Open Competition 1 - Electronics and Photonics

Nanophotonic Integrated Circuits for Telecommunications and Computing

Sponsor: Luxtera, Inc.

• Project Performance Period: 11/1/2002 - 10/31/2004
• Total project (est.): $4,193,688.00
• Requested ATP funds: $1,999,960.00

The optical switching systems now used to send telephone calls and Internet data over fiber-optic communication lines fill large racks and are costly to buy and operate. Luxtera plans to shrink these systems down to just a few microchips through a two-year project in which researchers will design, fabricate, and demonstrate the performance of nanophotonic circuits integrated on seminconductor wafers using standard semiconductor processing equipment. To make its nanophotonic integrated circuit (npIC) platform technology, Luxtera will incorporate optical components within the monolithic substrate. Electromagnetic simulations will be performed to rationally design these optical components, which cover all aspects of optical networking. After making the circuits, the company will build a prototype device that incorporates all of the npIC concepts. The ATP funding will enable the development of an integrated, lower-cost technology than would otherwise be possible in the near future; the project involves too much risk to attract venture capital funding. If the technology is successfully developed and commercialized, it will create a new industry segment offering substantial product cost and performance advantages. In addition to reducing the cost, size, and power requirements of telecom systems, the advance will enable microprocessors to communicate with each other at full speed, reducing the need for memory cache and increasing the efficiency of multi-processor applications. Total economic benefits to original equipment manufacturers, chipmakers, telecom service providers, businesses, and consumers are projected to reach billions of dollars annually.

For project information:

Alex Dickinson, (626) 396-0380
alex@luxtera.com

ATP Project Manager

Thomas Lettieri, (301) 975-3496
thomas.lettieri@nist.gov