MicroAlign wins €2.5M EIC grant to scale fibre arrays
MicroAlign has secured a €2.5 million grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator, alongside an equity component, to industrialise its ultra-precision fibre-array manufacturing for quantum and advanced photonic applications.
As photonic quantum computing moves toward early commercialisation, demand for ultra-low-loss fibre-to-chip coupling is increasing.
Nanometer-scale misalignment can significantly impact photon efficiency, and conventional telecom-grade fibre arrays do not meet the stringent tolerances required for quantum systems and high-performance photonic integrated circuits.
MicroAlign’s patented active-alignment technology uses micro-actuators to position individual fibres with nanometer precision, enabling scalable, high-volume production while maintaining ultra-low optical loss.
The company plans to further miniaturise its platform in 2026, introducing arrays with channel pitches down to 127 µm to support higher-density photonic packaging.
The company will showcase its technology at OFC 2026 in the Netherlands Pavilion.
