May 7, 2012 -- III-V Lab, a joint lab of Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs France, Thales Research and Technology and CEA-Leti, provides an update one year into its 4 main research area projects. III-V lab combines compound semiconductor and silicon semiconductor technologies for applications in telecom, industrial control, environmental testing, defense, security, and space.
In an effort to bring the performance benefits of III-V components on to silicon CMOS platforms, the partnership leverages the different expertise and know-how of Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs France, Thales Research and Technology and CEA-Leti in optoelectronics, microelectronics and heterogeneous integration, to innovate in four primary areas of research and markets. After a year, the III-V Lab has already enabled the rapid development of a common platform for optoelectronic and microelectronic technology. CEA-Leti and III-V lab are able to unveil the first results:
- Photonic integrated circuits (PIC) that gather the active and passive functions of III-V and silicon for high-speed telecommunications and data transfer. For the first time, a tunable laser source has been integrated on silicon, which represents a key milestone towards fully integrated transceivers. CEA-Leti and III-V lab have now made a significant breakthrough in its development by integrating on the same chip complex devices such as a fully integrated transmitter working above 10Gb/s or a tunable single wavelength laser.
- Near-infrared imaging for security and defence applications. The III-V lab and LETI are developing new types of detectors with increased resolution and operating in eye-safe region of the infrared spectra. They have demonstrated a fully operating imaging system, and developed the first elements of the molecular bonding of the retina on the reading circuit, a step required in order to lower significantly the cost of the system.
- A new generation of cost-effective, multi-spectral, compact, ultra-sensitive, highly-selective gas sensors for use in security, industrial process control, and environmental monitoring. Thanks to the collaboration between LETI and III-V lab, it has been possible to demonstrate the basic passive components required for the realisation of the PIC based gas sensor.
- The high-power GaN-based microelectronics research program has demonstrated the first results on high mobility transistors with low leakage and normally OFF architecture, and the realisation of the first high power driving systems.
“The collaboration between LETI and III-V lab creates a unique environment in terms on complementarities of competences and technologies” explained Salvatore Cinà, Deputy Head of the Optoelectronics Department at CEA-Leti. “It allows for the integration of the optoelectronics and high mobility properties of theIII-V materials on the advanced 200 and 300 mm microelectronics platforms of Silicon, allowing for the large scale development of advanced integrated circuits”
Leti is an institute of CEA, a French research-and-technology organization with activities in energy, IT, healthcare, defence and security. Leti is focused on creating value and innovation through technology transfer to its industrial partners. It specializes in nanotechnologies and their applications, from wireless devices and systems, to biology, healthcare and photonics. NEMS and MEMS are at the core of its activities. An anchor of the MINATEC campus, CEA-Leti operates 8,000-m² of state-of-the-art clean room space on 200mm and 300mm wafer platforms. It employs 1,400 scientists and engineers and hosts more than 190 Ph.D. students and 200 assignees from partner companies. CEA-Leti owns more than 1,700 patent families. For more information, visit www.leti.fr.
III-V Lab is an industrial Research Laboratory created in 2004 by Alcatel-Lucent and Thales, Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs is one of the leaders in communication technologies (mobile, fixed, IP and Optics technologies), applications and services, while Thales is a major electronic systems company acting in areas such as defence, aerospace, airlines security and safety, information technology, and transportation. In 2010, III-V Lab was extended with the entrance of the “Laboratoire d’Electronique et de Technologie de l’Information” (LETI) from CEA in the capital, as well as 20 people from the LETI, opening the way to hybrid III-V on Si integration. CEA is one of the largest public research organisations in France, acting mainly in the fields of low carbon energies, information technologies, health technologies, large research infrastructures and global security.Under the guidance of its members, III-V Lab conducts R&D activities in the field of micro/nano-electronics and photonics semiconductor components for different application: telecoms, defence, security, safety, space etc.
Located on 2 sites near Paris (Marcoussis and Palaiseau), its facilities include 4,000 m2 of clean rooms. Its staff is composed of around 100 permanent Researchers, plus around 25 PhD Students. For more information, visit : http://www.3-5lab.fr.
Alcatel Lucent today is one of the largest innovation powerhouses in the communications industry, boasting more than 26,000 research and development experts worldwide, representing a combined R&D investment of Euro 2.5 billion, and a portfolio of over 27,900 active patents. At the core of this innovation is Alcatel-Lucent's research, which includes the world-renowned Bell Labs, providing Alcatel-Lucent with an innovation engine of 850 researchers. at the forefront of research into areas such as multimedia, new service delivery architectures and platforms, wireless and wireline broadband access, packet and optical networking and transport,and fundamental research. Belll Labs is well-known for inventions that shaped telecommunications networks of the 20th Century – the transistor, laser, DSL, UNIX, DWDM and MIMO, and continues to focus its research on innovations that will define communications in the 21st Century. In particular, Bell Labs invents technologies that enable us to gain market advantage, help our customers to meet their business objectives and deliver benefit to society. Bell Labs scientists conduct research at eight Bell Labs facilities around the globe: Belgium, China, France, Germany, India, Ireland, South Korea and the U.S. For more information, visit : http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/wps/portal/BellLabs
Thales is a global technology leader for the Defence & Security and the Aerospace & Transport markets. In 2010, the company generated revenues of €13.1 billion with 68,000 employees in 50 countries. With its 22,500 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements. Thales has an exceptional international footprint, with operations around the world working with customers as local partners. For more information, visit : http://www.thalesgroup.com