There's a small chip at the centre of many fast-growing technologies, including AI data centres, quantum computing and national defence systems. This chip, a type of photonic device, uses photons instead of electrons—particles of light rather than electricity—to move information at very high speeds with exceptional efficiency.
The National Research Council of Canada's Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre (CPFC), one of only a few facilities of its kind worldwide, makes these photonic devices using compound semiconductor materials. It supports companies across the photonics industry to bring their designs to market. As global demand for AI rises, the CPFC's compact, energy-efficient chips are helping to power faster, more economic AI data centres.
A tiny Canadian chip at the heart of AI tech: Transcript
[Upbeat instrumental music plays.]
[A narrator begins speaking off-screen in a clear, steady male voice.]
The world's most efficient AI, communication and defence technologies share a secret:
[A smart car, satellite, and plane appear one at a time. They are shown on the shiny surface of a disc on a yellow background.]
they use tiny photonic chips to move information at very high speeds.
[The circle fades into a wafer produced at the CPFC. The scene fades into an animation of a chip with fast-moving particles of blue light.]
Let's peek inside the Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre. Experts at the CPFC, located at the National Research Council of Canada,
[Scene shows technicians in protective gear working at the CPFC.]
make these tiny chips that power high-tech sectors.
[Close-up of the wafer being engraved by needles on top.]
These chips use photons, or light particles, instead of electricity, to send information. Because photons travel at the speed of light, communication is faster and more efficient.
[Animated sequence showing a photonic chip in a piece of technology, with fast-moving blue particles of light.]
The process starts with a shiny disc made from compound semiconductor materials. In a clean room free of dust,
[Back inside the CPFC, a shiny disc is being moved by an automated machine.]
technicians add microscopic layers of material on the disc.
[Animation showing a thin round disc. Additional layer of materials, represented by different shades of grey, get added on the surface of the disc.]
Then, they carve custom patterns on the disc that help guide photons through the chip.
[A pattern is drawn onto the surface of one square on the surface of the disc.]
Finally, the wafer is cut into thousands of chips, or photonic devices,
[The surface of the disc shows a grid of squares that will be cut into pieces.]
which range in size from a grain of sand to about the size of a staple.
[Scene shows two different finished end products. To show scale, a tweezer appears dropping a grain of sand.]
The photonic devices made at the CPFC power fibre-optic internet, connect AI data centres and drive advanced fields like aerospace, defence, medical imaging and quantum technologies.
[On a yellow background, a wafer projects holographic images above its surface, showing a globe, a data centre, a satellite, night vision goggles, smart glasses and a quantum computer.]
As the world races to build advanced systems, the CPFC keeps Canada at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies.
[A technician in the CPFC facility is walking and carrying a box of wafers. Fade to a wafer spinning in a machine. Fade to a technician looking through a microscope. Fade to a machine at the CPFC.]
[The background music fades to silence.]
[On screen: National Research Council signature on a black background.]
What are photons?
What are photons?
Photons are particles of light. Some can be seen by the human eye, while others fall on the invisible spectrum, such as infrared, ultraviolet and X-ray photons. Because photons travel at the speed of light, photonic devices are essential for building faster and more efficient internet, computing and communications technologies.
How are photonic devices made?
Inside the CPFC, technicians wear full protective gear to prevent contaminating the space with outside particles. The workspaces, called clean rooms, filter out dust particles that could damage the delicate surfaces of photonic devices.
The process begins with a thin, shiny disc made from compound semiconductor materials, including critical minerals such as gallium and indium. Over several weeks, technicians deposit layers of these materials at an atomic scale and selectively carve precise patterns into the materials. Each disc is custom-built to meet specific client needs. When finished, the disc—now called a wafer—is cut into thousands of individual chips.
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Phase 1: The base layer
The process begins with a thin, shiny disc made from semiconductor materials.
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Phase 2: Epitaxial growth
In a dedicated dust-free space, technicians add atomic layers of material on the surface of the disc.
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Phase 3: Processing
Experts carve the material to create a custom pattern to meet specific client needs.
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Phase 4: Cleaving
The disc, now called a wafer, is cut into thousands of individual units.
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The finished product
Each unit cut from the wafer is a photonic device.
Where are photonic devices used?
Photonic devices, which can range in size from a grain of sand to about as big as a staple, are designed to process and transmit information. They can be grouped into 4 functional categories, depending on how they generate, manipulate or detect photons.
Categories of photonic devices
Lasers
Convert electrical current into photons
Modulators
Manipulate photons to encode data
Amplifiers
Enhance the optical power of signals
Detectors
Detect photons and convert into electrical current
Photonic devices are key components in technologies that need to process information quickly and efficiently. They are used in many sectors, including:
- Data and telecommunications: Fibre optic networks, AI data centres and internet infrastructure
- Sensing and monitoring: Autonomous vehicles, robotics, medical imaging and environmental monitoring
- Aerospace and defence: Navigation tools, satellites and national security systems
- Computing: Machine learning and quantum computing
- Electronics: Virtual reality headsets and smart devices
Supporting Canada's innovation ecosystem
For more than 20 years, the CPFC has been transforming compound semiconductor materials into photonic devices that underpin technologies we use every day. The CPFC is modernizing its facilities to expand production from 3-inch to 4-inch wafers. This upgrade will increase production capacity and help meet the needs of Canada's growing technology sector.
As the world races to build AI infrastructure and next-generation technologies, the CPFC is driving innovations that enhance national security, reinforce Canada's technological sovereignty and secure our place in the global supply chain.