A Bristol tech firm at the cutting edge of the integrated photonics industry has raised £600,000 to launch a ‘game-changing’ platform aimed at accelerating product development in the fast-growing sector.
Light Trace Photonics will use the capital injection from QantX Ventures, the regional investment firm that backs high impact innovations, to market its LightCraft photonic chip component access platform. 
LightCraft offers companies in the quantum, communications and photonic processing sectors unprecedented access to a comprehensive library of tried-and-tested photonic chip components and subsystems, streamlining the design process and significantly reducing time-to-market.
Integrated photonics is an emerging branch of photonics in which devices are fabricated as an integrated structure onto a flat surface.
These complex photonic circuits use light in similar ways to how electronic integrated circuits process and transmit electronic signals – but can be much faster and more efficient.
Light Trace Photonics, which is based in the University of Bristol’s Quantum Technology Innovation Centre, described LightCraft as representing “the next evolution in enabling technology, empowering engineers and companies to develop new photonic products faster and more efficiently”.
It builds on foundations laid by Light Trace Photonics’ existing hardware product, the LightPort—a photonic chip component evaluation board for rapid prototyping and training.
Combining the two will allow engineers to evaluate and test concepts quickly, using pre-existing chips, before committing to fabrication.
It will also empower companies and engineers to demonstrate the superior capabilities of integrated photonics to key stakeholders quickly and more efficiently as well as freeing up resources for system-level development, expediting product launch.
One leading UK quantum computing start-up hailed LightCraft as a game-changer that would fast-track innovation and speed up its time to market.
Light Trace Photonics CEO Dr Jake Biele believes LightCraft will mark a turning point in the development of integrated photonics.
“The platform, in combination with the LightPort, gives businesses the tools to push the boundaries of what’s possible with integrated photonics,” he said.
“Customers can bring their ideas to life quickly and effectively, driven by the expertise of the Light Trace team.
“At Light Trace, we don’t just design—we build. This hands-on approach provides us with unique insights into the intricacies of photonic chip development, insights that we share with our customers to help fuel their success.”
QantX investment manager Dr Harry Alexander is clear about the potential of integrated photonics.
He said: “Photonics is a critical and enabling sector for our modern society, with new complex photonic integrated circuits (PICs) representing a paradigm shift in the form and functionality of devices.
“Having worked with Light Trace since 2022, we’re excited to back them in delivering LightCraft, novel platform to enable rapid PIC development.”
