Coherent PICs are complex because they must control the phase and polarization of light, not just the amplitude. The design and process requirements for these PICs are far more stringent compared to simpler direct-detect chips.

"As optical transceiver applications and requirements continue to evolve, photonics platforms must evolve to meet these requirements. This is especially true in the area of coherent optical transceivers," said Dr. Ed Preisler, Vice President and General Manager of the RF Business Unit at Tower Semiconductor. "We are proud to collaborate with Marvell to stay at the forefront in this field."

Tower has collaborated with Marvell to advance next-generation coherent technologies, including process capabilities, such as the integration of non-silicon materials, the 3D integration of electronics and the enablement of advanced optical packaging such as V-Grooves, which serve to extend the performance and functionality of silicon photonics platforms.

"This milestone demonstrates the strength of our collaboration," said Dr. Radha Nagarajan, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Optical Engineering, at Marvell. "As one of our key ecosystem partners, we look forward to continue working with the Tower team to advance next-generation coherent technologies for scale-across data center architectures, providing customers with the latest efficient, high-performance photonics technologies to power their advanced AI workloads."