This article dives into two big European moves in photonics: a new photonic integration center at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland, and a bold research project on optical vortex beams led by Tampere University in Finland.
Together, these efforts show how Europe’s building a full pipeline from fundamental light science to industrial deployment. The impact touches everything from data communications to precision manufacturing and even astronomical imaging.
Accelerating Photonic Integration in Switzerland
Photonic integration—packing optical functions onto microchips—is one of tech’s most important and trickiest frontiers. Electronic integration is pretty mature and standardized, but photonic microchips still face fragmented platforms and custom packaging headaches.
Interoperability issues keep slowing down industrial adoption. It’s a real sticking point.
The Swiss Photonics Integration Center (Swiss PIC)
The Paul Scherrer Institute recently launched a technology transfer center focused on the assembly of optical components. This forms a core pillar of the Swiss Photonics Integration Center (Swiss PIC).
The goal? Take photonic microchips from Swiss research labs and turn them into products people can actually use and manufacture.
Swiss PIC acts as a bridge between research and industry, especially zeroing in on the bottleneck of packaging and assembly. Even the most advanced photonic chip doesn’t mean much if it can’t connect robustly to fibers, electronics, and industrial systems.
Solving the “Last Mile” in Photonic Packaging
Right now, photonic integration often needs customized, one-off solutions that are pricey and tough to scale. Startups and small companies feel this pain the most, since they rarely have the cash or infrastructure for specialized assembly lines.
Swiss PIC jumps in here by offering:
By standardizing interfaces and opening up advanced packaging processes, Swiss PIC aims to cut costs and risk. That should let a lot more photonic innovations actually see the light of day—literally.
Part of a Larger Advanced Manufacturing Ecosystem
Swiss PIC doesn’t operate on its own. It’s part of the Swiss network of Advanced Manufacturing Technology Transfer Centers (AM-TTC), which tightens links between research, manufacturing, and end users.
This bigger ecosystem helps ensure high-performance photonic devices don’t just stay in the lab, but become scalable industrial solutions.
In practice, Swiss PIC supports companies looking to embed photonics into:
This infrastructure puts Switzerland on the map as a key hub for industrial photonic integration in Europe.
HiPOVor: Harnessing High-Power Optical Vortex Beams
While PSI and Swiss PIC focus on integration and manufacturing, another European effort is pushing the boundaries of light manipulation itself. Tampere University in Finland leads a project exploring one of the most fascinating forms of structured light: optical vortices.
What Are Optical Vortex Beams?
Optical vortices are light beams with a twisted wavefront that carry orbital angular momentum (OAM). They have a dark central core—a kind of “hole” in the middle—where the light’s phase spirals around.
This odd structure lets optical vortices interact with matter and information in ways ordinary laser beams just can’t. For example, encoding information into the angular momentum of light could seriously boost data capacity in optical communication.
The HiPOVor Project and Its Ambitions
Backed by €4.4 million from the EU’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, the HiPOVor (High-Power Optical Vortex) project is all about generating and controlling high-power optical vortex beams. This isn’t just a small step—high-power, well-controlled OAM beams could unlock some pretty wild applications.
The HiPOVor team brings together:
The project officially kicks off in January 2026, setting up a network that covers everything from fundamental optics to laser engineering and real-world deployment.
Applications: From Data Links to Distant Worlds
High-power optical vortices could shake up several fields:
By bringing together academia, industry, and big research centers like ELI-NP, HiPOVor wants to turn advanced optical physics into solid tech for communication, imaging, and astronomy. It’s ambitious—but isn’t that what drives real progress?
Photonics as a Strategic Technology for the Future
Swiss PIC and HiPOVor show two sides of modern photonics. One pushes photonic integration toward industrial use, while the other dives deep into new ways to control light itself.
For policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers, these shifts send a clear signal: photonics isn’t just a niche anymore. It’s turning into a backbone for the next wave of communications, manufacturing, medical diagnostics, and scientific breakthroughs.
Here is the source article for this story: Tampere University develops optical vortex beams as enabling technology…