Vector Photonics produces PCSEL-based, III-V semiconductor lasers – the most significant innovation in laser design and manufacture for 30 years. The company is a spin-out from the University of Glasgow; one of the UK and world’s Optical and Photonics centres of excellence.
PCSELs (Photonic Crystal Surface-Emitting Lasers) are low cost, robust, have a broad wavelength range and high power – a unique combination of key characteristics which gives them a huge advantage over all other semiconductor laser technologies used today. They also emit light from their top surface, making them easy to package and incorporate into PCBs and electronic assemblies for the many domestic and industrial applications they benefit.
Its proprietary technology, developed since 2012, places Vector Photonics at the heart of the rapidly growing datacenter industry.
Semiconductor lasers are revolutionising our lives in the 21st Century. They are critical components in data communications; additive manufacturing, including metal and plastic printing; LiDAR; and optical sensing – the fastest growing technology markets in the world right now.
Each one of these markets enables many new products and businesses, in industries as diverse as medicine, communications, defence, security, automotive, agriculture and manufacturing.
Vector Photonics is focused on Cloud Datacenter applications in the datacoms market, where its lasers significantly reduce the power consumption in next-generation datacentres and co-located optics applications. This is a huge growth market driven by the proliferation of mobile devices, Internet of Things (IoT) and the 5G roll-out.
In future, PCSEL technology will also enable significant performance breakthroughs in metal and plastic printing, LiDAR, and optical sensing – some of the fastest growing technology markets in the world.
