Photonic Integrated Circuit Reliability

Photonic integration, and specifically silicon photonics, has emerged as one of the leading solutions for maintaining or improving the performance of optical systems while addressing the requirements related to size, weight, and power (SWaP). Photonic integrated circuits (PICs), which integrate multiple photonic elements onto a single chip, are specifically suited to providing the complexity and functionality for the aforementioned optical systems, and therefore, PICs have been getting integrated into optical systems on many platforms including those systems for avionic applications.Evaluating the reliability of emerging technologies is a critical step towards successful transition into military programs. Although much effort has been dedicated to updating existing reliability models for individual photonic devices, the models still do not include methods for predicting the reliability of PICs that include multiple photonic device components on a single chip. The goal of this Phase I effort is to develop methods for understanding and predicting the reliability of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for avionic applications. The AIM Photonics manufacturing platform will serve as a basis for evaluating PIC devices, and the reliability models developed will provide a significant value to a broad community of innovators developing PIC technologies for both military and commercial applications.