European electro-optic and nonlinear PIC platform based on lithium niobate

Project Information

ELENA

Grant agreement ID: 101016138

DOI

10.3030/101016138

Project closed

EC signature date 15 December 2021

Start date 1 January 2022

End date 30 June 2025

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies - Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Total cost

€ 4 982 900,72

EU contribution

€ 4 982 900,63

Coordinated by

CSEM CENTRE SUISSE D'ELECTRONIQUE ET DE MICROTECHNIQUE SA - RECHERCHE ET DEVELOPPEMENT
Switzerland

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - ELENA (European electro-optic and nonlinear PIC platform based on lithium niobate)

Reporting period: 2024-07-01 to 2025-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

ELENA is set to transform the Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) industry with its innovative European LNOI platform. It aims to create the world's first open-access foundry for LNOI technology, providing advanced electro-optic and nonlinear capabilities. The project encompasses the entire supply chain, from producing 150 mm optical-grade LNOI wafers to high-yield foundry fabrication, PDK-based design software, and robust PIC packaging. This cost-effective open-access foundry, featuring a PDK library, will validate the technology through various prototypes for telecommunications, quantum technologies, and microwave photonics. The LNOI platform promises superior functionalities over a broad wavelength range, including high-speed electro-optic modulators, low-voltage switches, tuneable resonators, lasers, and on-chip nonlinear wavelength conversion, benefiting fields such as quantum technology, telecommunications, LiDAR, and sensing.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Since its launch, ELENA has delivered pioneering results that establish Europe at the forefront of thin-film lithium niobate on insulator (TFLN/LNOI) photonic integrated circuits. The project has achieved the world’s first process design kit (PDK) for TFLN, uniquely incorporating nonlinear optical building blocks for frequency generation and conversion. This capability unlocks a wide range of applications in telecommunications, quantum technologies, and advanced sensing.
ELENA also demonstrated the first LNOI wafers manufactured in Europe and laid the foundation for a dedicated open-access foundry for TFLN. These steps represent the cornerstone of a fully European supply chain for this strategic technology, which is increasingly critical for data centers driven by artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, quantum information processing, and emerging sensing applications.
Several proof-of-concept demonstrations were achieved using hybrid integration enabled by advanced photonic wire bonding, underlining the versatility and importance of LNOI across multiple domains. Together, these achievements set the basis for post-ELENA industrialization, where an open-access European foundry can deliver a seamless pathway from design to fully functional devices, supported by a strong and resilient European supply chain.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Before ELENA, there was no process design kit (PDK) for thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN/LNOI), no open-access foundry, and no European wafer supply for LNOI. ELENA has changed this landscape by establishing all three, thereby moving far beyond the state of the art. By the end of the project, these advances will mature into a sustainable open-access European foundry ecosystem, supported by a robust local supply chain. This will enable Europe to design and manufacture TFLN PICs fully within its borders, addressing strategic needs in AI data centers, quantum technologies, telecommunications, and advanced sensing, while strengthening European technological sovereignty and industrial competitiveness.

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