lithium niobateLiNbO3
PPLN Λ = 6.82 µm · 1064 → 532 nm · 2 px/µm
lithium niobate / 07 History / 7.10

7.10 Into the AI data center

2023–2026

L1 Narrative

2023-2026 · 20 events

From 2023 most events in this chapter concern manufacturing and finance, and vendors tie them to AI infrastructure (HyperLight's 2026 Series C is “to accelerate TFLN deployment for AI infrastructure” [Summit Partners 2026 rec]). Silicon Austria Labs showed an 8-inch thin-film wafer processed in-house in 2025 [Silicon Austria Labs 2025 rec]; earlier 8-inch claims come from Chinese press reports (D7). In 2026 HyperLight partnered with the foundry UMC for 6- and 8-inch production [Business Wire 2026 rec], and MediaTek led its Series C [Summit Partners 2026 rec]. China issued a national standard for thin-film LN modulator wafers [GB/T 46611-2025 2025 rec]. Switzerland spun out a foundry, CCRAFT [CSEM 2025 rec]. Lithium tantalate, LN's sibling and the phone-filter crystal, entered integrated photonics [Wang et al. 2024 rec].

Dated news ticker — Every item from 2021-10 on with its date, source and status badge; vendor, reporter and institution claims tagged; filters by region and by kind.
Kind
Region
DateItemKindStRef
2026-09-11Integrated electro-optic circulator on TFLN for bidirectional fiber transmissionPAPERrecDOI
2026-06-18HyperLight raises USD 80 M Series C led by MediaTekFUNDINGrecURL
2026-03-26imec: TFLN and LiTaO3 modulators integrated on silicon photonics by micro-transfer printingINSTITUTION CLAIMINSTITUTIONrecURL
2026-03-17OFC 2026: 1.6T-DR8 TFLN reference transceiver (single CW laser, 20 W) with TFCVENDOR CLAIMPRODUCTrecURL
2026-03-11HyperLight, UMC and Wavetek partner for high-volume TFLN production on 6- and 8-inch wafersVENDOR CLAIMFOUNDRYrecURL
2026-02High-speed heterogeneous lithium tantalate silicon photonics platformINSTITUTION CLAIMPAPERrecDOI
2026-01-19Ligentec and X-FAB add TFLN-on-SiN and TFLN-on-SOI at 200 mmFOUNDRYrecURL
2025-10-31China issues national standard GB/T 46611-2025 for LN single-crystal thin films for EO modulatorsSTANDARDrecURL
2025-09-28Transfer-printed TFLN MZMs on foundry silicon photonics: 2 km 160 GBd PAM-4 O-band linkPAPERrecDOI
2025-09-25Silicon Austria Labs unveils an 8-inch TFLN wafer processed in its Villach cleanroomFOUNDRYrecURL
2025-08-15Volume manufacturing of TFLN modulators > 110 GHz on 4-inch wafers with a quartz handlePAPERrecDOI
2025-06-23ELENA announces Europe's first commercial LNOI wafer supplier (150 mm); Soitec to supply CCRAFTPRODUCTSURL
2025-05-13CSEM spins off CCRAFT, a pure-play TFLN foundry in NeuchatelVENDOR CLAIMFOUNDRYrecURL
2025-04-28TDG Holding says 8-inch LN/LT wafers are in mass productionVENDOR CLAIMPRODUCTSURL
2025-04-07AFR reports volume shipment of 96 and 130 GBd TFLN coherent driver modulators; debuts a 400 Gb/s/lane TFLN chipVENDOR CLAIMPRODUCTrecURL
2024-11-20Q.ANT launches a photonic processor using TFLN modulator arraysVENDOR CLAIMPRODUCTS-
2024-09-24HyperLight raises USD 37 M Series BFUNDINGSURL
2024-09CHIPX (SJTU Wuxi) TFLN pilot line opens; first 6-inch TFLN wafer reported 2025-06FOUNDRYSURL
2024-05-23Lithium tantalate photonic integrated circuits for volume manufacturingPAPERrecDOI
2023-09Anpai completes an 8-inch TFLN design-plus-fab line in Wuhan (reporter claim)REPORTER CLAIMFOUNDRYSURL
2023-03-16Ultrafast tunable lasers using LN integrated photonics (Si3N4-LiNbO3)PAPERrecDOI
2023-01-06'Lithium niobate photonics: Unlocking the electromagnetic spectrum' (review)PAPERrecDOI
2023Lightium founded in Zurich (TFLN design, foundry, packaging) after work at CSEMFOUNDRYSURL
2022-10Luxtelligence incorporated in Lausanne as an EPFL spin-off (TFLN foundry and PDK)FOUNDRYrecURL
2022-07-01TFLN dual-polarization IQ modulator on silicon substrate for single-carrier 1.6 Tb/sPAPERrecDOI
2022-01-20Dual-polarization thin-film LN IQ modulators: sub-1-V drive, 110 GHz, 1.96 Tb/s net single wavelengthPAPERrecDOI
2022-01-01ELENA: EU project for a European LN photonic platform and LNOI supply starts (coordinator CSEM)FUNDINGrecURL
2021-11-25On-chip electro-optic frequency shifters and beam splittersPAPERrecDOI
2021-10-22Fujitsu Optical Components commercializes a compact thin-film LN modulator (200 GBaud class)VENDOR CLAIMPRODUCTrecURL
  1. 2026-09-11 Integrated electro-optic circulator on TFLN for bidirectional fiber transmission paperverified recordsource
  2. 2026-06-18 HyperLight raises USD 80 M Series C led by MediaTek fundingverified recordsource
  3. 2026-03-26 imec: TFLN and LiTaO3 modulators integrated on silicon photonics by micro-transfer printing institutioninstitution claimverified recordsource
  4. 2026-03-17 OFC 2026: 1.6T-DR8 TFLN reference transceiver (single CW laser, 20 W) with TFC productvendor claimverified recordsource
  5. 2026-03-11 HyperLight, UMC and Wavetek partner for high-volume TFLN production on 6- and 8-inch wafers foundryvendor claimverified recordsource
  6. 2026-02 High-speed heterogeneous lithium tantalate silicon photonics platform paperinstitution claimverified recordsource
  7. 2026-01-19 Ligentec and X-FAB add TFLN-on-SiN and TFLN-on-SOI at 200 mm foundryverified recordsource
  8. 2025-10-31 China issues national standard GB/T 46611-2025 for LN single-crystal thin films for EO modulators standardverified recordsource
  9. 2025-09-28 Transfer-printed TFLN MZMs on foundry silicon photonics: 2 km 160 GBd PAM-4 O-band link paperverified recordsource
  10. 2025-09-25 Silicon Austria Labs unveils an 8-inch TFLN wafer processed in its Villach cleanroom foundryverified recordsource
  11. 2025-08-15 Volume manufacturing of TFLN modulators > 110 GHz on 4-inch wafers with a quartz handle paperverified recordsource
  12. 2025-06-23 ELENA announces Europe's first commercial LNOI wafer supplier (150 mm); Soitec to supply CCRAFT productsecondary onlysource
  13. 2025-05-13 CSEM spins off CCRAFT, a pure-play TFLN foundry in Neuchatel foundryvendor claimverified recordsource
  14. 2025-04-28 TDG Holding says 8-inch LN/LT wafers are in mass production productvendor claimsecondary onlysource
  15. 2025-04-07 AFR reports volume shipment of 96 and 130 GBd TFLN coherent driver modulators; debuts a 400 Gb/s/lane TFLN chip productvendor claimverified recordsource
  16. 2024-11-20 Q.ANT launches a photonic processor using TFLN modulator arrays productvendor claimsecondary only
  17. 2024-09-24 HyperLight raises USD 37 M Series B fundingsecondary onlysource
  18. 2024-09 CHIPX (SJTU Wuxi) TFLN pilot line opens; first 6-inch TFLN wafer reported 2025-06 foundrysecondary onlysource
  19. 2024-05-23 Lithium tantalate photonic integrated circuits for volume manufacturing paperverified recordsource
  20. 2023-09 Anpai completes an 8-inch TFLN design-plus-fab line in Wuhan (reporter claim) foundryreporter claimsecondary onlysource
  21. 2023-03-16 Ultrafast tunable lasers using LN integrated photonics (Si3N4-LiNbO3) paperverified recordsource
  22. 2023-01-06 'Lithium niobate photonics: Unlocking the electromagnetic spectrum' (review) paperverified recordsource
  23. 2023 Lightium founded in Zurich (TFLN design, foundry, packaging) after work at CSEM foundrysecondary onlysource
  24. 2022-10 Luxtelligence incorporated in Lausanne as an EPFL spin-off (TFLN foundry and PDK) foundryverified recordsource
  25. 2022-07-01 TFLN dual-polarization IQ modulator on silicon substrate for single-carrier 1.6 Tb/s paperverified recordsource
  26. 2022-01-20 Dual-polarization thin-film LN IQ modulators: sub-1-V drive, 110 GHz, 1.96 Tb/s net single wavelength paperverified recordsource
  27. 2022-01-01 ELENA: EU project for a European LN photonic platform and LNOI supply starts (coordinator CSEM) fundingverified recordsource
  28. 2021-11-25 On-chip electro-optic frequency shifters and beam splitters paperverified recordsource
  29. 2021-10-22 Fujitsu Optical Components commercializes a compact thin-film LN modulator (200 GBaud class) productvendor claimverified recordsource

L2 Numbers and mechanisms

Into the AI data center

Wafer size, dated statements.

DateWaferStatementStatus
20123-inch LNOIreviewV [Poberaj et al. 2012]
2020-084- and 6-inch TFLN PICspaperV [Luke et al. 2020]
2023-098-inch TFLN line, Wuhan (Anpai)reporter claimS [Sina 2024]
2025-048-inch LN/LT bulk wafers, mass production (TDG)company via pressS [Cailian Press 2025]
2025-066-inch TFLN wafer (CHIPX, Wuxi)trade pressS [C114 2025]
2025-06150 mm Europe-made LNOI (ELENA, Soitec)trade pressS [PIC Magazine 2025; optics.org 2025]
2025-084-inch TFLN on quartz handle, > 110 GHz, Vπ < 3 VpaperV [Liu et al. 2025]
2025-098-inch TFLN wafer (SAL, Villach)institutionV [Silicon Austria Labs 2025]
2026-01200 mm TFLN-on-SiN and TFLN-on-SOI (Ligentec, X-FAB)foundryV [X-FAB 2026]
2026-036- and 8-inch TFLN (HyperLight, UMC, Wavetek)releaseV [Business Wire 2026]

Devices and integration. Lithium tantalate PICs on SOI-compatible lines, motivated by the LT wafer supply built for 5G filters [Wang et al. 2024 rec]. Micro-transfer-printed TFLN MZMs on imec silicon photonics, 2 km 160 GBd PAM-4 in the O-band [Declercq et al. 2025 rec]; heterogeneous LT on silicon photonics [Niels et al. 2026 rec]; imec's “double world-first” of both crystals on one platform [imec 2026 rec]. A TFLN electro-optic circulator: up to 37 dB isolation over 14 THz, 400G per polarization bidirectional coherent transmission [St-Arnault et al. 2026 rec]. Review of integrated PPLN OPOs [Wang et al. 2026 rec].

Money and products (vendor or press): AFR volume shipment of 96 and 130 GBd TFLN coherent driver modulators and a 400 Gb/s per lane chip debut (2025-04-07) [AFR 2025 rec]; HyperLight 1.6T-DR8 reference transceiver at 20 W with one CW laser (2026-03-17) [Business Wire 2026 rec]; HyperLight Series B USD 37 M (2024) [Lightwave 2024 S] and Series C USD 80 M led by MediaTek (2026-06-18) [Summit Partners 2026 rec]; CCRAFT USD 7.8 M (2026-07) [CSEM 2026 rec]; 3.2T OSFP on TFLN at 450 Gb/s per lane, ECOC 2026 [EIN Presswire 2026 S].

China. GB/T 46611-2025, “Lithium niobate single-crystal thin film for electro-optic modulator”, issued 2025-10-31, in force 2026-05-01, drafted by 36 organizations led by Jinan Jingzheng (NANOLN), including universities, chip makers and module makers [GB/T 46611-2025 2025 rec].

L3 Sources and status

26 sources cited on this page
ClaimSourceStatus
HyperLight-UMC-Wavetek 2026-03-11 (Business Wire) / 2026-03-12 (UMC, press)archived releaserec
CEO: “The era of TFLN as a niche technology is over.”optics.org 2026S
Every “first 8-inch” claimsee D7disputed

References

  1. HyperLight announces $80 million Series C to accelerate TFLN deployment for AI infrastructure (2026). HyperLight announces $80 million Series C to accelerate TFLN deployment for AI infrastructure. Issued 2026-06-18. www.summitpartners.com/news/hyperlight-announces-80-million-seri…
  2. SAL Unveils First 8-Inch TFLN Wafer for Scalable Integrated Photonics (2025). SAL Unveils First 8-Inch TFLN Wafer for Scalable Integrated Photonics. Issued 2025-09-25. silicon-austria-labs.com/en/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4124
  3. HyperLight, UMC, and Wavetek Announce Strategic Partnership for High-Volume Foundry Production of TFLN Chiplet Platform (2026). HyperLight, UMC, and Wavetek Announce Strategic Partnership for High-Volume Foundry Production of TFLN Chiplet Platform. Issued 2026-03-11. web.archive.org/web/20260311212337/https://www.businesswire.com/…
  4. GB/T 46611-2025 Lithium niobate single-crystal thin film for electro-optic modulator (2025). GB/T 46611-2025 Lithium niobate single-crystal thin film for electro-optic modulator. Issued 2025-10-31. std.samr.gov.cn/gb/search/gbDetailed?id=42BA7D06A44DE936E06397BE…
  5. TFLN photonic foundry emerges from CSEM spin-off (2025). TFLN photonic foundry emerges from CSEM spin-off. Issued 2025-05-13. www.csem.ch/en/press/tfln-photonic-foundry-emerges-from-csem-spi…
  6. Wang et al., Nature 629 784-790 (2024). Lithium tantalate photonic integrated circuits for volume manufacturing. Issued 2024-05-08. doi:10.1038/s41586-024-07369-1
  7. Poberaj et al., Laser & Photonics Reviews 6 488-503 (2012). Lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) for micro‐photonic devices. Issued 2012-02-15. doi:10.1002/lpor.201100035
  8. Luke et al., Optics Express 28 24452 (2020). Wafer-scale low-loss lithium niobate photonic integrated circuits. Issued 2020-08-03. doi:10.1364/oe.401959
  9. Yicai report on Anpai Optoelectronics and Jiufengshan Laboratory (via Sina) (2024). Yicai report on Anpai Optoelectronics and Jiufengshan Laboratory (via Sina). Issued 2024-08-27. finance.sina.cn/2024-08-27/detail-incmaynh4172882.d.html
  10. TDG Holding: 8-inch LN/LT wafers in mass production (Cailian Press) (2025). TDG Holding: 8-inch LN/LT wafers in mass production (Cailian Press). Issued 2025-04-28. www.cls.cn/detail/2358012
  11. CHIPX first 6-inch TFLN wafer (C114) (2025). CHIPX first 6-inch TFLN wafer (C114). Issued 2025-06-09. m.c114.com.cn/w5285-1290717.html
  12. optics.org (2025). Laser 2025: CCRAFT and Lightium push thin-film lithium niobate PICs. Issued 2025-06-25. optics.org/news/laser-2025-ccraft-and-lightium-push-thin-film-li…
  13. PIC Magazine (2025). EU project announces Europe's first commercial supplier of LNOI wafers. Issued 2025-06-23. picmagazine.net/article/121970/EU_project_announces_Europe%E2%80…
  14. Yang Liu et al., Light: Advanced Manufacturing 6 1 (2025). Volume manufacturing of thin-film lithium niobate modulators with bandwidth > 110 GHz based on 4-inch wafer with a quartz handle. Issued 2025. doi:10.37188/lam.2025.047
  15. Ligentec and X-FAB expand integrated photonics offering with SOI and thin-film lithium niobate volume scaling (2026). Ligentec and X-FAB expand integrated photonics offering with SOI and thin-film lithium niobate volume scaling. Issued 2026-01-19. www.xfab.com/news/details/article/ligentec-and-x-fab-expand-inte…
  16. Jakob Declercq et al., 2025 European Conference on Optical Communications (ECOC) 1-4 (2025). 320 Gb/s Unamplified Transmission Using 1 00 GHz Ge PD and TFLN MZM on a Foundry-Compatible SiPh Platform Co-Packaged with Traveling-Wave Drivers and TIAs. Issued 2025-09-28. doi:10.1109/ecoc66593.2025.11263113
  17. Margot Niels et al., Nature Photonics 20 225-231 (2026). A high-speed heterogeneous lithium tantalate silicon photonics platform. Issued 2026-02. doi:10.1038/s41566-025-01832-9
  18. A double world-first: integrating lithium niobate and lithium tantalate modulators on silicon photonics through micro-transfer printing (2026). A double world-first: integrating lithium niobate and lithium tantalate modulators on silicon photonics through micro-transfer printing. Issued 2026-03-26. imec-int.com/en/articles/double-world-first-integrating-lithium-…
  19. Charles St-Arnault et al., Nature Photonics (2026). Integrated electro-optic circulator on thin-film lithium niobate for bidirectional optical fibre transmission. Issued 2026-09-11. doi:10.1038/s41566-026-02008-9
  20. Zhenyu Wang et al., Applied Physics Reviews 13 031312 (2026). On-chip nonlinear photonics: Advances and challenges in integrated PPLN optical parametric oscillators. Issued 2026-09-01. doi:10.1063/5.0315274
  21. AFR at OFC 2025: TFLN coherent driver modulators in volume shipment (2025). AFR at OFC 2025: TFLN coherent driver modulators in volume shipment. Issued 2025-04-07. www.fiber-resources.com/medias/140.html
  22. HyperLight 1.6T-DR8 TFLN reference transceiver (Business Wire China) (2026). HyperLight 1.6T-DR8 TFLN reference transceiver (Business Wire China). Issued 2026-03-17. www.businesswirechina.com/en/news/62386.html
  23. Lightwave (2024). HyperLight secures $37M in new funding. Issued 2024-09-24. lightwaveonline.com/home/article/55142234/hyperlight-secures-37m…
  24. CCRAFT photonic chips: Switzerland scaling (2026). CCRAFT photonic chips: Switzerland scaling. Issued 2026-07-02. www.csem.ch/en/press/ccraft-photonic-chips-switzerland-scaling/
  25. Genuine Optics unveils 3.2T OSFP module with 450 Gb/s lanes at ECOC 2026 (2026). Genuine Optics unveils 3.2T OSFP module with 450 Gb/s lanes at ECOC 2026. Issued 2026-09. www.einnews.com/pr_news/943821166/genuine-optics-unveils-3-2t-os…
  26. optics.org (2026). HyperLight-UMC-Wavetek report with CEO quote. Issued 2026-03-12

Events of 7.10

20 events; status per event
DateEventWhoRefSt
2023-09Anpai completes an 8-inch TFLN design-plus-fab line in Wuhan (reporter claim)URLS
2024-05-23Lithium tantalate photonic integrated circuits for volume manufacturingChengli Wang, Zihan Li +4DOIrec
2024-09CHIPX (SJTU Wuxi) TFLN pilot line opens; first 6-inch TFLN wafer reported 2025-06URLS
2024-09-24HyperLight raises USD 37 M Series BURLS
2024-11-20Q.ANT launches a photonic processor using TFLN modulator arrays-S
2025-04-07AFR reports volume shipment of 96 and 130 GBd TFLN coherent driver modulators; debuts a 400 Gb/s/lane TFLN chipURLrec
2025-04-28TDG Holding says 8-inch LN/LT wafers are in mass productionURLS
2025-05-13CSEM spins off CCRAFT, a pure-play TFLN foundry in NeuchatelHamed Sattari (CEO)URLrec
2025-06-23ELENA announces Europe's first commercial LNOI wafer supplier (150 mm); Soitec to supply CCRAFTURLS
2025-08-15Volume manufacturing of TFLN modulators > 110 GHz on 4-inch wafers with a quartz handleYang Liu, Zihan Zhou +3DOIrec
2025-09-25Silicon Austria Labs unveils an 8-inch TFLN wafer processed in its Villach cleanroomMohssen MoridiURLrec
2025-09-28Transfer-printed TFLN MZMs on foundry silicon photonics: 2 km 160 GBd PAM-4 O-band linkJakob Declercq, Shengpu Niu +2DOIrec
2025-10-31China issues national standard GB/T 46611-2025 for LN single-crystal thin films for EO modulatorsURLrec
2026-01-19Ligentec and X-FAB add TFLN-on-SiN and TFLN-on-SOI at 200 mmURLrec
2026-02High-speed heterogeneous lithium tantalate silicon photonics platformMargot Niels, Tom Vanackere +3DOIrec
2026-03-11HyperLight, UMC and Wavetek partner for high-volume TFLN production on 6- and 8-inch wafersMian Zhang (CEO)URLrec
2026-03-17OFC 2026: 1.6T-DR8 TFLN reference transceiver (single CW laser, 20 W) with TFCURLrec
2026-03-26imec: TFLN and LiTaO3 modulators integrated on silicon photonics by micro-transfer printingURLrec
2026-06-18HyperLight raises USD 80 M Series C led by MediaTekURLrec
2026-09-11Integrated electro-optic circulator on TFLN for bidirectional fiber transmissionCharles St-Arnault, Charles Laperle +3DOIrec