C-PIC is enabling true open-source collaboration by making its CORNERSTONE Foundry-compatible SiPh Process Design Kits (PDKs), components, and building blocks available via its Open Platform GitHub.
As well as allowing access to C-PIC’s information, the platform will support contributions from the wider community, allowing researchers, individuals, and commercial organisations to upload and reuse trusted design elements.
By providing open access to these elements in a single, easy-to-access environment, the Open Platform shortens design cycles and creates an ecosystem where innovation can be shared and scaled rather than reinvented.
The first CORNERSTONE Foundry compatible releases are:
● SOI 220 nm active PDK – silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform for high-speed modulation, used in CORNERSTONE’s world-record all-silicon transmitter, ideal for datacom and telecom applications.
● SiN 300 nm PDK – silicon nitride platform supporting datacom, quantum technologies, biosensing, and space applications.
Additional C-PIC platforms will follow, including:
● Germanium-on-Silicon (Ge-on-Si) – designed for mid-infrared sensing, abri-tech, and space applications.
● Suspended Silicon (Suspended Si) – ideal for gas and environmental monitoring.
● SOI 340 nm – suited to datacom and telecom applications.
● SOI 500 nm – developed for high-power defence applications.
● SiN 200 nm – supports visible light range for biosensing applications
Alongside C-PIC’s own contributions, the Open Platform will feature at launch content from the wider community that is compatible with the CORNERSTONE Foundry. Contributors include CSA Catapult, Tyndall National Institute, and individuals from leading universities such as the University of Pavia (Università di Pavia) and the University of Sheffield.
Early uploads range from educational kits and discrete components to complete circuit designs, demonstrating strong adoption by both academic and commercial users.
Beyond PDKs, the platform also supports Open Data, covering simulation and test results. This area is predicted to expand significantly moving forward, and new resources intended to dramatically improve SiPh innovation will be added in the future, reflecting C-PIC’s roadmap towards a comprehensive open-source ecosystem.
CORNERSTONE was formed in 2014 and is a leading silicon photonics prototyping foundry affiliated with the University of Southampton and the University of Glasgow, as well as the UK government’s Science and Technology Facilities Council.
CORNERSTONE facilitates the translation of exceptional silicon photonics research into scalable, industry-ready solutions capable of supporting a variety of existing and emerging applications.
www.cornerstone.sotonfab.co.uk
The Open Platform is now live on GitHub, providing a central hub for the photonics community to explore, contribute, and accelerate the development of SiPh technologies.
For more: https://github.com/cornerstone-uos/cornerstone-community
