Photonic Integrated Circuit Architectures for Scalable System Objectives (PICASSO)

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative proposals for the development of photonic integrated circuit architectures for scalable system objectives. The goal of the program is to investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems. Proposed research should focus on very large-scale photonic circuits and should not primarily result in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice. The program consists of two phases, with Phase 1 expected to last around 12 months and Phase 2 expected to last around 18 months. • The program is open to all types of organizations, including non-traditional defense contractors and non-profit research institutions. • The program encourages teaming arrangements and the use of commercial foundries and processes. • The program requires the development of a design repository and the delivery of designs to the repository. • The program has a strong preference for domestic photonic foundries and assembly and packaging services. • The program requires the protection of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and the implementation of a plan to meet NIST SP 800-171, DoDI 8582.01, and CMMC Level 2 compliance within 4 months.