Citing the South China Morning Post, China has made an important breakthrough in the field of photonic chips, marking a solid step in the competition for cutting-edge semiconductor technologies. The "Photonic Chip Exploration and Integration Center" (CHIPX) in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, initiated by relevant research institutions of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, has officially started the mass production of 6-inch thin-film lithium niobate photonic chip wafers. This platform not only demonstrates the leap in China's self-research, self-construction and self-production capabilities, but also provides key support for strategic industries such as quantum computing and high-speed optical communication.
Photonic chips (i.e., photonic integrated circuits) have shown broad prospects in the fields of data communication, lidar, biomedical, national defense and aerospace by virtue of the principle of "replacing electricity with light". The CHIPX project was launched in 2021 and completed in September 2023, making it one of the national key pilot platforms in just two years, reflecting the acceleration of local industrialization.
In addition to CHIPX, a number of emerging companies with the strategy of "vertical integration" and "technological breakthrough" have also emerged in China's photonic chip track, quickly filling the gap in the field of high-end chips:
The Rise of Emerging Forces: Technological Breakthroughs and Model Innovation Go hand in hand
1.Vertilite: Deeply cultivate the construction of VCSEL chips and manufacturing ecology
Vertilite focuses on vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) chips, and its 3-inch compound semiconductor chip manufacturing base in Changzhou is expected to be put into operation in 2025, with a planned annual production capacity of 50 million pieces. As of November 2024, the company has shipped more than 300 million units, which are widely used in optical communications, 3D perception, and lidar. Through the "R&D + manufacturing" dual center and the Yangtze River Delta industrial chain, the company has created a complete ecological closed loop from epitaxial growth to packaging and testing.
2. Xinchen Semiconductor: IDM integrated mode layout of high-end optical chips
Xinchen Semiconductor has built an IDM production line for gallium arsenide/indium phosphide optical chips in Taicang, Suzhou, with an annual production capacity of 80 million DFB laser chips covering the 760nm-1700nm band, which has passed the technical verification of leading domestic optical communication enterprises, filling the gap of long-term dependence on imports for domestic high-end products. The production line has a complete material system, adapts to a variety of application scenarios, and is a key node in the "optical core corridor" of the Yangtze River Delta.
3. MTC: Create a vertically integrated ecosystem from chips to modules
MTC has invested 1 billion yuan to build a full-process production line for optical communication chips and modules, covering design, epitaxy, packaging and testing, etc., in an effort to open up the technology chain from chips to terminal modules and provide one-stop solutions. The project has been supported by local special funds and has become an important part of the optical chip industry cluster in the Pearl River Delta.
Figure: Localization of photonic chips accelerates: the rise of industrial clusters and the breakthrough of emerging forces
Regional synergy is becoming a trend: the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta are driven by two wheels
On the basis of continuous investment by enterprises, the synergies between regional policies and industrial clusters have been continuously enhanced:
The Yangtze River Delta "optical core corridor" has begun to take shape
Nantong, Suzhou, Changzhou, Shaoxing and other places have formed a complete industrial chain covering "material epitaxy, chip manufacturing, packaging and testing, and system integration". For example, Nantong Lemon Photonics launched a semiconductor laser chip R&D center; Suzhou Xinchen semiconductor production line landed; Changzhou Vertilite chip factory was capped. The region has gradually grown into a source of innovation in the domestic optical chip industry.
The industrial policy of the Pearl River Delta promotes industrial upgrading
Guangdong Province issued the "Action Plan for Accelerating the Innovation and Development of the Optical Chip Industry (2024-2030)", setting the ambitious goal of achieving 10 core technology breakthroughs by 2030 and building a 100-billion-level optical chip industry cluster. Local companies such as Optical Library Technology (thin-film lithium niobate modulator), Tiancheng Technology (compound semiconductor materials), Demingli (VCSEL chips), etc., have rapidly deployed to promote the large-scale domestic substitution of optical chips on the basis of mature semiconductor manufacturing.
Looking to the future: from breakthrough to leading
With the mass production of key platforms such as CHIPX and the technological breakthroughs of a number of emerging enterprises, China is gradually building a full-chain system of photonic chips covering materials, design, manufacturing and system integration. In the context of tightening international technological restrictions, the domestic photonic chip industry is expected to achieve independent and controllable key technology links, and occupy an active position in cutting-edge applications such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and ultra-high-speed communication.
