Following the path of electronic ICs, photonic integration is now revolutionizing many applications. For example, most of the transceivers, that power todays datacenters, are based on Silicon Photonics. And in addition to datacommunication, photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are rapidly gaining momentum in long-haul telecommunication, fiber-sensing, LIDAR, lifesciences, military applications, and more. For that reason, many companies and organizations now want to become active in photonic integration. And likewise, we’ve seen record turnout during the last few workshops on Photonic Integration that we organized at the OFC conference.

However, the question how to get started in PICs is not necessarily trivial. Starting your own in-house effort including a waferfab plus packaging is unaffordable for most of the players. And even if you want to leverage the growing ecosystem of providers in software, foundries, and packaging, then the question is still which parts to do yourself, which parts to outsource and how to find the best tools and familiarize yourself with them.

The purpose of this week-long in-depth training is to get you quickly up the learning curve by introducing you to all of the aspects that are critical for producing integrated optical components. The training covers system level essentials, a detailed tutorial on integrated optic components, in-depth simulations as well as mask layout, available foundry services for all material systems, packaging services, test & measurement and relevant business fundamentals such as building a business case or scaling to production.

The PIC training provides the ideal orientation for managers or engineers in companies that want to start in photonic integration or who feel that PICs are becoming increasingly important. The training is also very useful for any new employees or graduate students who are active in photonic integration and who need a better understanding of PIC technology, tools, as well as the full value chain. And the PIC training is valuable for anyone who needs to make a decision about which design software to acquire or which material system or foundry to use.

Space is limited so there is a maximum to the number of trainees that can be accepted. Advance registration is required and there is a registration fee. The fee covers the week long training, copies of training materials, lunches and other in class refreshments, and installation of software as well as licenses required for that week. Trainees are responsible for booking hotel accommodation and for bringing in their laptops which can then be used for the PIC design and layout. In case of interest, laptops can be made available for on-site rental. Software licenses that cover a longer time for trial and evaluation can be made available on request as well.

For any questions about the training or logistics, please contact Erik Pennings at erik@7pennies.com or (848) 228-0807.

With photonic integration gaining momentum, it is clear that the number of workshops and training events that are dedicated to PICs is increasing as well. So why is this training different from other events?

• The foremost reason is that most other training events are organized by a single foundry or a consortium organized around a single technology or foundry. However, given the complexity of photonic integration, it may be hard to decide which material system is best when just starting. In addition, products or systems may rely on a number of technologies or material systems. For example, a datacenter transceiver can well be based on Silicon Photonics, but it still needs a InP laser that is tightly coupled to the PIC and/or is custom designed. And for lifesciences or military applications, Silicon Nitride PICs may prove advantageous. The unique aspect of this PIC training is that it is impartial and that it brings the full ecosystem independent of material system, so that you can decide what works best for you.

This is the PIC training that is supported by the largest group of PIC ecosystem players (logos are from the last training).

• Similarly, this PIC training offers hands-on training for pretty much most of the key design and layout software providers. Once you purchase a particular software solution and have designed a number of PICs, it will be hard to change so that you are locked in. Conversely it is not simple to try and evaluate most available software packages since each trial can be quite time consuming. This PIC training offers the advantage of giving you in-depth overview presentations as well as brief hands-on sessions on most software solutions, that are sufficient to give a good feel for what the software can do without pretending to provide expert training (which can happen later once it is fully clear what is best for you).
• Rounding up the full ecosystem, this PIC training also bring you a multitude of key packaging solutions, test and measurement providers, PIC design houses, and so on.
• Also, a lot of attention is given to networking so you can get to know the other participants as well as the trainers from all supporting companies. During the last training we had over 26 support companies and some of these companies send multiple people to the training. Point is that the PIC ecocsystem is fairly complex and since you may need multiple solutions, it is important that you know the right people at the key players. For this reason, we organize non-compulsory group dinners each evening, which means that you can join if you want to, but you can also go back to the hotel if you have work to catch up on.
• Lastly, time is devoted to market and business topic, by having a number of industry guest speakers and by having several sessions devoted to business cases.
• Please note that while there are hands-on software sessions as well as business topics, there is no need to be a expert PIC designer nor is this intended for business people only. On the contrary, the PIC training is set up for either new entrants to the field of photonic integration, or managers who want to well understand the photonic integration space, or students who want to familiarize themselves with the relevant players and solutions beyond one specific topic, or new hires in companies that already are active in Photonic Integration.

 

Testimonials

Please see below for a number of reactions from participants at previous PIC training events:

“Overall, it was a great selection of speakers. I appreciate the comprehensive topic coverage.”

“Organization of event was excellent liked distribution of all contact info and multiple updates up to the start of the training.”

“I really appreciated this training. All was perfect; content, organization, supports…”

“Thanks a lot! … and thanks again for the PIC training – it was very helpful to me.”

“This was done well. Better then most workshops I have attended…”

“Excellent location, venue, catering etc.!”

“I liked the software tutorials and the talks about the current state of the art and future trends of PIC’s.”

“Networking very good. I talked to a lot of experts in the field.”

“All excellent speakers, all of them knew their content well, and were very approachable…” “Excellent organization… I can’t think of anything that could be improved…”

“Excellent networking, excellent people, excellent chances to network during the breaks. A lot of thanks … for organizing all the dinners in the evening – which allowed more deeper networking opportunities.”

“I liked the program very much. Covered all the essential steps in a PIC packaging cycle…”

The week-long program is such that it provides a quick but in-depth training on everything that you need for producing photonic integrated circuits. The program covers system aspects, a component tutorial, simulations and chip layout, foundry services for all material systems, packaging, test & measurement, and business/marketing essentials.

Throughout the training program, several specific PICs will be used as examples in the different sessions. In this way, you’ll see how a specific chip is first designed, then produced in a foundry, then packaged, then tested, and so on.

The schematic below shows the preliminary training program for the week. Please click on the schedule for a magnified version. The schedule below will be updated as soon as additional detail becomes available.

Please click on the days below to get a detailed description of the program for that day.

For any questions about the training or logistics, please contact Erik Pennings at erik@7pennies.com or (848) 228-0807.

The training will be supported by a wide group of service providers to the PIC industry. It includes foundries for pretty much all the relevant material systems, providers of simulation and layout software, packaging houses, as well as providers of turn-key PIC design solutions. Please see below the list of companies that are supporting the PIC training.

LIGENTEC is your manufacturing partner for Photonic Integrated Circuits (PIC). We provide next generation silicon photonics for customers in high-tech areas such as Communication, Quantum technologies, LiDAR and Sensing. LIGENTEC commercializes the all-nitride-core technology, with which LIGENTEC enables the customers to develop their products in the industrial revolution 4.0. (https://www.ligentec.com)

Keysight Technologies Inc.Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) is a leading technology company that helps enterprises, service providers and governments accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world. Keysight’s solutions optimize networks and bring electronic products to market faster and at a lower cost with offerings from design simulation, to prototype validation, to manufacturing test, to optimization in networks and cloud environments. Customers span the worldwide communications ecosystem, aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, semiconductor and general electronics end markets. Keysight generated revenues of $3.9B in fiscal year 2018. More information is available at (Keysight Technologies)

Luceda Photonics wants photonic IC engineers to enjoy the same first-time-right design experience as electronic IC designers. Luceda Photonics’ tools and services are rooted in over 50 years of experience in photonic integrated circuit (PIC) design. Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) design teams need full control of their design framework to make sure that what they fabricate matches exactly how they designed it. In addition they need to be able to re-use and distribute their design work in a hierarchical framework that saves time and improves reliability. IPKISS is a design platform that covers the complete photonic IC design flow up to measurement feedback for true component validation. What you layout is what you calculate. IPKISS.eda inside L-Edit combines these stringent photonic design demands with the ease of use of a professional yet easy to use EDA environment. (http://www.lucedaphotonics.com/en)

LioniX International is a leading global provider of customized microsystem solutions, in particular integrated photonics-based, in scalable production volumes. We provide customized solutions for OEM’s and System Integrators, from design to device, by vertical integration in scalable production volumes and maintaining technology leadership secured by strong IP position. As LioniX International we focus on Photonic Integrated Circuits (PIC) enabled modules based on our proprietary waveguide technology (TriPleX™), in addition to our other core competences micro-fluidics, opto-fluidics and MEMS. As vertically integrated company  we deliver a complete solution to our OEM customers: from initial design through volume manufacturing of products. Our chips drive your business. (www.lionix-international.com)

VLC Photonics aims to be a complete but flexible partner in photonic integration, thanks to its deep expertise in the whole integration process, from the preliminary feasibility studies, to fabrication platform selection, optical chip design, foundry and packager brokerage, and chip characterization and test. VLC Photonics has been working for more than 14 years in the field, with experience in all major international fabs (+20) in all main material substrates (silicon photonics, InP, GaAs, PLC, SiN, TriPleX, etc.). Our know-how includes multiple passive and active components like AWGs, MMIs, Echelle gratings, modulators, lasers, switches, filters, etc. Our field of expertise is mostly in optical telecommunications, datacom and optical interconnects, microwave photonics, quantum optics, and sensing systems like fiber sensor interrogators or biophotonics lab-on-a-chip. (http://vlcphotonics.com)

IBM Assembly and Test is a world leader in semiconductor packaging technology and services based in North America. We offer 45 years of advanced packaging, assembly and test experience, a system level mindset and skilled engineers who understand requirements from development to volume manufacturing. Originally an IDM we now offer full OEM services to our customers. In the recent years we have developped and offered next generation photonic solutions and heterogeneous integration, Our work in areas such as silicon photonics is unrivaled for high volume manufacturing applications but we also offer build to print solutions. IBM will help you deliver differentiated solutions while providing personalized, expert support to meet even the toughest application goals. (www.ibm.com)

Chiral Photonics, a New Jersey, US based company founded in 1999, specializes in optoelectronic packaging of photonic integrated circuits (PICs). Chiral Photonics offers its pitch reducing optical fiber arrays, PROFAs, which enable the highest density optical I/Os for both edge and face coupling to photonic ICs. Currently, up to 91 I/O channels can be coupled in a single port. Chiral Photonics continues to innovate in PIC packaging, currently developing passively aligned, high density, multicore fiber-based optical coupling solutions that are compatible with conventional pick-and-place tooling. In addition to supplying enabling optical I/O components, Chiral Photonics offers optoelectronic packaging services. Chiral Photonics is happy to provide a design guide and speak to you about your specific application needs: designguide@chiralphotonics.com

JePPIX is a broker that helps organizations around the globe to get access to advanced fabrication processes for Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs). JePPIX aims at low-cost development of application specific PICs using a generic foundry model and rapid prototyping via industrial Multi-Project Wafer runs. The generic approach allows a variety of PICs to be realized using the same standardized processes. JePPIX closely collaborates with Europe’s key players in the field of photonic integration, including manufacturing and packaging partners, photonic CAD software partners, R&D labs and photonic IC design houses. With JePPIX you can get access to the Indium Phosphide (InP)-based monolithic integration platforms of Oclaro, Fraunhofer HHI and SMART Photonics and the low-loss dielectric TriPleX waveguide technology of LioniX. JePPIX is hosted by the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. For more information visit our website: (www.jeppix.eu).

EXFO develops smarter test, monitoring and analytics solutions for fixed and mobile network operators, webscale companies and equipment manufacturers in the global communications industry. EXFO has spent over 30 years earning the trust of its customers, and today 1,900 EXFO employees in over 25 countries work side by side with them in the lab, field, data center and beyond. Part of its activities, EXFO is a manufacturer of laboratory-type fiber optic test instrumentation, not limited to, but primarily used in telecom type applications. Applications range from PIC design, research and development to manufacturing and production. EXFO’s product portfolio consists of high dynamic range tunable laser sources, automated wavelength dependent passive optical component testers, optical spectrum analyzers, tunable filters, and multipurpose modular test platform OSICS with modules ranging from tunable laser sources to switches, attenuators, DFB sources and more. (https://www.exfo.com)

SMART Photonics, located in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is a Pure Play Foundry offering III-V production services for both discrete- as well as integrated- Indium Phosphide based photonic components. We use our knowledge, experience and the dedicated equipment to create and produce the photonic designs of our customers. We offer the complete production process from Epitaxial growth, processing, re-growth and polishing of wafers up to dicing and coating of the sides of the chips. Next to the production support, in either the proof of concept (POC) phase or the full production phase, we also offer single- or combined- process steps to complete, or back-up, the production processes of our customers. (www.smartphotonics.nl)

Lumerical develops photonic simulation software – tools which enable product designers to understand light, and predict how it behaves within complex structures, circuits, and systems. Since being founded in 2003, Lumerical has grown to license its design tools in over 50 countries and its customers include 13 of the top 15 technology companies in the FORTUNE Global 500 index, and 46 of the top 50 research universities as rated by the Times Higher Education rankings. Lumerical’s substantial impact on the photonic design and simulation community means its tools are among the most widely cited in the scientific press, with references in more than 10,000 scientific publications and patents. Lumerical enables its customers to achieve more with light and establish a leading position in the development of transformative technologies employing photonics. (www.lumerical.com)

VPIphotonics sets the industry standard for end-to-end photonic design automation comprising design, analysis and optimization of components, systems and networks. We provide professional simulation software supporting requirements of integrated photonics, optoelectronics and fiber optics applications, optical transmission system and network applications, as well as cost-optimized equipment configuration. Our team of experts delivers professional consulting services addressing customer-specific modeling and design requirements. VPIphotonics’ award-winning off-the-shelf and customized solutions are used extensively at hundreds of corporations worldwide; over 160 academic institutions joined our University Program. For further information, please visit us at www.VPIphotonics.com.

Cadence Design Systems enables global electronic design innovation and plays an essential role in the creation of today’s most complex electronics systems. Cadence collaborates with Lumerical to offer an integrated Electronics/Photonics design environment for integrated photonics ICs (PICs). Built around the Cadence® Virtuoso® custom design platform, the EPDA environment enables schematic or layout-driven design flows for photonics and electronics circuits, as well as the integration and analysis of these into wider, more complex host full systems. The collaboration with Lumerical brings to the flow photonics component parameter extraction, model generator and true co-simulation with the industry golden analog simulator Spectre® and optical simulator INTERCONNECT. For further information, visit our web site: https://www.cadence.com/en_US/home/solutions/photonics.html.

Dassault Systemes, the 3DEXPERIENCE(R) company, provides businesses and people with virtual universes to imagine sustainable innovations. Powered by the 3DEXPERIENCE(R) Platform, SIMULIA delivers realistic mechanical, electromagnetic, photonic, and multi-physics simulation applications that enable users to reveal the world we live in. (https://www.3ds.com)

Innovations for the digital society of the future are the focus of research and development work at the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI. In this area, Fraunhofer HHI is a world leader in the development of mobile and optical communication networks and systems, fiber optical sensor systems as well as the processing and coding of video signals. Together with international partners from research and industry, Fraunhofer HHI works in the whole spectrum of digital infrastructure – from fundamental research to the development of prototypes and solutions. The institute develops standards for information and communication technologies and creates new applications as an industry partner. (www.hhi.fraunhofer.de)

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd engages in applied technology research, transforming its research results into practical solutions. VTT Ltd uses its research and knowledge to provide expert services for its domestic and international customers and partners in both the private and public sector. VTT Ltd is Finland’s biggest applied research organisation and the Nordic countries’ leading research and technology company. As one of the first pioneers in the field, VTT has developed it’s silicon photonics technology since 1997. Its micron-scale SOI technology has been offered through MPW runs (ePIXfab) since 2014. Now the 3 µm SOI platform is expanding from passive and thermo-optic circuits to high-speed active components in close collaboration with industrial customers and partners. 
(www.vtt.fi/siliconphotonics)

PIXAPP is the world’s first open-access Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) Assembly and Packaging Pilot line, and helps users exploit the breakthrough advantages of PIC technologies. PIXAPP consists of a highly-interdisciplinary team of Europe’s leading industrial & research organisations, and provides users with single-point access to PIC assembly and packaging. The Pilot Line Gateway Office is PIXAPP’s the easy-access interface for external users, and is located at the Tyndall National Institute, in Ireland. The Gateway is managed by an experienced team, including technical experts to review incoming user requests, and project managers to organise the PIXAPP supply chain. PIXAPP bridges the ‘valley of death’ often associated with moving from prototyping to low-volume fabrication, by giving companies an easy-access route to transferring R&D results to the market. (www.pixapp.eu)

FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ:FORM), is a leading provider of essential test and measurement technologies along the full IC life cycle – from characterization, modeling, reliability, and design de-bug, to qualification and production test. Semiconductor companies rely upon FormFactor’s products and services to accelerate profitability by optimizing device performance and advancing yield knowledge. The Company serves customers through its network of facilities in Asia, Europe, and North America. For more information, visit the Company’s website at www.formfactor.com.

Photon Design was started in 1992 in Oxford UK to provide professional quality software to the photonics industry. Since that time it has introduced many innovations to photonics modelling, and now provides World-leading tools for the modelling of active and passive photonics components and circuits. Photon Design products are now in use in 30+ countries, 100s of research labs and contributed to 1000s of leading research publications, helping to develop the next generation of datacom components and innovations in micro and nano-optics. We are also able to provide custom solutions based on our standard products and our experts with decades of simulation experience are available for consulting. (https://www.photond.com)

As electronics become smaller and more capable, they become more complex. Necessary innovation must be met with ever-advancing technical capability. Tektronix designs and manufactures the test, measurement and monitoring solutions that break through the walls of complexity, to accelerate global innovation. Tektronix solutions have supported many of humankind’s greatest advances of the past 65 years. Health. Communication. Mobility. Space. We are committed to the scientists, engineers and technicians around the world who will define the future, and rely on us to embrace the technological challenge, as partners in their innovation (www.tek.com).

CEA (Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives) is a French Governmental Research Organization (15,000 employees). Within the “CEA-TECH” branch devoted to industrial Research & Development, CEA-LETI is one of the major European research centers in applied electronics, optics and sensing. It is located in Grenoble-France where it operates 11,000 m²-State-of-the-Art CMOS clean rooms (200 and 300 mm wafer size), and a MEMS microsystems platform (200 mm wafer size). Nearly 1,600 men and women are serving innovation and the transfer of technology in key domains. Besides, CEA-LETI has sparked the creation of thirty high-technology start-ups, including Soitec, world leader in the development/ production of Silicon on insulator wafers.

As a pioneer in Research & Development in Silicon Photonics (since 2002), CEA-LETI has developed strong expertise and know how in the design, fabrication and test of integrated devices (including Ge-on-Silicon photodetectors and hybrid III/V-on-Silicon lasers) and circuits for telecom and datacom applications. ST microelectronics is one of its main industrial partner in the field. (http://www.cea.fr/english/Pages/cea/the-cea-a-key-player-in-technological-research.aspx)

Brad Smith is Director of Marketing for LinkX product line of DAC, AOCs, and Transceivers 100G/200G/400G/800G and co-packaged optics. Mellanox/Nvidia: Director of Marketing for LinkX product line of DAC, AOCs, and Transceivers 100G/200G/400G/800G and co-packaged optics. Including the Kotura Silicon Photonics group. Intel Silicon Photonics Group: Product Line manager for 100G CWDM4 2Km transceiver and embedded optics products. OpSYS Silicon Photonics Foundry:Director of Marketing and Business Development. LightCounting Market Research:VP of Data Center optics. Nexgen: Cofounder and Dir of Product Marketing; X86 start-up sold to AMD for $1B – now is AMD LuxSonar Semis: Cofounder & President A/V IC startup sold to Cirrus Logic – now in every iPhone.

Michael Lebby (www.linkedin.com/in/lebby) is CEO and Board Director of Lightwave Logic Inc., (LWLG:OTCQB). Michael has been involved in photonics all his career, and has focused on photonic integration since his PhD and research work at RSRE Malvern (UK) and AT&T Bell Labs in the 1980s. During the 1990s, Michael led photonics at Motorola’s Corporate Labs where he founded and drove VCSEL based technology from research through to manufacturing. Michael continued this role at AMP/TE Connectivity and helped initiate Intel’s silicon photonics work in 1999. Michael then led OIDA (Optoelectronics Industry Development Association) in Washington DC to campaign on behalf of the photonics industry and worked hard to help establish a national photonic foundries program. Since 2010, Michael has been focusing on bringing PIC based technologies to market in various roles, and now is pursuing polymer based integrated photonics at Lightwave Logic Inc. Michael is also advising the European Commission on their integrated photonics pilot lines initiatives. With over 450 issued international patents (derived from over 200 issued USPTO patents) in the photonics field over the past 30years, Michael has dedicated his career to moving photonics into mainstream opportunities.

Robert Blum is Director of Marketing and New Business for Intel’s Silicon Photonics Product Division. Prior to joining Intel, Robert was Director of Strategic Marketing at Oclaro Inc., and held various Director of Product Management and Marketing roles for Oclaro’s telecommunications products and consumer laser portfolio. Before joining Oclaro, Robert was Product Line Manager for optical transmission components at JDS Uniphase Corporation and held various engineering and marketing management roles at Gemfire Corporation, all in California. Robert worked at Deutsche Telekom’s research labs in Darmstadt, Germany, while completing his master’s thesis and holds a doctorate degree in Physics from the University of Technology in Hamburg. He has also studied and done research at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale in Lausanne, Switzerland, and at Stanford University, California.

Dan Neugroschl received an M.S. degree in materials science from Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. He is currently President of Chiral Photonics., Pine Brook, NJ, USA, which he co-founded in 1999.

François Couny is Product Line Manager for EXFO Optics. He started his career in 2001 as a Test & Measurement engineer at Blaze Photonics, a start-up company specialized in Photonic Crystal Fibre and completed his Ph.D. in Photonics in 2008 at the Centre for Photonics and Photonic Material at the University of Bath (UK). He went on to join Yenista Optics in 2010 with a focus on developing tuneable laser sources and spectral solutions, including an Optical Spectrum Analyzer and also an optical component tester adapted to photonic integrated circuits characterization. Since 2015, François has been PLM for Yenista Optics, now part of EXFO as EXFO Optics.

Moritz Baier received his BSc and MSc at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in 2010 and 2013, respectively, including stays at Institut Fresnel (Marseille, France) and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Barcelona, Spain). Also in 2013, he joined Fraunhofer HHI where he received his PhD degree in 2018. Since then, he is heading the InP Foundry Group at HHI that commercializes a generic technology for photonic integration in InP.

Michael Geiselmann (Managing Director) studied physics and engineering at University Stuttgart and Ecole Centrale Paris. After his PhD at ICFO in Barcelona in 2014 he joined the laboratory of Prof. Kippenberg at EPFL in Lausanne, where he advanced frequency comb generation on integrated silicon nitride chips towards applications and was involved in several international research projects. In 2016, he co-founded LIGENTEC. At LIGENTEC, Michael is advancing the technology development of silicon nitride based integrated circuits and is looking for new business opportunities and is also overviewing technical sales and marketing.

Colin McDonough is technical lead for heterogeneous integration in the Derivatives Engineering Technology Development team at the SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Albany, NY. Colin focuses on the integration of silicon photonics and interposer technologies. He has lead development efforts in 3D integration including TSV stress mitigation, wafer-to-wafer fusion bonding for electro-optic heterogeneous integration, and low-loss waveguides. As part of AIM Photonics Colin created and maintains the MPW design guides, DRC decks, and interposer PDK integration, in addition to advising on tape-outs and hardware integration. Colin earned his Ph.D. in Nanoscale Science & Engineering in 2011 at the University at Albany, State University of New York. He is a Senior Member of IEEE and currently acts as Chair of the Schenectady Section.

Yuqing Jiao was born in Hangzhou, China. He obtained double PhD degrees from both Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands, and Zhejiang University in China in 2013. Since then he continued his research at Eindhoven University of Technology on photonic integration. Since 2016 he is appointed as a tenured assistant professor at the Institute of Photonic Integration (IPI, former COBRA Research Institute) of the Eindhoven University of Technology. His research topic focuses on a novel III-V based nanophotonic platform. He is interested in ultrafast and strong light-matter interactions in sub-micron optical confinement. Applications span from optical interconnects to optical beam steering and sensing. He has a strong background and expertise in a wide range of photonic materials (from silicon to III-V) and nanotechnologies. He has (co-)authored more than 30 international journal publications and 70 conference papers, including several invited talks in IEEE/OSA top conferences. Currently he serves as a board member of IEEE Photonics Society Benelux Chapter and a TPC member of the OFC conference.

Ana González R&D Manager at EPIC (European Photonics Industry Consortium). Her expertise relies on the development of systems based on integrated photonic circuits, packaging and assembly, and the investigation of applications such as chemical/biological sensing and Datacom. In addition, she has been involved in technology transfer and business development processes. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University Autonomous of Barcelona (UAB) and her PhD degree from the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2). (www.epic-assoc.com)

Hansjoerg Haisch is program manager for Network & Data Center Solutions within the Internet Infrastructure segment of Keysight Technologies’ Communications Solutions Group. Prior to his current postion, Hansjoerg was responsible for the definition and development of test & measurement products, solutions for photonic component and transmission test as well as digital coherent transmission. He joined Agilent Technologies in 2001 as an R&D project manager.

In 1990, Hansjoerg started his career as an R&D engineer for opto-electronic components in the Alcatel Research Center in Germany, where he was responsible for the design and characterization of opto-electronic components. Later, he managed projects for high speed transmission, CaTV and fixed wireless networks in Alcatel research and product divisions. Hansjoerg holds a Ph.D. form Stuttgart University and a Master of Science from Oregon State University both in Electrical Engineering.

Alexander Janta-Polczynski has a B.Eng. degree in Engineering Physics from Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal where he received a mention of excellence. In his degree he specialized in numerical simulations for solid state physics and laser matter interactions. Optics has been a central field of work for Alexander from his first internships in the dot com era to designing AWG for DWDM. In his master’s degree in computer simulation and imaging, he created a real-time STM image predictor to understand the complex convolution of electronic states in tunneling current measurements. He then worked in speech recognition with the Hidden Markov Model and Neural Networks algorithms. He joined IBM in 2007 and is presently a Professional Engineer for IBM Bromont (Quebec, Canada) at the C2MI research center. His work focusses on advanced semiconductor packaging and manufacturing. He joined the IBM Silicon Nanophotonics Team in 2012 to help with the optical characterization and packaging challenges. Alexander is co-author on several papers and inventor on 11 patents.

Pavel Zivny is a high speed serial data Domain Expert with the wide band oscilloscopes group of Tektronix. Pavel has a number of oscilloscope related patents, papers and articles, and represents Tektronix and T&M on industry panels and program committees, e.g. IEEE 802.3cd Ethernet. His current interests in the high speed serial data field include Equivalent Time Sampling and Real-Time oscilloscope measurements as well as signal generation with BERTs and Pattern Generators.

Gilles S.C. Lamant holds an engineering degree (~MsEE) from ESIEE (Ecole Superieure d’ingénieurs en Electronique et Electrotechnique), Paris, France. After holding several customer facing positions in Cadence Services organization, with a focus on custom (analog) design, in multiple countries (US, Japan, Russia), he joined the Virtuoso Custom Platform R&D team in 2003. His interests are usually found below Metal1, at the device level. He pioneered the Virtuoso FinFET implementation, and has been focussing on the photonics layers for the past few years. In that capacity, he has led the partnership between Cadence and other eco-system companies driving the integration and co-development of the EPDA (Electronics-Photonics Design Automation) platform around the Virtuoso® Platform as well as organic development related to photonics, such as the recently announced CurvyCoreTM technology.

Dylan McGuire is a Sr. R&D Manager at Lumerical Inc. (Vancouver, Canada). With over a decade of experience in the design and implementation of numerical algorithms for the physical simulation of optoelectronic devices and systems, he has contributed to numerous publications and presentations on simulation tools and methodologies for photonic integrated circuit design. He received his M.A.Sc. from the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada) in 2006, and was a candidate for a Ph.D. in the Department of Physics at McGill University (Montreal, Canada) before joining Lumerical in 2011. Prior to his current role at Lumerical, Dylan was an R&D Scientist and later Lead Engineer responsible for the development of finite element charge and heat transport solvers.

Matteo Cherchi has 20 years of experience in integrated optics, both in industrial research and in academia. He received his MSc in physics from the University of Pavia (Italy) and in applied mathematics from the University of Cambridge (UK), and later his PhD in Electronic Engineering from the University of Palermo (Italy), after some years spent in basic research for industry (former Pirelli Labs – Optical Innovation). He has been postdoctoral research associate in the group of Prof. Michael R. Watts (RLE at MIT), then to join the silicon photonics group led by Dr Timo Aalto at VTT – Technical Research Centre of Finland, that has been developing silicon photonics since 1997, including also polymer integration, hybrid integration of III-V materials, and photonics packaging. He has published 19 journal papers and 44 conference papers, and he is co-inventor in more than 10 patents. He is reviewer for OSA and IEEE journals; in 2016 he received the OSA Outstanding Reviewer Recognition.

Inigo Artundo (CEO): Obtained the M.Sc. in Telecom Engineering at the Universidad Publica de Navarra (Pamplona, Spain) in 2005, and received his Ph.D. in Applied Physics and Photonics at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Brussels, Belgium) in 2009. He has been involved in several national and European research projects and networks of excellence focused on reconfigurable optical interconnects, the design, fabrication and characterization of micro-optic devices, and on flexible access and in-building fiber network architectures. He has worked as a reviewer for several scientific journals and national funding agencies. He holds specializations in Business Financing, Commercial Management and Research, and Strategic Marketing. He is a member of IEEE, SPIE and COIT.

Frank Scharf  obtained his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, Germany. During his graduate studies, he focused on modeling and simulating the plasma sheath in high intensity discharge lamps. Frank joined Computer Simulation Technology (CST) Germany in 2008 and transferred to CST of America in 2009. CST was subsequently acquired by Dassault Systemes in 2016 and is now part of the SIMULIA brand. Frank currently leads one of the North American Engineering teams where he focuses on optical applications. (https://www.3ds.com/products-services/simulia/products/cst-studio-suite/)

Geert Appeldoorn is Director Commercial Development at SMART Photonics. After studying Industrial Engineering and Management at Eindhoven’s university of applied sciences and receiving an MSc degree in International Business Studies from Maastricht University, Geert worked in consulting and for over a decade in the telecom industry. With a track record in developing technology strategy, creating cross-industry partnerships and multiple product launches, his passion is in driving innovation forward from concept to commercial success.

Pierre Wahl co-founded Luceda Photonics in 2014 where he is in charge of sales, support and training operations. At Luceda he trains and supports R&D teams of major corporations, research institutes, foundries and universities world-wide. He completed a PhD in opto-electronics at the Free University of Brussels and Stanford University on ultra-low energy optical interconnects in 2014 and obtained a master degree in photonics from the University of Gent and the Free University of Brussels in 2010. He has co-authored multiple journal publications and delivered various talks around specialized design, simulation and optimization techniques used in integrated photonics.

Eugene Sokolov is a senior application engineer at VPIphotonics. He has over 8 years experience in the development of market leading PDA products and particularly in the modeling of the modern and next generation photonic integrated circuits (PICs), photonic and optoelectronic devices. Eugene joined VPIphotonics in 2010 and he currently works in VPIphotonics Inc., which is located in Norwood, Massachusetts, United States. Starting from the 2014 Eugene takes part in the development of the standardized Process Design Kits (PDKs) and interoperability between circuit-level simulators and mask layout/electronic design automation (EDA) tools. Eugene received his MSc. Degree in Physics (Laser Physics) from the Belarusian State University and he is doing his PhD in modeling polarization effects in VCSELs.You can reach him at eugene.sokolov@vpiphotonics.com.

DATE

The PIC training will be held in the week of Mon Dec 9 thru Fri Dec 13. This week was chosen based on feedback from trainees as well as supporting companies. The program will start on Monday Dec 9 at 9am and will finish on Friday Dec 13 at 3pm, so that people can leave early and get a flight home on Friday evening.

VENUE

The training is held at Tektronix, Santa Clara, California in US-SCLA Training Room 229. Santa Clara is right in the center of Silicon Valley where many of the important high tech companies in the world are located. For example, Intel, Google, Infinera, Cadence, Cisco, Apple, eBay, Yahoo, and many others are all headquartered in Silicon Valley. In addition, Silicon Valley hosts many companies that are active in photonic integration. The venue address is:

• Tektronix
• US-SCLA-Training Room 229 (2nd Floor)
• 4250 Burton Drive
• Santa Clara CA 95054

Santa Clara is well reachable by car via either San Jose, SJC (12min) or San Francisco, SFO (45 min) airports. For Google directions to Tektronix please click on the map below.

For any questions about the training or logistics, please contact Erik Pennings at erik@7pennies.com or (848) 228-0807.

Silicon Valley attracts a lot of business travelers and for this reason offers a large amount of good hotel accommodations. Given that the training starts early on Monday, we recommend that you arrive on (or before) Sunday evening. And on Friday, the training ends at 3pm PDT so as to allow participants to travel back home on Friday evening.

For a good overview of pricing, ratings, and locations of hotels around Tektronix, please use this Expedia link or this Booking.com link.

Presentation list:

Monday:

• 2019Dec09_Mon_02_Mellanox_Realities of Data Centers SiP Market
• 2019Dec09_Mon_03_VLC_Photonics_Fabless Interfacing in PIC Ecosystem_v2
• 2019Dec09_Mon_04_PhoD_Part1_Modeling Passive Components
• 2019Dec09_Mon_05_PhoD_Part2_Active Device and Circuit Modeling
• 2019Dec09_Mon_06_Part 1_PIC component tutorial
• 2019Dec09_Mon_07_Part 2_PIC component tutorial – Passives
• 2019Dec09_Mon_08_7Pennies_PIC Business Case

Tuesday:

• 2019Dec10_Tue_01_7Pennies_PIC Design Software Overview_v2
• 2019Dec10_Tue_02_VPI Photonics_System Level Modeling of PICs for Scalable Design_v2
• 2019Dec10_Tue_03_Physical Design and Optimization of PIC Components using CST Studio Suite 2019 – Hands on example
• 2019Dec10_Tue_04_Luceda_IPKISS Design Platform for PICs_v2

Wednesday:

• 2019Dec11_Wed_01_VTT_Introduction to MPW Foundries_v2
• 2019Dec11_Wed_02_JePPIX_InP Intro & Overview_v2
• 2019Dec11_Wed_03_HHI_Foundry Service for InP Based PICs
• 2019Dec11_Wed_04_Smart Photonics_Foundry Service for InP Based PICs
• 2019Dec11_Wed_07_Lumerical_Photonic Inverse Design

Thursday:

• 2019Dec12_Thu_01_Chiral – PIC Probing & Packaging Fundamentals_v2
• 2019Dec12_Thu_02_AIM Photonics – US Based SiPh MPW Service_v2
• 2019Dec12_Thu_03_IBM_Advanced Packaging
• 2019Dec12_Thu_04_ePIXfab – Intro to SiPh foundries
• 2019Dec12_Thu_05_Ligentec_Advantages of Going Thick with your PIC
• 2019Dec12_Thu_06_PIXAPP_Packaging Technologies to Scale-up Production_v2
• 2019Dec12_Thu_07_VTT_Thick SOI Platform for Sensing, Imaging, & Communication_v2
• 2019Dec12_Thu_08_Lightwave Logic – The Rise of Integrated Photonic_v2

Friday

• Jenoptik SIP Overview – Probe Card and Chip to Fiber Connection 20191212
• 2019Dec13_Fri_01_LioniX_Low-loss SiN PIC Platform
• 2019Dec13_Fri_02_EXFO_PIC Wafer Level Testing_v2
• 2019Dec13_Fri_03_Methods for Wafer Level OE HF & Pol Resolved Spectral Measurements
• 2019Dec13_Fri_04_Tektronix_High-speed Communications Optical Signaling State of Direct-detect Com

If you are interested in some of the presentations, please let us know by completing the section below and we can gladly help you. Please note, however, that the full package (all material) is only available for the partipants of the PIC training.

Please note that the above contact info will be used for making certain that we can indeed send you the requested information. In addition, we plan on using this in order to inform you about new events that we are organizing on photonic integration. For more info, on the 7 Pennies Privacy and Data Protection Policy, please click here.