Photonect Awarded $1.25M NSF SBIR Phase II Grant to Advance Automated Photonic Packaging

deshna2
Jun 16
2 min read

Photonect is proud to announce that we have been awarded a $1.25 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). This milestone marks a major vote of confidence in our mission to transform photonic device manufacturing through advanced, automated fiber-to-chip packaging.

What Is the NSF SBIR Phase II Grant?

The NSF SBIR program (also known as America’s Seed Fund) supports startups and small businesses in developing innovative technologies with commercial potential and broad societal impact. Phase II grants are awarded to companies that have successfully demonstrated proof of concept during Phase I and are now ready to build, validate, and commercialize their technology.

The Phase II award includes $1.25 million in non-dilutive funding, enabling Photonect to accelerate development of its core product and scale toward commercialization.

Who We Are

Photonect is a deep-tech startup focused on solving one of photonics’ biggest bottlenecks: efficient, scalable, and cost-effective fiber-to-chip packaging. Based in Rochester, NY, our team brings together expertise in photonics, precision engineering, and advanced manufacturing to support the growth of next-generation optical technologies.

Our patented mode converter design and proprietary laser-assisted fiber-to-chip technology enable epoxy free, reliable, high-throughput coupling with losses<1dB—positioning Photonect to transform fiber packaging at scale.

Our flagship innovation in making, PIX-Attach™, is a laser splicing machine designed to make photonic packaging as seamless and scalable as possible.

Why We Received the Grant

Photonect received this prestigious NSF SBIR Phase II grant to advance development of PIX-Attach™.

Traditional fiber-to-chip packaging is slow, labor-intensive, and prone to optical loss. PIX-Attach™ changes that by:

Automating fiber alignment and attachment
Using a laser-based fusion process with no adhesives
Reducing coupling losses and assembly time
Enabling high-volume photonic chip manufacturing

The NSF recognized the technical innovation, commercial potential, and broad industry impact of this solution — especially as integrated photonics continues to drive advances in AI, high-speed communications, quantum computing, and sensing.