Segment Insights: Photonics

Future-Ready Photonics at PI

October 24, 2023
The global and US leadership of PI convened for a four-day deep dive about PI Photonics

In the last week of September 2023, the global and US leadership of PI convened for a four-day deep dive into strategies and tactics aimed at advancing the lead of PI in photonics manufacturing automation. Held in Silicon Valley, California (USA), adjacent to PI’s Tech Center, this kickoff meeting focused on robust new solutions, as well as ACS-based algorithms that address the urgent and growing need for fast, high-yield test and assembly solutions for silicon photonic devices.

Matt Price and Walter Silvesky (from left)

Diversifying applications of silicon photonics have taken this technology into the mainstream, with semiconductor players such as Intel and TSMC investing heavily in photonics manufacturing. These new applications include wearable technology, LIDAR, and quantum computing, in addition to the already established major field of photonic interconnects for data centers, which continues to experience robust growth. The future could not be brighter for Photonics at PI!

This meeting resulted in consensus plans for global expansion into fast-growing target applications using not only the award-winning F-712 products of PI, but also new high-performance platforms based on stacked stages, ACS controllers, and dramatically effective new controller algorithms exclusive to PI. Based on fast and clean air bearing solutions, PI is already the only supplier of high-speed alignment systems. With more systems to be launched by the first quarter of 2024, this deep dive with a focus on photonics has facilitated a clear, high-priority path forward.

Contact person: Scott Jordan, Photonics and Nano Automation Technologies

Written by Laura Früh on October 24, 2023