SAL Unveils First 8-Inch TFLN Wafer for Scalable Inte­grated Photo­nics

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’s Villach clean­room faci­lity, this achie­ve­ment show­cases the R&D centers’ growing capa­bi­li­ties in advanced mate­rials and wafer-scale photonic inte­gra­tion. TFLN is a key enabler for high-speed, low-loss optical compo­n­ents, and SAL’s achie­ve­ment paves the way for scalable, high-perfor­mance photonic systems across telecom, quantum, and sensing appli­ca­tions.

SAL’s 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 — all opti­mized for large-area unifor­mity. The entire process was executed at SAL’s advanced Clean­room faci­lity in Villach, lever­aging close colla­bo­ra­tion with tool supp­liers to push the boun­da­ries of wafer-scale photonic inte­gra­tion.

Mohssen Moridi, Senior Execu­tive Director states: “This achie­ve­ment marks more than the successful process­ing of an 8-inch wafer — it 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’s a proud moment for our team and a signi­fi­cant step for Euro­pe’s photonic ecosystem.”

Scaling photo­nics: SAL’s 8-inch TFLN wafer unlocks next-gen appli­ca­tions

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 — such as silicon and silicon nitride — 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.

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.

“This 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.”, adds Tommaso Cassese, Staff Scien­tist from the Inte­grated Photo­nics team at SAL.

Shaping the future of photo­nics

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.

CONTACT
Lisa Kainz, MA
Busi­ness Deve­lop­ment
Micro­sys­tems

lisa.kainz@silicon-austria.com