Scaling all nitride photonic integrated circuits for future markets
The Sensing and Communication markets are predicted to increase tremendously over the next few years, especially pushed from medical instrumentation, diagnostics, autonomous driving, quantum computing and communication. Photonic Integration, the ability to shrink complex optical systems on a small chip, is one of the key technologies with an enabling and highly disruptive potential in those verticals.

LIGENTEC has developed a unique thick Silicon Nitride (SiN) technology which enables the manufacturing of Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) at better performance and lower cost than common approaches. The technology has reached TRL 7 and gained a lot of customer traction in prototyping. 

LIGENTEC has estimated its serviceable available market in the Sensing and Communication segments of €400m by 2023 and €1.5bn by 2027 respectively. First customers are ready to enter volume manufacturing in 2022/2023. 

This EIC project focus is to industrialise the manufacturing processes and prepare for scale-up including a quality control line for production and certify the technology to industry standards. It is strategic to the company as it enables LIGENTEC to enter the volume market.

At the end of this project LIGENTEC will:
•	Have World leading PIC technology for quantum, LiDAR and Space vertical at industrial scale
•	Setup and validated a quality control and metrology line
•	Have certified reference designs to industry standards allowing easier design for customers enabling new applications in new markets
•	Be ready to enter volume market and acquire customers with a need of PICs up to 1’000’000 units / year
•	Have demonstrated increased production repeatability, yield and proven product reliability

LIGENTEC is managed by an experienced team which has successfully scaled a high-tech business in photonics in the past.