{"id":3420,"date":"2026-05-18T07:44:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T07:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chipsc2.lt\/?p=3420"},"modified":"2026-05-18T07:44:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T07:44:15","slug":"the-baltic-pic-question-chipsc2-lt-session-in-riga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chipsc2.lt\/lt\/the-baltic-pic-question-chipsc2-lt-session-in-riga\/","title":{"rendered":"The Baltic PIC Question: ChipsC2-LT Session in Riga"},"content":{"rendered":"

On May 13, 2026, during the Riga Chip Summit in Riga, ChipsC2-LT organized a session dedicated to Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs). The session was framed around a simple but important question: does the Baltic industry truly understand what PICs are capable of? Four speakers from across the region and Europe approached this question from different perspectives, from academic foundations to European infrastructure, and from industrial readiness to the strategic choices the Baltic states have yet to make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Academic Foundation Already Exists<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Alvydas Lisauskas opened the session by presenting the competencies and research areas being developed in Lithuania that form the basis for PIC technologies. These included THz photonics and spectroscopy, silicon photonics and nanophotonics, research on photonic waveguides and sensors, as well as femtosecond laser fabrication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to A. Lisauskas, Lithuanian universities, Kaunas University of Technology, Vilnius University, and Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, together with FTMC participate in the Europractice network, which provides access to PIC design tools and manufacturing services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also referred to the iPHOS project (2010\u20132013), which focused on integrated sub-terahertz transmitters for wireless broadband communications. At the time, these ideas were largely visionary. Today, many of the proposed concepts are becoming reality through European pilot lines and modern PIC platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key message was clear: Lithuania\u2019s contribution to photonics is neither new nor marginal. It has been built steadily over decades and is now ready to integrate into European industrial and technological initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Europe\u2019s Pilot Line Is Accelerating<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Timo Aalto introduced PIXEurope, a pilot line supported by the European Union\u2019s Chips Act, bringing together twenty research organizations from eleven countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilot line offers seven monolithic PIC platforms: InP, thin and thick SOI, SiN, AlO, SiC, and Ge. These are complemented by hybrid integration technologies that enable different materials to be combined on a single platform, integrating light generation, routing, modulation, and detection within one chip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PIXEurope is currently in its early development stage: industry engagement is already underway, open infrastructure is expected within the next two years, and the first MPW runs are planned for 2027\u20132028. The initiative will also deliver twenty new design kits and eight demonstrator modules targeting communications, AR\/VR, sensing, LiDAR, and AI applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In practical terms, this means that Lithuanian research groups and companies can already engage with PIXEurope for consultations and training, while pilot manufacturing services will become available in the coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Barriers Were Named Directly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Aivars Vembris addressed the more difficult part of the discussion: identifying what currently limits PIC development in the Baltic region. He highlighted the shortage of qualified engineers in PIC design, packaging, and high-frequency optical testing; the limited domestic market, which makes it difficult to absorb long development cycles; weak links between academic research and industrial application; and the lack of local large-scale manufacturing infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, he offered a constructive perspective: the Baltic states do not need to compete in mass manufacturing. Their competitiveness lies in specialized niches, polymer photonics, design and testing services, high-value sensing and defense applications, and quantum photonics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A. Vembris concluded the session with a question worth continuing to ask: will the Baltic states enter the photonics transition as consumers, innovators, or strategic partners?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lithuania\u2019s Ecosystem and the Role of ChipsC2-LT<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The opening presentation also provided an overview of Lithuania\u2019s semiconductor ecosystem, spanning both academia and industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the academic side, four major directions stand out: THz CMOS integrated circuits, silicon photonics and nanophotonics, femtosecond laser fabrication, and IC design combined with power electronics. The first three are directly connected to PIC technologies, while the fourth complements the broader ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The industrial landscape includes a number of specialized companies. Brolis Semiconductors operates in III-V optoelectronics and epitaxy. Light Conversion and EKSPLA specialize in ultrafast laser technologies for semiconductor micromachining. Akoneer, Femtika, and Workshop of Photonics develop laser microfabrication and nanostructuring technologies, including methods relevant for PIC packaging. Integrated Optics manufactures laser modules, while Lime Microsystems, KMSD, and Si Femto work in integrated circuit design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within this ecosystem, ChipsC2-LT has a clearly defined role. It is not a fabrication facility; rather, it acts as a bridge between Lithuanian competencies and European pilot lines, helping companies and researchers identify the most effective entry points into PIXEurope and other European photonics initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where Does This Question Lead?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The importance of A. Vembris\u2019 question lies not in providing an immediate answer, but in recognizing that the answer will emerge through concrete decisions: which niches universities focus on, which European initiatives companies choose to engage with, and which competencies are developed systematically over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is precisely where ChipsC2-LT operates, at the intersection of academic expertise, industrial readiness, and European infrastructure, with the aim of ensuring that Lithuanian PIC competencies create impact beyond the region itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The session in Riga demonstrated that four speakers, approaching the topic from different angles, were ultimately describing the same reality: the foundation, direction, barriers, and opportunities are now clearly visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On May 13, 2026, during the Riga Chip Summit in Riga, ChipsC2-LT organized a session dedicated to Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs). The session was framed around a simple but important […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chipsc2.lt\/lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chipsc2.lt\/lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chipsc2.lt\/lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chipsc2.lt\/lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chipsc2.lt\/lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3420"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chipsc2.lt\/lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3420\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3426,"href":"https:\/\/chipsc2.lt\/lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3420\/revisions\/3426"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chipsc2.lt\/lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chipsc2.lt\/lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chipsc2.lt\/lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chipsc2.lt\/lt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}