TUE spinoff Microalign lines up investment for photonics assembly tech

Startup Microalign has secured an investment from integrated-photonics accelerator Photondelta and the Smart Industries TTT Fund, which is managed by Innovation Industries. Aiming to remove a bottleneck in the assembly of integrated-photonics modules – connecting them to optical fibers – the Eindhoven University of Technology spinoff is working on a MEMS-based micro-positioning stage to manipulate and align tens of optical fibers with sub-micrometer accuracy. Microalign will use the newly raised capital to accelerate its commercial efforts while continuing to build on its technology, according to a press release.

“We are excited to see innovative startups like Microalign arise in our ecosystem. Their technology will contribute to the industrialization of the supply chain as it reinforces the back-end process in assembly and testing. This will enable our partners to produce better products more efficiently. The creation of startups like Microalign is also evidence of the positive climate for deep-tech entrepreneurs within our ecosystem,” commented Pieter Klinkert, fund manager at Photondelta.