We’re happy to share a major milestone for the EU tech ecosystem: the successful completion of Project ELENA, a 42-month, €5M initiative that pioneered Europe’s first LNOI platform for next-generation photonic integrated circuits (PICs).
Key outcomes:
- Europe’s 1st commercial lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) wafer supply
- First commercial thin-film lithium niobate TFLN chips
- Foundry-compatible process design kit (PDK) for seamless integration and scalable manufacturing
Why it matters:
- Next-gen chips: LNOI enables high-speed, low-power optical communications, quantum systems, and advanced sensing.
- Supply chain sovereignty: Breaks dependence on overseas suppliers and strengthens EU semiconductor self-reliance.
- Scalable production: A new open-access photonic chip foundry has launched via spinout CCRAFT at CSEM (Switzerland), with capacity to deliver millions of TFLN chips annually.
“This effort firmly positions Europe as a global leader in photonic chip manufacturing,” says Hamed Sattari, ELENA project manager & CEO of CCRAFT.
Congratulations to all 10 partners driving innovation across the PIC value chain—especially CSEM, CEA-Leti, and Soitec—for moving the EU into the global photonics spotlight.
Download the Press Release for more information
LNOI Substrate (source CEA-LETI)
Chips/wafers (source : CSEM/ CCRAFT)
