Under the coordination of micro resist technology GmbH, a consortium of 12 partners successfully applied for a concept phase with the joint project “PolyChrome Berlin – Photonic Integration Platform for Sensory and Analytical Applications in a Wide Wavelength Range – Berlin” within the framework of the call for proposals “RUBIN – Regional Entrepreneurial Alliances for Innovation” of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

The RUBIN Alliance

The RUBIN alliance PolyChrome Berlin is dedicated to one of the most important key technologies and future industries of photonics by establishing a technology platform for the realization of hybrid optical components, which will find application for example in sensor technology or analytics. These innovative photonic components are technological prerequisites not least for the comprehensive digitization of society and Industry 4.0.

The goals

With PolyChrome Berlin, a hybrid photonic integration platform is being developed with which a wide range of novel applications from the field of sensor technology and analytics can be realized cost-effectively and compactly. The development of a wide wavelength range from 400nm -1650nm, as well as the interaction of polymer- and silicon nitride-based optical waveguides in combination with the hybrid integration capability forms the basis for this. The performance of the PolyChrome platform will be demonstrated on six demonstrators.

The region

Around the medium of light, a high-tech branch with global appeal has emerged in the capital region of Berlin-Brandenburg. Here the alliance PolyChrome-Berlin wants to create further unique selling propositions for the region and open up new potentials. The alliance is already intensively anchored in the region. For example, a regional network with 126 members exists for the photonics sector. Against this background, sustainable processes can be developed and established to support a structural change.

The partners

The core competencies of the 12 partners from the RUBIN alliance PolyChrome cover the entire value chain necessary for the development of the technology platform and its commercial exploitation. The PolyChome RUBIN alliance includes:

• ADVA Optical Networking SE, Berlin
• Allresist GmbH, Strausberg
• Chembio Diagnostics GmbH, Berlin
• CODIXX AG, Barleben
• eagleyard Photonics GmbH, Berlin
• Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute, Berlin
• Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Potsdam-Golm
• LEONI Fiber Optics GmbH, Berlin
• Laser Center Hannover e.V., Hannover
• micro resist technology GmbH, Berlin
• Scienion AG, Berlin
• VPIphotonics GmbH, Berlin

Website: BMBF: Innovation & Strukturwandel

As a conclusion of three successful project years and with the foundation of PolyPhotonics e.V., the association presents itself in a short image film with the highlights of the past years.

As one of the milestones of the project, the automated assembly of all components of the PolyBoard was targeted and successfully demonstrated.
Here in the video you can see the assembly of a tunable laser using a ficonTEC assembly machine.

PolyPhotonics Berlin e. V., which emerged from the PolyPhotonics Berlin regional growth core of the same name and was officially founded at the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI in Berlin in April 2019, has begun its work. The aim of the newly founded association is to promote science and research related to the exploration and development of optical base elements for compact functional components using the polymer-based PolyPhotonics technology platform.

Board of PolyPhotonics Berlin e. V. (from left to right): Arne Schleunitz (micro resist technology GmbH), Crispin Zawadzki (Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute), Christian Kutza (FOC – fiber optical components GmbH)

Eleven founding members appeared at the inaugural meeting on April 10, representing well-known and established figures from the field of optical communication and sensor technologies with a regional focus on Berlin and Brandenburg. The board of directors is formed by Crispin Zawadzki (Fraunhofer HHI), Arne Schleunitz (micro resist technology GmbH) and Christian Kutza (FOC – fibre optical components GmbH). Other founding members are Allresist GmbH, eagleyard Photonics GmbH, Finisar Germany GmbH, Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V., Loptek GmbH, optricon GmbH, Sentech Instruments GmbH and VPIphotonics GmbH.

Eleven regional companies and three research institutions have joined forces within the PolyPhotonics Berlin growth core of the BMBF innovation initiative “Unternehmen Region”. In this alliance, the partners are able for the first time to realize comprehensive solutions in the application field of polymer-based optical components that are not yet available worldwide in this form. The aim is to develop innovative materials and processes for the production and assembly of photonic components that can be used in a wide range of applications. With the PolyPhotonics Berlin technology platform, a new technology is emerging on the world market alongside the established platforms based on semiconductors or glass, which is superior to the established approaches in many respects. The entrepreneurial vision of the alliance is to take over the world’s leading position in polymer-based integration technology and, in addition, to open up and make this platform available to other technology platforms, thereby opening up new fields of application, e.g. in medical or environmental technology.