Insider Brief
- NLM Photonics and LIGENTEC have produced proof-of-concept silicon nitride organic hybrid (NOH) modulators on LIGENTEC’s commercial photonics platform.
- The devices combine LIGENTEC’s silicon nitride platform with NLM’s organic electro-optic materials to support active photonics at wavelengths beyond traditional silicon photonics.
- NLM and its partners are optimizing the technology for potential use in quantum photonics and sensing applications and future commercial NOH devices.
PRESS RELEASE — NLM Photonics, the leader in the development of organic electro-optic (OEO) technology, has partnered with LIGENTEC to produce the first Silicon Nitride Organic Hybrid (NOH) modulators on a commercial photonics platform.
Silicon absorbs light in the visible and near-visible spectrum, confining silicon photonics to telecom wavelengths. Silicon Nitride (SiN) has a much wider transparency window that extends into the visible spectrum, making it suitable for applications including visible wavelength sensing and quantum photonics. It also provides record low propagation losses in all wavelength regions from visible to 2.5mm. However, SiN is a passive platform: active devices such as lasers, modulators, and detectors require integration with other materials. These proof-of-concept modulators, designed in collaboration with Spark Photonics and built using NLM’s OEO materials, demonstrate a new path for heterogenous integration on SiN platforms.
To develop these proof-of-concept devices, NLM partnered with LIGENTEC for fabrication and Spark for layout. NLM developed processes needed for SiN/OEO integration, including metallization, OEO deposition, and poling, adapted for the unique considerations of the nitride platform.
“This collaboration is a key milestone in developing commercial NOH PICs,” said Dr. Lewis Johnson, co-founder and CTO of NLM Photonics. “Now that we have established that NOH modulators are possible, we can optimize designs to enable compact, efficient devices for the next generation of quantum and sensing applications.”
The Next Steps Toward Commercial NOH Devices
OEO materials exhibit high electro-optic efficiency and can be tuned to suit the demands of target applications. A supplemental metal layer and the OEO film are applied to the SiN platform as back-end-of line steps, enabling integration into mature existing SiN manufacturing processes. As NOH designs are optimized, this technology will form a scalable foundation for active SiN devices.
“LIGENTEC is building the future of photonics.” said Michael Geiselmann, co-founder and CCO of LIGENTEC. “NLM’s NOH modulator technology advances the state of the art, expanding the range of modulator technologies available on nitride. We are excited by initial progress on our low-loss SiN platform.”
“Spark Photonics has worked with NLM on silicon-organic hybrid modulator design on multiple foundry platforms,” said Kevin McComber, CEO, Spark Photonics. “Now, we are jointly advancing integrated photonics once again. This collaboration significantly lowers the barrier to entry for building efficient, high-speed active devices at wavelengths where traditional silicon cannot compete.”
Lewis Johnson will be available to discuss NLM’s proof-of-concept NOH modulator at ECOC 2026, taking place September 21-23 in Malaga, Spain. Join Dr. Johnson in the LIGENTEC booth (#1368) on Tuesday, September 22 at 1 PM CEST or learn more at nlmphotonics.com.
