Computationally Optimized Metamaterial-Based Low-Power Integrated Photonics For Miniaturization And Ultra-Large-Scale Integration

LumArray, Inc. is developing a low-cost maskless photolithography system that will meet the resolution, placement-accuracy, overlay, throughput and multilevel-alignment requirements of integrated photonic and electronic devices. The University of Utah has developed methods to design and characterize a new class of metamaterial-based photonic devices that, compared to existing photonic devices and proposed plasmonic devices, offer higher levels of integration, higher photon efficiency, novel functionalities and compatibility with CMOS. The designs take into account the practical aspects of nanofabrication, thereby enabling efficient photonic-electronic integration on the same chip. The highly compact metamaterial devices will provide: (1) efficient coupling of light from fiber to waveguides; (2) conversion from multi-mode to single-mode propagation; (3) efficient mode separation based on polarization; and (4) efficient mode separation based on wavelength. In Phase 1, Univ. Utah will design exemplary photonic-metamaterial devices. These will then be patterned at LumArray using its maskless photolithography and etching capabilities, and returned to Utah for characterization and design iteration. In Phase 2 the team will demonstrate a system that integrates the novel photonic devices with simple electronic devices in a CMOS-compatible process. In Phase 3, we will pursue commercialization in conjunction with OpSis and similar foundries.