HIOS (“Highly Integrated Optoelectronic Sensor”) aims to develop and to launch world’s first light sensor with fully integrated optical stack. The fully integrated optically stack technology which will be developed in HIOS project will be the technology enabler which brings the highly integrated optoelectronic sensor to the market. The sensors which will be enabled in the first step are single band and multi band light sensors, namely Ambient Light Sensor and derivate such as UV Sensor & Color Sensor. Three main markets which will be addressed are the Wearable, Low Cost Consumer (smart phones, cellular) & Smart Lighting Market. ams already offers prior art TSL2584TSV which is industry’s first ambient light sensor with 3D/TSV and single filter integrated at wafer level. In HIOS project the consortium wants to move one step further to ensure also the future competitiveness and keep the market leadership in Europe. HIOS project wants to integrate the full optical stacks including multiple filters, lenses and apertures for the first time and wants to provide a high volume production environment for 3D/TSV + Filters + Wafer Level Package. The main technical innovations will be Filter tool and processes developed to achieve industry’s tightest filter specifications, Wafer Level Molding tool modified by adding new alignment system to achieve, novel patented lense design and wafer level mold process, filters, lenses and apertures integrated at Wafer Level for the first time and industry’s lowest alignment tolerances as required by the applications. The expected outcomes are a Single band and multi-band light sensors – smallest size and lowest system cost at best optical performance (ambient light sensor and derivatives such as color sensor and UV sensor) and an Equipment which enabling this new application and many other applications; WLM- tightest overlay control; Filter – tightest pass band width control; low stress filter deposition to enable multiple filters.

Nanonets2Sense proposes a new technological approach, where random networks of nanowires, called nanonets (NN), allow biosensors for medical applications to be integrated at low cost with a 3D integration scheme. The final objective of the project is to demonstrate 3D above-IC integration of nanonet-based sensing devices on a CMOS platform. By using nanonets as sensing material, our synergetic approach retains the advantages of nanowires (NW) properties without the associated technological burden. With a smart combination of bottom-up and top-down technologies and a low processing temperature (<400°C) compatible with CMOS integration, it allows 3D integration into a compact sensor, where the sensing element, which is exposed to breath or biofluids, is integrated above the CMOS detection circuit, which is naturally protected. Nanonets2Sense will address all material, device and circuit issues. It will develop the integration process that allows the 3D above-IC integration of NN-based sensing devices on a CMOS platform, optimize sensor performance by engineering nanonet properties and device dimensions, analyse NN-based devices operation and performance and optimize readout accordingly, demonstrate the viability of the integration approach by fabricating a proof-of-concept integrated sensor that realizes 3D SoC integration of a NN-based sensing device with its CMOS read-out. Nanonets2Sense is thus providing a new technological building block to enhance CMOS chip functionality with biosensing capability. It combines high performance at low cost and the impact is enhanced by the fact that the approach is generic and can be adapted to a large variety of NW and target molecules. Nanonets2Sense relies on well recognized European partners, including academic, SME and large company, which represent the whole chain from basic and applied research to foundry and products development, ensuring that exploitation will combine sounded physical concepts with industrial vision.

Silicon photonics is expected to leverage-off many of the advances made in CMOS electronics. International R&D efforts in this field have so far been mainly focused on the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) photonic integrated circuit (PIC) technology platform because it is predestined for datacom, high-performance computing and telecom applications. However, SOI based integrated optical waveguides cannot be used for the VIS/NIR <1.1µm wavelength region, which is important for life sciences and health related applications and, thus, offers a huge potential for PIC technology. To this end, a novel CMOS compatible low-loss silicon nitride waveguide based PIC technology platform will be developed in OCTCHIP and directly applied to the a strong business case in the field of optical coherence tomography (OCT) for ophthalmology. OCT is a revolutionizing in-vivo 3D imaging technique for non-invasive optical biopsy addressing medical needs with early diagnosis and reduction of healthcare cost. OCT has proven its value primarily in ophthalmology and cardiology but recently also in a variety of other medical fields. However, wide adoption has not taken place due to size and cost limitations as well as non-existence of miniaturized devices. The PIC technology developed in OCTCHIP will make a new generation of OCT systems possible with step-changes in size and cost beyond state-of-the-art. The monolithic integration of silicon nitride optical waveguides, silicon photodiodes and electronics combined with the hybrid integration of a III-V laser source will enable a compact, low-cost and maintenance free solution. OCTCHIP will contribute to radically transform OCT towards widespread adoption in point-of-care diagnostics for the early diagnosis of retinal pathologies, which are leading causes for blindness. The endeavor is strongly driven by company partners with strong expertise in the fields of silicon foundry process technology, miniaturized laser sources, and OCT system integration.