The US Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded Raytheon a contract to establish a local production line for thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) wafers in support of advanced sensing and communications solutions.
The project tasks the company’s Advanced Technology unit with assisting in ion-slicing processes for US-based photonics partner G&H, which specializes in high-quality TFLN manufacturing for the US military.
Raytheon’s line will then shift to G&H later this year, supporting the latter’s low-rate initial production with full cooperation between the two firms.
“Establishing G&H as a robust, domestic merchant supplier of thin film lithium niobate is essential for creating next-generation faster and more efficient photonic transmission and sensing systems,” said Dr. Stratos Kehayas, president of photonics at G&H.
“G&H’s vertically integrated crystal and wafer manufacturing capabilities enable the reliable transition of this technology into US-based production, strengthening supply chain resilience for both defense and commercial applications.”
The Thin-Film Lithium Niobate
TFLN is a synthetic crystal designed with a structure thinner than a human hair that is embedded with multiple integrated circuits to convert electronic signals into light for faster data transmission.
The microchip is used to optimize AI, quantum computing, 5G networks, data centers, and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technologies.
In addition to its efficiency through low power consumption, TFLN offers higher bandwidth capacity than traditional bulk lithium niobate.
“Global access to TFLN has become increasingly constrained, with supply consolidation leaving US companies vulnerable to international disruptions,” said Colin Whelan, president of Advanced Technology at Raytheon.
“Through this effort, Raytheon will stand up an independent US supplier of next‑generation TFLN, building an open, third-party source that can serve a broad range of defense and commercial customers.”
