Israeli Companies Tower Semiconductor and Teramount Partner to Revolutionize Integrated Circuit Manufacturing for Sensing and Communication Applications with Silicon Photonics Technology

Tower Semiconductor, an Israeli company that utilizes silicon photonics and other semiconductor technologies to manufacture integrated circuits for sensing and communication applications, has announced a partnership with Teramount, a company that specializes in connecting fiber optic cables to silicon chips. Together, they will collaborate on a project that combines Tower's SiPho Bump-ready wafers with Teramount's PhotonicPlug technology to simplify the assembly of high-speed data transmission solutions for data centers, telecommunications networks, and emerging applications in artificial intelligence (AI) and sensing.

Teramount CEO Hesham Taha noted that the ability to connect fiber optics to silicon chips is a significant obstacle for many applications that require high-speed data transmission, and that Teramount's solution addresses this problem.

In another collaboration, Tower Semiconductor and Quintessent announced the integration of a gallium arsenide (GaAs) quantum dot laser with a silicon photonics platform. The PH18DB platform is designed for optoelectronic transceiver modules, AI, machine learning, LiDAR, and other sensors in data centers and telecommunications networks. The silicon photonics transceiver market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24%, reaching $9 billion by 2025, according to market research firm LightCounting.

The PH18DB platform combines GaAs quantum dot lasers and Tower's PH18M silicon photonics foundry technology to create a semiconductor optical amplifier. This platform enables high-density photonic integrated circuits (PICs) to support more channels in a smaller form factor. Tower Semiconductor stated that the open foundry availability of this 220nm SOI platform will provide development teams with access to simplify their photonic integrated circuit designs through the use of lasers and SOA pcell.

The initial process design kit (PDK) for PH18DB is already available through a collaboration with DARPA, under the general micro-optical systems laser (LUMOS) program, aimed at introducing high-performance lasers into advanced photonics platforms for commercial and defense applications. Tower Semiconductor plans to conduct multiple wafer projects in 2023 and 2024.