News: Optoelectronics
28 February 2024
Scintil integrates III-V DFB lasers and amplifiers with standard silicon photonics in production at Tower
Scintil Photonics of Grenoble, France and Toronto, Canada, a fabless developer of augmented silicon photonic integrated circuits (integrated laser arrays, 800Gb/s transmitters and receivers, tunable transmitters and receivers, as well as optical I/O for near-chip and chip-chip communication), has announced the integration of III-V distributed feedback (DFB) lasers and amplifiers with standard silicon photonics technology in production at foundry Tower Semiconductor, marking a pivotal step in its supply chain.
Scintil’s fully integrated circuits comprise what is said to be unique proprietary technology, relying on standard silicon photonics and enabling the monolithic integration of lasers and amplifiers to enable improved performance, speed, reliability and high density at low power consumption for data-center, artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G applications.
Fabricated on Tower’s high-volume base PH18M silicon photonics foundry technology, which includes low-loss waveguides, photodetectors and modulators, Scintil’s technology monolithically integrates DFB lasers and amplifiers on the backside of wafers. Further testing of Scintil’s circuits by customers showed no need for a hermetic package, while demonstrating improved ageing and robustness.
“Thanks to our long-time collaboration, we are well-positioned to deliver laser-augmented silicon photonic ICs that redefine integration, performance and scalability,” says president & CEO Sylvie Menezo. “This will position Scintil for high-volume production to meet market demands,” she adds. “In addition, our technology exhibits remarkable opportunities to accommodate the integration of more materials, such as quantum dot and lithium niobate materials.”
The silicon photonics transceiver market is expected to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24%, reaching a total addressable market (TAM) of at least $7bn in 2025, according to the market research firm LightCounting.
“We are excited to support Scintil in this highly integrated solution that makes use of proven production building blocks from Tower,” says Edward Preisler, VP & general manager of Tower’s RF business unit. “The integration of III-V optical amplifiers/lasers aligns with Tower Semiconductor’s commitment to bring to market cutting-edge silicon photonic technologies.”
Scintil demos first single-chip 100GHz DFB comb laser source
