{"id":4124,"date":"2025-09-25T10:42:41","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T08:42:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silicon-austria-labs.com\/?p=4124"},"modified":"2026-07-30T09:32:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T07:32:23","slug":"sal-unveils-first-8-inch-tfln-wafer-for-scalable-integrated-photonics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silicon-austria-labs.com\/en\/sal-unveils-first-8-inch-tfln-wafer-for-scalable-integrated-photonics\/","title":{"rendered":"SAL Unveils First 8-Inch TFLN Wafer for Scalable Integrated Photonics"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAL has successfully processed its first 8-inch thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) wafer for integrated photonics, marking a major milestone in European photonic innovation. Developed entirely in-house at SAL\u2019s Villach cleanroom facility, this achievement showcases the R&D center\u2019s growing capabilities in advanced materials and wafer-scale photonic integration. TFLN is a key enabler for high-speed, low-loss optical components, and SAL\u2019s achievement paves the way for scalable, high-performance photonic systems across telecom, quantum, and sensing applications.<\/strong><\/p>\n

SAL\u2019s breakthrough in processing an 8-inch thin-film lithium niobate wafer is the result of a unified and carefully engineered process. Central to this achievement is a proprietary hard-mask deposition technique, which includes a specially developed adhesion layer to ensure high etch selectivity and process reliability. Together with this, SAL focused on the development of stitching-free electron beam lithography, followed by precision etching and post-etch cleaning steps \u2014 all optimized for large-area uniformity. The entire process was executed at SAL\u2019s advanced cleanroom facility in Villach, leveraging close collaboration with tool suppliers to push the boundaries of wafer-scale photonic integration.<\/p>\n

Mohssen Moridi, Senior Executive Director<\/strong> states \u201cThis achievement marks more than the successful processing of an 8-inch wafer\u2014it is the first milestone of a broader plan to open scalable photonic manufacturing to a wider community. Starting next year, we will provide access to 8-inch TFLN MPW runs, enabling partners to benefit from faster fabrication cycles, reduced chip cost per wafer, and improved quality and yield. It\u2019s a proud moment for our team and a significant step for Europe\u2019s photonic ecosystem.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Scaling photonics: SAL's 8-inch TFLN wafer unlocks next-gen applications<\/h2>\n

The successful processing of an 8-inch TFLN wafer unlocks a broad range of opportunities across advanced photonic applications. SAL envisions this platform as a versatile enabler for technologies in telecom and datacom, detection and ranging, RF photonics, and quantum information systems. Its compatibility with other photonic platforms \u2014 such as silicon and silicon nitride \u2014 further enhances its utility, allowing hybrid integration that combines the high bandwidth and low energy-per-bit advantages of lithium niobate with the maturity and scalability of existing ecosystems.<\/p>\n

This work has been supported by multiple funded and industrial projects, and will contribute to PIXEurope, a European photonics pilot line initiative aimed at accelerating the industrial adoption of advanced integrated photonics. This milestone positions SAL as a key enabler in the evolving European photonics landscape.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis achievement is the result of a dedicated team effort over the past three years. We focused on developing a reliable and scalable process for thin-film lithium niobate, and while we are proud of this milestone, we recognize that there is still work ahead to refine the technology and make it accessible to a broader audience.,<\/em> adds Tommaso Cassese, Staff Scientist from the Integrated Photonics team at SAL.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Shaping the future of photonics<\/h2>\n

SAL will continue to refine its TFLN processing capabilities and explore integration with other photonic platforms. The next steps include scaling the process, engaging with industrial partners, and contributing to European initiatives such as PIXEurope to accelerate commercialization and adoption of advanced photonic technologies.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Contact<\/strong>
\nLisa Kainz, MA
\nBusiness Development
\nMicrosystems<\/p>\n

lisa.kainz@silicon-austria.com<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SAL has success\u00adfully processed its first 8-inch thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) wafer for inte\u00adgrated photo\u00adnics, marking a major miles\u00adtone in Euro\u00adpean photonic inno\u00adva\u00adtion. Deve\u00adl\u00adoped enti\u00adrely in-house at SAL\u2019s Villach clean\u00adroom faci\u00adlity, this achie\u00adve\u00adment show\u00adcases the R&D centers\u2019 growing capa\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties in advanced mate\u00adrials and wafer-scale photonic inte\u00adgra\u00adtion. TFLN is a key enabler for high-speed, low-loss optical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4127,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":{"isevent":false,"location":"","eventdate":null,"eventtime":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/silicon-austria-labs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/silicon-austria-labs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/silicon-austria-labs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silicon-austria-labs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silicon-austria-labs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4124"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/silicon-austria-labs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4130,"href":"https:\/\/silicon-austria-labs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4124\/revisions\/4130"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silicon-austria-labs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/silicon-austria-labs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silicon-austria-labs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silicon-austria-labs.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}