Lightium Thin-Film Lithium Niobate PIC Foundry Platform

Lightium AG is a Swiss photonics start-up and thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) foundry based in Schlieren, Switzerland. It aims to make TFLN photonic integrated circuits available at volume for AI data centres, telecom and sensing, where faster and lower-voltage optical modulators are needed.

The platform produces TFLN PICs on 200 mm wafers in a high-volume foundry environment, with claimed modulation above 100 GHz, half-wave voltage of 1 V or less and a transparency window from 350 to 5,500 nm, plus strong nonlinear optical properties. Process design kits are offered for C-band, O-band, 780 nm and 830 nm, and services run from rapid prototyping to volume production. The platform is currently in closed beta with early access on request; customers are developers of transceivers, quantum devices and photonic sensors.

• TFLN PIC platform: thin-film lithium niobate circuits on 200 mm wafers.
• High-speed modulation: more than 100 GHz bandwidth with half-wave voltage of 1 V or less.
• Broad transparency: operation from 350 nm to 5,500 nm with strong nonlinearities.
• Multi-band PDKs: design kits for C-band, O-band, 780 nm and 830 nm.
• Foundry services: rapid prototyping through to volume production.
• Test and packaging ecosystem: partnerships with MPI Corporation, Axiomatic_AI and PHIX.

Vietnamese chip design teams and universities can join Lightium's early access to prototype TFLN modulators. Optical module makers serving AI data centres can evaluate TFLN-based transceiver designs. Quantum and photonic sensing research groups can use visible and near-infrared PDKs for experiments.

TFLN modulators with bandwidth above 100 GHz and drive voltage at or below 1 V can cut transceiver power and support higher data rates. A wide transparency window from visible to mid-infrared opens uses beyond telecom, such as quantum and sensing. 200 mm wafer production offers a path from prototypes to volume. Ready PDKs for four wavelength bands shorten design time.

AI data centre links at 1.6T and beyond need modulators with higher bandwidth and lower power than silicon alone can easily deliver, and TFLN is a leading candidate. Quantum and sensing applications also need low-loss nonlinear materials. Asian test and packaging partners, such as in Taiwan, help bring TFLN to volume supply chains that also reach Southeast Asia.

Based at Wagistrasse 13, Schlieren, Switzerland. Raised about USD 7 million in seed funding (September 2024) and non-dilutive funding (2024); reached the Venture Kick final stage (February 2025). Member of the INGENIOUS consortium (about €7.6M, October 2025). Partners include MPI Corporation (Hsinchu, Taiwan), Axiomatic_AI and PHIX; supported by Swiss Photonics, Innosuisse and the Ansys Startup Program.