Centre Teams
Centre Structure
The InPAC centre comprises of one centre director coordinating six focused teams (Design, Fabrication, Interfacing, Data communications, Biomedical and Defence), each of which is led by an early or mid-career researcher and includes a cohort of students. In the following more information about the different teams and their capabilities are highlighted.
Design Team
As the design team, we understand that a complete silicon photonics design framework is crucial for success. We use the industry standard IPKISS design framework from our partner Luceda Photonics for design, simulation and layout.
To ensure that designs are industry-compliant and scalable to mass manufacture, we have created and continue to develop and support a number of significant plug-ins for the IPKISS framework, including direct interfaces (and PDKs) for a range of electron-beam lithography tools, automated characterisation tools, and a comprehensive electromagnetic simulation suite, REME.
The REME simulation suite is now available within Luceda Photonics' IPKISS design flow. For further information, please contact Luceda Photonics.
Fabrication Team
The fabrication team focuses on the fabrication of integrated optics platforms for different applications. The platforms include silicon photonic platform (Si and SiN), and Hybrid integrated silicon photonic platform (Si + 2D materials, Si + SiN, and Si + LN). We will develop PDKs for the platforms and make them ready for end-users to realize sophisticated systems.
Interfacing team
As the interfacing team, we understand that end-users would like to have robust and easy to use optical and electrical interfaces to photonic integrated circuit chips. We use different approaches for the interfacing of optical fibres to such chips, such as butt coupling and grating coupler with angle polished fibres. For electical contacts we usually use wire bonding to connect the photonic integrated circuit chips to standard PCB boards, however also custom solutions can be investigated.
Data Comms Application Team
The Data Comms Application team aims to use advanced modulation schemes and occupy the full optical spectrum for transmission experiments. Future optical communication systems will have to use the full available spectral bandwidth and advanced multiplexing and modulation to achieve ultimate data capacity over a fibre link. To realistically test such links, experiments must be performed over “real-world” fibre links. The Data Comms Application team has access to a 'dark' fibre, which links three telecoms research laboratories (Monash Uni, RMIT and Melbourne Uni). This field-deployed fibre link is used to demonstrate ultra high data transfer using the designed, fabricated and packaged photonic chips of the InPAC centre.
Biomedical Applications Team
The Biomedical Applications team aims to make an impact in the future of diagnostics by offering advanced tests for the early prediction of illnesses. Our intention is to foster the development of individually tailored therapies for more personalized medicine. The team focuses on highly multi-faceted collaborative research spanning from the clinic and industry, to biochemistry, chip design, microfluidics, signal processing and bioanalytical assays among others in order to meet the needs required for the end-users. Among our aims is to operate across the translational research life cycle: development of complete Point of care applications that lead to clinical trials, which in turn feed new hypotheses back to the laboratory.
Defense Applications Team
The Defense Applications team aims to deeply engage with industry and defense agencies to provide them with integrated photonic solutions for new and improved products. This is achieved by using the photonic platforms that the InPAC is investigating and employing them for defense related products. A special focus is set on energy efficiency, compact, light-weight and robust (mechanical and electro-magnetic) solutions.