OpenLight and Spark Photonics partner on PIC design services
OpenLight, a designer and manufacturer of custom Photonic Application Specific Integrated Circuits (PASIC) chips, has announced a strategic partnership with Spark Photonics, an end-to-end integrated photonics design services firm. With this collaboration, Spark Photonics will now offer design and layout services using the OpenLight process design kit (PDK) with the Luceda IPKISS design layout and simulation software suite.
OpenLight says the expansion of design services increases the number of designs they can support at any one time on the Tower Semiconductor PH18DA process, reducing time to market for photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and expanding the silicon photonics industry’s reach to drive advancements across applications.
Dr. Adam Carter, CEO of OpenLight, said that this development “marks an important step forward in our company’s journey. With the integration of industry-leading expertise and resources from OpenLight and Luceda coupled with best-in-class design services from Spark, we are fostering a new era for customers to tape in MPW engineering and production wafer run designs directly to Tower. This partnership empowers our customers to address distinct design needs, diversify their design portfolio, and resolve compatibility challenges.”
The OpenLight PDK incorporates both active and passive components, which the company says enables advanced access to silicon photonics with heterogeneous integration, offering mutual customers an array of choices from an EDA tool perspective to ensure first-time success in design verification and implementation.
“This partnership will play a pivotal role in our company’s vision to grow the integrated photonics ecosystem,” said Dr. Kevin McComber, CEO of Spark Photonics. “Working with OpenLight and Luceda positions us to meet the evolving needs of integrated photonics trailblazers. Customers stand to derive significant benefits from our collective capabilities, including reduced cost and faster turnaround.”
“We're excited to leverage the combined expertise of OpenLight and Spark Photonics,” said Dr. Pieter Dumon, CTO of Luceda Photonics. “This collaboration enhances our long-term goal to enable cutting-edge PDK-based design services and meet the demands of diverse applications.”
