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The FEMTUM PHOTONICS SUCCESS STORY FROM QUEBEC CITY
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Engineers and researchers in the photonics and semiconductor industries should watch this video.
TL;DR
Femto Photonics is revolutionizing silicon photonics manufacturing with their femtosecond laser technology. Their innovative trimming and cleaning processes solve critical issues in transceiver and co-packaged optics, significantly reducing power consumption and improving performance.
Key Takeaways
- Femto's femtosecond laser technology revolutionizes silicon photonics manufacturing by enabling precise trimming and cleaning of integrated circuits.
- The laser trimming process permanently alters the refractive index of waveguides by inducing stress, offering a 'set and forget' solution for phase shifting.
- This laser trimming technology addresses the thermal phase shifter problem in transceivers, significantly reducing power consumption by eliminating the need for continuous energy.
- Femto's cleaning solution is crucial for co-packaged optics manufacturing, where even a single dust particle can render the entire device inoperable.
- The company has experienced rapid growth, expanding from 12 to 37 employees, driven by high demand for its innovative laser-based solutions.
- Femto integrates its laser subsystem, including the laser source, head, IP, and software, into packaging and testing machines from collaborators like ficonTEC and MPI.
- The laser trimming process can be integrated into wafer-level testing and packaging, allowing for simultaneous trimming and testing for increased efficiency.
- Femto aims to capture the 'killer app' market in data communications, particularly for high-speed, short-reach interconnects that utilize numerous ring resonators and Mach-Zehnder interferometers.
In This Video
- 00:00Femto Photonics Success Story Quebec
Introduction to Femto, a Quebec City company specializing in femtosecond lasers for photonic integrated circuits.
- 00:30Femto's Current Offerings and Demand
Femto is experiencing high demand for its trimming, cleaning, and fixing pic solutions.
- 01:03Trimming for Next-Gen Transceivers
Trimming solves the thermal phase shifter problem for 3.2T transceivers, adding significant value.
- 01:24Cleaning for Co-Packaged Optics
Femto's laser cleaning addresses manufacturing challenges in co-packaged optics, preventing dust-related failures.
- 01:40Laser Trimming IP and Process
Femto's key IP involves using ultra-fast pulses to stress and change the refractive index of waveguides.
- 02:16Integration with Packaging Machines
Femto provides laser subsystems integrated into machines from collaborators like ficonTEC and MPI.
- 02:47Live Demo of Waveguide Trimming
A demonstration shows trimming a Mach-Zehnder interferometer on a wafer from AMF (GlobalFoundries).
Questions & Answers
What does Femto company do?
Femto develops femtosecond lasers at three micrometers that are revolutionizing photonic integrated circuit manufacturing, specifically for trimming and cleaning silicon photonics.
What is laser trimming for silicon photonics?
Laser trimming uses ultra-fast laser pulses to melt and stress waveguides, changing their refractive index permanently to tune optical circuits like Mach-Zehnders and ring resonators.
How does Femto's laser trimming solve power consumption issues?
It replaces thermal phase shifters, which require constant power, with a permanent 'set and forget' laser-trimmed phase shift, significantly reducing power consumption in photonic integrated circuits.
What is the advantage of Femto's laser trimming process?
It's a 'set and forget' process that can be integrated into packaging and testing, allowing trimming and final testing simultaneously at wafer scale, making it efficient and fast.
What are the main applications for Femto's technology?
Key applications include launching next-generation 3.2T transceivers, co-package optics manufacturing, and addressing the demands of data communications and telecom with improved chip performance and reduced power.
How has Femto grown recently?
The company has experienced significant growth, expanding from 12 to 37 employees in the past year, primarily focusing on silicon photonics applications like cleaning and trimming.
Key Terms
- Femtosecond Laser — A laser that emits extremely short pulses of light, measured in femtoseconds, used for precise material processing.
- Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) — An electronic circuit that uses photons (light) instead of electrons to perform functions, often used in data communication.
- Silicon Photonics — A technology that uses silicon to create optical circuits, enabling the integration of optical and electronic functions on a single chip.
- Trimming — A process using a laser to precisely alter the properties of a waveguide on a PIC to achieve desired optical performance.