A Canadian Open-Access Silicon Nitride Integrated Photonics Platform

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Silicon nitride (SiN) is a versatile integrated optics material, which allows for compact and inexpensive photonic integrated circuits (PICs). Compared with other mature PIC platforms, such as silicon and III-V semiconductors, SiN is lower cost and offers ultra-low losses, high power handling, visible light propagation, efficient nonlinear optical processes, and versatility in device structure and design. As such, SiN PICs will apply widely and significantly impact Canadian lives, including in compact biosensors and lab-on-chip devices for point-of-care medical diagnostics, light detection and ranging (LIDAR) systems for self-driving vehicles, new high-speed optical communication devices for video-streaming and information processing in data centers, microwave photonics devices for satellite communications to bring broadband internet to remote communities, nonlinear optical light sources and quantum optical devices for secure communication, and ultra-narrow-linewidth and multi-wavelength light sources for precision measurement and timing, environmental monitoring and coherent communications. However, access to SiN platforms in Canada has been limited, requiring researchers and industry to search elsewhere for SiN PIC fabrication and prototyping. Applied Nanotools Inc., in Edmonton AB, is a leading foundry that offers a unique electron beam lithography (EBL) silicon photonics fabrication service (NanoSOI) which provides low losses, nanoscale feature size, and rapid turnaround time for expediting research and development and prototyping of silicon photonic devices and systems. Recently, Applied Nanotools has identified significant customer interest in an EBL-based SiN photonics platform, which would complement their NanoSOI platform. In this project, Applied Nanotools in collaboration with the Bradley group at McMaster University will leverage their combined expertise to develop an open-access SiN integrated photonics platform for Canadian and international academic researchers and industry. This project will lead to HQP training in the growing field of integrated photonics and will provide cost-effective access to a state-of-the-art high-resolution SiN photonics platform in Canada.