Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre positioned to accelerate commercialization of photonics products, train HQP

The National Research Council (NRC) has unveiled a critical prototyping and fabrication resource for the Canadian photonics sector and an anchor for the emerging photonics cluster in the Ottawa region. The Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre (CPFC) was officially opened May 24, nearly four years after federal funding was announced and one year after operations actually commenced.

Located on the NRC’s main Ottawa campus, the $30-million facility is being strategically positioned to assist firms in the production of commercial-grade fabrication services and provide a training resources for universities and colleges across Canada.

CPFC received a total of $43.1 million in funding, with $13.1 million coming from the Ontario government (see chart). It has $10 million to cover operational expenses over five years and is set to expire at the end of FY07-08. At that time, CPFC is expected to be self-sustaining, generating up to $4 million annually in contract revenue. As part of the NRC’s Institute for Microstructural Sciences (IMS), the CPFC offers seamless access to NRC expertise that makes it unique in North America, if not the world.

TELECOM DOWNTURN PROVES BENEFICIAL

The CPFC was approved just months after the collapse of the telecommunications equipment sector, creating an unprecedented opportunity to acquire state-of-the-art equipment at deeply discounted prices. One piece of equipment — worth US$3.5 million — was purchased for $325,000 from an Ottawa area firm, either JDS Uniphase or Nortel Networks Corp. CPFC officials estimate that, if the facility were built today, the cost would be closer to $100 million.

“We had money on hand when the industry went south and we took full advantage of the savings,” says Charbonneau, adding that many pieces were picked up for 10 cents on the dollar. “We were also extremely lucky that we have seasoned engineers who spent a lifetime making photonic tools in the west end of Ottawa. These guys are extremely competent and a key strength for Canada.”

On the other hand, the telecom downturn had a significant negative impact on the ability of photonics firms to raise capital. CPFC expertise and facilities are therefore even more important to cash-strapped firms seeking to accelerate the entry of their products into the market.

CPFC’s backers assert that the facility’s potential impact could be huge, helping to re-energize Canada’s photonics industry and ensure its global leadership position. Comparisons are already being made to the groundbreaking Solid State Optoelectronics Consortium (SSOC) of the late 80s and early 90s. The SSOC was an extremely fruitful collaboration between IMS, Nortel and others. The collaboration led to key technology breakthroughs, fuelling Ottawa’s telecom equipment boom and thrusting Nortel and JDS into the forefront of the global marketplace.

“The CPFC is poised to create a second wave with the use of photonics in a wide variety of application areas,” says Dr Thomas Jackman, IMS’s director of materials technologies. “IMS has always chased impact and not money. That’s been the key to our success.”

At least one dozen contracts have already been signed with many more in negotiation. Charbonneau says that the facility will initially accept foreign contracts, adding that representatives from German and US companies were in attendance at the opening. Once the facility is fully booked, preference will be given to Canadian firms.

CPFC’s capacity will be shared among industrial and academic users, a split of roughly 75% to 25%. Until more firms are signed up, however, academic users will comprise approximately 35% of capacity.

HQP TRAINING

In its role as a resource in the training of highly qualified personnel, CPFC has entered into agreements with several photonics and related organizations. They include the Canadian Institute for Photonic Innovations, the National Optics Institute, Photonics Research Ontario and CMC Microsystems (formerly the Canadian Microelectronics Corp).

The latter will act as a broker for university researchers across Canada that need photonics-based devices for their research. Photonics is a new area for CMC, which is opening the first node of its national collaboratory in Toronto this month.

CPFC will also participate in the Washington DC-based Photonics Technology Access Program, allowing Canadian and US students reciprocal access to photonics facilities in both countries.

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