VLC Photonics can manufacture any photonic circuit design for the main material platforms (InP, GaAs, SOI, SiO2/PLC, Si3N4/TripleX) through its foundry network, in what is known as fabless operation. In this way, VLC Photonics works closely with several foundries to always provide the best solution in terms of cost, timing and performance, but also reliability and yield.

Prototype runs usually range from a single PIC to a few tens of PICs, and risk and cycle time are greatly minimized through our significant experience with all foundry partners. Additionally, cost can be greatly reduced through the use of pre-scheduled Multi-Project Wafer runs (similar to electronics’ shuttle runs), where fabrications costs can be shared among multiple users.

Dedicated runs can scale the number of PICs to several tens or hundreds of dies, and also allow for more flexibility in terms of chip sizes, fabrication timing, or custom processings. VLC Photonics can also provide such service, including complete mask layout and process definitions and adaptations if required.

Finally, VLC Photonics can support you when moving to production, where larger volumes are manufactured. Depending on the end market to be addressed, this can mean from thousands to millions of PICs, and VLC Photonics has the expertise to guide you through the hurdles of desing adaptations, foundry transfer and logistics.