The BOOM consortium consists of highly-skilled partners with a proven track record in the field of photonic integration. Specifically BOOM involves: two European SMEs (AMO, LioniX), one major telecom operator (TILAB), three European universities (ICCS/NTUA, TU Berlin, TU/e) and three top European research centers (HHI, IMEC, IHP). 

 

Institute of Communication and Computer Systems/National Technical University of Athens - ICCS/NTUA (Greece)

The Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS/NTUA) is associated with the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (SECE) of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). It was founded in 1989 in order to carry research and development activities in the field of telecommunications systems and computer systems. ICCS employs more than 500 researchers including SECE faculty staff, senior research scientists and PhD students.

ICCS/NTUA is the project coordinator and participates in BOOM with the Photonics Communications Research Laboratory (PCRL). PCRL was founded in 1995 as a research group of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens. It is being lead by Prof. Hercules Avramopoulos and it currently members are 5 Senior Researchers and 9 PhD students. PCRL research activities focus on the design and implementation of photonic devices and subsystems for all-optical communication systems ranging from high capacity optical transmission studies, all-optical packet and burst switching networks and label switching nodes to multi-wavelength devices for wavelength division multiplexing networks. PCRL also investigates the development of photonic-based devices for terahertz/photonic communications and other applications PCRL is a fully equipped laboratory with a range of test and measurement systems and a large number of passive and active photonic devices. PCRL has worldwide links and collaborations with other top research institutes and industrial research organizations and its activities are supported by industrial grants, national and EU funded research programs.

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Fraunhofer-Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut -HHI (Germany)

HHI has taken an internationally recognised role in several key areas of information technology during the last decades. Since 2003 HHI is a member of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (FhG). R&D projects are focused on some of the most challenging areas of today’s information technologies (photonic networks and components, advanced mobile broadband systems, electronic imaging technologies for multimedia applications). The scientific and technical work is funded by the industry and by public institutions (German government, European Community).

Photonic Component Technologies: For component fabrication, HHI owns clean room facilities and large technology equipment for fabricating different kinds of photonic and electronic devices based on semiconductor (mainly InP), Si-based and polymer materials. The laboratories comprise equipment for semiconductor crystal growth (MOVPE), electron-beam and photolithography, fabrication of masks for photolithography, wet chemical and dry etching, deposition of different metals/dielectrics, and deposition of AR/HR coatings onto chip facets. A vast experience is available for the design, fabrication and characterisation of photonic components or integrated circuits based on semiconductor (InP), silica-on-silicon, silicon-on-insulator, and polymer material systems. In particular, different monolithically integrated InP-based photonic circuits were demonstrated (e.g. polarisation insensitive heterodyne receiver, optical mm-transmitters for optical microwave systems, WDM bidirectional optical transceivers, OTDM demultiplexers, high speed HEMT integrated photoreceivers, semiconductor lasers and optical amplifiers, all-optical regenerators, optical multiplexers/demultiplexers and filters, >100 GHz photodetectors, 80 GHz modulators, monolithic optical ps-pulse sources). Further R&D activities encompass on photonic crystal technology, micro cavities, wafer bonding and flip-chip bonding technologies. Furthermore, module packaging technologies, different measurement set-ups for precise device and material characterisation, design and simulation tools, as well as measurement equipments for system experiments are available. HHI has been and is involved in several European projects.

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Technical University of Eindhoven-TU/e (The Netherlands)

 The COBRA Research Institute at Eindhoven University of Technology is the National Centre of the Netherlands for Research on III/V semiconductors and optoelectronic devices and systems. This research program is embedded within the COBRA Research Institute, which is the Interuniversity Research School on Communication Technology: Basic Research and Applications. The universities presently involved in COBRA are Eindhoven University and VU, with the centre of mass positioned in Eindhoven. COBRA is a "Toponderzoekschool" by virtue of the NRC-Photonics research grant ("Dieptestrategie" 1998) of 35 MEuro of the Netherlands government. COBRA employs more than 100 scientists and technicians. In the proposed project one of the core groups of the COBRA Research school is involved, the Electro-Optical Communication Systems (ECO) group of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, which has broad

experience with high bit-rate optical communication systems, both on WDM and on OTDM, as well as access and in-home networks. It is equipped with test and measurement facilities up to 40 Gb/s ETDM and 640 Gb/s OTDM, and it has facilities for small-scale package development and prototyping of multi-fibre optical devices and sub-systems. The ECO group has recently succesfully demonstrated of excellent 640 Gb/s OTDM transmission over 50-km fiber link and semiconductor-based demultiplexing and clock recovery. Furthermore, the group is leading in system researches using multimode fibres and polymer optical fibres for access and local networks. Completed and on-going European projects with COBRA involvement include: RACE-MUNDI, ACTS-TOBASCO, ACTS-PRISMA, ACTS-BLISS, ACTS-UPGRADE, ACTS-APEX, ESPRIT-LOCOM, IST-HARMONICS, IST-METEOR, IST-OBANET, IST-STOLAS, IST-FASHION, IST-LASAGNE, IST-MUFINS, IST-POF-ALL, IST-MUSE, IST-e-Photon/ONe.

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IHP Microelectronics (Germany)

IHP GmbH - Innovations for High-Performance Microelectronics is a public funded German research institute located in Frankfurt (Oder) in Germany. With 200 employees and around 26 Mio EUR annual turn-over for operation cost and invest IHP is dedicated to innovative solutions for wireless and broadband communication systems by close co-work of competent teams working in the fields of materials research, process technology, circuit design, and systems.

IHP owns a 1000 square meters, class-1 clean room and pilot line with production-grade tool-set for 0.25 and 0.13 µm technologies and offers its CMOS and SiGe BiCMOS technologies for Multi Project Wafer service and low-volume prototyping to external customers, also via Europractice.

IHP’s SiGe BiCMOS technologies are tailored for high-performance, moderate-cost applications featuring up to 200 GHz fmax/fT in 0.25 node and >250 GHz fmax/fT in 0.13 node.

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LioniX  bv (The Netherlands)

LioniX is a leading provider in development and small to high volume production of leveraging and innovative products based on micro/nano system technology (MNT) and MEMS. Our core technologies are integrated optics and microfluidics. Our customers operate in telecom, industrial process control, life sciences and space markets and include OEM's, multinationals, VC start-up companies as well as research institutions from around the world. LioniX offers design for manufacturing and horizontal integration by partnering with MEMS/MST foundries and suppliers of complementary technologies. LioniX invests in a number of strategic areas, both in technology and in applications/markets by participation in national, EU and space programmes.  

The optical division of LioniX, called XiO Photonics, offers state of the art optical components for the emerging FTTH market and is integrating its unique TriPleX-based planar light circuit technology in next generation device applications. This new class of integrated optical waveguide structures is based on low-cost CMOS compatible LPCVD processing. The technology allows for medium and high index contrast waveguides with very low channel attenuation. The geometry is basically formed by a rectangular cross-section silicon nitride (Si3N4) filled with and encapsulated by silicon dioxide (SiO2). The birefringence and minimal bend radius of the waveguide are completely controlled by the geometry of the waveguide layer structures, showing excellent characteristics (channel attenuation ≤ 0.06 dB/cm, IL ≤ 0.6 dB, PDL ≤ 0.2 dB, Bg «1×10-3, bend radius ≤ 500 microns).  

We are engaged with top telecom and photonic system manufacturers worldwide and partnering with MEMS/MST foundries and suppliers of complementary technologies. Products include passive and active optical components such as planar lightwave circuit (PLC) splitters, line terminals, ROADMs, true-time delays, and beam formers for smart antennas in wireless telecom base stations, avionics, astronomy, etc. The combination of integrated optics with the microring-resonator and micromechanics expertise assures us a strong position in the area of integrated optical devices for telecom and datacom applications, and wireless communication applications for cellular networks, avionics and astronomy.

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Telecom Italia Lab  (Italy)

Telecom Italia Lab (TILAB) is the Division of Telecom Italia devoted to Innovation Engineering and Testing: its mission is increasing the innovation of the Telecom Italia Group through the exploitation of its know-how and laboratories, along with the Group Business Units. The staff is represented by 1.600 people, with an investment budget of 650 million Euros in 2006.

 In the Telecom Italia group TILAB represents the Innovation environment adding to the consolidated experience and know-how the resources and engineering expertise for the development of mobile and fixed networks, and for testing activities. The research activities are carried out in the main innovative directions such as the architecture of fixed and mobile convergent networks, platforms and service solutions, evolution of the internet, multimedia, ICT security. Co-operation with other bodies is a fundamental part of Telecom Italia Lab's activities, since it fosters potential synergies and know-how integration aimed at widening the company's interest range. Telecom Italia Lab has been a participant from the beginning to the European Union Framework Programmes, starting with the first pilot projects of the ESPRIT programme in 1983, and is continuing as one of the primary European collaborators in terms of both finance and the number of projects. Activities undertaken under the IST Programme within the Sixth Framework Programme confirm TILAB significant participation in services, mobile and fixed networks, Internet applications, advanced portals and agents, multimedia services and optical networks. The co-operation with other European and world operators mainly addresses themes involving interoperation of networks and services, service quality, assessment of service usability and network architectures. In fact, solutions allowing a wider spread of services and economies of scale have become more and more important both for operators and manufacturers. Everyone taking part in the ICT scenario has to avoid the risk of investing considerable amounts of development costs without the guarantee that the developed products and services are based on principles shared by the other main actors in the world of ICT.  This is the incentive behind Telecom Italia Lab's consistent participation in the main standardisation bodies, and interest groups (forums) formed by TLC operators and manufacturers.

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Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre-IMEC (Belgium)

IMEC, was founded in 1984 by the Flemish Government. It stands out as the largest independent European research centre in the field of microelectronics, nanotechnology, enabling design methods and technologies for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems. Today, IMEC has a staff of more than 1200 people, including 350 guest researchers and industrial residents. Its revenue is derived from agreements and contracts with the Flemish government, the EC, EUREKA, the European Space Agency, equipment and material suppliers and semiconductor companies world-wide. IMEC performs scientific research that runs 3 to 10 years ahead of industrial needs. Its balance between basic and application oriented research and its well-developed IPR (intellectual property ruling) policy form an attractive base for world-wide industrial collaborations.

The IMEC Photonics Research Group is an associated laboratory of IMEC, located at Ghent University and consist of around 40 people. The group is headed by Prof. R. Baets and has been active in optoelectronics and photonics devices for many years.  The main applications under study are nanophotonics, optical interconnect within advanced electronic systems and WDM optical communication.  More in particular, the nanophotonics work focuses on the design and fabrication of SOI-based photonic crystal structures, photonic wires and fibre-coupling structures using standard lithographic techniques compatible with CMOS-processing.  The group has also an extensive experience in the design and fabrication of III-V optoelectronics devices, including tuneable lasers, non-linear optical devices for all-optical regeneration and advanced fibre-chip coupling structures. The group is currently the prime contractor for the IST network of excellence ePIXnet and has participated in numerous EC-funded collaborative projects, both as coordinator and as partner.

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