NSF Names Georgia Tech Lead Institute of New Cross Disciplinary Center Focused on Integrated Photonics & Electronics: “Electronic-Photonic Integrated Circuits for Aerospace” (EPICA)

The Georgia Institute of Technology has been awarded funding to lead a new Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers Program (IUCRC) in Integrated Photonics. Integrated photonics have become a key enabling technology in many commercial, defense and scientific applications such as fiber communications, data centers, RF analog links, quantum computing, and communications and sensing. Aerospace and spaceborne applications of integrated photonics present many challenges for researchers resulting from the harsh environment, however they provide enormous opportunities for increasing performance while reducing size weight and power.

The EPICA IUCRC was first proposed by faculty of the Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC), a center within the Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology (IEN) at Georgia Tech. The GEDC is a cross-disciplinary research center focused on the development of high-speed electronic and photonics components and signal processing to achieve revolutionary system performance. With renowned expertise in advanced photonics and highspeed electronics research, more than 15 active faculty and over 100 graduate and undergraduate students, the team is poised for success.

EPICA’s founding recognizes Georgia Tech as the leader in photonic integrated circuits for aerospace and spaceborne applications. EPICA’s establishment will enable the next wave of communications and sensing technologies for a wide variety of platforms by designing solutions for advanced electronic-photonic integrated circuits and systems geared specifically for aerospace applications via validation of the performance and reliability of these systems in harsh environments.

EPICA at Georgia Tech is led by Professor Stephen Ralph, Director of GEDC, and includes research teams from the University of Central Florida and Vanderbilt University. Said Professor Ralph, “The success of the Georgia Electronic Design Center as a recognized leader in high-speed electronics and integrated photonics uniquely positioned Georgia Tech to create and lead the new NSF Center. Working with the teams at the University of Central Florida and Vanderbilt, as well as with the more than 20 semiconductor and photonics industry companies that are joining the center, we will solve the most challenging problems and help provide internet services around the planet, enhanced security by enabling robust systems for the DoD and improve environmental sensing of our atmosphere.”

-Christa M. Ernst

For More Information on the Photonics Program Contact:

Maria Matheson [maria.matheson@ien.gatech.edu]
Program & Operations Manager
Georgia Electronic Design Center
Georgia Institute of Technology
C: 770-833-3029

Stephen Ralph [stephen.ralph@ece.gatech.edu]
Director, Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC)
Professor—School of Electrical and Computer Engineering