Synopsys, Juniper Networks to create silicon photonics company
Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS) and Juniper Networks (NYSE: JNPR) announced earlier this month that they will jointly create an as yet unnamed company focused on development of an open silicon photonics platform. The company will produce “laser on a chip” integrated lasers, optical amplifiers, and what the two companies term “a full suite of photonic components.” The first samples of the joint venture’s work should be available this summer.
The foundation of the new company will be what Synopsys and Juniper Networks call a “carve out” of the latter’s integrated silicon photonics assets. Nevertheless, Synopsys will own the majority of the new entity; further details of the venture’s financial setup were not disclosed.
A key component of the upcoming open silicon photonics platform is the integrated laser capability, in which Indium Phosphide (InP) materials are directly deposited onto the silicon photonics wafer. The silicon photonics platform is enabled via Tower Semiconductor's PH18DA process technology and the initial multi-project wafer (MPW) is scheduled to be taped out in the current quarter of this year. The new company has created 400G and 800G photonics reference designs with integrated lasers. A photonics design kit will provide access to the complete platform.
The Synopsys/Juniper Networks joint venture appears to be leveraging a platform Tower Semiconductor and Juniper Networks announced last December. That platform was said to monolithically integrate III-V lasers, semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs), electro-absorption modulators (EAMs), and photodetectors with silicon photonics devices. Deliverables for that platform were expected at times similar to those announced for the new company.
In addition to telecom and datacom applications, Synopsys and Juniper Networks expects their silicon photonics offering to find success in LiDAR, healthcare, HPC, AI, and optical computing. "This revolutionary technology will change the economics of how people are going to build photonic systems," said Rami Rahim, CEO of Juniper Networks. "We have been strong supporters of integrated silicon photonics and we believe the new company will drive development of these systems by using an advanced open platform that will dramatically reduce costs and increase the performance and reliability of designs across multiple use cases. We are excited to continue to collaborate with the new company to enable a broad ecosystem to efficiently develop next-generation optical transceiver and co-packaged designs."
"Silicon photonics is a rapidly growing market that is transforming many industries and creating exciting opportunities for new applications in the future," added Sassine Ghazi, president and chief operating officer at Synopsys. "The new company's open silicon photonics platform, combined with Synopsys' existing investment in a unified electronic photonic design automation solution consisting of OptoCompiler, OptSim, PrimeSim, Photonic Device Compiler, and IC Validator products, will help reshape the optical computing industry, enabling companies to cost-effectively shift to integrated lasers and significantly accelerate development of photonic IC designs."
For related articles, visit the Business Topic Center.
For more information on optical components and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.
To stay abreast of optical communications technology, subscribe to Lightwave’s Enabling Technologies Newsletter.
Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.