Key Takeaways
- La Luce Cristallina specializes in transforming research into 200-mm barium titanate (BaTiO₃) wafers that address limitations of silicon-photonics modulators.
- Their BaTiO₃ wafers provide advantages over lithium niobate and electro-optic polymers, including higher durability and compatibility with existing foundry processes.
- The company targets the datacom and data center markets, as well as telecom, sensing, defense, aerospace, and advanced computing applications.
Alex Demkov is co-founder and CEO of La Luce Cristallina. He is a distinguished figure in the field of materials physics, serving as a Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. With a prolific career marked by notable achievements, Alex boasts an impressive portfolio of 10 U.S. patents and many patent applications, showcasing his innovative contributions to the field. He has published almost three hundred research papers, several books, and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a Senior Member of IEEE. Alex received his Ph.D. in Physics from Arizona State University. Prior to joining the University of Texas in 2005, he worked in Motorola’s R&D organizations. His expertise extends globally, positioning him as an international authority and thought leader in the crucial domain of semiconductor manufacturing materials.
Can you tell us about your company?
La Luce Cristallina (LC) transforms over two decades of research into 200-mm (8-inch) barium titanate (BaTiO₃) wafers that overcome the performance, space, and power limitations of silicon-photonics modulators. Using RF magnetron sputtering to grow single-crystal, fully insulating films, we deliver foundry-compatible wafers from a secure U.S.-based supply chain at a scale of multiple 200-mm wafers per day. A typical stack includes 300–500 nm BaTiO₃ on top of 6–8 nm SrTiO₃ and 3 µm SiO₂ on a silicon carrier.
What problems are you solving?
Si photonics modulators reached their limits in terms of speed, size, and power consumption. Our 200 mm BaTiO₃ wafers offer many benefits over alternative materials such as lithium niobate, which is prone to contamination issues. They are also more durable than electro-optic polymers and are able to withstand high temperatures, radiation, high frequencies, and other harsh conditions. Our product remains compatible with existing Si and SiN foundry flows, and enables compact, low-drive electro-optic devices.
For example, a sub-500 µm MZI achieves VπL of 0.45 V·cm. BaTiO₃’s exceptionally high Pockels coefficient delivers a much stronger electro-optic response, enabling sub-volt, ultra-compact modulators that lithium niobate cannot match. Our work turns breakthrough research into practical solutions that meet the performance demands of numerous technology sectors.
What application areas are your strongest?
La Luce Cristallina’s solutions directly address the growing need for faster, lower-power optical interconnects in the datacom and data center markets, which currently represent the largest share of integrated silicon photonics demand. Our platform enables compact, efficient devices that support AI-driven workloads and high-density optical interconnects. Beyond data centers, our solutions extend to telecom, sensing, defense, aerospace, and advanced computing applications, including emerging quantum use cases. We empower device manufacturers and system developers to create next-generation electro-optic modulators, PICs, and integrated systems that deliver higher performance and greater reliability across these markets.
What keeps your customers up at night?
Cost is on everyone’s minds, with companies striving to reduce power, space, and OPEX without sacrificing performance. Sourcing and manufacturing through a secure supply chain is also a primary consideration, with many companies evaluating risks from restrictions on thin-film lithium niobate suppliers in China.
What does the competitive landscape look like, and how do you differentiate?
Our 200 mm wafers offer economies of scale at a reasonable price. We differentiate ourselves by offering customers more generations of device innovation (10+ years) than alternative materials. This helps companies secure a higher and quicker return on their investment while positioning them to support the rising bandwidth requirements of current and emerging use cases. BaTiO₃ is still a relative newcomer, but we’re confident its benefits will enable it to outpace indium phosphide, lithium niobate, polymers, and other materials long-term.
What new features/technology are you working on?
We recently launched our new fabrication facility in Austin, TX, and announced the availability of our new 200-mm BaTiO₃ wafers. Our flagship product brings the functionality of crystalline oxides to semiconductors. Through this solution, we’re spearheading the transition from lithium niobate to high-performance BaTiO₃ as numerous sectors work to support optical interconnects, sensing, and optical computing use cases amid rising bandwidth demands.
How do customers normally engage with your company?
Through referrals, our website, our LinkedIn account, or by discovering us in leading industry publications.
Also Read:
CEO Interview with David Zhi LuoZhang of Bronco AI
CEO Interview with Dr. Bernie Malouin Founder of JetCool and VP of Flex Liquid Cooling
CEO Interview with Gary Spittle of Sonical
Share this post via:
The AI PC: A New Category Poised to Reignite the PC Market