About PICs4All
PICs4All (Photonic Integrated Circuits Accessible to Everyone) is a Coordination and Support Action from the EU H2020 ICT programme whose purpose is to bring closer to you the Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) technology assisting you to get access to advanced fabrication facilities for PICs.
PICs4All aims at low-cost development of ASPICs (Application Specific PIC) using the generic foundry model, and rapid prototyping via industrial Multi-Project Wafer runs. To this end, PICs4All brings together the PIC-value chain of Europe’s key players in the field of photonic integration, including manufacturing and packaging partners, photonic CAD software partners, R&D labs and Photonic IC design houses.
PICs4All has set up an European Network of experts in photonics constituted by 9 Application Support Centres (ASC) distributed around Europe whose main task is to stimulate the development of novel applications based on Photonic ICs for various application fields, enhance cooperation between universities, clusters, industry, and research centres, and the most important, to enable access to the PIC technology.
PICs4All aims to:
1. Increase the impact of photonics and enable access to the advanced photonic integrated circuit (PIC) technologies for academia, research institutes, SMEs and larger companies.
2. Establish a European network of Application Support Centers (ASCs) in the field of PIC technology.
3. Lower the barrier for applying advanced PICs, and thus to increase the awareness of the existence of the unique facility provided by JePPIX (InP and TriPleX PIC design, manufacturing, testing and packaging).
PICs4All objectives:
1. To establish eight photonic Application Support Centres geographically well distributed over Europe.
2. To actively scout opportunities for the use of PICs in new and existing applications.
3. To promote the use of the photonics technology platforms and to increase the load of the foundries.
4. Strengthening Europe’s industrial lead in the business of integrated photonics applications and establish a significant step forward in Europe’s market competitiveness in using state-of-the art InP and TriPleX technologies.
5. Bringing together academia to explore photonics and promote its critical importance.
PICs4All colaborates with other CSAs:
In addition, PICs4ALL colaborates with ACTPHAST (Access CenTer for PHotonics innovAtion Solutions and Technology Support) which is a unique “one-stop-shop” for supporting photonics innovation by European companies, which is financially supported by the European Commission under the FP7 framework (Grant Agreement No. 619205).
The access to top-level experts and leading photonics technology platforms provided by the ACTPHAST consortium is realized through focused innovation projects executed in relatively short timeframes (typically 6-9 months) with a critical mass of suitably qualified companies with high potential product concepts.
The ACTPHAST program is particularly suited to the needs of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who do not have the financial resources to invest in in-house R&D expertise and state-of-the-art technologies, nor to undertake risky innovation projects. ACTPHAST support is 100% subsidized for projects undertaken with SMEs. It is designed to provide open access to photonics innovation support for all European companies who meet the eligibility criteria. If you want to be contacted by ACTPHAST you can register your interest by filling the following form.
PICs4All Consortium
The PICs4All consortium consists of 9 academic research institutes with a good regional balance throughout Europe, enabling Application Support Centres in Germany, United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Spain, Poland, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands. It also includes the EPIC association located in France and Berenschot in the Netherlands.
Members of the consortium:
- Eindhoven University of Technology
- University of Cambridge
- Universitat Politècnica de València
- Politecnico di Milano
- Warsaw University of Technology
- Technische Universität Berlin
- Aarhus University
- Telecom ParisTech
- National Technical University of Athens
- European Photonics Industry Consortium
- Berenschot
Background
As a result of the pioneering work of the JePPIX consortium in projects like ePIXnet, EuroPIC, MEMPHIS and PARADIGM, Europe has built a strong position in integrated photonics technology. Parallel to the technological research effort, the JePPIX partners have created a generic foundry model for affordable access to advanced InP and dielectric waveguide PIC-manufacturing, similar to the approach in microelectronics thirty years ago. The currently available foundry infrastructure includes design, manufacturing, packaging and testing which is quite unique. In fact, Europe is at present the only place in the world where foundries offer advanced platforms for InP and dielectric waveguide technology.
Recently, JePPIX started to provide semi-commercial access to these platforms. Dozens of companies and research organisations have already used the technology platforms to their satisfaction. Still, many companies, especially SMEs that could benefit from these platforms are unaware of the possibilities that the photonic IC technologies offer to their product or service portfolio. From the 5000 entries listed by the European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC) as companies working in the field of photonics, many could become PIC users. However, only few of them are presently aware of the benefits that photonic ICs will bring to their business.
To turn this R&D and infrastructural pole position into a winning market position, an intensification of user support is a prerequisite to provide European universities, SME’s and also larger companies with early access to this technology. For that, PICs4All through its ASCs actively supports users in taking full advantage of the benefits of the PIC-technology and its deployment in existing and new applications. ASCs will be relatively close to you, guiding you through the technological difficulties as an independent technology consultant.
Eco-sytem
The eco-system which is supported by the PICs4All CSA can be divided in three major groups of stakeholders:
• The foundries which provide access to their foundry technology on agreed conditions which protect the design IP of the users. This group also includes packaging partners to provide low-cost generic packaging service. The foundry receives a mask file from its customer and delivers the Photonic ICs without knowing what the customer has designed (application-blind).
• Users of ASPICs, that seek support for novel product development
• The designers, who can translate the requirements of the users into a mask-design for a foundry run as well as the software companies that provide them with the proper tools.
The stakeholders will be supported by a brokering platform organised through ASCs that feed the JePPIX brokering hub. The platform supports stakeholders and potential users in:
• identifying users specific requirements, providing mentoring at the technical feasibility and cost, investment aspects (ASCs);
• design support or finding a designer with the appropriate expertise in the application field (ASCs);
• providing documentation about the development processes and the design software (JePPIX, ASCs);
• enabling access to manufacturing services using the cost-sharing MPW model (JePPIX);
• assistance in finding appropriate packaging and testing facilities (ASCs);
• addressing intellectual property issues and non-disclosure agreements (when needed) (JePPIX).
