News: Optoelectronics
2 March 2023
OpenLight announces availability of first PDK sampler to accelerate component testing
To enhance familiarity with process technologies and increase the accessibility of photonic integrated circuits (PICs), OpenLight of Santa Barbara, CA, USA (which launched as an independent company in June 2022, introducing the world’s first open silicon photonics platform with heterogeneously integrated III-V lasers) has announced general availability of its process design kit (PDK) Sampler.
After announcing general availability of its PDK last November, the PDK Sampler is a unique, die-level PIC that contains OpenLight’s standard PDK components, enabling customers to comprehensively test PDK elements in their own lab and validate models to enable first-pass success in a PH18DA tapeout. Components include OpenLight’s heterogeneous laser, optical amplifier, 100G PAM4 EAM modulator, and other active and passive components on Tower’s PH18DA process.
The adoption of new process technologies often involves a steep learning curve and is a frequent challenge for customers, especially with recent advancements in the silicon photonics arena, notes OpenLight. This new industry offering is said to provide a short-cut for customers to test individual PDK elements immediately by getting direct lab data prior to taping out a custom PIC design. By being able to test PDK components in their own labs, customers can gain increased confidence in the Tower PH18DA process and can optically and electrically probe PICs.
“With this ‘one-of-everything’ PIC made available through Tower Semiconductor, customers have a better vantage point to sample every PDK component available through our open platform,” says OpenLight’s CEO Dr Adam Carter. “OpenLight’s mission is to be the first to enable the industry with the right design tools and accelerate the use of PICs at scale in a wide variety of markets and applications,” he adds.
“OpenLight continues to complement Tower’s existing open foundry offering,” says Dr Marco Racanelli, senior VP & general manager of Tower Semiconductor’s Analog business unit. “As OpenLight’s partner, this move will make Tower’s PH18DA process more accessible for mutual customers and help them make the most of our technology.”
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