Accelerating Europe's Photonics Lab-to-Fab Journey

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Photonics enables new approaches in areas where traditional technologies are running up against their physical limits. And Europe's technological sovereignty is at stake.

www.eetimes.eu, Oct. 07, 2024 – 

Photonics–the science of generating, emitting, detecting, collecting, modulating and amplifying photon beams–is a critical catalyst for progress in sectors such as optical data communications, imaging, lighting and displays, manufacturing, medical, military and defense. Photonics enables new approaches in areas where traditional technologies are running up against their physical limits. And Europe's technological sovereignty is at stake.

The European photonics industry is the world's second-largest supplier of photonics components and systems, with market prospects of up to €175 billion by 2027, according to the 2024 report compiled by the European Technology Platform Photonics21. However, pressure is mounting, with China's market share having risen from 10% to more than 30% in the past two decades and its photonics production predicted to reach €315 billion by 2025.

To alert the EU and raise awareness at the highest level, Photonics21, along with 110 European associations representing the main RD&I players in Europe, signed a joint declaration in July calling for greater investment and prioritization of collaborative research. "We need to implement a European strategy on critical materials and components for key industries and technologies to secure a resilient photonics supply chain in Europe," Photonics21 president Lutz Aschke said. "We must urgently increase funding for Europe's photonics industry to keep pace and close the gap with China."

While China's photonics investments are counted in the billions, the EU's commitment is generally in the millions. In July, the EU's Chips Joint Undertaking reaffirmed its support for the semiconductor industry with the announcement of three funding calls worth a total of €325 million. With an investment of €180 million, the first call aims to establish a dedicated pilot line in Europe to advance photonic IC technologies, focusing on visible and mid-infrared wavelengths. The ambition is to bridge the gap between lab research and industrial production, fostering collaboration and innovation in biomedical imaging, quantum computing and environmental sensing.

In this Special Report, we discuss how to accelerate the lab-to-fab journey for photonics. To this end, we take you to the heart of European photonics research and innovation through a contribution by IDTechEx and discussions with EAC International Consulting, PhotonDelta, imec, CEA-Leti, CEA-List, the Quantum Engineering Technology Lab at the University of Bristol, the University of Zurich, SteerLight and Scintil Photonics.

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