Foundry capabilities for photonic integrated circuits

Thanks to the successful application of Si-based photonic integrated circuits (PICs) to data communications, demand for PICs has increased dramatically. As a result, integrated device manufacturers (IDMs), as well as foundries, have provided much improved capability and capacity since 2010. PIC foundries, in particular, offer capability that is accessible to users around the world and in a variety of technology platforms. This chapter is meant to teach the community what has advanced in the past decade to enable a suite of processes for different types of PICs, typically dedicated to a particular market demand. The chapter is not meant to describe the operation of a specific foundry, but rather, a vision of PIC foundries with examples from different institutions. After reading the chapter, the reader should have a better understanding of the advances that have enabled PIC foundry capabilities and the background to be able to interact with a PIC foundry.