Dear Colleagues:
With this Dear Colleague letter (DCL), the Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS) and the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP) within the Engineering Directorate of the National Science Foundation continue to encourage innovative exploratory and translational research by academic researchers and small businesses in all aspects of integrated photonics that utilize the current silicon photonics capabilities resident in AIM Photonics.
Please see below a brief introduction of AIM Photonics and examples of the research project opportunities that it can enable. Then follow the step-by-step instructions in the section on Project Preparation for use of AIM Photonics capabilities, and at the end of this document the Proposal Submission to NSF procedures.
AIM PHOTONICS - The American Institute of Manufacturing of Integrated Photonics (AIM) (http://www.aimphotonics.com) was established in July 2015 by the U.S. government under Department of Defense (DoD) leadership as a manufacturing innovation institute to advance integrated photonics. AIM Photonics is an industry-led public-private-partnership that focuses the nation's premiere capabilities and expertise to capture and mature critical manufacturing domestic capability for integrated photonics. The Institute's goal is to emulate the dramatic successes experienced by the semiconductor industry over the past 40 years and transition key lessons, processes, and approaches to the photonic integrated circuit (PIC) industry. AIM Photonics supports providing practical access and technology on-ramps for academic communities, as well as for industry and government. AIM Photonics is creating a National PIC manufacturing infrastructure, widely accessible and inherently flexible to meet the challenges of the future marketplace with practical, innovative PIC manufacturing-oriented solutions.