Navigating Silicon Photonics Manufacturing and Research: Solutions Guide for Clients

In the rapidly evolving field of silicon photonics, understanding your specific manufacturing and research needs is crucial for developing effective solutions. At AusOptic, we collaborate closely with EXFO Manufacturing, Design, and Research (MDR) Solutions and Engineering to tailor our services to your unique requirements.

With a product portfolio designed for optical communications labs and photonics industries, EXFO offers a comprehensive range of MDR products. This includes high-precision automated probe stations from the new OPAL series, specifically designed for testing photonic integrated circuits (PICs) at various levels, from single-die to multi-die and wafer-level configurations.

EXFO’s CTP10 platform tackles critical measurement challenges in optical component testing, providing accurate spectral analysis capabilities essential for PIC development. Their product line also features cutting-edge bit analysers for electrical testing, including the recently launched BA-1600, which supports PAM4 coding up to 1.6T, enabling complete lab-to-fabrication testing solutions.

EXFO’s CTP10 platform tackles critical measurement challenges in optical component testing, providing accurate spectral analysis capabilities essential for PIC development. Their product line also features cutting-edge bit analysers for electrical testing, including the recently launched BA-1600, which supports PAM4 coding up to 1.6T, enabling complete lab-to-fabrication testing solutions.

Additional MDR products include tuneable lasers, optical spectrum analysers, power meters, and specialised bit error rate (BER) testers, all designed to meet the demanding requirements of next-generation optical networks and AI infrastructure.

To ensure we meet your goals, it's helpful to begin with a series of key questions that help us define the best approach for your project.

1. Understanding Your Devices Under Test (DUT)

• Form Factor
  • Is your DUT in the form of a wafer, bar, die, or packaged unit?
    • This information is essential for selecting the appropriate testing equipment.
• Preferred Probe Handler
  • Which probe handler do you prefer?
    • This choice influences the testing setup and efficiency.
• Passive or Active Components
  • Are you working with passive or active components?
    • This distinction affects the testing methodology and equipment required.
• Optical Measurement Systems
  • Do you need an Optical Power Meter (OPM) system or an Optical Spectrum Analyser (OSA) setup?
    • Each has its own strengths and applications.
• Optical Interfaces
  • Are your interfaces O/O (optical-to-optical), O/E (optical-to-electrical), or E/O (electrical-to-optical)?
    • This determines the necessary optical switches.
• Electrical Test and Measurement (T&M) Manufacturer
  • Who is your preferred electrical T&M manufacturer?
    • This ensures compatibility and integration with your existing systems.
• Input and Output Ports
  • How many input and output ports does your DUT have?
    • This information helps in determining the number of optical switches needed.
• Wavelength Range
  • What are the wavelength range(s) of your DUT?
    • This affects the number of Tuneable Laser Sources (TLS) required and competition in the market.
• Polarisation or Single Mode
  • Is your DUT polarisation-sensitive or single mode?
    • This influences the need for Novotel equipment.
• Testing Parameters
  • What are your testing parameters, such as IL (Insertion Loss), RL (Return Loss), PDL (Polarisation Dependent Loss), TE+TM, and linearity?
    • These parameters determine the instrumentation needed.
• Bi-directional Testing
  • Is bi-directional testing required?
    • This necessitates additional optical switches.
• Typical IL or Power of DUT
  • What is the typical IL or power of your DUT?
    • This helps in keeping the total loss within the dynamic range of the solution.
• Performance Testing
  • Is performance testing required?
    • This may involve EXFO T&D, INO, or third-party solutions.

2. Automation Software

• What software will be used for automation?
• This responsibility may lie with EXFO, the customer, or the prober.

3. After-Sales Expectations

• What are your after-sales expectations, including onsite support, troubleshooting, and backups?
  • Knowing the timeframe for these needs is crucial.

4. Competition

• Who are your competitors in the market?
  • Understanding this can provide insights into market trends and positioning.

5. Number of Systems Needed

• How many systems are required for your project?

6. Budget

• What is your budget for this project?
  • This helps in prioritising features and ensuring cost-effectiveness.

By addressing these questions, we can develop a comprehensive solution that aligns with your silicon photonics manufacturing and research needs. Our collaboration with EXFO ensures that you benefit from their expertise in lab and manufacturing testing, ultimately leading to successful project outcomes.

Latest Advancements in Silicon Photonics (2025)

As we look towards the future of silicon photonics, several exciting developments are shaping the industry:

1. AI-Driven Demand: The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has spurred an unprecedented demand for high-performance transceivers. Silicon Photonics and Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) are at the forefront of this revolution, with their ability to transmit data at speeds of 1.6Tbps and beyond.
2. Advanced Transceivers: Companies like Innolight and Coherent are pushing the boundaries of transceiver technology. Innolight achieved 1.6Tbps transfer speed in their latest transceivers and AusOptic’s transceiver partner FLEXOPTIX has a range of 800G QSFP-DD, OSFP modules available as the industry looks ahead to developing even higher-performance transceivers for 1.6T+ applications (Ref: Silicon Photonics and Photonic Integrated Circuits 2025-2035).
3. Quantum Systems: PIC technology is being explored for more stable and scalable quantum systems, with companies investing in Trapped Ion and Photon-based Quantum Computing.
4. Emerging Materials: While silicon remains dominant, innovative materials like Barium Titanite (BTO) and rare-earth metals are being explored for their potential in quantum computing and other cutting-edge applications.
5. Compact Ring Modulators: AIM Photonics has demonstrated a 5-μm radius compact silicon micro-ring modulator with impressive performance, including a wide spectral range of 20 nm and high modulation efficiency (Ref: AIM Photonics to Present New Advancements in Integrated).
6. Tunable Add-Drop Filters: All-silicon tunable add-drop filters developed in AIM Photonics 300 mm process technology show promising results, with tuning capabilities of up to 4 nm using minimal electrical power.
7. Market Growth: The silicon photonics market is experiencing robust growth, driven by data center expansion, 5G network deployments, and the increasing demand for high-speed internet and AI applications (Ref: Silicon Photonics Market Report 2025-2035 - Transforming).
8. Diverse Applications: Beyond data centers and telecommunications, silicon photonics is finding applications in healthcare, biosensing, LiDAR systems for autonomous vehicles, and AI accelerators. As the technology continues to mature and find new applications, its role in shaping the future of computing and communications becomes increasingly central to global technological advancement.

Stay tuned for more developments in this exciting field!