Please note: This is a Sole Source Notification. For our application, Tower is the only foundry whose process features align with our performance and integration needs. Its silicon layer resolution of 100 nm outperforms AMF (140 nm) and IMEC (140 nm), enabling lower optical loss and higher efficiency. The first silicon nitride layer also offers finer resolution (100 nm versus 210 nm at AMF), which is essential for minimizing excess loss. Critically, Tower is the only foundry that provides a second silicon nitride layer, allowing for advanced multi-layer photonic designs that are central to our work. In addition, Tower offers three metal layers (compared to two at AMF and IMEC), enabling more compact and complex routing, and uniquely provides two MIM capacitor layers, which are unavailable at the other foundries and necessary for our circuit functionality. These combined features make Tower the only viable option to meet the technical demands of our application.
