Aeluma joins AIM Photonics as full industry member
The two organisations have previously collaborated on a project to add quantum dot laser technology to AIM Photonics’ silicon photonics platform, with the goal of improving scalability and efficiency and simplifying assembly and packaging
Aeluma, a semiconductor company focusing on high-performance, scalable technologies for mobile, automotive, AI, defence and aerospace, communication and quantum computing, has announced that it has become a full industry member of the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics (AIM Photonics).
One of nine Manufacturing Innovation Institutes established by the US Department of Defense, AIM Photonics’ mission is to advance PIC manufacturing technology development in the US. The institute's prototyping services include silicon photonics multi-project wafer (MPW) services to shorten design time, improve manufacturing efficiency, and reduce the price of entry for companies developing new applications. The silicon photonics prototyping services operate through the Albany NanoTech Complex in Albany, New York – claimed to be the world's most advanced publicly owned 300 mm wafer R&D facility.
Aeluma says that full membership in AIM Photonics provides it with a variety of benefits. The institute unites large and small companies with academic institutions, technical trade organisations, and US government agencies. Aeluma joins other AIM Photonics industry members including 3M, Lockheed Martin Corporation, L3 Harris, Raytheon Technologies Corporation, Synopsys, Seagate Technology, The Aerospace Corporation, and more.
“Aeluma has been leveraging its large-diameter, high-performance semiconductor platform to develop product offerings for mobile devices, quantum computing, AR/VR, defence and aerospace, and AI,” said Matthew Dummer, director of technology at Aeluma. “Our collaboration with AIM Photonics has been beneficial on several fronts, and we've made significant progress in advancing the technology.”
Aeluma has collaborated with AIM Photonics for more than two years as part of an ongoing government-directed project (GDP) involving AIM Photonics, industry partners, and universities. The primary goal of the GDP is to add quantum dot laser technology to AIM Photonics' silicon photonics offerings. Silicon photonics will substantially benefit from monolithically integrated light sources, the lack of which is considered an impediment that limits the technology's ultimate scalability.
In support of the GDP, Aeluma has been leveraging its 300 mm metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) capability to deposit the required compound semiconductor materials onto AIM Photonics 300 mm silicon photonics wafers.
Adding light source technology directly into the silicon photonics platform would enable increased scalability, higher energy efficiency, and simplified assembly and packaging, says the company. These attributes will benefit silicon photonics applications including optical interconnects for datacentres, high-performance computer systems, AI, quantum computing, telecommunications and optical networks, health and biomedical sensing including point-of-care diagnostics, LiDAR sensing and more.
“Significant progress has been made, and Aeluma's full membership will help accelerate the adoption of this technology,” said David Harame, chief operating officer at AIM Photonics. “Continued collaboration with Aeluma and other partners in advancing quantum dot laser integration brings the integrated photonics community one step closer realising the full potential of silicon photonics.”
