Imagine trying to build complex computer chips that use light instead of electricity, but having no factory capable of making them in large quantities. This project sets up a professional production line in Europe to manufacture these light-based chips. It's like moving from a handmade boutique shop to a giant automated factory, making advanced tech available for everyone from small startups to big tech firms.
European companies lack a sovereign, high-volume industrial supply chain for silicon photonics, forcing them to rely on low-volume prototypes or non-EU foundries.
An industrial manufacturing capability for SOI and SiN photonics at X-FAB and a Customer Engagement Portal for user access.
If you are a network provider dealing with data bottlenecks in high-speed datacom — this project developed an industrial SOI platform that enables high-volume manufacturing of faster, light-based data chips.
If you are a quantum hardware developer dealing with signal loss in fragile circuits — this project developed a Silicon Nitride (SiN) platform optimized for ultra-low loss applications to make quantum chips production-ready.
If you are a sensor manufacturer dealing with the high cost of low-volume prototyping — this project developed a pilot line and multi-project wafer access to scale LIDAR chip production to industrial levels.
Based on available project data, specific pricing is not listed, but the project has launched a Customer Engagement Portal (www.photonixfab.eu) to provide access to technologies for prototyping and production.
Yes, the project specifically leverages X-FAB's volume capacity to accelerate the transfer from low-volume to large-volume manufacturing.
A licensing agreement between IMEC and X-FAB has already been finalized to enable the installation of the SOI platform for industrial use.
The project uses heterogeneous integration via transfer-printing to place active components like lasers and detectors from SMART Photonics onto SOI and SiN platforms.
The project runs from May 2023 to October 2026, with the Customer Engagement Portal already active as of March 2024.
The consortium is heavily industry-weighted with an 88% industry ratio, comprising 14 industrial partners and 2 research organizations. This structure, led by X-FAB and including giants like NVIDIA, Nokia, and Thales, indicates a strong commercial drive to move technology out of the lab and into the market. The presence of 8 SMEs suggests a healthy ecosystem for agile innovation supported by large-scale manufacturing capacity.
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