InP PIC design and manufacture: A new way forward

InP-based photonic integrated circuits provide a basis for cost-effective, high-performance solutions in a wide variety of applications. To date, however, the strategies adopted by the industry have typically focused on individual product families, rather than on generic platforms, such as are employed in microelectronics. This paper provides background and motivation for the generic approach and reviews R&D activities presently underway in Europe to investigate this new and potentially highly powerful way of working.