Vector Photonics brings PCSEL testing in-house
Innovate UK grant has allowed company to develop accelerated life testing (ALT) for its innovative laser technology
Vector Photonics has announced that an Innovate UK, LIFT grant has enabled the company to develop an in-house, accelerated life testing (ALT) capability for its high-power PCSELs.
The 1030nm PCSELs are being developed for next-generation, 3D metal printing as part of the BLOODLINE project; also funded by Innovate UK, but within the international Eureka project framework. Vector Photonics’ high-power PCSELs have a unique combination of increased power, reduced cost, and improved performance. This enables fast, high resolution, 3-D metal printing with less post-production finishing.
Calum Hill (pictured above), principal development engineer at Vector Photonics, who secured the LIFT grant, explains, “The LIFT grant, which is for £100,000, comes from Innovate UK’s resilience fund, helping companies recover from the impact of Covid. We have used it to fast-track the development of our own in-house, life test capability. By bringing this service in-house, we have helped accelerate the commercialisation of high-power PCSELs, as outsourcing often causes delays.”
The Bloodline project has linked Vector Photonics with a Japanese, epitaxy manufacturer for wafer supply; a group of leading, industrial equipment manufacturers for product assessment; and the UK’s Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult for other testing requirements.
