Dutch and Taiwanese partners develop photonic systems

PhotonDelta has detailed four collaborative projects linking Dutch photonic chip specialists with Taiwanese semiconductor and electronics organisations, targeting the integration and manufacturing challenges involved in bringing photonic technologies into commercial systems.

The projects were selected through the Netherlands–Taiwan TechBridge programme and cover optical communications, wireless infrastructure, quantum computing, and photonic chip connections. Each combines organisations with complementary capabilities in component design, semiconductor manufacturing, optical packaging, or electronic system integration.

Integrated photonic circuits manipulate light using structures fabricated on semiconductor or other suitable optical material platforms. Their functions include guiding optical signals, changing their characteristics, directing them between different paths, and detecting incoming light. Converting these individual capabilities into equipment that can be manufactured at scale introduces additional engineering requirements involving electrical interfaces, fibre alignment, temperature control, and packaging.

The HEROIC project concentrates on high-speed optical communications. Formerica OE and Hon Hai Research Institute in Taiwan are working with SMART Photonics and Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands to develop an optical transceiver module targeting 3.2 terabits per second, with data transmission at 400 gigabits per second per lane.

The proposed architecture combines heterogeneous integration, flip-chip technology, and immersion cooling. Heterogeneous integration allows components manufactured using different semiconductor and photonic processes to operate within a common assembly, while flip-chip mounting provides short electrical connections between devices and their supporting substrates.

At the proposed transmission speeds, the electrical interfaces connecting processors, drivers, and optical components must operate while limiting signal distortion and power loss. Packaging also affects the physical distance between components, the routing of high-speed connections, and the ability to remove heat generated during operation.

Immersion cooling is included among the project’s development technologies because thermal behaviour becomes increasingly important in densely integrated computing infrastructure. The intended 3.2Tbps capacity remains a research objective rather than a verified production performance figure, with practical operation dependent on the results of device development, assembly, and testing.

A different integration problem is being addressed by MAP-Connect, which brings together Dutch specialist MicroAlign and Taiwan’s Largan. The partners intend to develop a 40-channel polarisation-maintaining fibre-array connection for photonic integrated circuits, concentrating on low optical loss and manufacturing repeatability.

Connecting optical fibres to a photonic chip requires precise alignment between the fibre’s optical mode and the much smaller structures that guide light within the chip. Even small positioning errors can reduce the amount of useful optical power transferred between the two interfaces.

Mechanical alignment must also remain stable after assembly. Temperature changes, movement, and stresses introduced by packaging materials can affect the position of optical components, potentially altering connection performance during the operating life of a device.

Polarisation-maintaining connections introduce another requirement because the orientation of the optical signal must be preserved through the fibre interface. MAP-Connect will investigate manufacturing methods capable of accommodating these constraints across a multi-channel connection, rather than relying on individually adjusted laboratory assemblies.

The PhoDAS project addresses photonic integration in wireless communications. Dutch company Sabratha and Taiwan’s TMYTEK will investigate manufacturable millimetre-wave radio units for future indoor 5G and 6G systems, using thin-film lithium niobate photonics for the fronthaul connection.

Fronthaul carries signals between radio equipment and other parts of a communications network. As radio systems require greater capacity and more distributed processing, transporting these signals efficiently becomes part of the overall network architecture.

Thin-film lithium niobate is being investigated for high-speed photonic modulation because an applied electric field can alter its optical properties. Integrated structures using this material can therefore convert electrical information into changes in an optical signal, although their practical performance depends on device fabrication and integration with the surrounding electronics.

PhoDAS will combine those capabilities with millimetre-wave radio technology. Its objective is to investigate an architecture suitable for manufacturing, rather than establish that a completed commercial 6G radio unit is already available.

Quantum photonics forms the fourth project, QSPAD, which connects QuiX Quantum in the Netherlands with Taiwan’s Brillink. The partners will develop photonically integrated single-photon detectors intended to operate near room temperature, with fault-tolerant quantum computing identified as an eventual application.

Single-photon detection allows a system to register extremely weak optical signals, including the individual photons used in certain quantum computing and communication architectures. Detector performance is influenced by detection efficiency, unwanted signal counts, timing characteristics, and operating temperature.

Integrating detectors into a photonic circuit also requires careful consideration of the connection between optical waveguides and the detection structures. An effective detector must capture useful optical events while maintaining electrical performance and compatibility with the wider system.

The QSPAD project will examine these requirements through an integrated approach. Its stated objective of near-room-temperature operation would address one of the engineering constraints affecting detector deployment, although the announced programme does not establish a completed device or verified detector performance.

TechBridge connects these four areas through a common manufacturing objective. The Dutch participants contribute photonic chip design, optical integration, and specialist materials expertise, while Taiwanese organisations bring capabilities in semiconductor fabrication, advanced electronics, and industrial production.

The programme is intended to establish collaborative development pathways between the two technology ecosystems. Progress will depend on whether the project teams can demonstrate suitable device performance and reproduce the required optical, electrical, and mechanical characteristics in practical manufacturing processes.