AIM Photonics welcomes Coventor as its newest member

21 Mar 2017

Process modeling specialist will enable manufacture of high-yield, high-performance integrated photonics.

The American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics, a public-private partnership advancing the US’s photonics manufacturing capabilities, and Coventor, a semiconductor process modeling software company, have announced Coventor as the newest member of AIM Photonics.

The company will provide access to its physics-driven 3D modeling technology to improve the performance and manufacturability of complex, integrated photonic designs.

“AIM Photonics’ partnership with Coventor is another key building block in expanding this vital ecosystem,” commented John Maggiore, New York State photonics board of officers chairman. “We are creating a revolution in integrated photonics for our members, companies in NY’s Photonic Valley, and across the US.”

Robert Duffy, chairman of the AIM Photonics Leadership Council added, “Tasked with promoting advanced research in integrated photonics to enable the United States to achieve global manufacturing leadership, AIM Photonics is now building a membership that includes the country’s most innovative technology companies. Each member brings vital expertise to the initiative. Coventor’s process modeling capabilities are strategic to our success and will help ensure the manufacturability of photonic designs.”

’Virtual fabrication’

Coventor’s SEMulator3D platform provides a complete virtual fabrication environment that models actual semiconductor processes and parallels the capabilities of actual fabs. Coventor’s platform enables photonic device designers to perform “virtual” fabrication of their devices and accurately predict downstream ramifications of process changes that would otherwise require build-and-test cycles in the fab.

“We are excited to be working with AIM Photonics and SUNY Polytechnic Institute, two leading institutions in the development of the emerging photonic integrated circuit industry,” said Michael Jamiolkowski, President and CEO of Coventor.

“Building upon our commercial experience in the semiconductor industry, we see our membership in AIM Photonics as essential to our mission in supporting the design and manufacturing of next generation, photonic integrated components.”

“Coventor’s expertise in process modeling brings value to AIM Photonics and its membership and is key to scaling and integrating photonic design into commercial applications,” said Dr. Michael Liehr, CEO of AIM and executive vice president of technology and innovation for SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

“We look forward to working with Coventor on next-generation electronic-photonic design platforms that support first pass, high-yield manufacturing of advanced silicon photonic devices.”

• AIM Photonics, managed by SUNY Polytechnic Institute, was established in 2015 as part of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, a federal initiative designed to foster innovation and deliver new capabilities that can ultimately create a nationwide manufacturing infrastructure for integrated photonics.