Light Trace Photonics' (LTP) co-founder and CEO, Jake Biele, is on a mission to inspire the next generation of innovators in photonics. LTP aims to help the next generation of innovators utilise photonics to fulfil their potential in delivering positive impact to society.
Photonics is concerned with the generation, detection, and manipulation of light and is an area of considerable potential for technology innovation across key industries such as computing, healthcare, communications and renewable energy. To inspire the next generation, LTP have developed the LightPort:Edu, a revolutionary training tool that allows STEM students across the country to get hands-on photonics experience whilst learning the basics of how to programme photonic chips -- a key platform of the future.
Photonics is listed as one of the seven technology families of UK strength and opportunity and the government's innovation strategy states that to capitalise in this area of strength, it is vital that the UK's workforce, and the education and training system that feeds it, has sufficient scale, diversity, and breadth to meet the challenges and opportunities of a more innovative economy. The photonics industry is already facing difficulties in acquiring talent and as the industry continues to expand, this shortage will become an increasingly restrictive factor for UK innovation. The LightPort:Edu is LTP's solution to the skills shortage.
Jake is a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community and was previously awarded the Young Innovators Award which has been pivotal in helping both Jake to become a role model for other young innovators and LTP to achieve its core mission of supporting photonics innovation. This award is a continuation of the support provided during the Young Innovator Award and will help LTP bring photonics to even more young people across the country, inspiring other young LGBTQIA+ into a career in photonics in the process.
Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are microchips capable of guiding, manipulating, and detecting light. PICs will enable key technologies critical for progress in this century, ranging from high-precision gas sensors for atmospheric monitoring to miniaturised lab-on-chip devices that will help alleviate NHS pressures.
Just as the CPU in your computer requires high-quality, reliable components to process information, the PIC revolution requires high-quality, reliable components as building blocks for these technologies. The UK's PIC market is rapidly growing and is expected to reach $2.9 billion by 2026\. However, the UK is currently underinvesting in PIC components. This underinvestment forces companies to bear the costs of developing their components themselves. A costly process that is threatening to derail growth.
In this project, Light Trace Photonics will assess the feasibility of an innovative service we call Integrated Photonics as a Service (IPaaS) which will significantly de-risk and accelerate the time-to-market for technologies that rely on PICs. IPaaS will handle all fundamental component-level development (e.g. filters, power-splitters, fibre-couplers), leaving the customer free to focus their time and money on developing more complex and impactful PIC systems that will enable game-changing technological applications such as city-wide networked air-quality monitoring and next-generation computation.
As part of this feasibility project, we will build relationships with semiconductor PIC fabrication facilities in the UK. The project includes work packages on market research, technical feasibility, user experience, and pricing strategy to ensure that our offering is well-informed and delivers the absolute best value for money to the UK semiconductor PIC supply chain, and the UK economy.
Photonics is set to become the UKs third most productive manufacturing sector by 2035 with many innovations enabled by photonic integrated circuits (PICs). The development of PICs, whilst necessary, requires many energy intensive cycles which negatively affect the environment. These development cycles are needed because once fabricated the layout of the device cannot be improved without additional fabrication. At Light Trace Photonics, we are developing the next generation of optics components that go beyond the limited scope of current fibre-based componentry and which enable reconfigurability without additional fabrication.
Our component modules provide high-performance, tunable, optics componentry that can be used to cut the number of energy intensive development cycles required to bring photonic products to market. Crucially, our core technology is long lasting and therefore can be leased to multiple users over its lifetime, helping to contribute to the circular economy. Our innovation, if brought to market, will help reduce the footprint of photonics innovation - crucial for helping the UK tackle many of its other key strategic challenges such as the ageing society and future mobility.