About Us

Members of NLM’s team in the lab. From L-R: Director of Materials Development Dr. Delwin L. Elder, Senior Scientific Advisor Dr Bruce H. Robinson, Communications Director Erica McGillivray, Director of Process Development Dr. Scott R. Hammond, Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Lewis E. Johnson, VP of Corporate Development David A. Sparks, Senior Research Scientist Dr. Kevin O’Malley and CEO Gerard Zytnicki. On computer screens: Accounting Oghale Agbro, Controller Marion Mundy and Director of Materials Strategy Dr. Stephanie Benight.

NLM Photonics is a photonics company developing cutting-edge electro-optic modulation technology for transforming networking, computing, and sensing alongside our partners in the US, Europe, and Japan.

Based on 20+ years of research from the University of Washington (UW), our technology enables low-voltage, low-power, high-performance transfer of data between electronics (the ubiquitous computer chip) and photonics (the technology used in fiber optics, LIDAR, and other groundbreaking technologies). NLM’s technology enables tighter and more efficient integration of current electronics and ultra-fast photonics. Photonics is a better way to move our current data deluge and develop the future of technology infrastructure.

Our industry and NLM’s origin story. 

In 2000, researchers at UW, the University of Southern California, and industrial collaborators reported a breakthrough in telecommunications technology from a team led by Professor Larry Dalton. This innovation — called an “opto-chip” — utilized high-performance organic electro-optic (OEO) materials and enabled ultra-efficient encoding of information on beams of light (photonics). The opto-chip was posited to enable real-world applications, such as ubiquitous broadband, real-time digital video delivery and conferencing, high-definition 3D displays, and integrated sensors for autonomous cars. These incredible technologies were futuristic when most people still accessed the internet through dial-up modems and DSL lines were state-of-the-art.

All the above technologies were invented using traditional semiconductors (CMOS) and fiber optics due to the power of Moore’s Law and conventional silicon-based infrastructure. However, as computing has become increasingly distributed and specialized, a demand has emerged for innovative technologies to handle the tremendous amounts of data moving between the cloud, edge devices, and the Internet of Things. This distribution of computing has not only abstracted its energy use and carbon footprint from consumers but also placed high demands on data center operators to optimize their infrastructure. We need new power-efficient, scalable solutions for this next-generation computing.

Over these past two decades, research developments at UW and elsewhere led to a transformation in electro-optic (EO) device technology, setting records in material electro-optic sensitivity and device efficiency, bandwidth, and size. Under our original company name, Nonlinear Materials Corporation, our team formed by combining these OEO researchers with veterans from Microsoft and the startup world, who bring a proven record of technological transformation.

Building the bridge between electronics and photonics

NLM’s hybrid EO technology spans applications in computing and networking, deployed through photonics foundries to meet customer needs. We continually optimize OEO materials and processing methods to tailor them to industry needs and requirements, improve performance in specific applications, and effectively integrate them into devices. Our materials and devices are scientifically-backed through rigorous R&D, with NLM’s current technology cited in over 50 peer-reviewed publications. The NLM team collectively accounts for several hundred peer-reviewed publications on OEO materials and related technologies over the last 20 years.

Our vision is that NLM’s hybrid EO technology will enable efficient photonic connectivity, bridging the best of CMOS, silicon photonics, and other technologies with high bandwidth and low power use. NLM’s hybrid EO technology will also provide critical capabilities for quantum computing and networking, mmWave communications, machine learning/AI, and other emerging technologies. We are partnering across the semiconductor industry, computing, and telecommunications ecosystem to make this happen.

Our team cannot wait to connect with you.  

We’re excited about the future and remain committed to our mission to bring photonic solutions for computing and high-speed communications to the world. Now’s the time. Won’t you join us? 

Locations

US HQ:

NLM Photonics 
4000 Mason Road, Suite 300
Seattle WA 98195, USA 

European HQ:

NLM Europe 
38 Rue de Berri 
75008 Paris, France