Photonics and nanotechnology are recognized as key enabling technologies (KETs) in view of their potential to drive crucial innovation for our present and future society. Moreover photonics is a major application market, growing very fast and with predicted multibilion market volume in the coming future.
Nanotechnology is expected to bring breakthroughs in performance, power consumption and functionality, particularly in the fields of solar cells, lighting, sensing and optical interconnects.
Many of these applications will require the combination of nanofabrication technologies with different materials like dieletrics (SiN,SiOx,Polymers), metals (Au,Ni,Ge,Ag,Ti,Pt,Cr,Zn,...) and semiconductors including Silicon and especially III-V compounds like InP and GaAs (potentially integrated with silicon), unique materials with specific properties for light generation and detection.
However, the development of new nanophotonics technologies and market applications will heavily depend on the availability of low-entry barrier fabrication solutions. Many SMEs and international research institutions aiming at the development and production of nanophotonic components are missing the necessary resources and expertise and face huge investment costs for setting up own nanofabrication facilities, preventing them from accessing this market.
Born from an idea of Prof. A. Fiore, Dr. F. Pagliano and Dr. J.E.M. Haverkort, nanoPHAB® is a novel pure-play nanophotonics foundry based on the unique nanophotonic technologies developed within the COBRA Institute at the University of Technology of Eindhoven. It offers specialized foundry services for the cost-effective development of research and commercial products based on dielectrics, Silicon, III-V and III-V-on-silicon nanotechnology for national and international fabless SMEs and research institutions eager to quickly enter the photonics realm with nanotechnology solutions at affordable costs.
With a business-to-business (B2B) model, nanoPHAB® offers R&D and fabrication services to all those fabless customers interested in the realization of their custom nanophotonic components and circuits for photonics applications, in many materials. To this aim, we can design, validate and develop the required fabrication processes at the core of prototypes, demonstrators and (series) products, in collaboration with the customers and photonic design houses for their design, packaging and testing.
From an efficient process design and feasibility studies to prototyping and full-scale production, bridging the gap between fabless SMEs and advanced photonic technologies, nanoPHAB® can be of key importance for novel solutions in many technological fields, aligned with market demands across the entire value chain in photonics.
Academic and industrial realities worldwide that already have in mind an interesting photonics application or that want to collaborate on the development of a specific technology, can count on nanoPHAB® as the ideal partner in joint projects funded by European or national funding where micro- or nanofrabrication services are required, while preserving the intellectual property of their ideas. Alternatively, nanoPHAB® can work as subcontractor of existing projects.