Image-guided needle procedures - such as taking biopsies in screening cancerous tumours - are becoming increasingly important in clinical practice. Today, physicians are severely hampered by the lack of precision in positioning the needle tip. Real-time tissue-characterization feedback at the needle tip during these procedures can significantly improve the outcome of diagnosis and treatment, and reduce the cost of oncology treatment. Spectral tissue sensing using photonic needles has the promise to be a valuable diagnostic tool for screening tumours, as shown by several clinical trials. However, for widespread adoption the cost and size of these photonic needle systems - in particular the spectrometer console - needs to be improved dramatically. The realization of a low-cost miniature system is limited by three key challenges: • Broadband (VIS+NIR) illumination • Broadband (VIS+NIR) sensitivity • Integration of the system InSPECT will address these challenges by developing and integrating photonic building blocks for low-cost miniaturized spectral tissue sensing devices. This involves the realization of a miniature broadband (400-1700 nm) solid-state light source, based on phosphor and quantum-dot converted LEDs, and the realization of a miniature low-cost integrated VIS+NIR spectrometer. For the spectrometer integration we will follow 2 approaches: • The micro-spectrometer, a moderate risk approach based on the miniaturisation and monolithic integration of diffractive dispersive elements and VIS+NIR photo-detectors in a small volume (cubic inch) device, and • The nano-spectrometer, a higher risk approach in which the spectrometer function is realized in a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) based on transparent SiO/SiN waveguide technology. This is a unique, novel, and timely approach to realize the key photonics building blocks for low-cost miniature spectrometers that will drive the adoption of spectral sensing in applications that were not accessible before.

Photonics is essential in today’s life science technology. PIX4life will mature a state of the art silicon nitride (SiN) photonics pilot line for life science applications in the visible range and pave the way to make it accessible as an enabler for product development by a broad range of industrial customers. We aim at 1) establishing a validated CMOS compatible SiN technology platform in the visible range for complex densely integrated photonics integrated circuits (PICs), 2) developing a supply chain to integrate mature semiconductor laser sources and CMOS detector arrays with the SiN PICs on the basis of technologies that are scalable to high volume, 3) establishing appropriate design kits and tools, 4) demonstrating the performance of the pilot line for well-chosen life science applications in the domain of vital sensing, multispectral sources for super-resolution microscopy, cytometry and 3D tissue imaging, 5) setting up the logistics for multi-project-wafer (MPW) access to the pilot line. Integrated photonics has demonstrated that optical functions can be realized in a more compact, robust and cost-effective way by integrating functionalities on a single chip. At present industrialization is limited to telecom applications at infrared wavelengths. The field of life sciences is heavily dependent on bulky and expensive optical systems and would benefit enormously from low cost photonic implementations. However this field requires a visible light PIC-technology. Proof of concept demonstrations are abundant, but pilot line and manufacturing capacity is limited, inhibiting industrial take up. PIX4life will drive the future European RTD in visible photonic applications for life sciences by bridging technological research (via participation of 2 academic and 2 research institutes) towards industrial development (via participation of a foundry, two large companies and 9 fabless SME’s, either technology suppliers or life science end users).

PIXAPP will establish the world’s first open access Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) assembly & packaging Pilot Line. It combines a highly-interdisciplinary team of Europe’s leading industrial & research organisations. PIXAPP provides Europe’s SMEs with a unique one-stop-shop, enabling them to exploit the breakthrough advantages of PIC technologies. PIXAPP bridges the ‘valley of death’, providing SMEs with an easy access route to take R&D results from lab to market, giving them a competitive advantage over global competition. Target markets include communications, healthcare & security, which are of great socio-economic importance to Europe. PIXAPP’s manufacturing capabilities can support over 120 users per year, across all stages of manufacturing, from prototyping to medium scale manufacture. PIXAPP bridges missing gaps in the value chain, from assembly & packaging, through to equipment optimisation, test and application demonstration. To achieve these ambitious objectives, PIXAPP will; 1) Combine a group of Europe’s leading industrial & research organisations in an advanced PIC assembly & packaging Pilot Line facility.2) Develop an innovative Pilot Line operational model that coordinates activities between consortium partners & supports easy user access through a single entry point. 3) Establish packaging standards that provide cost-efficient assembly & packaging solutions, enabling transfer to full-scale industrial manufacture. 4) Create the highly-skilled workforce required to manage & operate these industrial manufacturing facilities.5) Develop a business plan to ensure Pilot Line sustainability & a route to industrial manufacturing. PIXAPP will deliver significant impacts to a wide stakeholder group, highlighting how industrial & research sectors can collaborate to address emerging socio-economic challenges.