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First phase targets met for European CMOS
photonics project
The pan European consortium HELIOS has Europe’s Development of high-performance
announced its first update. Leti, coordinator leading generic building blocks that can be
of the consortium announced that the 19 technology used for a broad range of
partners have met or exceeded their phase- companies applications, ranging from WDM
one goals for the large-scale CMOS that will make sources by III-V/Si heterogeneous
photonics project. Launched by the this technology integration, fast modulators and
European Commission in 2008, the €8.5 commercially detectors, passive circuits and
million project is designed to develop viable.” packaging.
microelectronics fabrication processes for
integrating photonics with CMOS circuits CMOS photonics is an Building and optimizing the entire supply
and to make the technology available to a intensely active research topic chain to fabricate complex functional
wide variety of users. The participants in many countries around the world, which devices. Photonics/electronics convergence
include the major European CMOS increases the urgency for innovative results will be addressed at the process level and
photonics and electronics research centers from HELIOS. also at the design level as HELIOS helps
and companies and potential users of the develop an adequate design environment.
technology. The project will drive the The project’s success in developing
European RTD in CMOS photonics and microelectronics fabrication processes for Investigating promising approaches that
pave the way for industrial development. integrating photonics with CMOS circuits offer clear advantages in terms of
would cement Europe’s role as a global integration on CMOS for next-generation
First-phase achievements of HELIOS have leader in this emerging technology. It will CMOS photonics devices.
concentrated on light photodetection and also have a major impact on the industry by,
light coupling/routing; the related for example, leading to low-cost solutions Road mapping, dissemination and training
successfully completed milestones include: for a range of applications: optical to strengthen European activities in this field
ring6 Characterization of vertical and lateral communications, optical interconnections and to increase awareness of new users
PIN Ge and III-V MSM photodetectors, between semiconductor chips and circuit about the potential of CMOS photonics. As
showing low dark current, high optical boards, optical signal processing, optical coordinator of HELIOS, which includes
responsivity and high optical bandwidth sensing, and biological applications. nearly 60 researchers from member
compatible with 40 Gb/s operation organizations, Leti is responsible for the
ring6 Demonstration of germanium photodiode By co-integrating optics and electronics on technical, administrative and financial
bandwidth of 90GHz the same chip, high- functionality, high- management of the project and for the day-
ring6 Demonstration of inverted taper coupling performance and highly integrated devices to-day technical monitoring, direction and
structure with 1dB coupling loss can be fabricated, while using a well- progress on the project. Leti also is a key
ring6 Design and fabrication of a transition mastered microelectronics fabrication contributor to the development of building
between rib/strip waveguides with less process. In addition, advances in CMOS blocks and integration processes that are
than 0.2dB measured losses photonics will move the emphasis from part of HELIOS.
ring6 Demonstration of a high-efficiency device component to architecture. Industrial
grating coupler showing a coupling and RTD efforts then could be focused on In addition to Leti, the HELIOS partners are:
efficiency of -1.6dB and a 3dB new products or new functionalities rather ring6 IMEC (Belgium)
bandwidth of 80nm than on the technology level. ring6 CNRS (France)
ring6 More than 30 publications in international ring6 Alcatel Thales III-V lab (France)
conferences or journals The four-year HELIOS project includes the ring6 University of Surrey (UK)
ring6 Organization of a winter school and two development of such essential building ring6 IMM (Italy)
international events blocks as efficient sources (silicon-based ring6 University of Paris-Sud (France)
and heterogeneous integration of III-V on ring6 Technical University of Valencia (Spain)
“Europe has a well-established photonics- silicon), fast modulators and, more long ring6 University of Trento (Italy)
components industry and it is strategically term, the combination and packaging of ring6 University of Barcelona (Spain)
important for us to maintain photonic chip these building blocks for the demonstration ring6 3S Photonics (France)
design and chip-integrating functions that of complex functions to address a variety of ring6 IHP (Germany)
provide new opportunities for our industrial needs. ring6 Berlin University of Technology
microelectronics companies and enable us (Germany)
to compete with other countries,” said These include a 40Gb/s modulator on an ring6 Thales (France)
Laurent Malier, CEO of Leti. “HELIOS electronic IC, a 16x10 Gb/s transceiver for ring6 DAS Photonics (Spain)
combines the advanced, upstream research WDM-PON applications, a photonic QAM- ring6 Austriamicrosystems AG (Austria)
on CMOS photonics from leading research 10Gb/s wireless transmission system and a ring6 Technical University of Vienna (Austria)
laboratories and universities with the mixed-analog and digital transceiver module ring6 Phoenix BV (Netherlands)
commercialization expertise of some of for multifunction antennas. ring6 Photline Technologies (France)
January/February 2010 www.compoundsemiconductor.net 7
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