Keynote talk at CORNERSTONE’s industry training day

On 8th September, David and Lia attended an industry training day led by the silicon photonics foundry CORNERSTONE, where Lia was the keynote speaker. The event was held in partnership with Luceda Photonics, a design platform for photonic integrated circuits.

The training day showcased CORNERSTONE’s capabilities and how it can help the attendees to achieve their research goals. As a rapid prototyping foundry, CORNERSTONE supports scientists in translating their silicon photonics concepts into physical products with the potential for commercialisation. Importantly for entrepreneurs, the foundry uses processes that are compatible with industry, allowing for scaled-up manufacturing later.

In her keynote talk, Lia spoke about her experience of working with CORNERSTONE and how they are enabling her own entrepreneurship. In particular, Zero Point Motion’s inertial sensor chips need to be optimised through many iterations, and the foundry’s multi-project-wafer service has helped to accelerate this evolution.

In less than a year, CORNERSTONE helped Lia go from only having a hand-fabricated research device to independently designing and testing the earliest prototype chips. Making that transition has also been invaluable in Zero Point Motion’s bids for further funding, since it demonstrates that the technology is much closer to being market-ready.

Luceda Photonics is also helping to drive innovation in silicon photonics. They offer software specifically tailored to designing photonic integrated circuits, allowing scientists and engineers to test and perfect their designs virtually before prototyping.