Press release
Rapid Photonics receives funding from Innovation Fund North Holland for the development of an etchless production process of photonic chips based on Lithium niobate
Rapid Photonics B.V., a start-up based in Amsterdam, has received a convertible loan of €300,000 from the Innovation Fund Noord-Holland….
Thin film Lithium Niobate
Lithium niobate (LN) is a widely recognized high potential next generation PIC material due to its unique material properties, replacing Si and InP in ultra-high speed datacom and enabling new applications in quantum computing and AI. The advent of thin film LN wafers, referred to as Lithium Niobate on Insulator (LNOI), represents a significant leap forward in realizing LN based PICs. Unfortunately, the full potential of LN in PICs has not been delivered yet, due to the challenges of PIC fabrication on LNOI. Furthermore, PIC development in general is typically associated with long lead times and high cost, resulting in excessive development cost, high risk and unfeasible business cases.
Our Technology
Rapid Photonics has solved these problems through a patented revolutionary PIC production technology: DEpicT® (Direct Etch-less photonic integrated circuits Technology) that overcomes the challenges of LNOI PIC fabrication. DEpicT delivers low-loss waveguides in LNOI with high yield and short lead time at affordable cost. Our technology is 100% CMOS compatible, facilitating seamless scale up of PIC production in conventional Si PIC foundries. We have our own fabrication capacity and collaborate with selected partners for electrical and optical integration, packaging and testing. This enables us to provide our customers with fully functional LNOI PIC components for their specific application.
Currently, our technology supports the integration of passive and active photonic components such as Mach-Zehnder modulators, ring resonators, couplers, etc. Other active components such as surface acoustic wave modulators, amplifiers, and comb generators are in development.
DEpicT is also applicable to silicon nitrate PICs, enabling customers to leverage on the short lead times and highly competitive cost of DEpicT in comparison to conventional silicon nitrate PIC production processes.
Technical specifications
- Half Wave Voltage (Vπ): 2 V.cm
- 3 dB EO Bandwidth: 5 GHz
- Wavelength Range: 1300-1650 nm
- Minimum Bending Radius: 100 μm
- Propagation Loss: 1.3 dB/cm
- Effective Index: 1.91
- Group Index: 2.32
- Fiber Coupling Loss:
- Spot Size Converter: 1.5 dB/facet
- Lensed Fiber: 3.5 dB/facet
- Cleaved Fiber: 6 dB/facet
- Lead Time: 4 Weeks
Photonic components
- Phase/Amplitude Modulators
- Ring, Elliptical- and Racetrack Resonators
- Coupled Cavity Systems
- Broadband Couplers (1300-1550 nm)
- Directional Couplers
- Fabry-Perot Resonators
- Sagnac Mirrors
- Delay Lines
- Y-Splitters
- Multimode Interference Couplers
- Polarization Splitters
- 3×3 Splitters
- Any Combination of the Above
Applications
Our DEpicT® technology is ideally suited for the development of advanced LNOI PICs for various applications, such as:
- High Frequency Modulators
- Quantum Optics
- Mach Zehnder Meshes for Quantum Computing
- Neuromorphic Photonic Circuits
- Optical Biosensors
- OCT Systems
- Spectrometers
- Bi-Stable Cavities
- Whispering Gallery Mode Resonators
…and many more
Vacancy: Integrated Photonics Developer
Are you interested in developing photonic integrated circuits in Lithium niobate suitable for application in next generation photonic devices such as ultra-high-speed transceivers and fast tunable lasers? We have an open position for an Integrated Photonics Developer to conduct the develop of innovative Lithium niobate photonic integrated circuits (“PICs”). The position is focused on designing, prototyping and testing of PICs for various application.
About Us
At Rapid Photonics, our mission is to revolutionize the development and application of Photonic Integrated Circuits on Lithium niobate on Insulator (LNOI) by enabling fast production services of LNOI PICs. Our unique DEpicT® production technology enables PIC developers to execute design iterations in a matter of weeks and at an affordable cost. Rapid Photonics is a startup of the VU University of Amsterdam and has its office and production facility at the Science Park Amsterdam.
Contact
We are excited to discover the possibilities of our technology for your PIC application. We gladly invite you to ask any question regarding your specific needs. One of our experts will respond to your message soon.
Rapid Photonics BV
Sciencepark 106
1098 XG Amsterdam
(+31) 6 4932 0099
info@rapidphotonics.com