowing monolithic 3D integration of devices on the same chip

Ultra thick waveguides for excellent mode-confinement, providing tight bends (< 10 µm) and access to dispersion engineering

LIGENTEC process offers a state of the art, cost-effective platform with very high geometric accuracy. The process is accompanied by a complete PDK (available in L-edit, Calibre, Luceda and Synopsys). The PDK includes DRC rules files, and validated simulation film for our reference designs. Example of reference design:

  • Spot converters
  • Ultra low loss spirals
  • MZI, MMI
  • Ring resonators
  • Filters
  • AWG
  • Heaters

 

An unique feature of the thick waveguides is their anomalous dispersion and their high damage threshold that is important in a range of nonlinear optical applications, including integrated quantum communication, supercontinuum generation in waveguides from pulsed lasers, femtosecond pulse generation from CW lasers using soliton generation in microresonators. The high power threshold enables applications such as LIDAR to propagate Watts of power in the waveguides. In addition the transparency window in the visible renders silicon nitride planar photonic circuits attractive for microfluidics and bio-sensing applications.

At the start, AN technology is named because most of the mode (>90%) is in the nitride waveguide. The high mode confinement:

  • Extends the transparency window to 3.0 µm in the MIR
  • Reduces the bending radius, making very compact design possible
  • Gives access to non-linear and quantum option through waveguide design
  • Can operate in very high power with/without non-linear effects
  • Reduced the propagation losses
The AN technology is available in two modular processes, developed from the ground up for photonics.

SILICON NITRIDE

Ultra wide transparency window reaching from 400-4000nm of wavelength

Large band gap providing low propagation loss and high nonlinear coefficient for nonlinear integrated photonics applications

Deposited amorphous material allowing monolithic 3D integration of devices on the same chip

High refractive index of 2.00 enabling high confinement waveguides and cost benefits through reduced device size

Ultra thick low loss LPCVD SiN for excellent mode-confinement and small bending radius

LIGENTEC offers its proprietary silicon nitride (Si3N4) platform targeted at photonic applications using integrated photonic chips from visible to mid-IR.

Silicon nitride as a material strikes a balance between silicon and silicon oxide.

SiliconSilicon NitrideSilicon Oxide
Transparency1.1-9 μm0.25-8 μm0.13-3.5 μm
Band gap1.12 eV5 eV9 eV
Refractive index at 1550 nm3.472.001.46
Nonlinear coefficient (m2W-1)~ 6*10-182*10-19~ 2.5*10-20
DepositionCrystal material EPI/SOI*High quality deposited by LPCVDThermally grown*

* film in direct contact to the substrate

LIGENTEC is developing cutting-edge technology to integrate novel, high performance materials on top of our state-of-the-art silicon nitride platform. One of key materials is the integration of thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) on SiN, also called lithium niobate on insulator or LNOI. This will create a platform that will transform the world of photonics by combining the best passive photonics platform with an exceptional electro-optical material platform.

 

Benefits:

  • Enhanced performance. Lithium niobate is renowned for its exceptional electro-optic, piezoelectric and nonlinear properties. When combined with the robustness and low propagation loss of silicon nitride, it will result in devices with unparalleled performance.
  • Compact and efficient. Our integration approach allows for more compact devices. The high confinement of light in LNOI and SiN, combined with its high electro-optic coefficient leads to enhanced performance in terms of Vpi*L and modulation bandwidths, all the way above 100GHz.
  • Versatility. This hybrid platform is suitable for a wide range of applications, from telecommunications (>100GHz), to optical clocks (nonlinear properties), all the way to quantum computing applications (ultra low loss).
  • Cost-effective manufacturing and scalability. Combining LNOI with SiN will leverage the existing high volume, 200 mm scaling path for large scale deployment of this technology, making it a viable option for high volume applications (AI, datacenters,…) without compromising on specifications. 

APPLICATION AREAS

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LOW-LOSS INTEGRATED PHOTONICS