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.
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.