CONCEPT
ELENA’s approach is based on a holistic vision of a European open-access LNOI PIC foundry service.
It also comprises the development of the key elements of the supply chain with its front-end (substrate manufacturing, PIC design and simulations, micro-fabrication) and back-end technologies (characterization and packaging).
The European industrial supply chain for a lithium niobate PIC platform:
(drag your mouse over the image to learn more about each phase):
Clients will engage with a robust design and simulation toolbox that will assist them in converting product ideas and requirements into PIC designs.
ELENA’s EU-based wafer manufacturing removes crucial dependencies on non-European substrate suppliers and enables close collaboration when material innovations are required as the foundry’s capabilities mature.
The generic BBs in the PDK library will suffice for most applications, but ELENA’s flexible approach will also enable clients to define arbitrary geometries and non-standard devices (provided that their layouts respect the foundry’s design guidelines and the fabrication process flow).
Reliable MPW RUNs on 150-mm wafers will allow researchers to access the novel LNOI PIC platform at affordable cost, lowering the barrier for the industry to adopt the new technology.
ELENA's packaging solutions significantly extend the application range of the LNOI PIC platform; they enable full hybrid integration of different PICs in one package and full exploitation of the capabilities of each material (e.g. combining the optical gain of InP with the fast, low-loss EO control of LNOI PIC).
The output step in the service will be client-based testing of the delivered PICs carried out in close liaison with the foundry