News: Optoelectronics
15 July 2026
Vector Photonics developing packaging to speed adoption of PCSELs
Vector Photonics Ltd of the West of Scotland Science Park (which was spun off from the University of Glasgow in 2020, based on research led by professor Richard Hogg) has begun a new program that addresses a critical and growing challenge in advanced photonics manufacturing: the lack of scalable, thermally efficient and resource-effective packaging for photonic crystal surface-emitting lasers (PCSELs).
The firm’s project Accelerated Manufacturing for PCSEL Packaging Solutions (AMPPS) adds a critical manufacturing capability into Vector Photonics’ manufacturing process, paving the way for industry’s first high-power, high-brightness, large-area surface-emitting laser platforms that are optimized for data-center applications and silicon photonics integration.
“As global demand for high-bandwidth optical interconnects accelerates driven by AI, current laser supply chains are becoming constrained by thermal bottlenecks, yield limitations and dependence on a narrow set of device and packaging technologies,” notes CEO Dr Richard Taylor. “AMPPS responds directly to this need by exploring new, manufacturable packaging architectures that improve performance, reduce waste, and enhance supply chain resilience across multiple UK growth sectors.”
Vector Photonics reckons that PCSELs are ideally positioned to deliver optical communications and integrated photonics in next-generation networks. PCSELs improve system performance because of their mode purity, low divergence, and efficient coupling across various platforms. Vector Photonics says that its new packaging initiative will enable PCSEL technology to overcome real-world system-level constraints. It will deliver packaged demonstrators, thermal optimized assembly concepts, process flow documentation, and design kits.
“Our AMPPS program strengthens the UK’s position in global photonics value chains, accelerates the commercialization of PCSEL technology, and lays the foundation for future growth in resource-efficient, resilient UK-based manufacturing for high-performance optical communications,” says Taylor.
Vector Photonics is exhibiting in stand 1468 at the European Conference on Optical Communications (ECOC 2026) at the FYCMA – Trade Fairs and Congress Center in Malaga, Spain (21–23 September).
Vector Photonics demos free-space optical communication using PCSEL outside of a lab
