A Canadian Open-Access Silicon Nitride Integrated Photonics Platform

氮化硅（SiN）是一种多用途的集成光学材料，它允许紧凑和廉价的光子集成电路（pic）。与其他成熟的PIC平台（如硅和III-V半导体）相比，SiN具有成本更低，超低损耗，高功率处理，可见光传播，高效非线性光学处理以及器件结构和设计的通用性。因此，SiN PICs将广泛应用并对加拿大人的生活产生重大影响，包括用于医疗点医疗诊断的紧凑型生物传感器和芯片实验室设备、用于自动驾驶车辆的光探测和测距（LIDAR）系统、用于数据中心视频流和信息处理的新型高速光通信设备、用于卫星通信的微波光子学设备，将宽带互联网带到偏远社区。用于保密通信的非线性光学光源和量子光学器件，以及用于精密测量和定时、环境监测和相干通信的超窄线宽和多波长光源。然而，在加拿大使用SiN平台的机会有限，这就要求研究人员和工业界在其他地方寻找SiN PIC的制造和原型。位于加拿大埃德蒙顿的Applied Nanotools Inc.是一家领先的代工厂，提供独特的电子束光刻（EBL）硅光子制造服务（NanoSOI），该服务提供低损耗、纳米级特征尺寸和快速周转时间，以加快硅光子器件和系统的研发和原型设计。最近，应用纳米工具公司（Applied Nanotools）发现了一个重要的客户对基于ebl的SiN光子平台感兴趣，这将补充他们的NanoSOI平台。在这个项目中，应用纳米工具与麦克马斯特大学的布拉德利小组合作，将利用他们的综合专业知识为加拿大和国际学术研究人员和工业界开发一个开放访问的SiN集成光子学平台。该项目将导致HQP在集成光子学领域的培训，并将为加拿大最先进的高分辨率SiN光子学平台提供经济有效的访问。

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.