Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > IMEC and CEA-LETI gear up cost-effective silicon photonics prototyping service

Abstract:
IMEC and CEA-LETI launch ePIXfab, the continuation of their successful multi-project wafer silicon photonics prototyping service started in 2006. Co-funded by the European Union through the Seventh Framework Program and coordinated by IMEC, ePIXfab aims at reducing the large barriers for access to and market take-up of silicon photonics technology by focusing on reduced cost, risk and design effort, education, and roadmapping.

IMEC and CEA-LETI gear up cost-effective silicon photonics prototyping service

Leuven, Belgium and Grenoble, France | Posted on September 2nd, 2008

With their joint initiative ePIXfab, IMEC and CEA-LETI continue to offer a cost-effective way for researchers and SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) to prototype photonic integrated circuits in silicon. ePIXfab organizes shuttle (also called multi project wafer) fabrication runs with IMEC and LETI wafer-scale technologies, including 193nm deep-UV lithography-based processes. Now, IMEC and LETI have agreed to significantly extend this service to enable a broader market take-up of silicon photonic IC technology. Dedicated prototyping and small-volume manufacturing is also possible based on IMEC or LETI technology.

A wider offer

Starting in September 2008, the PhotonFAB project will provide the ePIXfab service with a more extensive technology portfolio, new design libraries, education and training for the clients, a shuttle service roadmap and a more streamlined operation. Funded by the European Union as a FP7 Support Action, PhotonFAB will in this way lower the design effort, risk and bare costs for the clients. In addition, clients from countries fully associated to the FP7 program will be able to get additional cost reductions for the shuttle service and training activities.

Silicon photonics IC technology enables versatile and highly functional integrated circuits that handle light information. Photonic integrated circuits are used in applications such as communication networks, sensors, monitoring and bio-analysis. Using silicon allows to increase the functionality of a photonic chip by several orders of magnitude. By manufacturing with CMOS technology, the chips are reliable and can be used in volume applications.

Since 2006, thanks to the collaboration between IMEC and CEA-LETI, over 25 academic and SME groups have been able to perform their research and develop their IC technology in a fabless way with reduced costs, by joining many IC designs in a single fabrication run,

Information sessions

ePIXfab will organize two information sessions for its fabrication service and on the PhotonFAB project: one at the IEEE Group IV Photonics conference, September 17-19 2008, Sorrento, Italy, and a second one at the European Conference and Exhibition on Optical Communication 2008 (ECOC), September 21-25 2008, Brussels, Belgium

Detailed information on these events and the ePIXfab services is available from www.epixfab.eu

####

About IMEC
IMEC is a world-leading independent research center in nanoelectronics and nanotechnology. IMEC vzw is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, has a sister company in the Netherlands, IMEC-NL, offices in the US, China and Taiwan, and representatives in Japan. Its staff of more than 1600 people includes more than 500 industrial residents and guest researchers. In 2007, its revenue (P&L) was EUR 244.5 million.

IMEC’s More Moore research aims at semiconductor scaling towards sub-32nm nodes. With its More than Moore research, IMEC looks into technologies for nomadic embedded systems, wireless autonomous transducer solutions, biomedical electronics, photovoltaics, organic electronics and GaN power electronics.

IMEC’s research bridges the gap between fundamental research at universities and technology development in industry. Its unique balance of processing and system know-how, intellectual property portfolio, state-of-the-art infrastructure and its strong network worldwide position IMEC as a key partner for shaping technologies for future systems. In the field of photonics IMEC is joining forces with its associated laboratory at Ghent University where a team of 40 researchers, led by prof. Roel Baets, is doing research in the field of silicon photonics and its applications.

About CEA-LETI

Leti, www.cea.fr a CEA laboratory located in Grenoble, is one of the main European applied research centers in electronics. More than 85% of its activity is devoted to research with 350 contracts a year. Since its creation in 1967, Leti has led to the creation of almost 30 start-ups in high-technology. The main areas of activity Pdf Leti are as in micro- and nano-technologies for microelectronics (more Moore, More than Moore and Beyond CMOS), technologies, design and integration of microsystems, photonics and imaging technologies, micro- and nano-technologies for biology and health, communication technologies and nomad objects.

Leti is endowed with an annual budget of 174 MEUR and employs 1,000 people with, in addition, more than 600 external collaborators (postgraduates, research partners and industrialists). Leti have 8,000m² of clean rooms, an equipment portfolio worth 200 MEUR and invest more than 40 MEUR a year on new equipment. Leti have a dynamic Intellectual Property politics and have filed more than 200 new patent files in 2007. Leti is one of the main forces behind Minatec® , Europe's premier Centre of Excellence in Micro- and Nano-technologies. Today, Minatec® brings together more than 4,000 researchers, industrialists and teaching staff in Grenoble.

Further information on LETI can be found at www-leti.cea.fr

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
IMEC: Leuven, Belgium
Kapeldreef 75
B-3001 Leuven
Belgium
Phone: +32 16 28 18 80
Fax: +32 16 28 16 37

CEA –LETI: Grenoble, France
Laurent Fulbert
+334 38 78 38 45


Clément Moulet
+334 38 78 03 26

www.cea.fr

Copyright © IMEC

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related News Press

News and information

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

How surface roughness influences the adhesion of soft materials: Research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials March 8th, 2024

Two-dimensional bimetallic selenium-containing metal-organic frameworks and their calcinated derivatives as electrocatalysts for overall water splitting March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

Chip Technology

New chip opens door to AI computing at light speed February 16th, 2024

HKUST researchers develop new integration technique for efficient coupling of III-V and silicon February 16th, 2024

Electrons screen against conductivity-killer in organic semiconductors: The discovery is the first step towards creating effective organic semiconductors, which use significantly less water and energy, and produce far less waste than their inorganic counterparts February 16th, 2024

NRL discovers two-dimensional waveguides February 16th, 2024

Optical computing/Photonic computing

Optically trapped quantum droplets of light can bind together to form macroscopic complexes March 8th, 2024

New chip opens door to AI computing at light speed February 16th, 2024

HKUST researchers develop new integration technique for efficient coupling of III-V and silicon February 16th, 2024

NRL discovers two-dimensional waveguides February 16th, 2024

Announcements

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Photonics/Optics/Lasers

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Optically trapped quantum droplets of light can bind together to form macroscopic complexes March 8th, 2024

HKUST researchers develop new integration technique for efficient coupling of III-V and silicon February 16th, 2024

A battery’s hopping ions remember where they’ve been: Seen in atomic detail, the seemingly smooth flow of ions through a battery’s electrolyte is surprisingly complicated February 16th, 2024

Alliances/Trade associations/Partnerships/Distributorships

Manchester graphene spin-out signs $1billion game-changing deal to help tackle global sustainability challenges: Landmark deal for the commercialisation of graphene April 14th, 2023

Chicago Quantum Exchange welcomes six new partners highlighting quantum technology solutions, from Chicago and beyond September 23rd, 2022

CEA & Partners Present ‘Powerful Step Towards Industrialization’ Of Linear Si Quantum Dot Arrays Using FDSOI Material at VLSI Symposium: Invited paper reports 3-step characterization chain and resulting methodologies and metrics that accelerate learning, provide data on device pe June 17th, 2022

University of Illinois Chicago joins Brookhaven Lab's Quantum Center June 10th, 2022

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project