Market Assessment of high performance silicon photonic transceivers and sensors using low-cost lasers and assembly

下一代信息和通信技术越来越依赖基于光的电路(与传统电子电路相结合)，以满足对更快的数据传输速度、更灵活和更有弹性的网格以及更灵敏和紧凑的测量设备的日益增长的需求。这个被称为硅光子学的研发领域目前依赖于体积庞大、价格昂贵(数百至数千美元)的可调谐激光器，而这反过来又需要额外的隔离器、透镜和封装，这导致了昂贵而笨拙的设备。我们的团队在硅平台上开发了两种新型电路(即易于集成到现有制造工艺中)，可以取代通信应用中所需的可调激光器，并可以简化封装以降低硅光子产品的整体组装成本。为了演示这些电路的应用，我们设计了一种基于硅光子的生物传感器，可以用于护理点病原体检测(包括但不限于新冠肺炎)，制造成本为20英镑。我们目前的IP组合包括这两种新颖的电路设计和便携式生物传感器的设计。 该项目的目的是完成一项市场研究，以评估我们的新型电路在生物传感、通信和其他领域的市场潜力。我们强大的知识产权地位为基于我们的技术创办一家新的加拿大公司提供了绝佳的机会。我们已经聘请了独立咨询集团Dennis Rank and Associates来协助这项市场研究，其中将包括对二级市场数据的彻底审查以及与相关利益相关者的一些初级市场研究访谈，并对这一初步商业化途径进行评估。

Next-generation information and communication technologies rely increasingly on optical-based circuitry (in combination with traditional electronic circuits) to account for a growing need for faster speeds of data transmission, more flexible and resilient grids, and more sensitive and compact measurement devices. This area of research and development - known as silicon photonics - is currently reliant on tunable lasers that are bulky and expensive (hundreds to thousands of dollars), and in turn require additional isolators, lenses and packaging that results in costly and unwieldly devices. Our team has developed two novel circuits on a silicon platform (ie easily integrated into existing manufacturing processes) that can replace tunable lasers required in communication applications, and can simplify the packaging to reduce the overall assembly cost of silicon photonic products. In order to demonstrate the application of these circuits, we have designed a silicon photonic-based biosensor that can be used for point-of-care pathogen detection (including, but not limited to Covid-19) that can be manufactured for <$20. Our current IP portfolio includes these two novel circuit designs and a design for the portable biosensor. The purpose of this project is to complete a market study to evaluate the market potential for our novel circuitry in biosensing, communication, and others. Our strong IP position presents an excellent opportunity to start a new Canadian company based on our technology. We have engaged an independent consulting group Dennis Rank and Associates to assist with this market study, which will include a thorough review of secondary market data as well as a number of primary market research interviews with relevant stakeholders, and to evaluate this preliminary commercialization pathway.