Photonect Interconnect Solutions

Photonect Interconnect Solutions is a deep-tech company spun out of the University of Rochester in 2021, addressing a critical bottleneck in the integrated photonics industry. The company was established by Juniyali Nauriyal, who serves as CEO, her former PhD advisor and associate professor at The Institute of Optics, Jaime Cardenas, and university alum Jim Oschmann. Nauriyal's doctoral research on developing a novel technique to connect optical fibers to photonic chips using laser adhesion forms the core of the company's technology. This direct experience, combined with insights from programs like the NSF I-Corps, underpins the company's commercial strategy.

The firm targets the multi-billion dollar optical interconnect market, specifically serving optical transceiver manufacturers for data centers. As data consumption from AI and video streaming surges, data centers require more efficient photonic integrated circuits (PICs), but connecting hair-thin optical fibers to these chips is a major challenge. Traditional glue-based methods are slow, costly, and can lead to significant signal loss—up to 50% at each connection point—and performance inconsistency. Photonect has developed a proprietary, laser-based adhesion process that replaces glue, creating a permanent, stable bond by welding the glass of the fiber to the chip. This patented technology, which includes a novel mode converter design, reduces signal loss to less than 10%.

Photonect's solution offers substantial performance improvements, quadrupling energy efficiency and operating ten times faster than conventional methods, which can take over ten minutes per connection. This speed and efficiency can cut the packaging cost of a photonic device by half. The company’s business model includes providing in-house design and fiber-attach services for prototyping and smaller orders, with plans to sell its proprietary fiber-to-chip attach machine to high-volume manufacturers. After securing a $1.25 million NSF SBIR Phase 2 grant, the company is focused on launching this machine and expanding its work with major industry players. Photonect is an alumnus of the Luminate photonics accelerator and the Activate Fellowship, programs that support scientists in commercializing their technology.

Keywords: optical interconnects, photonic integrated circuits, fiber-to-chip, data centers, laser adhesion, photonic packaging, fiber optic attachment, mode converter, semiconductor manufacturing, optical transceivers, deep tech, University of Rochester spin-off, Juniyali Nauriyal, Jaime Cardenas, high-speed data transmission, signal loss reduction, energy efficient photonics, optical component manufacturing, advanced manufacturing, laser welding photonics