GigOptix gains funding to enable new era of ultra fast hybrid silicon-organic integrated circuits based on proprietary polymer

GigOptix-Helix AG’s electro-optic polymer, being used in SOFI and other research projects by leading semiconductor manufacturers, allows new structures to be created on-chip to overcome the inherent speed limitation of silicon. It will enable a new era of ultra-fast, hybrid silicon-organic integrated circuits, according to a company official. The company will receive nearly $500,000 in funding for the project.

The SOFI project aims to unite the potential of semiconductor and optics technology to generate a step function in performance needed for the systems and networks of tomorrow. It will create new technology to enable ultra-fast integrated circuits with on-board optical modulators combining silicon and organic polymer materials.

The project is coordinated by Prof. Dr. J. Leuthold from the Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany.

“We are confident that we will succeed in making a difference by designing and implementing ultra-fast ultra-low energy consuming modulators,” says Leuthold. “This project benefits from years of preparation on the underlying idea, but most importantly, the consortium combines a high level of expertise that is bound to succeed.”

Optical waveguides will be implemented in silicon and complemented by GigOptix’s electro-optic polymer layer that enables new functionalities not available in silicon. The dimensions of silicon waveguides which are filled with EO polymer material are so small that the created chips consume very little power and have very small footprint.

The other partners in the project include: The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) of Germany; SELEX Sistemi Integrati of Italy; IMEC, Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre, of Belgium; Rainbow Photonic AG, of Switzerland; Research and Education Laboratory in Information Technologies of Greece; and The University of Sydney, Centre for Ultrahigh bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems, Australia.

For more information, visit www.sofi-ict.eu.