Vector Photonics

Market position

The company describes itself as being at the forefront of an emerging PCSEL laser category, targeting the combined semiconductor laser market that Yole Développement forecast at $8.9bn by 2024, comprising a $5.1bn EEL market and a $3.8bn VCSEL market. Vector Photonics argues that because PCSELs offer advantages over both EELs and VCSELs, the whole combined market is addressable, with an initial focus on next-generation data centres.

Vector Photonics states that PCSELs are the only laser technology optimising power, speed and cost simultaneously, whereas competing technologies optimise only two of the three. Its devices can be made at any wavelength using existing EEL-like supply chain capability, while offering VCSEL-like surface emission for cheaper test and packaging. Unlike most other fab-lite or fabless photonics companies, the company says it keeps all design and production know-how in-house while using external foundries.

Technology

PCSELs use a photonic crystal that scatters light linearly in plane and orthogonally out of plane, producing surface emission while retaining in-plane feedback. The company cites resulting benefits including coherence and coherently coupled arrays (where laser elements are joined by a coupler region, enabling power scaling in n x n arrays toward kilowatt-level coherent power), solid-state array beam steering, wavelength flexibility across gain materials, and high speed and data rates. Because devices emit from the top surface they can be tested, packaged and integrated into PCBs and electronic assemblies more cheaply than edge emitters, while being fabricated with processes similar to those used for EELs. For free-space optical communication, the company highlights narrow, high-brightness, low-divergence, single-mode beams that couple into free-space optics without complex beam-shaping elements.

Go-to-market

The company works with semiconductor foundry partners for manufacturing and pursues commercialisation through grant-funded and revenue-generating development projects, including collaborations with the University of Glasgow and Innovate UK programmes, with an initial commercial focus on optical communications and data centres before printing, LiDAR, mobile consumer and sensing applications.

Manufacturers and system integrators in data communications and next-generation data centres, co-located optics and AI infrastructure, free-space optical communications (terrestrial and space-based), metal and plastic additive manufacturing, LiDAR, optical sensing, and mobile consumer devices, spanning industries including medicine, communications, defence, security, automotive and agriculture.

Geography

Headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, with fabrication outsourced to semiconductor foundry partners in multiple countries and research collaboration with the University of Glasgow; Innovate UK grant work has included the agency's first collaboration with Japan.

History

Company-published milestones begin with the world's first 'all-semiconductor' PCSEL in 2012, followed in 2014 by a device demonstrating simultaneous high power, coherence and phase control, and in 2015 by 2D optical beam shaping and steering. In 2019 the group produced what it describes as the world's first 1550nm PCSEL, aimed at telecoms. Vector Photonics was formed as a separate company in March 2020, the same year PCSELs were produced in a commercial fab to confirm volume-production readiness and £2.4m of UK Government grants were awarded. A £1.6m equity investment followed in 2021, and in 2023 the company recorded a £2.4m equity investment plus £3.3m of UK Government grants. In June 2024 it announced a further £1.667m equity round alongside £1.27m of research funding.

Risks & controversies

The founder has described the spin-out and IP licence negotiation with the university as the biggest obstacle faced, taking about two years, and has noted that UK university commercialisation policies can produce arrangements that deter investors and demotivate founders. Operating from incorporation through the COVID-19 pandemic restricted access to lab facilities, delaying planned work, and limited trade show attendance and in-person investor meetings.