Irish specialist in micro-transfer printing technology for integrating III-V semiconductors onto silicon photonic chips at wafer scale.
X-Celeprint specializes in micro-transfer printing technology — a precision process for picking up tiny functional components (lasers, photodetectors, solar cells) from their native wafers and placing them onto different substrates like silicon photonic chips. Their core capability enables hybrid integration of materials that cannot be manufactured together, such as combining III-V semiconductors (GaAs, InP) with silicon platforms. They operate at the intersection of advanced manufacturing and photonics, contributing pilot-line scale production capabilities to European consortia developing next-generation optical transceivers, solar cells, and photonic integrated circuits.
Core technology across all four projects — MICROPRINCE (wafer-level pilot line), Caladan (optical transceivers), INSPIRE (InP on SiN integration), and HIPERION (multijunction solar cells).
Caladan and INSPIRE both target hybrid photonic platforms combining III-V materials with silicon/SiN, while MICROPRINCE developed the pilot manufacturing line enabling this.
Caladan involved GaAs quantum dot lasers, and INSPIRE focuses specifically on indium phosphide components transferred onto silicon nitride.
HIPERION targeted 30% efficiency solar cells using optical micro-tracking and multijunction architectures, applying micro-transfer printing to photovoltaics.
MICROPRINCE built a pilot line for wafer-level micro-transfer printing; HIPERION included pilot production lines and demonstration sites.
X-Celeprint began with foundational manufacturing work on micro-transfer printing pilot lines (MICROPRINCE, 2017) and early silicon photonics assembly (Caladan, 2019). Their focus then broadened in two directions: applying their transfer printing expertise to energy applications through high-efficiency solar cells (HIPERION, 2019), and pushing toward more advanced photonic integration with indium phosphide on silicon nitride platforms (INSPIRE, 2021). The trajectory shows a company maturing from process development toward increasingly complex material combinations and higher-value photonic applications.
X-Celeprint is moving toward wafer-scale heterogeneous photonic integration, positioning them as a key enabler for next-generation datacom and telecom optical circuits.
X-Celeprint operates exclusively as a specialist participant, contributing their micro-transfer printing expertise to larger consortia rather than leading projects themselves. With 38 unique partners across 13 countries, they connect into diverse European networks while maintaining a focused role. This pattern suggests they are a sought-after technology provider — teams recruit them specifically for their transfer printing capabilities, making them a reliable and specialized consortium partner.
X-Celeprint has collaborated with 38 unique partners across 13 countries, indicating strong European reach despite being an Ireland-based company. Their network spans photonics research institutes, semiconductor manufacturers, and solar energy developers across the EU.
X-Celeprint holds a rare niche: they are one of very few European companies specializing in micro-transfer printing at wafer scale — a process critical for integrating different semiconductor materials onto a single chip. This makes them a bottleneck technology provider; any consortium needing to combine III-V materials with silicon photonics platforms will struggle to find an alternative partner with comparable pilot-line experience. Their ability to bridge photonics, solar energy, and semiconductor manufacturing in a single process technology gives them unusual versatility for a company of their size.
