{"id":6848,"date":"2026-09-17T08:20:46","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T15:20:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nlmphotonics.com\/?p=6848"},"modified":"2026-09-17T08:20:51","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T15:20:51","slug":"nlm-photonics-and-ligentec-build-the-first-silicon-nitride-organic-hybrid-modulators-on-a-commercial-platform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nlmphotonics.com\/ja\/2026\/09\/17\/nlm-photonics-and-ligentec-build-the-first-silicon-nitride-organic-hybrid-modulators-on-a-commercial-platform\/","title":{"rendered":"NLM Photonics and LIGENTEC Build the First Silicon Nitride Organic Hybrid Modulators on a Commercial Platform"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Designed in collaboration with Spark Photonics, proof-of-concept devices demonstrate the viability of organic hybrid SiN devices.<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

SEATTLE \u2014 September 17, 2026 \u2014<\/strong> NLM Photonics<\/a>, the leader in the development of organic electro-optic (OEO) technology, has partnered with LIGENTEC<\/a> to produce the first Silicon Nitride Organic Hybrid (NOH) modulators on a commercial photonics platform.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silicon absorbs light in the visible and near-visible spectrum, confining silicon photonics to telecom wavelengths. Silicon Nitride (SiN) has a much wider transparency window that extends into the visible spectrum, making it suitable for applications including visible wavelength sensing and quantum photonics. It also provides record low propagation losses in all wavelength regions from visible to 2.5mm. However, SiN is a passive platform: active devices such as lasers, modulators, and detectors require integration with other materials. These proof-of-concept modulators, designed in collaboration with Spark Photonics<\/a> and built using NLM\u2019s OEO materials, demonstrate\u202fa new path for heterogenous integration on\u202fSiN\u202fplatforms.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To develop these proof-of-concept devices, NLM partnered with LIGENTEC for fabrication and Spark for layout. NLM developed processes needed for SiN\/OEO integration, including metallization, OEO deposition, and poling, adapted for the unique considerations of the nitride platform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis collaboration is a key milestone in developing commercial NOH PICs,\u201d said Dr. Lewis Johnson, co-founder and CTO of NLM Photonics. \u201cNow that we have established that NOH modulators are possible, we can optimize designs to enable compact, efficient devices for the next generation of quantum and sensing applications.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Next Steps Toward Commercial NOH Devices <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

OEO materials exhibit high electro-optic efficiency and can be tuned to suit the demands of target applications. A supplemental metal layer and the OEO film are applied to the SiN platform as back-end-of line steps, enabling integration into mature existing SiN manufacturing processes. As NOH designs are optimized, this technology will form a scalable foundation for active SiN devices.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLIGENTEC is building the future of photonics.\u201d said Michael Geiselmann, co-founder and CCO of LIGENTEC. \u201cNLM\u2019s NOH modulator technology advances the state of the art, expanding the range of modulator technologies available on nitride. We are excited by initial progress on our low-loss SiN platform.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSpark Photonics has worked with NLM on silicon-organic hybrid modulator design on multiple foundry platforms,\u201d said Kevin McComber, CEO, Spark Photonics. \u201cNow, we are jointly advancing integrated photonics once again. This collaboration significantly lowers the barrier to entry for building efficient, high-speed active devices at wavelengths where traditional silicon cannot compete.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lewis Johnson will be available to discuss NLM\u2019s proof-of-concept NOH modulator at ECOC 2026, taking place September 21-23 in Malaga, Spain. Join Dr. Johnson in the LIGENTEC booth (#1368) on Tuesday, September 22 at 1 PM CEST or\u202flearn more at nlmphotonics.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About NLM Photonics<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

NLM Photonics is architecting the future of photonic communications. Enabled by NLM\u2019s Selerion™ family of organic electro-optic material and leveraging standard silicon photonic manufacturing, NLM has created a blueprint for building energy-efficient, high-bandwidth photonic interconnects for data centers, AI infrastructure, and quantum networking. For more information, visit<\/em> nlmphotonics.com<\/em><\/a> or follow us on LinkedIn at<\/em> nlm-photonics<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About LIGENTEC SA<\/em><\/strong> 
LIGENTEC, headquartered in Switzerland, is a leader in advanced photonic integrated circuit (PIC) technologies, providing high-performance silicon nitride (SiN) and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platforms with heterogeneous integration of different materials. Through its industrial process-design-house model, LIGENTEC provides a scalable path from design to volume manufacturing for quantum technologies, optical communications, and precision sensing. The company operates subsidiaries in France and Belgium and is ISO 9001:2015 certified.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Spark Photonics Design<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spark Photonics Design (Spark Photonics) is a leading provider of PIC solutions, offering component, circuit, tile, and full-reticle design, layout, and PDK services across all material platforms. The company also sells and supports PIC design software from Luceda Photonics and provides PIC Kits designed for education, training, and measurement validation. For more information, visit<\/em> sparkphotonics.com<\/em><\/a> or follow Spark on LinkedIn at<\/em> spark-photonics<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Media Contact<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alex Crabb 
Caster Communications  
press-relations@nlmphotonics.com<\/a>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

401-318-2229 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Designed in collaboration with Spark Photonics, proof-of-concept devices demonstrate the viability of organic hybrid SiN devices. SEATTLE \u2014 September 17, 2026 \u2014 NLM Photonics, the leader in the development of organic electro-optic (OEO) technology, has partnered with LIGENTEC to produce the first Silicon Nitride Organic Hybrid (NOH) modulators on a commercial photonics platform.   Silicon absorbs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6849,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t