NLM Photonics, experts in hybrid organic electro-optic (OEO) technology, has announced the introduction of its groundbreaking 1.6 Terabit DR8 photonic integrated circuit (PIC).This marks a significant commercialization milestone, utilizing the company’s proprietary silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) modulator technology, Selerion™-HTX, for data center applications.
The PIC is the result of successful collaborations with industry-leading partners: Advanced Micro Foundry (AMF), Centera Photonics, and Enosemi. NLM also worked with partners MACOM and Multilane to build its recent successful demonstration of the technology during OFC 50.
Leveraging years of extensive R&D efforts, the 1.6T DR8 PIC engineering validation board (EVB) showcases exceptional power efficiency at state-of-the-art speeds. It is the first commercial demonstration of a silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) modulator on a multi-channel PIC, interfacing with a commercial driver and receiver.
As data centers increasingly face limitations in power consumption and escalating demands from AI workloads, NLM’s hybrid OEO PIC technology significantly increases network bandwidth, reducing power use by 20-30% compared to traditional solutions.
“AI workloads are pushing the boundaries of electronics and photonics in the communications industry,” said Brad Booth, CEO of NLM Photonics. “While electronics have been able to take advantage of process technology scaling, photonics have been challenged to go faster while also going smaller. NLM’s hybrid OEO technology delivers that necessary breakthrough. Our thermoset Selerion-HTX enables our 1.6T PIC to be 40 percent smaller than a standard 1.6T silicon photonics PIC while delivering 200Gb/s per lane bandwidth with lower drive voltage requirements and higher extinction ratios. We look forward to demonstrating our technology for the first time and working with our partners to bring NLM’s hybrid OEO technology to the industry.”
Dr. CT Chen, CTO of Centera Photonics, commented, “The integration of NLM’s hybrid OEO technology into our transceiver designs represents a natural evolution in photonic integration. This collaboration on the qualification and innovation allows us to validate the process in advance. We see this as a strategic collaboration to help address the mounting data center power challenges.”
“Our joint work with NLM on PIC design exhibits the unique advantages of hybrid OEO technology for data center interconnects,” added Matt Streshinsky, CEO of Enosemi. “The modeling and simulation work confirms the potential for significant improvements in modulator performance while maintaining compatibility with established manufacturing processes. We’re particularly encouraged by the thermal stability characteristics of Selerion-HTX, which have historically been a key challenge for organic materials in photonic applications.”
Jagadish CV, CEO of AMF, remarked, “As a leader in silicon photonics manufacturing, we are proud to partner with NLM Photonics on this groundbreaking hybrid OEO solution. AMF’s advanced technology and PDK have enabled the seamless integration of NLM’s innovative Selerion-HTX technology with our silicon photonics process, resulting in a PIC that delivers exceptional performance while maintaining manufacturing scalability. This achievement reinforces our commitment to delivering manufacturable, cost-effective solutions for the emerging demands of 1.6Tb/s optics.”
NLM’s hybrid OEO technology offers:
- First commercial demonstration of silicon photonics with thermoset Selerion-HTX, achieving thermal stability above 120°C.
- Integration with commercial 200G linear driver and receiver for practical application performance.
- Modulator performance is more than 10x better compared to silicon photonics.
- O-Band support optimized for data center operations.
- Complete silicon photonics process stack, including materials deposition and encapsulation.
- Commercial wafer-scale manufacturing capabilities.
About NLM Photonics
NLM Photonics develops innovative organic electro-optic modulation technology to enhance bandwidth and reduce power consumption, addressing critical data center and communication industry needs. Built on decades of R&D, NLM’s solutions improve efficiency and sustainability in photonic systems. For more information, visit nlmphotonics.com.
About Enosemi
Enosemi provides essential chiplets, IP design, and custom silicon solutions to accelerate silicon photonics product development for connectivity, computing, sensing, and biotechnology industries.
About Centera Photonics
Centera Photonics designs and manufactures high-performance optical transceivers that enable next-generation connectivity in AI and high-performance computing, shipping extensively to global data centers.
About Advanced Micro Foundry
Advanced Micro Foundry, based in Singapore, specializes in silicon photonics foundry services with scalable, wafer-scale manufacturing tailored for high-performance integrated photonics solutions, supporting data center and telecom applications.
To learn more about NLM Photonics, please click here.
Source/Photo Credit: NLM Photonics
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