UMC and Wavetek Expand TFLN Chiplet Production
The partners are scaling TFLN manufacturing to meet surging data center demand for high-speed optical connections.
Updated on Oct. 23, 2026 in Semiconductors
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UMC, Wavetek, and HyperLight announced a partnership on March 12, 2026, to scale production of thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) chiplets. This effort aims to support high-bandwidth optical connections in data centers by transitioning manufacturing to larger CMOS lines.
Why it matters
TFLN technology is increasingly critical for data centers where signal integrity limits restrict the reach of copper wiring at high speeds. These optical solutions provide the bandwidth and energy efficiency needed to sustain next-generation network throughput.
The platform supports data rates of 400 Gbps per channel using PAM4 modulation with an electro-optic bandwidth exceeding 100 GHz. Wavetek has transitioned this fabrication to 6-inch CMOS lines, with UMC currently adding 8-inch capacity to facilitate higher-volume throughput.
The players
UMC
A global semiconductor foundry providing specialized manufacturing capacity for wafer production.
Wavetek
A technology firm specializing in scaling the production of TFLN chiplets on CMOS lines.
HyperLight
A provider of TFLN-based optical platform technology for high-speed data communications.
Murata Manufacturing
A components manufacturer developing integrated TFLN modulators for data center applications.
The details
TFLN involves bonding single-crystal lithium niobate—a transparent crystalline material—to a base material, a process that traditionally requires complex ion slicing due to the material's difficulty in etching. By using voltage to alter the refractive index of the lithium niobate, the chip can effectively encode electronic signals onto light beams. This optical modulation overcomes the reach limitations of copper connections, which struggle to maintain signal integrity as data transmission rates scale toward 224 Gbps and beyond.
Timeline
March 12, 2026: UMC, Wavetek, and HyperLight announced their partnership.
June 2026: Murata Manufacturing released its development roadmap.
Q4 2026: Murata expects to provide initial TFLN modulator samples.
2028: Murata targets the start of mass production for TFLN modulators.
2032: Murata targets the integration of optical, electrical, and thermal functions.
The Tech Race
The industry is moving to bypass the physical transmission limits of copper by integrating optical modulators directly into semiconductor chipsets. This shift towards TFLN marks a departure from reliance on copper interconnects for long-reach data center connectivity.
These components will initially reach enterprise data center providers looking to manage 400 Gbps to 1.6 Tbps optical modules. Users should track Murata's sample availability in late 2026 as a primary indicator for when these optical solutions will enter the commercial supply chain.
The takeaway
The move to 8-inch wafer capacity is a critical indicator that optical modulation is scaling toward volume production. Watch for Murata's modulator samples in Q4 2026 to see if TFLN can meet the necessary yield and performance benchmarks for next-generation data center interconnects.
Further reading
For more on how new materials are shifting manufacturing standards, see Semiconductors.
Source note: This article includes information reported by TokenPost.
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