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Phix Photonics Assembly has secured 3 million euros in equity and loans from existing shareholders and a 20 million euro investment from the National Growth Fund (NGF). The Enschede-based company will use the combined funds to further develop its automated packaging capabilities, increase capacity and move to a larger Enschede Kennispark building in the first quarter of 2023.
“The finalization of the recent investment round and our choice to move to the new production facilities clearly show our ambitions to grow our business and to enable our worldwide customers to further grow their business. In addition, with
the support of the National Growth Fund, we are able to further scale up and professionalize our production capabilities in The Netherlands for the high-volume packaging of photonic chips,” commented Phix CEO Albert Hasper.
The assembly and packaging of photonic integrated devices involves precise alignment and bonding of photonic chips to other components, such as optical fibers and electronics, and ensuring the thermal and mechanical stability of the final module. Traditionally a bottleneck in the scaling of integrated photonics production, Phix’ automated assembly services help to scale up the technology.
This is why supporting Phix’ growth trajectory is a cornerstone of Photondelta’s 1.1 billion euro plan to make the current Dutch ecosystem an international hub for integrated photonics. “Phix has the people and the technology needed to integrate different photonic and electronic technologies in an efficient way. These back-end activities are essential to scale up the industry. Therefore, Photondelta is determined to provide continuous support to Phix and their growth ambitions,” said Photondelta CEO Ewit Roos.
As part of Photondelta’s strategy, which is co-funded by the NGF, Phix is set to receive another 20 million euros in the next 5 to 6 years.
