News: Optoelectronics
20 January 2026
LIGENTEC and X-FAB expand integrated photonics collaboration
LIGENTEC SA of Lausanne, Switzerland – which provides silicon nitride (SiN) and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platforms with heterogeneous integration of thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) and III-V materials – and analog/mixed-signal and specialty foundry X-FAB Silicon Foundries SE of Tessenderlo, Belgium have expanded their collaboration to further strengthen their integrated photonics offering and streamline customer access to advanced photonic technologies. The announcement marks the next step in aligning their portfolios to address growing demand across communication, computing, quantum and sensing markets.
As part of this expansion, the partners will jointly bring X-FAB’s XPH90 silicon photonics technology to market through its integration into LIGENTEC’s broader photonics platform portfolio, creating a unified ecosystem spanning both SOI and established low-loss silicon nitride (SiN) technologies. LIGENTEC will serve as the primary customer interface, providing a streamlined and coherent entry point to both high-bandwidth SOI solutions and its established low-loss SiN platform.
Together, these platforms address a wide range of application requirements, from high-speed, high-volume datacom and telecom to advanced computing, quantum and sensing systems. The SiN technology continues to gain significant traction and expands capabilities across multiple markets, while SOI adds a dedicated solution for bandwidth- and integration-driven datacom and telecom applications.
A central pillar of the collaboration is the industrialization of heterogeneous integration technologies across both the SiN and SOI platforms, addressing the integration of key active and passive building blocks, including lasers, optical amplifiers, high-speed modulators, and photodetectors. A particular focus will be placed on thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) technologies, enabling advanced electro-optic capabilities for high-performance, next-generation communication and signal-processing systems.
Picture: A 200mm wafer with photonic integrated circuits.
To support this vision, the partners will invest in scaling high-speed TFLN-on-SiN and TFLN-on-SOI within the X-FAB foundry ecosystem on 200mm wafer technologies. This step supports a clear path from advanced R&D to industrial-scale production and strengthens Europe’s position in next-generation photonic integration.
Through this unified go-to-market approach, customers are expected to benefit from a broader and more coherent technology portfolio, early engagement at the system and application level, and a reliable transition from prototyping to volume manufacturing. The collaboration further reinforces the partners’ ambition to build a robust, industrial-scale supply chain for integrated photonic technologies.
“Our collaboration with LIGENTEC to co-develop and co-market XPH90 SOI technology alongside their low-loss silicon nitride platform is a powerful response to the market’s need for versatile, scalable photonics,” says X-FAB’s CEO Rudi De Winter. “By fostering this heterogeneous integration, particularly with thin-film lithium niobate, we are providing the essential building blocks for quantum computing and the next generation of telecommunications and data communications systems. This collaboration reinforces our commitment to developing a robust, industrial-scale high-volume European photonics supply chain,” he adds.
“Our goal has always been to offer a seamless transition from prototyping to volume production,” says LIGENTEC’s CEO Thomas Hessler. “By expanding our partnership with X-FAB, we are giving our customers early access to a broader technology stack that now includes X-FAB’s XPH90 SOI technology, as well as high-volume thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) integration. This technology enables cutting-edge performance and helps our partners stay at the forefront of innovation in sensing, connectivity and computing applications.”
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