Centre for Research and Technology Hellas / Informatics and Telematics Institute – CERTH/ITI (Greece)

CERTH/ITI is a non-profit research organization under the auspices of the General Secretariat for Research and Technology (GSRT) of the Greek Ministry of Development. Since March 2000, it is incorporated in the new Centre for Research and Technology – Hellas (also supervised by the GSRT). The scientific areas of ITI include Data Communications and Computer Networks, Multimedia and Internet Technologies, New Media Representation and Access: Standards and Methods, Virtual Reality, Tele-Medicine Applications, 2D and 3D Digital and Interactive Television, Educational and Cultural Technologies. CERTH/ITI will participate in PLATON with its Photonics Systems and Networks (PhosNET) Research Group of the Telecommunications and Networks Laboratory. The main research activities of PhosNET extend along a broad area in the field of photonic technologies, including advanced computational techniques for electromagnetic fields (BPM, FEM, FDTD, PWE etc), photonic system design, optical routing/switching systems, high capacity optical transmission, all-optical packet/burst and label switching networks, WDM devices, optical interconnects and biophotonics. PhosNET members have significant presence and a proven track record with successful participation and leadership in a number of European projects. CERTH is the co-ordinator of PLATON and its technical role includes modelling & design of nano-photonic components (plasmonics and silicon-based), system parameter definition and analysis of the PLATON’s routing prototypes and system-level experimental performance evaluation of the developed devices and the complete routing platform.

Weblink: www.certh.gr , www.iti.gr

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V. – Institut fuer Zuverlässigkeit und Mikrointegration – IZM (Germany)

FRAUNHOFER IZM (Research Institute, DE) is a well known and highly valued institute which is part of a non-profit research organization. This Fraunhofer Society as a whole has the mission to support the industry in providing access to state-of-the-art research and development. A vast range of technological knowledge and skills is developed by technicians and scientists employed by Fraunhofer. Fraunhofer IZM offers application specific services, technology development, transfer and reliability qualification. It is one of the leading institutes in packaging and micosystem integration and is able to provide technology to manufacture advanced microsystems on board and wafer level. Fraunhofer IZM is an institute belonging to a non-profit research organization "Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.". The Fraunhofer Society has the mission to support the industry by applied research and development.
Fraunhofer IZM has around 230 employees and offers application specific services, technology development, transfer and reliability qualification. It is one of the leading institutes worlwide in packaging and microsystem integration and is able to provide microsystems with advanced technologies on board and wafer level. The institute is running advanced clean room and technology labs. Fraunhofer IZM conducts reliability tests according to different standards. Analytic and simulation tools are used to identify the physics of failure mode and to develop life time models. Within PLATON, IZM will be responsible for the packaging, fiber-pigtailing and IC-on-SOI hybrid integration activities required for the PLATON’s routing prototypes, investigating also the 3D SiP perspectives of PLATON’s plasmonic/SOI/IC technological structure for interconnect applications. Moreover, IZM will contribute to the design and characterization of the SOI nanophotonic elements and of the IC microcontroller circuitry.

Weblink: www.izm.fraunhofer.de

Syddansk Universitet - SDU (Denmark)

The main research activities of SDU are centred within nano-optics, which is a relatively new branch of optics dealing with linear and nonlinear phenomena related to light scattering by sub-wavelength structures. We have constructed sophisticated research setups for nano-optical characterization, which incorporate various (illumination, and collection) configurations of scanning far- and near-field optical microscopes including instruments specially designed for studies of nonlinear (two-photon induced luminescence and second-harmonic generation) interactions. The most significant scientific results obtained are related to phase conjugation of optical near-fields, localization phenomena in surface plasmon polariton (SPP) scattering, second-harmonic far- and near-field imaging, SPP waveguiding by and field enhancement in metal nanostructures. The applied research is oriented towards the development of sub-micron plasmonic waveguides pertinent for inter- and intra-chips optical interconnects and plasmon-empowered Raman sensing and imaging. The group pioneered the development of low-loss micron-sized SPP waveguide circuits and plasmonic nanoguides, such as V-grooves and dielectric-loaded waveguides (EU-STREP “PLASMOCOM”) and related devices (Mach-Zehnder interferometers, ring resonators, directional couplers and thermo-optical dynamic components) which are among the basic elements to be exploited in PLATON. SDU’s role within PLATON involves the effective-index modelling of dielectric and plasmonic waveguides, the design of surface plasmon-based interconnects and devices and the near- and far-field optical imaging and transmission characterization of all DLSPP configurations.

Website: www.sdu.dk/nano-optics

Université de Bourgogne - UB (France)

The research project of the group that is a joint research unit of University de Bourgogne and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) is devoted to the basic concepts of nano-optics, also called near-field or sub-wavelength optics. The fabrication of nanostructures is needed to explore near-field optical phenomena and in the design of new optical devices of sub-micron sizes. The applied research works are oriented towards the development of sub-micron sizes optical devices pertinent for inter- and intra-chips optical interconnects. The group pioneered the development of thin metal stripes as surface plasmon waveguides, of dielectric loaded surface plasmon waveguides (as partner of FP6 IST STREP Plasmocom) and related devices (splitters, ring resonators, loss compensation by optical pumping, SP liquid crystals and all-optical switches) which are among the basic elements to be exploited in the present proposal in order to achieve a plasmon based optical circuitry. Within PLATON, UB serves as the main DLSPP device fabrication partner for all DLSPP structures to be developed, contributing also to all aspects of DLSPP design activities. UB will also be the main partner for the fabrication of the DLSPP-to-Si coupling structures and for the deposition of DLSPP configurations on the SOI motherboard.

Website: www.u-bourgogne.fr

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

The Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS) 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 will participate in PLATON 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 its current members are 5 Senior Researchers and 9 PhD students. Its research activities focus on the design and implementation of photonic devices and subsystems for optical communication systems and data com applications, ranging from high capacity optical transmission studies, all-optical signal processing systems/subsystems to multi-wavelength devices for wavelength division multiplexing networks. PCRL is a fully equipped laboratory with a range of test and measurement systems and a large number of passive and active photonic devices. It 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. PCRL has significant presence and a proven track record with successful participation and leadership in a number of European projects (ICT-BOOM, ICT-APACHE, ICT-EUROFOS, ICT-BONE, CRAFT-MULTIWAVE, IST-LASAGNE, IST-MUFINS, IST-e-Photon/One, ESPRIT DO-ALL). Within PLATON,ICCS/NTUA mainly works towards the performance evaluation and characterization of the developed DLSPP switches and of the complete 2x2 and 4x4 routing platforms.

Website: www.telecom.ntua.gr/photonics

Gesellschaft fuer Angewandte Mikro- und Optoelektronik mit beschrankter Haftung - AMO GmBH (Germany)

AMO is a German SME with 40 employees specializing in research and development for micro- and optoelectronic applications. The mission of AMO is to develop innovative technologies for nanoelectronics and nanophotonics and their implementation in novel devices architectures to a prototype level. The resultant devices and subsystems are exploited by AMO as a low volume foundry or transferred to a key player in the field. Since 1997 AMO employs the leading European research group in UV Nanoimprint and Soft UV Nanoimprint. AMO is furthermore active in research in Nanoelectronics in cooperation with the leading European semiconductor manufacturers and SOI integrated optics for communication and biotechnology applications. Optical ring-resonators with a Q factor of 13900 ± 6000 have been fabricated via E-beam and UV-Nanoimprint. AMO is actually coordinating a FP6 STREP on photonic SOI devices (FP6 034883 Circles of Light) and has been active in fabrication of inorganic components for all-optical switches and concepts for organic lasers. AMO is beneficiary of the NoE Epixnet and coordinating a JRA on Nanoimprint lithography. AMO has a broad base of advanced semiconductor process technology, like high resolution EBL facilities for template fabrication (Leica EBPG5000) and direct write down to below 10 nm and an experimental front end SOI CMOS process line. High speed electronic data acquisition and ASIC evaluation system production complete its portfolio. AMO has coordinated a national German initiative on lateral nanostructures and numerous German and European projects in the field of nano-manufacturing and Nanoelectronics. AMO (D) is PLATON’s fabrication specialist for SOI device manufacturing using nanofabrication technologies and will be responsible for the SOI motherboard fabrication and the technoeconomic analysis of PLATON’s technological platform.

Website: www.amo.de