Research & Collaboration
Early access to emerging technologies and strong connections to UK centres of academic and industrial excellence, have kept Sivers Photonics at the forefront of the III-V compound semiconductor market for almost 20 years.
Collaborative Research Projects
Sivers Photonics partners with leading worldwide academic and corporate institutions to continuously grow its design, development, manufacture and process engineering IP portfolio.
We are involved in joint research projects with many universities and have collaborations in place with industry research and innovation centres, such as IMEC. We are an active partner in many UK and European, Technology Consortium Programmes, with members ranging from start-up companies to global corporations.
We appoint PhD qualified engineers to lead each new technology development project. Key technologies in development within the research projects include:
25 Gb/s VCSEL arrays for power saving, datacentre connections
Single photon transmitters and receivers for atomic clocks
Quantum cascade lasers for sensing and analytics
Virtual fabrication across the European Foundry Network
Collaborative Research Projects
Sivers Photonics partners with leading worldwide academic and corporate institutions to continuously grow its design, development, manufacture and process engineering IP portfolio.
We are involved in joint research projects with many universities and have collaborations in place with industry research and innovation centres, such as IMEC. We are an active partner in many UK and European, Technology Consortium Programmes, with members ranging from start-up companies to global corporations.
We appoint PhD qualified engineers to lead each new technology development project. Key technologies in development within the research projects include:
imec
Sivers Photonics is collaborating with IMEC, the respected research and innovation centre, to expand its silicon photonics portfolio. Together with imec, we have successfully managed a wafer-scale integration of indium phosphide (InP) distributed feedback (DFB) lasers from Sivers’ InP100 platform onto imec’s silicon photonics platform (iSiPP). This is a significant achievement since it will boost the adoption of silicon photonics in a wide range of applications from optical interconnects, over LiDAR, to biomedical sensing. Read the full press release here.
Continuous-Wave Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CW-WDM) laser sources
Sivers Photonics is a founding member of an elite group of companies signed up to a multi-source agreement (MSA) to define a new, industry-standard for high wavelength count, O-band, DFB, continuous wave (CW) laser sources. The MSA was formed in 2020, to set up to define a specification for the optical interface of the Continuous-Wave Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CW-WDM) laser sources.
CW lasers are critical to the integrated photonics devices used in next-generation artificial intelligence and data-centre applications and Sivers Photonics is helping to spearhead the standardisation, along with industry leaders and household names, Arista, Ayar Labs, imec, Intel, Lumentum, Luminous Computing, Quintessent, Sumitomo Electric, II-VI and MACOM.
The first official specification for 8-, 16- and 32-wavelength optical sources was released in June 2021. The specification will be made available throughout the photonics industry, allowing the development of compatible products from multiple vendors, and is seen as a decisive step to enhance market growth, improve customer choice, and encourage competition. The CW-WDM MSA will enable Sivers Photonics to provide next generation DFB lasers in a more standard format. This will eliminate the high levels of complex customization we often see today. For further information visit the CW-WDM MSA website and see our full press release here.
Universities
Sivers Photonics has strong connections with the UKs top universities and has run many collaborative projects with universities including:
- Glasgow University
- Strathclyde University
- Heriot-Watt University
- Sheffield University
- Lancaster University
- Bristol University
Quantum Technology
Sivers Photonics are key to the commercialisation of quantum technology, collaborating with academia, industry and government across several ground-breaking projects shaping the quantum landscape. Our technology will enable critical real-world applications in areas such as LIDAR, consumer technology and data communications.
Driver Assisted and Autonomous Vehicles
Sivers are part of a government led quantum collaboration project, SPIDAR, developing range finding and 3D imaging systems for driver assisted and autonomous vehicles. The project, collaboration with high-profile commercial partners Toshiba, Network Rail and Thales UK, amongst others.
The SPIDAR project will develop single-photon, infrared imaging, detection and ranging technology, used to sense the proximity of objects and other vehicles for driver safety and self-driving vehicle applications. Cameras are used to detect single photon light particles in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The distance to the detected object or range is the measured time from the photon’s emission to the object and back again. The photon detector delivers sub-nanosecond precision, detecting single photons from the faintest possible reflections. This technology enables a far greater detection range for 3D cameras than is currently available, enhancing both safety and effectiveness when deployed in real-life applications like vehicle safety. The market is valued at $556bn by 2026*
* ‘Global Autonomous Vehicle Market’ from Allied Market Research
The world’s first commercial Quantum Atomic Magnetometer
Sivers are working as part of the MAG-V project aimed at developing the world’s first, commercial Quantum Atomic Magnetometer, to detect micro-defects in ferrous metal surfaces that are not usually visible to the human eye and can be hidden underground or behind protective or insulating coatings. These quantum magnetometers are developed for non-intrusive corrosion detection, which is a billion-dollar market.
Atomic Clocks
We’re also working to develop Quantum Gallium Nitride (Q-GaN) visible light laser diode sources, suitable for quantum sensing and specialised telecommunications applications. The prime Q-GaN laser technology application is in atomic clocks, helping to ensure accurate GPS coverage when satellite connections are weak or lost. Transport industries will benefit first, with the technology expected to be miniaturised for smartphones and smartwatches, opening up a wide range of consumer applications in the future. The project is funded by the European R&D initiative Eurostars working in collaboration with project partner, TopGaN Ltd Poland.
Contact Sivers Photonics
For more information about Sivers Photonics, or to discuss your Photonics project requirements.