Luceda’s IPKISS Gets the LioniX Multi Project Wafer Process Design Kit

Users Of The Photonic IC Design Platform Can Now Access TriPleX® Chips

IPKISS users, rejoice! LioniX International and Luceda Photonics have been collaborating to bring our TriPleX® silicon nitride platform to the software. All our multi project wafer (MPW) building blocks can now be accessed with a standard IPKISS license.

IPKISS Provides Easy Access to Our Ultra-Low Loss PICs

For most clients, we customize every aspect of our circuit design to ensure the best performance for their specific application. Our MPW service allows users curious about photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and our multilayer silicon nitride platform to try out standard building blocks in their own designs. By eliminating design time on our end, and ordering a few chips instead of full wafers, the cost of PICs for the user is significantly reduced.

Luceda’s IPKISS PIC design software allows for a comprehensive, Python-based approach to component and circuit design. Built-in functions allow for automatic waveguide placement, such that your designing time is spent on the more important tasks. The platform can quickly render circuit layouts for fast prototyping. It also enables setting up and running circuit simulations in frequency and time domains using Caphe, as well as links to other simulation software such as Ansys Lumerical.

A TriPleX® MPW For Each Application

As our TriPleX® platform is transparent for a wide range of spectra, we have three different MPW spectral ranges: c-band at 1550 nm, near infrared at 850 nm, and visible light at 400 – 700 nm. Each MPW has building blocks specifically optimized for its wavelength range.

The 1550 nm MPW is ideal for tele- and datacom applications, with on-chip actuation and modulation, spot size conversion for fiber coupling, and an optimized tunable laser as a pre-built building block. The 850 nm MPW is great for applications in the life sciences, like optical coherence tomography and biosensing. These wafers are optimized for popular light sources, like VCSELs, and can be shipped with a benchtop fiber and fluidic interfaces management system. The visible light MPW is also optimal for other life science applications, such as optical phased arrays and fluorescence microscopy. Each MPW has multiple runs during the year, so make sure to check the current schedule to send in your designs on time!

Photo of a TriPleX MPW wafer before final dicing

Your IPKISS PIC design could be on the next TriPleX MPW!

MPW PICs Packaging and Post-Processing

Additionally, our vertically-integrated production approach means that we can offer additional processing and packaging for your MPW chips! Trench etching, glass bonding, and fluidic connections can be provided on request. Our Characterisation Packaging Service ensures that your chips are equipped with input and output fiber arrays with mechanical strain relief, wirebonded electronic interfaces for ribbon cables, thermal relief via gold-plated copper blocks, and a PCB submount.

Affordable Photonic Circuits With Your Choice of Design Software

We are delighted that Luceda’s IPKISS has joined Nazca and Synopsys’ OptoDesigner in providing access to our MPW PDK. LioniX hopes to be able to offer access to TriPleX® building blocks to PIC designers regardless of the software they use. If you would like to see our MPW kit on another platform, please reach out with your suggestion!