Hello Mystique,

I think the LEGO analogy is the easiest way to understand POET. Here you will find a summary of the different part of POET. If you look at NOTE 1 you will understand that a good part of the POET process was already validated in 2014 or before: ''POET’s partnership has successfully reproduced the POET technology as published, by producing and testing the critical electrical elements of POET Platform sub-process steps for transistors.''

In early 2014, they released the POET TDK documentation, here is a part of Rainer's blog, he is very neat in his explanations and I will never do better:

Until then POET Technologies is still busy, the Technical Development Kit (TDK) for the electronic components POET-complete (PET = POET without optics) finish. The PET / TDK summarizes these components together as a library of computer models. Chip designers need the TDK to so - surprise! - To design chips. Foundries need the TDK to integrate the electronic description of the PET components in their process and tool chains and thus to control the production of chips.

To compare with the familiar: If Lego is a certain number of basic elements from which everything else is composed. The figure shows two of them. Who knows the dimensions, other physical properties and the manufacturing process can theoretically produce even Lego blocks - apart from the legal issues once.

POET Technologies has developed the basic building blocks of POET-art and are described in the TDK documentation. This documentation is POET customers since April. Who wants to pay and, therefore, can play it. However, it would be a complicated and time-consuming affair, based solely on the TDK documentation to develop chips.

Who wants to design a Lego model that does indeed not only a description of the blocks, even if that would be possible in principle. It takes real stones laying, to see if and how it all fits together. Or you can use a modeling software. All the basic elements are in any quantity is available, and you can assemble them into arbitrarily complex objects.

TDK is a library with the POET components or initially only with the PET components. This library can be of use TCAD software (TCAD = Technology Computer Aided Design), with which to model and simulate integrated circuits. TCAD is a must for chip designers, but chips may consist of billions of primitives, which are to form a meaningful whole together and apply to the complex physical constraints. Without TCAD is nothing there.

This also applies to the foundries that can produce with the help of TCAD and PET / POET TDK chip developed by chip designer on their production lines.

In comparison: The computer-designed Lego model moves into production, and out comes the finished Lego railcar or the finished Lego city.
licensing program

POET will initially benefit from the licensing of the PET / TDK to customers. Thus, they can develop and manufacture chips. When selling the finished chips a revenue share for POET Technologies falls on.

Since the PET / TDK but needs more time to the end of September, can now even smoother and no money, it can now be even no news about initial revenues. Helpful for the stock price partnership agreements could be the future sales anticipate or at least made ​​more likely. Such agreements could convince that this technique has hand and foot and can generate more revenue investors - a prerequisite for a sustainable and significant price increase.

In september 2014, POET Technologies and Synopsys Collaborate on Advanced Modeling of Planar Electrical Technology and Development of POET’s First Process Design Kit

Since then, nothing indicates that POET pays Synopsys for that service. Like McNabbpa says, '' there are only a handful of companies that provide these TDK's and they do it for all the biggest chip manufacturers in the world. They also don't just fire one together for whomever pays them.....they only do it if the tech is considered "viable".''

In November 2014, POET Technologies Announces the Appointment of Ajit Manocha as Co-Chairman of the Board (yes it's THE Ajit Manocha previously CEO of GlobalFoundries!!!)

In February 2015, Completion of the “3rd Party Foundry” 40/100-nm Transfer Milestone

So they have successfully transferred the critical layers of the transistor fabrication process (40/100nm) into a fab environment.

In February 2015, POET Technologies Expresses Its Condolences on the Passing of Dr. Adam Chowaniec

He was an industry legend and his confidence in regards of POET remained strong all that hard time...

In March 2015, They announces the Signing of a Collaboration Agreement with BAE Systems

Yes, they pay BAE to provide non-exclusive third-party foundry services in support of the Company’s “Lab-to-Fab” transition plan. The most important is that they can keep 100% of their IP.

Dr. P.C. Chao, Technical Director at BAE Systems (note that he is not from POET and has nothing to win by promoting this technology) :

“The POET technology incorporates silicon processes into GaAs integrated circuits, producing multifunction chips such as photonics and electronics that will provide enhanced commercial and military products,” “Working with BAE Systems will enable the acceleration and maturation of the POET fabrication process for a faster prototype demonstration and a smoother transition to manufacturing.”

Same press release, they announced without fanfare the formation of a Technology Roadmap Advisory Board comprising of Dr. Geoff Taylor, Ajit Manocha, and Tony Blevins. Blev's who? This is a guy that was working at Apple when the NR was released.

April 2015, POET Technologies Announces the Appointment of Two New Directors

Todd A. DeBonis is a veteran semiconductor executive with over 27 years of expertise in sales, marketing and corporate development. For the last decade, Mr. DeBonis was the Vice President of Global Sales and Strategic Development at TriQuint Semiconductor. Link with Apple.

David E. Lazovsky Prior to founding Intermolecular, Mr. Lazovsky held several senior management positions at Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT)

Mr. Lazovsky holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Ohio University and, as of March 31, 2014, held 41 pending or issued U.S. patents.

April 2015, POET Technologies announces appointment of Dr. Subhash Deshmukh as COO. Most recently, Dr. Deshmukh has been Vice President of Emerging Technologies and Products at Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMAT). Dr. Deshmukh holds a PhD in Chemical Sciences, has authored and co-authored over 55 technical articles and has been granted over 27 patents, with several patents pending.

Dr. Deshmukh commented: “I see tremendous potential with POET Technology’s innovative approach to combining Si based IC’s with III-V materials based optical components on the same chip that could revolutionize the mobility, telecommunications/networking, large data management, and other technology sectors. I am very excited to be part of the team to drive this innovation into the market”.

I'm not a tech savvy and my lack of English skills make it hard for me to explain. But I see very skilled people joining the POET team. They are industry veterans, PhD's, inventors, industry biggest companies, world class CEO and VP +++ We will probably never know where they are, at the moment, in the lab to fab transition plan. But you don't enter in a foundry without anything substantial. And by the way POET attract very skilled people, it gotta be something AWESOME.

Do I see through rose-colored glasses? I don't think so.