Planar hybrid integration for the development of cost effective advanced optical components

The need for complex optical components that meet the demanding cost goals of next generation telecommunication networks and other applications requires new approaches to the design and manufacturing be developed. Monolithic integration of many optical functions into an InP optical chip has been demonstrated and commercialized, but in many cases this approach lacks the flexibility needed to address a large number of different applications, and is it cost effective only at high volumes. Instead, Gemfire Corporation has chosen to develop and commercialize hybrid integration for our next generation of advanced optical components. Hybrid integration enables the use of the best materials for the specific application and enables higher yields at low volumes due to the ability to yield at the individual chip level before integration. The most cost effective approach for optical integration is to leverage the 30 years of learning from the planar wafer-based semiconductor industry into the manufacturing of optical components.