Aerotech, Santec, and SENKO launch revolutionary alignment system for co-packaged optics
Aerotech, Santec, and SENKO Advanced Components have unveiled PICAlign™, a cutting-edge active alignment system designed to meet the demands of high-volume Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) production.
As data centres and AI computing systems push for higher bandwidth, CPO modules require precise alignment of thousands of optical fibres to photonic integrated circuits (PICs).
Traditional methods cannot keep pace with the complexity and scale of modern CPO manufacturing. PICAlign overcomes these challenges by integrating high-speed motion control, synchronised multichannel optical measurement, and advanced alignment algorithms, achieving alignment within 0.2 dB of the global optimum in under a second.
Brian O’Connor, Aerotech’s VP of Growth and Strategy, said, “Our technology ensures nanometer precision and high throughput, enabling alignment routines that were previously impossible at production scale.” Ryan Vallance of SENKO added, “This collaboration delivers the speed, precision, and scalability the industry demands.”
The system, debuting at Photonics West 2026, promises to accelerate AI-ready optical networks and set a new standard in photonics manufacturing.
