
Lightium is a Swiss startup that offers production-grade photonic foundry services using its proprietary Thin-Film Lithium Niobate (TFLN) platform. Their TFLN technology enables ultra-fast, energy-efficient data transmission, addressing limitations in current semiconductor-based transceivers, particularly for AI and data center applications. Lightium's foundry operates on 200mm wafers in a high-volume environment, aiming to reduce time-to-market and industrialization risks for customers. The platform boasts high performance, including modulation speeds over 100 GHz, low-voltage operation, a wide transparency window, and significant non-linearities. The company is currently offering closed beta testing for early access.

Lightium is a Swiss startup that offers production-grade photonic foundry services using its proprietary Thin-Film Lithium Niobate (TFLN) platform. Their TFLN technology enables ultra-fast, energy-efficient data transmission, addressing limitations in current semiconductor-based transceivers, particularly for AI and data center applications. Lightium's foundry operates on 200mm wafers in a high-volume environment, aiming to reduce time-to-market and industrialization risks for customers. The platform boasts high performance, including modulation speeds over 100 GHz, low-voltage operation, a wide transparency window, and significant non-linearities. The company is currently offering closed beta testing for early access.
Business: Production-grade thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) photonic integrated circuit (PIC) foundry and design services
Manufacturing: 200 mm wafer manufacturing in a high-volume foundry environment
Founding: Founded in 2023; headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland
Funding (disclosed): USD $7M seed announced Sept 2024
Non-dilutive support: CHF 2.67M Innosuisse grant to commercialize the TFLN platform
Founders: Amir Ghadimi, Frédéric Loizeau, Dirk Englund
Scalable, high-performance photonic integrated circuits for data center, telecom/datacom, AI, quantum, and space applications.
2023
Photonics / Semiconductor Manufacturing
CHF 2.67M
Non-dilutive grant to accelerate commercialization and transfer manufacturing to a commercial CMOS fab.
USD $7M
Announced to accelerate commercialization of production-grade TFLN foundry services and expand manufacturing, design, and testing capabilities.
Crunchbase funding-round entry lists Venture Kick as lead/investor; amount obfuscated on the page.
“Investors and supporters disclosed include Vsquared Ventures, Lakestar, and Venture Kick”
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Are you passionate about pushing the boundaries of photonic integrated circuit (PIC) technology? Lightium, a leading-edge photonics startup, is looking for a skilled Photonics Design R&D Engineer to drive the development of new layout and design methodologies for our innovative thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) platform. This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the next generation of photonics solutions while collaborating with top academic institutions.
Position Summary
As a Photonics Layout Engineer, you will define, implement and execute the wafer-level and block-level designs and floor-planning of our internal and customer designs in our TFLN-based PIC platform. Your contributions will be pivotal in continuing the innovation at the design level using state-of-the-art software packages, bringing our cutting-edge photonic technologies from concept to mass production.
Photonic Design: Develop and optimize various photonics PDK components, including passive, electro-optics, and active components based on TFLN using FEM or FDTD simulation methods in Lumerical or COMSOL.
PDK Development: Develop, implement, and maintain the PDK in various EDA design software, such as Nazca, Luceda, and Synopsys. This PDK encompasses both layouts and physical models of each component.
PIC Circuits Layout: Model and simulate PIC designs (including GDS layouts) at the circuit level, focusing on innovative solutions to improve performance and reliability.
Collaboration: Collaborate with the fabrication team to ensure designs are manufacturable and meet quality standards, and implement the PDK physical models based on statistical measurements.
Customer Guidance: Provide technical support and expertise to our sales and marketing teams, assisting in customer engagement and product specification.
Technical Expertise: Stay up-to-date with industry trends and advancements in PIC technology and design methodologies.
Documentation: Document and maintain comprehensive records of PDK revisions, updates, and usage guidelines.
EU Projects: Participate in and contribute to international, national, and public-funded projects (e.g., HorizonEurope), including at the technical level and in grant writing and reporting.
What Our Ideal Candidate Brings
Technical: GDS mask generation, floor-planning and block-level design of cutting-edge photonic components for internal and external stakeholders.
Design: Translating block-level specifications into photonic designs together with our RF and optical simulation engineers.
Simulation: Supporting Lightium’s simulation activities by contributing to optical and RF simulations using state-of-the-arts simulation environments.
PDK Development: Supporting Lightium’s PDK development by providing block-level functional models and statistical models involving fabrication and process tolerances.
Collaboration: Work closely with the R&D teams from design, processing, fabrication to optical testing and characterization, contributing to cross-functional projects to advance our PIC technologies.
Documentation and Reporting: Maintain thorough documentation of design data and report findings, as well as implement work instructions and scripts for mask generation.
Innovation: Stay up-to-date on the latest advancements in photonics, incorporating new metrology techniques and technologies into our R&D landscape.
What We Offer
A unique opportunity to lead a cutting-edge manufacturing initiative in the rapidly growing field of photonics.
A collaborative and innovative work environment where your contributions will shape the future of telecommunications, datacom, and beyond.
Competitive compensation and benefits package, including employee stock option plan (ESOP) that reflects your experience and expertise.
Become a key player in an early-phase startup and join a young, motivated, and energetic team. You will have the unique opportunity to create, grow, and develop your professional skills at a fast pace.
We'd love to hear from you if you're passionate about building new tech from the ground up and thrive in a collaborative and result-driven environment. Lightium is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.