SEMI Identifies Key Solutions for Silicon Photonics Implementation from Design to Manufacturing

Driven by the surging demand for AI, high-performance computing, and data centers, the semiconductor industry is actively seeking better solutions in terms of cost, energy consumption, and performance. Silicon photonics (SiPh) technology has emerged as one of the key focal points of industry attention. Given that silicon photonics technology is the next key development area for the semiconductor industry, the SEMI Silicon Photonics Industry Alliance (SiPhIA), under the umbrella of the International Semiconductor Industry Association (SEMI), SiPhIA), has organized an event to help Taiwanese companies capitalize on future trends. The event brought together domestic and international speakers to discuss key silicon photonics technologies from various angles, including system architecture, simulation platforms, and packaging and testing. Following the establishment of the Silicon Photonics Industry Alliance in September 2024, SEMI announced this year that it would lead an initiative involving over 100 companies, including TSMC and ASE, to establish “three technical project groups (Special Interest Groups, SIGs)” to integrate professional expertise from multiple parties, establish industry standards, accelerate technological innovation and commercialization, and capture the silicon photonics market, which is projected to reach USD 7.86 billion by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate of 25%.

Three major technology project SIGs officially launched, connecting upstream and downstream to open a new chapter in silicon photonics

SEMI Global Marketing Director and Taiwan President Tsai Shih-lun stated that the SEMI Silicon Photonics Industry Alliance is centered around Taiwan's semiconductor industry, bringing together over 110 leading domestic and international companies to develop the world's largest and most comprehensive silicon photonics international technology collaboration platform. The alliance spans the entire supply chain, integrating cross-enterprise and cross-disciplinary professional resources to drive global technological innovation breakthroughs. Additionally, the alliance has officially launched three SIGs to advance key technological innovations, accelerate standardization processes, and collaborate to address the challenges of technological fragmentation. TSMC Vice President and Co-Chairman of the Silicon Photonics Industry Alliance, Xu Guojin, and ASE Semiconductor Vice President and Co-Chairman of the Silicon Photonics Industry Alliance, Hong Zhibin, both mentioned that they will leverage their strengths in silicon photonics technology R&D and actively collaborate with alliance members. Through the advancement of cross-group projects within SIGs and the sharing of databases, to accelerate the implementation of specific technical challenges or application scenarios while meeting market demands, thereby breaking through the bottlenecks in silicon photonics technology. Luo Weizhong, Deputy Director of the Industrial Technology Research Institute, also shared that the overall development roadmap will continue to advance from transmission speeds of 100G, 200G to 400G. Although the adopted specifications and architectures may vary, “pluggability” remains the current mainstream approach. Additionally, the institute will learn from international trends and combine them with local technical capabilities to build a trustworthy platform. The three technical project groups of SIGs are SIGs1 “System, Subsystem, and Silicon Photonics Technology Development,” SIGs2 “Advanced Packaging and Testing,” and SIGs3 “Equipment and Process Automation.” These groups aim to drive innovative breakthroughs in key technologies, accelerate the standardization process, and collaborate to address the challenge of technological fragmentation. Among them, SIGs1 will focus on the design, manufacturing, and integration of silicon photonics chips, as well as future trends in silicon photonics technology, to enhance the silicon photonics industry ecosystem; SIGs2 will concentrate on heterogeneous integration and co-packaging optical application packaging and testing technologies to promote the integration of optics and electronics; and SIGs3 will focus on process automation, covering assembly, testing technologies, and related equipment and innovative applications. These three technical project groups are interconnected, each leveraging their technical strengths to collectively drive the development of silicon photonics. Given that silicon photonics is viewed as a key technology for next-generation signal transmission, SEMI has also invited representative companies and organizations from around the world to provide diverse perspectives and strategies for silicon photonics development from various angles.  

Accelerating progress in silicon photonics technology by finding solutions in design, verification, and manufacturing

As silicon photonics technology moves toward industrialization, many companies are facing challenges such as large module sizes, high power consumption, and complex packaging, making it difficult to meet the demands of AI data centers for high-speed, low-power, and maintainable modules. Shin Kamei, General Manager of NTT Innovative Devices, pointed out that to overcome these limitations, NTT has proposed the “PEC (Photonics Electronics Convergence)” integrated architecture. By integrating photonic components with electronic components such as digital signal processors (DSPs) into a single package, this approach not only significantly reduces module size but also lowers power consumption and enhances overall bandwidth efficiency. He emphasized that PEC is not just a design concept but a production-ready architecture capable of supporting high-speed modules ranging from 400G to 1.6T. NTT also demonstrated its mature technologies in BGA packaging, wafer-level assembly, and module maintainability design, and specifically proposed a commercial solution with SMT compatibility and modular design for AI data centers, paving the way for the widespread adoption of co-packaged optics (CPO). Ansys Chief Application Engineer Chen Yihao noted that while CPO technology is seen as a key solution to high-bandwidth and low-power transmission bottlenecks, its high coupling across multiple physical layers—including electrical, optical, and thermal—makes design verification and packaging integration exceptionally complex. As a provider of engineering simulation software and technology R&D, Ansys has integrated its simulation tools—including Lumerical, RedHawk-SC, RaptorX, and Zemax—to create an end-to-end platform spanning photonic chips, power integrity, thermal management, and packaging verification. He mentioned that Ansys is currently collaborating with TSMC to apply this simulation system to TSMC's COUPE, enabling precise simulations from the wafer level to multi-chip stacks. By leveraging physical simulation methods, the process from design to mass production is significantly accelerated, helping companies precisely manage design risks and overcome dual constraints on development efficiency and yield rates. Beyond technology, challenges in advancing silicon photonics are also anticipated from the packaging and testing perspective. ficonTEC's Customer Manager Chen Ying noted that integrating optoelectronic testing, technical barriers, process data traceability, and scalability all present significant challenges. ficonTEC has developed a modular automated platform that covers wafer-level inspection, module assembly, O/E testing, and automatic alignment, and is equipped with AI algorithms and a digital twin system, enabling users to achieve real-time parameter monitoring and predictive maintenance. The platform not only supports mass production requirements for modules ranging from 100G to 1.6T but also has the flexibility to switch between customized processes, helping companies transition quickly from NPI to HVM.

SEMI connects the global supply chain to build a silicon photonics ecosystem

Shizuoka Seiki, a Japanese company with the world's second-largest technology integration center specializing in opto-mechanical-electrical and silicon photonics R&D in Taiwan, has been preparing for the development of silicon photonics for some time. Wu Tangrong, President of the Asia-Pacific and Taiwan regions, stated that as CPO and SiPh modules move toward mass production, they will face challenges such as micron-level alignment accuracy requirements, fragmented module processes, and high equipment and labor costs. Shizuoka Seiki has proposed an Opto-Mechatronics solution that integrates optical modules (such as FAU, Lens Array, and fiber optics) with high-precision mechanical platforms (such as multi-axis alignment modules, V-Groove bases, and laser measurement technology) to address the critical challenges of “coupling accuracy” and “production line automation,” thereby accelerating the mass production process of silicon photonics. Finally, Vladimir G. Kozlov, founder and CEO of LightCounting, discussed the market outlook and system design perspective, noting that over the past 25 years, the development of Ethernet optical modules has driven the demand for GPUs due to AI and high-performance computing, highlighting that existing optical modules have reached their limits in terms of size, power consumption, and deployment density. CPO (co-packaged optics) technology is the only solution capable of providing low-power, high-bandwidth, and scalable optical connectivity in high-density, multi-rack AI systems. He also believes that the market share of optical transceiver modules using silicon photonics modulators will increase from 30% in 2024 to 60% by 2030, driving a comprehensive upgrade in transmission efficiency and energy efficiency across the industry. “We are standing at a critical crossroads in industry development and market transformation,” said Cao Shilun. To help Taiwan seize the initiative in the global technology race, SEMI will also uphold its role as a third-party platform, serving as a behind-the-scenes catalyst for industry integration and innovation, assisting the semiconductor industry chain in stepping onto the world stage. It also looks forward to the participation of members from various fields, including photonic integrated circuits (PIC), electronic integrated circuits (EIC), and system-end (datacenter owner) sectors to join, enhancing the diversity of the supply chain and strengthening alliance R&D aligned with market-driven technological development, with the goal of establishing a comprehensive silicon photonics industry ecosystem.

Source: SEMI