Silicon photonics, PIC and CPO adoption is gathering speed

New devices such as Broadcom’s 51.2T switch with eight 64-channel silicon photonic engines, and Intel’s Optical Compute Interconnect (OCI) 4 Tbps bidirectional chiplet with 64 lanes over 8 fiber pairs, present new challenges to the test engineer.

PICs are scaling fast, and so must testing strategies

Scalable, integrated test systems that are capable of efficiently testing devices with dozens or hundreds of channels are required. They must consider the product life-cycle, from R&D, to validation/characterization, to high-volume manufacturing, as well as each stage of the production process from wafer to packaged module. Each stage may involve distinct measurements, standards and equipment while capturing measurements with speed, accuracy, and efficiency.

Test setups themselves can become bottlenecks. Automated test systems are evolving, but with high-channel-count PICs, they can still struggle to keep up, leading to testing queues and downtime in high-throughput labs. Modular test solutions that allow quick channel-switching and parallel measurements are game-changers, reducing total test time and minimizing error.

For optical engineers tackling PIC testing, considering how setup flexibility and fast channel-switching impact throughput and data accuracy is critical.

PXI is the way forward for high-volume PIC testing

Integrated Photonics Systems Roadmap – International (IPSR-I) publishes a roadmap to define future needs and help facilitate the volume manufacturing of PICs between industry participants. The IPSR’s 2024 roadmap photonic device testing defines various test requirements at different stages of production, from wafer, to die, to assembled module and states that test equipment will need to move from a lab rack-and-stack to dedicated instruments in PXI format to provide flexibility to meet different test needs.

Ask us about scalable, cost-effective PIC test solutions

Our aim is to help customers unlock scalable and cost-effective high-volume manufacturing of photonic integrated circuits (PICs), co-packaged optics and pluggable optics. As the premier supplier of photonic PXI instruments, we are a preferred partner for ATE suppliers, foundries, OSATs, contract manufacturers, and end customers across the photonics ecosystem. Our scalable, innovative product architecture enables efficient testing of next-generation PICs and optical interconnects used by AI companies, hyperscalers and network operators to support the explosive growth in AI, machine learning and high-performance computing.

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