Company specializing in microsensors for health and safety is looking for a partner for "Industrial supply chain for silicon photonics (IA)" project

Micro-miniature Spetrophotometric and optical based sensors. Our sensors are based on proprietary Frequency programmable multi-channel Lock-In Amplifier operating up to 10MHz supported by a companion chip driving with Constant Current, Constant Optical Power, High Current/Voltage LEDs, VCSELs used as emitters and wavelength selective receivers. Sensing techniques are absorption, reflection, scattering and (time resolved) fluorescence spectrophotometry. 

Industrial supply chain for silicon photonics (IA)

TOPIC ID: HORIZON-KDT-JU-2022-1-IA-Focus-Topic-2

Programme: Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON)
Call: HORIZON-KDT-JU-2022-1-IA (HORIZON-KDT-JU-2022-1-IA)

Topic description

Proposals should also lay the groundwork for future exploitation and further enhancements. The efforts should accelerate the transfer from low volume manufacturing to large volume manufacturing and render it accessible to a wider community. If successful, those could be supported by future calls within KDT and/or other programs.

Proposal results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:

• Industrial manufacturing capability for current and next generation silicon photonic integrated circuits (PICs).
• Industrial value chains for products that address major global challenges in e.g. mobility, health, digital communication, computing and environmental sensing. This includes specialized equipment (e.g. metrology, epitaxy, packaging), innovative processes, advances in packaging for Systems in Package that contain photonic components. Development of supply chains for heterogeneous silicon photonics, reinforcing Europe’s innovation potential, boosting its competitiveness, and ensuring technological sovereignty in this field.
• Develop agile heterogeneous PIC platforms of separately manufactured components or CMOS-uncommon materials onto silicon photonics wafers (wafer-level heterogeneous integration) that provide enhanced functionality and improved performance for a wide range of functionalities and high-value markets geared to higher TRLs and prepared for transfer to the industrial platforms.
• Photonic Design Automation software of industrial grade based on Procees Design Kits (PDK) for PICs.

Scope

Proposals for this call shall:

• establish an (eventually distributed) industrially based (meaning pilot line established in an industrial environment) pilot line for a silicon photonics manufacturing platform (that is the pilot line must cover the full process for silicon photonics circuits (including if possible heterogenous integration aspects for PICs) covering front and back end, integration and packaging (SiP) as well as wafer-level-test, chip testing, device testing to industrial standards with special attention to the scalability of the back-end packaging and testing.
• enable breakthroughs in silicon PIC platforms, overcoming their current limitations, by wafer-level heterogeneous integration of CMOS-uncommon materials or processed chiplets and prepare the transfer to the industrial silicon manufacturing platform.
• At least two demonstrators should be built including PICs made on the pilot line covering distinctive high volume applicatiions such as LIDAR technology, consumer medical applications, etc.

More information can be found here