FIPILI 3 Project

 

Integrated photonics for intra-chip, intra-board and intra-system optical interconnections
Project co-financed by POR FESR Toscana 2014-2020

 

For the performance improvement required nowadays the processing capacity of digital devices can no longer rely solely on electronic technology in terms of I/O interfaces. Solutions based on optical interconnections and integrated photonic components are preferred, by means of silicon photonic technology. However, silicon photonic integration still shows limitations that should be overcome to ensure its widespread use.

FIPILI3 addresses the following critical aspects of photonic technology:

  • Integration of laser sources in III-V materials on silicon chips within the photonic device package
  • Pluggable, reliable and low-loss optical connections between silicon chips and optical fiber arrays
  • High signal integrity interconnections between electronic circuits and photonic circuits, use of waveguides and multichip solutions

The most innovative technological aspects to optimize concerns the minimization of the coupling loss in the transition from a fiber to a miniaturized waveguide, both at the level of laser integration at the guide and to realize the connection of photonic circuits, fiber-guide and guide-guide.

FIPILI3 works on photonic devices such as arrays of wavelength tunable laser transmitters, remotable optical transmission devices, micro-components and “building blocks” for interconnection between chips on the same board and between chips superimposed on each other (three-dimensional multi-layer interconnection). These devices are key elements to create modules and components for interconnections between servers in a data center, between devices, between electronic boards, between components within the same board and between chips within the same module.

The goal is to simplify network architectures, providing high capacity and at the same time reducing costs, consumption and the size of the equipment, to play a key role in future datacom and telecom platforms. All this thanks to an action to develop specialized skills to create innovative solutions, thus opening up interesting economic and employment prospects at local level, within an eco-system that could in future increase further attracting other industrial companies both at level of multinationals that of innovative SMEs.

CNIT is a partner of FIPILI3 together with Ericsson Telecomunicazioni SpA, Ma.Vi Srl, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies – TeCIP Institute, Syel Srl.