INGENIOUS secures €7.6M for next-gen TFLN PICs
The INGENIOUS project, a European-Canadian consortium funded under the Eureka Xecs cluster, has secured €7.6 million to address a critical limitation in next-generation Thin-Film Lithium Niobate (TFLN) photonic integrated circuits (PICs): the lack of integrated light sources and detectors.
TFLN is widely recognised as a high-performance platform for next-generation PICs, offering ultra-fast modulation, sub-1V driving voltages, and low optical losses. However, its inability to generate or detect light has limited the development of fully integrated photonic systems. The INGENIOUS project aims to close this gap by developing a production-grade platform that combines TFLN with InP-based lasers and detectors, integrated at wafer scale using micro-transfer printing (µTP). This approach will enable a single TFLN die to perform all key photonic functions like generation, modulation, routing, detection and eliminating the need for complex hybrid assemblies and unlocking new levels of scalability for telecom, data centre, AI, and quantum applications.
Lightium AG is leading the platform development with a €3.1 million investment, the largest single share of the consortium’s budget. As the first open-access 200 mm TFLN foundry, Lightium will develop the wafer-scale TFLN and InP integration process, expand its production-grade process design kit to include active and nonlinear components, and provide end-to-end support for design enablement, testing, and packaging readiness. The project strengthens Lightium’s roadmap to deliver sovereign, scalable, and high-performance photonic manufacturing infrastructure in Europe.
The consortium brings together key players across the PIC value chain, including foundries, technology providers, design and tool companies, packaging specialists, and end-users. Demonstrators will focus on real-world applications in telecom and data centre interconnects, proving the platform’s viability for commercial deployment.
By integrating lasers and detectors natively into TFLN, the INGENIOUS project marks a significant step toward fully integrated, high-performance photonic systems, setting the stage for the next generation of scalable PIC technologies.
