THE HAGUE, March 10 (Xinhua) -- A European pilot production facility for photonic chips was launched on Monday in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy said the project is supported by 86 million euros (100 million U.S. dollars) in funding from the ministry, while 66 million euros (76.8 million dollars) is being provided through the European semiconductor innovation program Chips Joint Undertaking. The Dutch Defense Ministry is contributing an additional 20 million euros (23.3 million dollars).
The initiative is a collaboration between the Dutch applied research institute TNO, Eindhoven University of Technology and other institutions and companies.
A TNO press release said that the pilot line plant will be located at High Tech Campus Eindhoven and will serve as a key testing and fabrication site for advanced indium phosphide photonic chips produced on 6-inch wafers.
Photonics, a technology that uses light rather than electrons to transmit information, focuses on detecting, generating, transmitting and processing light.
Communication using light can transmit more data simultaneously and over longer distances, offering higher performance, lower costs and greater energy efficiency in devices and machines. Photonic chips could enable earlier disease diagnosis, safer autonomous vehicles, more efficient food production and improved data infrastructure. ■