The first photonic chip pilot line in China was put into use, covering the full closed-loop process from lithography to packaging

On September 26, according to the Wuxi Photonic Chip Research Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, on September 25, at the 2024 Integrated Circuit (Wuxi) Innovation and Development Conference, the first photonic chip pilot line in China built by the Wuxi Photonic Chip Research Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University was officially put into use.

According to the Wuxi Photonic Chip Research Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, photonic chips are the core of the new generation of information technology and can meet the technical needs of transmission, computing, storage, and display in the fields of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and biomedicine in the new round of scientific and technological revolution. However, the domestic photonic chip industry has always faced common difficulties such as the absence of pilot platforms, high process technology barriers, low yield verification, insufficient capacity conversion, and long tape-out cycles of foreign platforms, which seriously restricted the "golden period" for the transformation of innovative achievements. To this end, the Wuxi Photonic Chip Research Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University took the lead in laying out the first domestic high-end photonic chip pilot line in Wuxi.

The pilot platform has a total area of ​​17,000 square meters, integrating scientific research, production and services. It is equipped with more than 100 "international top CMOS process equipment", covering the full closed-loop process of thin-film lithium niobate photonic chips from lithography, thin film deposition, etching, wet process, cutting, measurement to packaging.

The platform also takes into account other material systems such as silicon and silicon nitride, builds N special process platforms, and combines the "R&D pilot + technical service" operation model. It can not only provide full-process technical services for universities, research institutes, and innovative enterprises, but also incubate projects for the photonics industry.

According to public information, the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Wuxi Institute of Photonic Chip (CHIPX) was officially established in December 2021 under the framework of deepening comprehensive cooperation between Wuxi City and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The institute was jointly built by the People's Government of Wuxi Binhu District, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Liyuan Economic Development Zone.

In 2021, Binhu District, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province introduced Jin Xianmin's team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University to establish the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Wuxi Photonic Chip Research Institute; the pilot line officially started construction in December 2022, the carrier was capped in October 2023, and the first batch of equipment entered in January 2024. After equipment debugging, it was officially put into use in September.

The Wuxi Photonic Chip Research Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University revealed that in the next stage, the institute will focus on 6/8-inch thin-film lithium niobate wafers and thin-film lithium niobate modulators to overcome the engineering and technical difficulties faced by the industrialization of thin-film lithium niobate photonic chips, develop wafer-level chip mass production processes, and realize large-scale mass production of thin-film lithium niobate photonic chips to meet the high computing power needs of artificial intelligence development.