By Joe Mantese

The American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics (AIM Photonics), is an industry driven public-private partnership whose goal is to emulate the dramatic successes experienced by the electronics industry over the past 40 years and transition key lessons, processes, and approaches to the photonic integrated circuit (PIC) industry. The institute is a consortium of industry, academic and government which aims to eliminate the longstanding obstacles to achieving growth in integrated photonics and launch a long overdue technology revolution that no single company, regardless of size, is capable of affecting on its own.

AIM Photonics supports Large, Small and Medium Enterprises, providing practical access and technology on-ramps for U.S. industry, government, and academic communities. The institute is creating a National PIC manufacturing infrastructure, widely accessible and inherently flexible to meet the challenges of the marketplace with practical, innovative solutions. In 2016, the institute will initiate thrusts in key technology manufacturing areas of interest to FIAP: chemical and biological sensing, phased arrays, data communications, and both RF and analog applications. These technologies will be enabled through an integrated photonics manufacturing technology platform comprising amongst others manufacturing excellence centers such as advanced packaging, multi-project wafer fabrication and test. The initiative has strong support by the federal government and the state of New York, and has lined up additional support from other states and the private sector.

For more information please see the AIM Photonics website.

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Opinions expressed represent the views of the individual authors and not the American Physical Society or authors’ employers.