Every year in late October/early November, our two-week PIC Design Course takes place in Eindhoven. The participants, engineers and scientists with a background in photonics, learn how to get the best out of PIC technology and circuit design using the powerful JePPIX building blocks. In this testimonial series, previous participants tell us about their experience. This time it’s the experience of Denis Omeragic, Test Engineer at the Photonic Integration Technology Centre (PITC).
“I joined PITC in the Photonic Integration Group (PhI) at TU Eindhoven in November 2023 as a Test Engineer to help expand the high-volume test initiatives that the photonics industry is pursuing. Prior to this, I worked for nearly five years at Texas Instruments as a Process and Equipment Engineer in the functional wafer level test group. In this role, I worked almost exclusively with electrical chips and had no experience with Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs). When I joined PITC, it was highly recommended to me by my colleagues and supervisor to attend the JePPIX PIC Design Course in order to get a tailored crash course that will help me perform my best in my new position.
When I saw the agenda for the two-week course, I must say I was quite impressed and excited. The theoretical courses were given by academics who have dedicated years to this field. It was the perfect way to recall some vital optics equations but also get exposed to new concepts such as the development and use of PIC building blocks, and how to test them. This was followed by lectures from industry experts who helped me see the similarities and differences between design, manufacturing, testing and packaging in photonics versus in pure electronics. To make things even better, we got to hand-pick a few interesting experiences that ranged from lab and cleanroom tours to small group sessions with a knowledgeable representative of your choice of PIC design software. The ample coffee breaks and delicious lunches helped us to stay sharp during these dense sessions! They also gave us the opportunity to sit and talk with lecturers and fellow students, many of which have travelled from different countries to attend. To make things even better, JePPIX also planned a city tour, an interactive dinner in the city center and two networking drinks. This helped visitors feel welcome to the city of Eindhoven and helped me strengthen the relationships I had developed with other students.
At the end of the day, after just two weeks of learning and networking, the PIC design course made me feel ready to become a direct contributor to integrated photonics academia and industry.”
