Synopsys/Juniper Networks silicon photonics venture adopts OpenLight name

June 9, 2022

A key differentiator, OpenLight believes, is their ability to process Indium Phosphide (InP) materials directly on silicon photonics wafers using Tower Semiconductor's PH18DA production process.

Stephen Hardy

The silicon photonics venture created by Synopsys and Juniper Networks (see “Synopsys, Juniper Networks to create silicon photonics company”) has announced it will call itself OpenLight. The company will offer a silicon photonics platform to the market that features integrated laser capability.

OpenLight’s open platform can support integrated lasers, optical amplifiers, modulators, photodetectors, and “other key photonic components,” according to the new company. It also will offer “select PIC designs” and design services for such applications as datacom, telecom, LiDAR, healthcare, HPC, AI, and optical computing.

A key differentiator, OpenLight believes, is their ability to process Indium Phosphide (InP) materials directly on silicon photonics wafers using Tower Semiconductor's PH18DA production process; the technology has passed qualification and reliability tests on that process, OpenLight says. The company expects to achieve the first open multi-project wafer (MPW) shuttle run on the PH18DA process as well as 400G and 800G reference designs with integrated lasers this summer.

"We strongly believe that OpenLight's technology will transform the silicon photonics industry," said Dr. Marco Racanelli, senior vice president and general manager of Tower Semiconductor's Analog Business Unit. "Providing an open silicon photonics platform with integrated lasers that has been qualified on Tower's process will help mutual customers innovate and fuel the next generation of silicon photonics designs at scale. We are excited to partner with OpenLight in this journey."

The new company’s leadership (so far) includes Dr. Thomas Mader, chief operating officer; Dr. Daniel Sparacin, vice president of business development and strategy; and Dr. Volkan Kaman, vice president of engineering. It is headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA with offices in Silicon Valley; between the two locations, the company has approximately 40 employees.

"The rapidly growing silicon photonics market is being driven by the relentless demand for higher bandwidth needed to analyze, store and move complex data," said Dr. Mader. "OpenLight's open silicon photonics platform with integrated lasers enables scaling from one laser to hundreds, or even thousands of lasers per PIC, all monolithically integrated at the wafer level. With our platform, companies can enter emerging markets faster, accelerate new applications, and completely change the way their teams build photonic systems of tomorrow."

"OpenLight is paving the way for the new generation of silicon photonics by enabling the scalable integration of lasers in pluggable and co-packaged optics," concluded Aveek Sarkar, vice president of engineering at Synopsys. "The combination of Synopsys' unified electronic and photonic design solution and OpenLight's innovative silicon photonics platform will significantly accelerate the development of photonics ICs."

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About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave

Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.

Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.

He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.