Integrated Photonics

Photonic Integration for Research and Industrial Applications

Integrated photonics enables the combination of electronic and optical functions in compact, high-performance systems. It provides an important foundation for energy-efficient data transmission and processing, as well as for new applications across a wide range of industries.

Fraunhofer IPMS develops photonic devices, integration processes, and scalable manufacturing technologies. In collaboration with industry and research partners, we create application-specific solutions for Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs), photonic sensors, and optoelectronic systems.

Our expertise includes the integration of different substrate materials and functionalities, MEMS structures on photonic integrated circuits, and the quasi-monolithic integration of photonic and electronic chiplets. We combine scientific research with application-oriented development and manufacturing processes relevant to industrial applications.

Applications of Integrated Photonics

Fraunhofer IPMS technologies address established and emerging markets where high-performance, compact, and energy-efficient photonic systems are in demand:

• Data centers and AI infrastructure
• Optical communication and data processing
• Telecommunications
• Sensors and automation
• Medical technology and healthcare
• Mobility and aerospace
• Safety and security
• Optical AI and quantum computing

In particular, the transition from electrical to optical communication and data processing offers significant potential for reducing energy consumption and enhancing the performance of future systems.

Your Partner for Integrated Photonics

Are you looking for a research partner to develop photonic devices, integrate electronic and optical functions, or implement new manufacturing technologies?

Fraunhofer IPMS supports companies and research institutions throughout the technology development process – from the conceptual design and integration of application-specific components to manufacturing and foundry services.

Contact us to explore opportunities for joint research and development projects or to discuss specific industrial applications.

Fraunhofer IPMS develops and manufactures advanced photonic devices and Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) based on robust silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) waveguides. We support companies and research institutions as a technology and development partner, from initial feasibility studies and design through prototyping to quality-assured small-series manufacturing.

Key Features & Technological Advantages

• Monolithic CMOS Integration: Seamless integration of optical waveguides with standard CMOS devices, with minimal optical insertion losses.
• Programmable PICs: A unique combination of silicon nitride and liquid crystal waveguides enables dynamically switchable, reconfigurable optical components.
• Industrial Manufacturing Standards: End-to-end processing on 200 mm and 300 mm wafers in Fraunhofer IPMS's certified ISO cleanroom facilities.
• High Quality and Performance Standards: Comprehensive optical and electrical wafer-level characterization using specialized laboratory setups.

Applications & Industrial Solutions

Our customized SiN PIC technologies serve key industries in photonics and microsystems engineering:

• Optical Communication & Data Transmission: High bandwidth and low losses for optical networks. Components: Wavelength filters, optical switches, and (de)multiplexers.
• Optical Metrology & Spectroscopy: On-chip spectrometers for highly precise chemical and gas analysis in laboratory and field applications.
• Sensing & Biosensing: Highly sensitive optical transducer elements for medical, environmental, and process analytics.

Photonic biosensors are ideally suited for fast, sensitive, and label-free molecular analysis. At Fraunhofer IPMS, we develop advanced biosensors based on silicon nitride microring resonators and Mach-Zehnder interferometers as highly sensitive transducer components.

Operating Principle & Technology

The sensors precisely detect shifts in the resonance wavelength caused by the binding of target biomolecules to a functionalized surface. This binding changes the effective refractive index of the optical mode, resulting in a measurable spectral shift. By coating the sensor surface with specific bioactive receptors, such as antibodies or DNA, biomarkers such as proteins can be detected at concentrations as low as 10 pg/ml.

Our goal is to provide a reliable, cost-effective, and scalable on-chip biosensor platform featuring a multiplex architecture and optimized optical coupling. Regenerable sensor chips and flexible biofunctionalization approaches further support cost-efficient, application-specific solutions, offering an attractive alternative to conventional methods such as blood cultures.

Applications

• Biomedicine & Point-of-Care: Rapid diagnostics, early disease detection, and highly efficient biomolecular analysis
• Food Analysis: Reliable quality and contaminant testing
• Environmental Monitoring: Precise, real-time detection of relevant parameters

Fraunhofer IPMS develops customized OLED-on-Silicon devices and organic photodiodes (OPDs) as key technologies for integrated optoelectronic and photonic systems.

Our comprehensive range of services covers the entire development process – from CMOS design, OLED stack optimization, and optical design to system integration and interface programming. Our goal is to seamlessly combine optical and electronic functions on a single chip to enable compact, high-performance applications.

Your Partner for Scalable Technology Solutions: We support you throughout technology-driven projects, from feasibility studies and project planning to pilot production and successful technology transfer. Our solutions include structured OLEDs and organic photodiodes that can be flexibly scaled for use on rigid substrates, such as silicon or glass, as well as on flexible materials.

We also support your product development with evaluation kits and comprehensive assistance with design and technology transfer. Key highlights of our portfolio include bidirectional OLED microdisplays and functionally integrated CMOS ICs for industrial implementation.

Applications

• Augmented Reality (AR) & Virtual Reality (VR): High-resolution microdisplays and optical systems
• Medical Technology: High-precision optoelectronic sensors and diagnostic tools
• Industrial Sensing: Integrated optical detection and measurement systems
• Safety & Security: Robust and reliable security components

With MEMS-on-PIC, Fraunhofer IPMS has developed a versatile manufacturing technology that seamlessly integrates microelectromechanical structures (MEMS) into Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs). The technology is compatible with established material platforms, including silicon, silicon nitride (Si₃N₄), and lithium niobate, and is based on a CMOS-compatible 200 mm wafer process.

Technology & Operating Principle

MEMS structures are fabricated directly at the waveguide level of existing PICs without compromising their optical performance. This is made possible by nanometer-thin, transparent protective layers.

Key functional components include optical MEMS phase shifters, which modify the effective refractive index of the waveguide through precise mechanical movement. They provide the basis for highly integrated photonic processors with extremely low power consumption – an advantage that is particularly relevant for demanding cryogenic environments. In addition, MEMS structures can be configured for use as optical switches, modulators, and filters.

Applications

• Photonic Processors: High-performance architectures for artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing
• Optical Communication: Scalable, energy-efficient, and versatile optical transmission systems
• Sensing & Spectroscopy: Precise on-chip measurement systems for a wide range of industries

Integrating electronic and photonic functions on a common chip places high demands on materials, manufacturing processes, and packaging. Differences in substrate materials, limited manufacturing yields, and high assembly and interconnection costs make it challenging to realize high-performance, compact systems.

With Quasi-Monolithic Integration (QMI), Fraunhofer IPMS offers a technology for precisely integrating photonic and electronic chiplets on a common silicon substrate. Developed as part of the European APECS pilot line, the technology involves placing individual chiplets into specially structured recesses (pockets) in a silicon wafer and positioning them with high precision. Subsequent Back-End-of-Line (BEOL) interconnection enables electrical and optical connections to the integrated devices.

QMI combines the flexibility of heterogeneous chiplet integration with the high integration density of monolithic semiconductor technologies. This CMOS-compatible approach leverages existing 200 mm and 300 mm wafer manufacturing infrastructure and provides a foundation for scalable photonic systems, including Co-Packaged Optics (CPO).

Advantages of Quasi-Monolithic Integration

QMI offers significant advantages for the development and manufacturing of highly integrated photonic and electronic systems:

• Enhanced Performance: Short electrical and optical interconnects reduce signal losses and latency, enabling higher system-level processing speeds.
• Low Optical Losses: High-precision chiplet placement enables efficient optical coupling.
• High Reliability: Fewer mechanical interfaces improve robustness and can extend the lifetime of integrated systems.
• Compact System Architectures: Space-efficient integration of different functional components enables high integration density in a small footprint.
• Cost Efficiency and Scalability: The modular chiplet approach enables the combination of different technologies, supports shorter innovation cycles, and leverages established wafer manufacturing processes.

QMI Technology and Foundry Services at Fraunhofer IPMS

Fraunhofer IPMS offers quasi-monolithic integration through joint development projects and as a foundry service. Together with industry partners, we develop application-specific devices and integration solutions for integrated photonics – from chiplet integration to electrical and optical interconnection.

Storing digital information in synthetic DNA is seen as a promising way to store mass data in the future with extreme storage density and longevity. Fraunhofer IPMS is part of a which is developing a modular microchip platform for writing DNA, RNA and peptides as the basis for biological storage technologies.

Advanced MEMS and Thermal Control Technology Powering Next-Gen DNA Data Storage

Our Integrated Silicon Systems (ISS) branch is developing the thermally active MEMS level of the platform. With the help of surface micromechanical structures (inspired by CMUT technology) precise temperature control is made possible for the synthesis of biological sequences. In addition, we contribute our simulation expertise for thermal optimization. The focus is on miniaturization: current synthesis systems are large, expensive and inefficient. The new platform, on the other hand, will be highly parallel, cost-effective and portable - a real technology shift for DNA-based data storage. Applications in toxicology, personalized medicine or bio-computing are also conceivable.

Fraunhofer IPMS is opening up new fields of application for integrated photonics, microsystems technology and synthetic biology for the data world of tomorrow.

Conventional focus and zoom systems rely on the mechanical displacement of lens elements, making integration into compact devices challenging due to their size.

Innovative Miniaturized Variable-Focus Microlenses

Fraunhofer IPMS has developed a microlens with a variable focal length that boasts a remarkably compact and integrable design. The focal length is adjusted by deforming a membrane through hydraulic pressure generated by voltage-controlled fluid displacement. This is achieved via an electroactive polymer actuator with high deformability, housed within a microfluidic silicon chamber. The lens is manufactured using wafer-level technology, enabling precise structuring, accurate alignment, and scalable production.

With an aperture of only a few millimeters and a broad voltage-controlled focus range, this microlens is ideal for compact autofocus or zoom modules in mobile devices, as well as applications in photonics, optoelectronics, and image processing.