AIM Photonics MPW Platform Transforms Innovation into Scalable Manufacturing

In under a decade, AIM Photonics achieved what once seemed unattainable: an open-access, robust multi-project wafer (MPW) platform for the domestic development of photonic integrated circuits (PICs). Today, AIM Photonics’ MPW platform is enabling innovators to prototype faster, reduce costs, and accelerate the path from concept to commercial production within the U.S. using established CMOS fabrication processes.

The result is a national resource with deep economic, technological, and strategic significance—one that strengthens the nation’s defense industrial base, lowers barriers for startups and researchers, and positions the U.S. as a global leader in integrated photonics.

From Vision to Infrastructure

When AIM Photonics launched in 2015, PIC development in the U.S. was largely the domain of university researchers. The infrastructure for prototyping and manufacturing PICs in the U.S. was limited, expensive, unwieldy, and difficult to access. At the time, there was no unified, scalable path to create PIC prototypes, let alone transition them into manufacturable products in the U.S.

With funding from the Department of Defense and New York State, along with collaboration from leading academic institutions, partners from industry, and national labs, AIM Photonics’ mission was to change that.

AIM Photonics was the first to offer integrated photonics multi-project wafer (MPW) services on 300 mm wafers—an important milestone that enables the co-integration of photonics and electronics compatible with advanced CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) fabs. This capability allows for access to cutting-edge fabrication technology previously unavailable at the 300 mm wafer size and enables a significant acceleration of lab-to-fab transitions all while paving the way for high-volume integrated photonics manufacturing. It is a key enabler for AIM Photonics to deliver scalable, production-ready innovation for the U.S. photonics industry.

Today, the Institute operates one of the most comprehensive MPW platforms in the world, providing access not only to the most advanced manufacturing process technologies, but also access to a team of world-class engineers and researchers who engage directly with members and collaborators on their designs. This depth of technical expertise is essential for innovators to navigate complex design and manufacturing challenges, walking users through each stage of the development process.

A National Resource Anchored in New York

AIM Photonics’ MPW platform relies on the advanced manufacturing capabilities of NY CREATES’ NanoTech Complex in Albany, NY. This $15B world-class, R&D facility provides the process control, precision, and cleanroom infrastructure required for wafer-scale photonic integration, allowing AIM Photonics to offer specialized prototyping on the same tools used for high-volume semiconductor manufacturing.

By leveraging these resources, AIM Photonics delivers a cost-effective, scalable solution for innovators across the country. This collaboration doesn’t just accelerate photonics innovation, it also strengthens U.S. manufacturing competitiveness by linking R&D directly to production-ready infrastructure.

An Accessible Platform Built for Impact

What truly sets AIM Photonics’ MPW platform apart is that it’s designed to function as part of a highly integrated end-to-end system spanning the entire innovation pipeline, from design to manufacturing to testing, assembly, and packaging. With quarterly deployment of MPW runs, developers can prototype quickly and with the confidence that their final designs can be scaled via high-volume manufacturing.

Another distinguishing element of AIM Photonics’ MPW platform is that it offers a unique combination of flexibility and accessibility. Designers can make targeted modifications to the standard process flow, or ‘bite-sized’ customization, without the prohibitive costs or long lead times typical of custom runs. This ability to fine-tune manufacturing steps is especially valuable during early-stage R&D, where even minor adjustments can have a major impact on performance or yield. The platform also provides a viable path for small and medium-sized companies —organizations that would otherwise be priced out by commercial foundries—to enter the PIC market. By creating a more inclusive and adaptable development environment, AIM Photonics is expanding not only who can participate in the advancement of integrated photonics but how they can develop precisely what they need.

Access to AIM Photonics’ prototyping capability is transforming what’s possible for U.S. innovators. In the past, photonic integrated circuit (PIC) development took years and was slowed by high costs, technical complexity, and limited domestic manufacturing options. AIM Photonics’ MPW runs significantly lower that barrier, allowing multiple users to share space on a single wafer which reduced prototyping costs by an estimated 80–90% compared to full-wafer fabrication. Since these prototypes are built using foundry-compatible processes, the same designs can scale to commercial production, saving months or even years in development time.

To further its mission AIM Photonics’ MPW platform has evolved to now include five critical process technologies:

• Active PICs use electrical signals to control light—turning it on, off, or changing how it moves. This type of chip makes possible things like laser diodes used in high-speed internet and optical storage, modulators that carry data through fiber networks, sensors like photodetectors in LiDAR systems, and the LEDs behind modern digital displays.

• Passive PICs move and shape light without needing electricity. They use tiny structures to guide light through the chip, split it into different paths, filter out specific wavelengths, or bend it in useful ways—functions that are essential for everything from communications to sensing and imaging.

• Low-Loss Active PICs are optimized to minimize signal degradation as light travels through the device. This makes them ideal for any application where maintaining signal clarity is essential—such as high-speed communications, precision sensing, or advanced computing tasks.

• Sensor PICs are designed to detect small physical, chemical, or biological changes with high sensitivity. By integrating photonic structures directly onto a chip, these devices enable compact, reliable sensing for applications ranging from biomedical diagnostics to hazardous substance detection and industrial monitoring.

• Quantum Flex (QFlex) PICs manipulate quantum states of light on chip-scale platforms. These highly specialized devices support emerging quantum technologies, including quantum key distribution for secure communications, quantum computing, and ultra-sensitive quantum sensing.

Accelerating U.S. Manufacturing and Economic Growth

The rapid transition from concept to scalable production has enormous implications for U.S. manufacturing. By enabling PIC development using CMOS-compatible fabrication already in use in the U.S., AIM Photonics’ MPW platform helps ensure that new innovations are not only developed domestically, but can be manufactured here as well.

In the past, many of the advanced technologies pioneered in U.S. labs—such as solar photovoltaics, lithium-ion batteries, and LCDs—were ultimately manufactured overseas due to a lack of domestic infrastructure. AIM Photonics is working to reverse that trend in integrated photonics by building the industrial base needed to support U.S.-based innovation and production.

Capturing the Value of the Integrated Photonics Market

Markets for PIC-enabled technologies are projected to reach tens of billions of dollars in the coming years and AIM Photonics is working to ensure that the U.S. realizes a meaningful share of this market, both in terms of advancing the technology and enabling domestic production.

While integrated photonics has the potential to enable entirely new industries, just as semiconductors did decades ago, its economic reach will also extend deep into existing markets such as healthcare, defense, transportation, and entertainment as they become increasingly dependent on PIC-enabled technologies. AIM Photonics is playing a pivotal role in this transformation and is shaping the direction of innovation and laying the groundwork for scalable, U.S.-based manufacturing. Integrated photonics isn’t just a driver of innovation—it’s becoming the foundation for the next wave of American industrial growth, and AIM Photonics is making that future possible.