BRIGHT PHOTONICS BV

Their core work

Bright Photonics is a Dutch SME specializing in photonic integrated circuit (PIC) design and the associated design tools and process kits that enable chip fabrication on indium phosphide and silicon photonics platforms. They provide design expertise and process design kits (PDKs) that bridge the gap between foundry manufacturing capabilities and circuit designers. Their work spans the full PIC development chain — from design software and simulation through packaging, assembly, and testing — serving both telecom/datacom applications and broader photonics innovation across Europe.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), Bright Photonics focused on foundational photonic integration — generic foundry concepts, process design kits, and indium phosphide semiconductor design through projects like EDIFY and L3MATRIX. From 2019 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward industrialization and scale-up: pilot lines (InPulse), mass manufacturing of transceivers (MASSTART), and ecosystem-building for broader SME adoption (PhotonHub Europe). This trajectory shows a clear move from R&D-stage design work toward manufacturing readiness and technology democratization.

Bright Photonics is moving from pure design expertise toward enabling wider industry adoption of photonic integration through pilot lines, manufacturing support, and SME innovation hubs.

How they like to work

Bright Photonics operates exclusively as a participant or third-party partner — never as coordinator — which is typical for a specialist SME that contributes deep technical expertise within larger consortia. With 102 unique partners across 19 countries from just 5 projects, they work in large, diverse consortia (averaging ~20 partners per project). This makes them an accessible and well-connected partner: easy to work with, experienced in multi-national teams, and unlikely to compete for project leadership.

Despite being a small company, Bright Photonics has built a remarkably broad network of 102 consortium partners across 19 countries, reflecting the pan-European nature of the photonics community. Their network is especially strong in the European photonics foundry and packaging ecosystem.

What sets them apart

Bright Photonics occupies a specific niche as a PIC design house that also develops the process design kits enabling others to use photonic foundries — they sit right at the interface between chip designers and manufacturers. For consortium builders, they bring both deep InP and silicon photonics design capability and hands-on experience with the manufacturing scale-up challenges that turn lab prototypes into producible components. Their participation in PhotonHub also means they understand the SME perspective on accessing photonics technology.

Highlights from their portfolio

• InPulse
  Their largest funded project (EUR 331,888), focused on building a self-sustained indium phosphide pilot line — directly addressing the gap between lab-scale and industrial PIC production.
• PhotonHub Europe
  A major pan-European photonics innovation hub (2021-2026) that positions Bright Photonics within the EU's flagship infrastructure for democratizing photonics access to SMEs.
• MASSTART
  Tackles the specific challenge of mass-manufacturing optical transceivers for terabit-era data centers — a high-demand commercial application of their core PIC expertise.