AIM Photonics

On September 29, 2021, the Department of Defense (DoD) awarded a $321 million, 7-year cooperative agreement to the Research Foundation for the State University of New York (RF SUNY) to continue its role leading the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics (AIM Photonics). AIM Photonics, headquartered at the Albany NanoTech Complex in New York, will continue to collaborate with public and private entities to advance U.S. leadership in manufacturing integrated photonic circuits. In support of this follow-on assistance agreement, $165 million in federal funding will be combined with over $156 million in non-federal cost-share from companies, colleges and universities, and state and local governments.

"This award signifies the Department's continued commitment to advancing integrated photonics technologies in conjunction with its investments in microelectronics. AIM has achieved remarkable technical success in its initial 5-year standup period as a Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII). Even more progress is anticipated over the next seven years as the domestic industrial base in integrated photonics matures," said Mr. Robert Gold, Director of the Technology and Manufacturing Industrial Base Directorate in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)).

“Photonic Integrated Circuits represent a tremendous opportunity to significantly improve the performance of next generation microelectronics systems,” said Dr. Dev Shenoy, Principal Director for Microelectronics in OUSD(R&E). “Cost and density of photonics components continue to hamper widespread development and adoption of these technologies and new applications; a domestic prototyping capability like AIM Photonics that helps address these issues is a critical enabler for the broader ecosystem in microelectronics.”

Then-Vice President Biden announced the creation of AIM Photonics at a July 2015 Rochester, New York press conference. At the time, the White House noted that the Institute would “help spark new growth in manufacturing building on the area’s legacy of leading optical and photonics technology capabilities—and position the United States for continued leadership in this critical technology area.” Since then, AIM Photonics has provided the U.S.-based photonics community with access to a state-of-the-art, 300 mm wafer offering, whose prices are reduced by aggregating many designs onto a single wafer.

AIM Photonics will continue to develop advanced integrated photonics capabilities for a wide array of existing products and will enable critical applications including data communications, telecommunications, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), chemical and biological sensing, artificial intelligence, quantum applications, and custom DoD applications.

The institute’s efforts will examine and advance industry-wide photonics standards, tools, and measurements; mature foundational technologies; continue to grow a vibrant integrated photonics manufacturing ecosystem; advance education and workforce development; and support the establishment and growth of supply chain intermediaries that are essential for a robust U.S.-integrated photonics ecosystem.

AIM Photonics is part of a network of nine MIIs established by DoD to leverage innovation and commercial best practices in the advancement of the United States’ competitive technology lead and national security interests. Beginning in 2012 with the additive manufacturing institute America Makes, the OSD Manufacturing Technology Program (OSD ManTech) established the MIIs with the purpose of bringing “leap-ahead” technology to the Warfighter while laying groundwork for commercial adoption by the private sector.

The new cooperative agreement adds to existing investments across all nine DoD MIIs already totaling $1.12 billion in initial and follow-on federal investment, and $1.93 billion in matching funds from industry, academia, and state governments. Additionally, the Department and Military Services have sponsored over 865 education and research and development projects at the institutes. Currently, over 1,270 organizations participate in the DoD MIIs. The participating organizations vary in size and comprise defense industry partners, commercial manufacturers, start-up businesses, higher education institutions, and state and local economic developers.