Photonics

The recent massive implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the consequent need for the hyper-scalers to deploy new datacentres ensuring low energy consumption and latency with large bandwidth and high transmission speed is driving the development of innovative optical transceivers, including co-packaged optics (CPO) solutions and the integration of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) partly replacing electrical with optical data transmission.

This requires the implementation of new optical interconnects to enable ultralow-loss fibre-to-chip connectivity.

At the intersection of innovation and precision, FEMTOPRINT empowers engineers and system designers with cutting-edge solutions for glass micro-connectors monolithically integrating micro-optical devices with micro-mechanical and photonic components. The integration of multiple functionalities is indeed a key-aspect mostly driven by the need for parallelization, serialization, smaller footprint, enhancement of the optical performance, simplification of the assembly processes without loss of performance, immediate availability, at large volumes, and competitive prices.

Our focus lies in 3D glass microfabrication of advanced optical interconnects to enable extensive, cost-effective deployment while simultaneously expanding system functionalities.

Tackling Today’s Challenges in Integrated Photonics

With the introduction of PICs as key components for the new generation of optical transceivers, the industry faces growing demands for precision, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.

We serve clients who need precise microfabrication technologies to manufacture efficient ultralow-loss PIC-to-fibre optical interconnects based on the monolithic integration of micro-optical, micro-mechanical and photonics devices. Key challenges include:

• Adoption of a new manufacturing technology: Laser microfabrication represents a new solution for the manufacturing of optical components. We support clients in assessing the manufacturability of their advanced optical devices with our maskless laser processing , which, differently from standard technologies, allows for both fully free-form surfaces and monolithic integration of several functionalities.
• Rapid development cycles: Nowadays staying competitive means being able to rapidly test innovative solutions without sacrificing performance and to implement them into new products without compromising on reliability. We use our fast-prototyping platform to support customers in accelerating their development cycles for the effective adoption of new disruptive optical components.

• Production scalability: Both new manufacturing technologies and innovative miniaturized/micro-optical devices can be adopted only when production can be rapidly and effectively scaled up. Our wafer-level manufacturing platform guarantees clients seamless scalability from prototyping to pilot production up to high-volume manufacturing.

Common Pain to Solve in the Photonics Market?

Our clients needs:

• advanced manufacturing to enable disruptive photonics solutions.
• low system complexity to reduce the costs for assembly and packaging.
• rapid prototyping to accelerate product development cycles.
• diversified supply chains to access multiple vendors and avoid supply disruption.
• production scale up to seamlessly enable industrial-level glass microfabrication.

Our Value Proposition

Here, how we meet those needs:

• design-for-manufacturing (DFM)services to ensure the manufacturability of disruptive photonics solutions with scalable production processes.
• monolithic integration of multiple optical and non-optical functionalities in a single transparent glass component to ease assembly and packaging.
• fast turnaround cycles to enable manufacturability assessment and optimization iterations on a scale of weeks.
• highly automatized wafer-level production technology to offer reliable production capabilities from low to high volumes.
• seamless transition to production to support clients from proof of concept and feasibility to prototyping and high-volume manufacturing.

The above unique selling points enable us to directly support demands for high-throughput production of glass micro-components for fiber-to-fiber and fiber-to-chip connectivity.

What We Deliver

• Glass fiber ferrules consisting of 1D/2D micro-hole arrays or V-grooves for ultra-precise fiber alignment, fully compatible with telecom/datacom packaging.
• 3D glass waveguides including couplers, splitters, spot-size converters (SSCs) and fan-in/-out structures (FIFOs) for efficient beam routing and signal manipulation.
• Freeform 3D micro-optical components, including micro-lenses, micro-mirrors, and micro-lens arrays (MLAs).
• Tailored monolithically integrated glass interconnects combining ultra-precise micromechanics with efficient (below 1dB losses) beam routing and shaping.
• Design-for-manufacturing (DFM) services combining optical simulation capabilities with extensive process know-how and manufacturing intelligence.

What Sets Us Apart

• Our glass 3D micro-fabrication capabilities enable the monolithic integration of multiple functionalities.
• We offer wafer-scale production of glass microdevices—with optical surface finish and micron-scale dimensional accuracy.
• We micro-machine exclusively glass, which has clear competitive advantages with respect to other materials (e.g. polymers): thermal stability, optical grade and applicability (qualification) for a broad range of applications.

Whether you are exploring fiber-to-chip or fiber-to-fiber optical connectivity, beam routing, beam shaping, optical coupling into quantum devices or biomedical/biophotonic systems FEMTOPRINT is your trusted partner in innovation.

Contact us to explore what we can create together.

As AI hyperscalers move data optically, the connector becomes the bottleneck. FEMTOPRINT builds the glass optical interconnects that co-packaged optics needs, monolithic fibre-to-chip routing at wafer scale. 

Waveguide and connector performance 

What are glass optical interconnects for co-packaged optics?

Monolithic glass components that route light between fibre and chip in co-packaged optics and PIC-based transceivers. Femtosecond-laser writing combines waveguides, micro-optics and alignment features in one glass body, replacing assembled multi-part interconnects.

How low-loss are FEMTOPRINT's glass waveguides?

Femtosecond-written 3D waveguides reach 0.25 dB/cm propagation loss and 0.15 dB/facet coupling loss, with a mode-field diameter of 8–9 µm at 1550 nm and crosstalk below –30 dB at 20 µm pitch.

Can glass photonic connectors be produced at datacenter volumes?

Yes. Wafer-level production up to 200 × 200 mm scales from prototyping to high-volume manufacturing, which is what AI-datacenter optical interconnect deployment requires.

Why use monolithic glass instead of assembled interconnects?

Monolithic glass self-aligns its integrated elements within ±1 µm, removing assembly steps, lowering packaging cost and improving optical performance versus multi-part interconnects.

Does FEMTOPRINT support fiber-to-chip and fiber-to-fiber connectivity?

Yes. Glass fibre ferrules with 1D/2D micro-hole arrays or V-grooves, plus 3D waveguides with couplers, splitters, spot-size converters and fan-in/fan-out structures, support both.