New initiative to focus on PIC integration
Three companies – X-Celeprint, Ligentec, and X-FAB – are aligning their efforts to simplify and enhance photonic integrated circuit (PIC) heterogeneous integration through Micro Transfer Printing (MTP).
This collaboration aims to close existing gaps in the value chain and offer a seamless journey from R&D to mass production.
The future of PICs is moving toward chiplets, where the best materials and components are combined to create hybrid solutions. But today, achieving these hybrid chiplets is a complex and cumbersome process for customers, as no integrated supply chain exists to streamline the path from development to production.
To address this challenge, these three companies are partnering to create a fully integrated supply chain that simplifies the development of and industrialisation hybrid PICs:
Ligentec's expertise is in low-loss Silicon Nitride (SiN) PICs; . X-Celeprint focuses on micro-Transfer Printing (MTP), bringing the capability to integrate diverse active materials on PIC platforms; and X-FAB is a specialty foundry for analogue mixed-signal ASICs, MEMS, microsystems and photonics, providing scaling-up and volume production capabilities.
Together, these companies will be working towards offering customers a complete solution, covering all stages from early technology assessment and R&D, through design support, prototyping, and piloting, to full-scale production.
As the first step in this collaboration, Ligentec will integrate photodetectors (PDs) onto their low-loss SiN platform using MTP technology. This will be offered as an additional module to their regular multi-project wafer (MPW) runs, providing an easy, low-barrier entry point for customers. X-Celeprint will contribute its vast expertise in process development, with X-FAB ensuring a smooth scale-up from prototyping to volume production.
“After years of intensive R&D, we are seeing significant uptake and interest in Micro Transfer Printing. The technology readiness level in photonics integration has reached the stage to bring it to the market, offering customers a powerful solution to overcome the challenges of hybrid PICs.” states Kyle Benkendorfer – CEO of X-Celeprint.
“No single material system can meet 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 high- performance SiN platform,” adds Thomas Hessler, CEO of Ligentec, “This not only enhances functionality but also opens the door to new applications and innovations.”
