Detailed Program of the Workshop

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Day 1: 15 November 2021

Europe Time (CET) Canada Time (PST) Topic and Speaker
5:00 PM 8:00 AM Welcome by Prof. Roel Baets, Ghent University – imec , Belgium and Prof. Lukas Chrostowski, UBC, Canada
5:15 PM 8:15 AM Keynote talk: Epitaxial Growth of Quantum Dot Lasers on Silicon for Photonic Integrated Circuits by John Bowers, UCSB, USA

InAs quantum dot lasers epitaxially grown on Si show promise for achieving lower cost and higher performance photonic integrated circuits. The discrete density of states inherent to quantum dot lasers has many benefits: 1) reduced threshold current, 2) higher temperature operation, 3) reduced linewidth enhancement factor resulting in reduced reflection sensitivity and reduced linewidth, and 4) improved reliability.  Prospects and results for integration of quantum dot lasers with photonic integrated circuits will be discussed along with important applications of this technology.
6:00 PM 9:00 AM Membrane lasers for heterogeneous integration by Shinji Matsuo, NTT, Japan

Membrane device provides high-modulation efficiency due to a large optical confinement factor. In terms of fabrication, the membrane structure realizes high-quality epitaxial layers on Si substrates. Therefore, the same fabrication procedure as those for devices fabricated on the InP substrate can be used, i.e., fabrication of buried heterostructure and integration of different bandgap materials. Since the effective refractive index of the membrane III-V device is in the same range as that of the Si waveguide, the membrane III-V device can be efficiently coupled to the Si waveguide using a simple tapered waveguide.
6:30 PM 9:30 AM Photonic Wire Bonds and Facet-Attached Microlenses – 3D Nano-Printing for Laser Integration and Beyond by Christian Koos, Vanguard Photonics, Germany

Multi-photon laser lithography has emerged as a versatile tool for photonic integration, enabling fully automated fabrication of 3D freeform structures with unprecedented design flexibility and shape fidelity. We exploit the technique for printing of 3D freeform single-mode waveguides, so-called photonic wire bonds, that allow for efficient package-level connections between silicon photonic or silicon-nitride chips and III-V lasers or semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA). The technique is also key to beam-shaping micro-optical elements that are directly attached to the facets of optical chips and fibers, allowing for low-loss coupling with high alignment tolerance and for wafer-level probing of optical devices.
7:00 PM 10:00 AM Adjourn

Day 2: 16 November 2021

Europe Time (CET) Canada Time (PST) Topic and Speaker
5:00 PM 8:00 AM BackSide-on-BOX Heterogeneous Integration for Photonic Circuits on Silicon by Torrey Thiessen, University of Toronto, Canada

The complexity of traditional front-side heterogeneous integration techniques is limited by thermal budgets, large surface topology, and the need to have the III-V in close proximity to the silicon. This talk introduces SCINTIL Photonics’ BackSide-on-Buried Oxide (BSoBOX) platform, process flow, and device demonstrations. In the BSoBOX method, the pre-formed silicon photonics (SiPh) wafer is flipped and bonded to a silicon handle wafer. The original substrate from the SiPh wafer is then removed, leaving a flat, thin BOX layer. Lastly, III-V is bonded and patterned onto the thin BOX. This enables III-V integration on SiPh platforms of arbitrary complexity.
5:30 PM 8:30 AM LioniX Int. laser integration technology by Douwe Geuzebroek, LioniX International, the Netherlands

Silicon-nitride PIC technology is used for its low loss properties as well as its use in a broad wavelength range. Hybrid integration of laser, detectors and other components extend these features for applications in data and telecom, metrology, health and ARVR. In this presentation we look at some of the technology challenges, the applications and the scaling of hybrid silicon-nitride technology.
6:00 PM 9:00 AM Transfer printing by Gunther Roelkens, Ghent University – imec, Belgium

In this talk I will introduce the use of micro-transfer printing for the heterogeneous integration of III-V opto-electronic components and especially lasers and SOAs on silicon photonic integrated circuits.
6:30 PM 9:30 AM Laser Integration for Commercial Foundry Si Photonics Processes by Edward Preisler, Tower Semiconductor, USA

Various techniques for integrating optical gain with a silicon photonics IC have been demonstrated over the past 20 years.  While some have managed to find their way into commercial products, it is an onerous task for a fabless IC company to solve all of the issues associated with developing and fully qualifying a product with on-chip lasers or SOAs.  In this presentation we will discuss advances in commercial foundry process technologies to enable laser integration as part of a standard offering.  The challenges and opportunities related to building PICs with optical gain on silicon in a commercial fab will be discussed.
7:00 PM 10:00 AM Adjourn

Day 3: 17 November 2021

Europe Time (CET) Canada Time (PST) Topic and Speaker
5:00 PM 8:00 AM Use case: DARPA LUMOS and Related Optical Microsystem Programs by Gordon Keeler, DARPA, USA

The DARPA LUMOS (Lasers for Universal Microscale Optical Systems) program seeks to bring high performance lasers and optical amplifiers to manufacturable integrated photonics platforms through the heterogeneous integration of diverse materials. Integrated optical gain will enhance the ability of photonics to address applications where greater circuit complexity, higher on-chip power, and broader spectrum are needed. This talk will highlight efforts at DARPA to create disruptive advances in photonics technology through investments in materials, components, and heterogeneous integration techniques, as well as complementary programs driving optical microsystem innovation.
5:30 PM 8:30 AM Use cases for sensors by Dr. Aaron Zilkie, Rockley Photonics, USA
6:00 PM 9:00 AM Use cases – Integrated FMCW LiDAR in Si by Amir Tavallaee, SiLC Technologies Inc., USA

Chip scale integration of frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) LiDAR systems is highly desirable for sensing and imaging applications. Key challenges are efficient coupling of III-V light source to silicon photonics circuits, narrow linewidth and high-frequency chirp response to name a few. We report the demonstration of a low-cost fully integrated light source with sufficiently narrow linewidth that meets the requirements of an FMCW lidar system.
6:30 PM 9:30 AM Benefits, challenges, and trade-offs in the context of interconnect applications by Thomas Liljeberg, Intel, USA

Wafer-scale integration of optical gain material on to Silicon Photonics PICs in the form of lasers and SOAs has many advantages including performance, density, manufacturability, and complexity.   For datacom products, the focus of this talk, the benefits are increasingly important as we move to higher bandwidth, higher channel count, and closer integration with networking and compute silicon.  We will discuss the benefits, challenges, and trade-offs in the context of interconnect applications, with particular focus on high-density co-packaged optics.
7:00 PM 10:00 AM Adjourn

Day 4: 18 November 2021

Europe Time (CET) Canada Time (PST) Topic and Speaker
5:00 PM 8:00 AM SiEPICfab Laser-SiP MPW run
6:00 PM 9:00 AM ePIXfab Laser-SiP MPW run
7:00 PM 10:00 AM Adjourn