UMC Singapore Plant Delivers First Mass-Produced Silicon Photonics Wafers

United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) has announced a significant milestone with its Singapore facility successfully delivering the first batch of mass-produced silicon photonics wafers. This achievement, in collaboration with Singaporean silicon photonics chip designer SILITH, signals the technology's transition from development to high-volume manufacturing.

The partnership leverages SILITH's design expertise and UMC's 12-inch wafer manufacturing capabilities. The goal is to support SILITH's 1.6 terabits per second solutions, addressing the escalating demand for high-speed optical interconnects crucial for AI and hyperscale data centers. UMC anticipates launching its dedicated 12-inch silicon photonics platform in 2027, opening doors for more clients to develop and produce their products.

Both teams achieved the transition from development to mass production within 18 months. The platform has demonstrated high yield and reliability, meeting mass production standards and receiving certification from leading cloud infrastructure clients for large-scale deployment. UMC's Senior Vice President, Hong Gui-jun, highlighted the Singapore plant's manufacturing strength and its role as a key R&D hub, enabling rapid production ramp-up.

Building on SILITH's success in commercializing 200G per channel silicon photonics, UMC and SILITH are expanding their roadmap. They are currently developing a 400G per channel pure silicon photonics platform, maintaining CMOS compatibility for manufacturability, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, UMC is exploring Thin-Film Lithium Niobate (TFLN) based solutions with ecosystem partners to meet future ultra-high bandwidth optical interconnect demands.

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UMC's Singapore plant not only possesses strong 12-inch wafer manufacturing capabilities but also serves as an important technology R&D hub, enabling the two parties to quickly complete mass production introduction.