Xanadu has entered a partnership with DISCO Corporation to develop advanced wafer processing techniques for ultra-low loss photonic integrated chips.
The partnership focuses on several aspects of wafer processing, including the enhancement of wafer dicing processes, specialised wafer preparation for heterogeneous integration and assembly, and the achievement of ultra-smooth surfaces through polishing optimisation.
These capabilities are considered critical for the production of high-performance photonic integrated circuits and are expected to facilitate the scalability of photonic chip packaging for quantum and other photonic applications.
Wafer processing
High-quality wafer dicing, made possible using DISCO's machinery, plays a vital role in photonic chip singulation and contributes to the reduction of optical losses in these chips. The companies stated that DISCO's advanced dicing process can remove the need for manual polishing, making the manufacturing of photonic chips more streamlined and supporting higher volumes in photonic packaging.
Xanadu is also making use of DISCO's Kiru (cutting), Kezuru (grinding), and Migaku (polishing) technologies. These processes are key for preparing wafers for heterogeneous integration and meeting the exacting performance requirements set for photonic chips.
Optimal polishing, the companies said, is essential for achieving the ultra-smooth surfaces needed to minimise optical loss, a crucial factor for scalability and performance in quantum computing chips.
Leadership comments
"DISCO Corporation has been a vitally important partner for us over the years", said Christian Weedbrook, founder and CEO of Xanadu. "Our close collaboration with DISCO Corporation has helped us continuously push the boundaries of photonic packaging capabilities with their leading-edge dicing, grinding, and polishing solutions. These capabilities are significant contributions towards achieving our goal of a utility-scale photonic quantum computer."
DISCO's perspective highlights the mutual benefits and progress enabled by the partnership.
In the words of Steve Latina, technical solution lead and account manager at DISCO USA: "Xanadu's efforts are driving advancement not just in quantum compute, but the industry as a whole – from equipment and foundry process, to materials. Sharing the paradigm 'every photon counts' has a trickle-down effect, challenging their partners to achieve never-before-seen feats. DISCO is uniquely positioned to support Xanadu and growing market demand for highly clean, highly precise, and highly intelligent manufacturing."
Looking forward
Xanadu continues its focus on reducing optical losses within its photonic components. The company believes that ongoing collaboration with industrial partners like DISCO will play a significant role in achieving utility-scale photonic quantum computing capabilities in the future.
