The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) has entered into a cooperative research and development
agreement with AIM Photonics that will give chip developers a critical new tool
for designing faster chips that use both optical and electrical signals to
transmit information. Called integrated photonic circuits, these chips are key
components in fiber-optic networks and high-performance computing facilities
and are used in laser-guided missiles, medical sensors and other advanced
technologies.
AIM Photonics, a Manufacturing USA institute, is a public-private
partnership that accelerates the commercialization of new technologies for
manufacturing photonic chips. The New York-based institute provides small and
medium-sized businesses and academic and government researchers access to
expertise and fabrication facilities during all phases of the photonics
development cycle, from design to fabrication and packaging.