Aerotech advances CPO alignment
PICAlignT combines motion control, optical measurement and alignment algorithms for high-volume CPO manufacturing.
Aerotech has unveiled PICAlignT, an active optical alignment architecture designed to address the manufacturing challenges associated with scaling co-packaged optics (CPO) into volume production.
Developed with Santec and SENKO Advanced Components, the system combines high-speed motion control, synchronised optical measurement and alignment algorithms to align multichannel optical arrays across six degrees of freedom.
CPO modules can require more than 100 active alignment operations, creating significant manufacturing challenges as optical fibre and photonic integrated circuit (PIC) interfaces must be positioned with high precision. Aerotech said conventional active alignment approaches designed for pluggable transceivers are not suited to the speed and complexity required for CPO production.
PICAlignT uses Aerotech's iXR3 motion controller for six-degree-of-freedom positioning, alongside Santec's OPM-200 optical power meter and SLS-200 stabilised light source for simultaneous multichannel optical sampling. SENKO's detachable PIC Coupler technology provides a detachable optical interface designed to reduce repeated optical alignment during CPO packaging.
The architecture synchronises optical power measurements with high-resolution motion feedback, enabling real-time optimisation across multiple optical channels. Aerotech said the system can achieve alignment to within approximately 0.2 dB of the global optimum in less than one second, while providing nanometre-scale repeatability.
The companies are targeting the system at manufacturers seeking to increase CPO assembly throughput while maintaining the precision required for optical coupling.
PICAlignT will be demonstrated at ECOC 2026 in Málaga, Spain.
