AIM Photonics Logo

 

American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics

Fast Facts

Established
July 2015
Website www.aimphotonics.com
Mission Advancing integrated photonic circuit manufacturing technology development while simultaneously providing access to state-of-the-art fabrication, packaging, and testing capabilities for small-to-medium enterprises, academia, and the government
Headquarters Albany, NY (photonic chip fabrication facility)
Rochester, NY (photonic chip test, assembly, and packaging facility)
Consortium Organizer Research Foundation for the State University of New York
Satellite Locations
  • Santa Barbara, CA
  • Tucson, AZ
  • Cambridge, MA
 
   
Institute Metrics
 as of September 2025
 
111    Member Organizations
Total Ongoing and Completed Projects
447    Technology Projects
194    Education and Workforce Development (EWD) Projects
Education and Workforce Development
15,000+    Participants in EWD Projects or Institute-led EWD Activities from FY20-FY25
Additional Info
Institute Snapshot
AIM Photonics offers start-ups, designers and developers, and academic researchers access to a supporting infrastructure of services across the entire silicon photonics development cycle: design, simulation, fabrication, packaging, validation, and a path to volume manufacturing. 


Institute Capabilities
Success Story Examples
  • AIM Photonics offers the U.S.'s first recurring integrated silicon photonic multi-project wafer (MPW) capability and the world's first 300mm MPW. These capabilities increase production efficiency, lower costs, and enable U.S. companies to advance DoD applications.
     
  • The institute’s capabilities enable the U.S. defense industrial base to advance telecom, chemical and biological sensing, precision navigation and timing, quantum computing, augmented reality/virtual reality, LiDAR, and hardware to scale artificial intelligence applications.
     
  • AIM Photonics’ workforce program is filling the manufacturing skills gap by providing hands-on education kits to more than 25 institutions across 10 states. These kits empower educators to develop relevant curricula and practical training — strengthening the photonics workforce pipeline.
     
  • The DoD now has guaranteed access to AIM Photonics’ $15B NanoTech foundry, enabling wafer runs every 3 months—far faster than typical yearlong waits. With advanced testing, assembly, and packaging, AIM speeds development from design to commercialization.
     
  • AIM Photonics, in partnership with the DoD, established a domestic quantum photonics capability with an open-access integrated circuit process, enabling precise light control to visible wavelengths and advancing next-generation defense technologies.