Solutions
Aligning the future of photonics
Submicron alignment in seconds, run by anyone on your team.
EW is an automated active alignment system, available for every stage of photonics.
0.01μm
Stage motor resolution
2 sec
Automated alignment time per cycle *
3, 6, 12axes
Configurations to matchyour application
Active Alignment
With closed-loop servos
Turnkey System
Stage, controller, and alignment software No coding. Working from day one.
Scalable
From R&D to production
Same stages and software as our production systems
*Per flat alignment after first light detection, on motor-driven stages. Varies with settings.
With field search from no light detected : 10–20 sec.
Which challenge is yours?
For Engineers & Researchers
Facing technical alignment challenges?
- Waveguide coupling that won't reach your target precision or speed
- Multi-channel array alignment that's too complex to manage
- Devices drifting out of position during bonding
- Setup that restarts with every device change
For Executives & Managers
Facing business or organizational challenges?
- Skilled engineers tied up in manual alignment
- Speed and quality that swing with each engineer's alignment skill
- Assembling your own system instead of buying one that works
- Reinvesting in a new system when you move to production
Technical solutions
Your field. Your challenge.
EW has the answer.
In the lab, on the development line, in production.
Wherever alignment is, is it holding you back?
Is there an alignment problem you still haven't solved?
Silicon photonics, CPO, LiDAR, device characterization.
Every field hits a different wall, and our alignment system has an answer for each.
Common challenges
- Waveguide Coupling
- You can't get the precision or speed you need
- Multi-channel Array Alignment
- Aligning every channel is painfully complex
- Optical Assembly
- The alignment shifts while you bond
- Device Characterization
- Every new device means setting up all over again
01WAVEGUIDE COUPLING
Submicron alignment, repeatable and fast.
Can you get all three?
Coupling to the waveguide requires nanometer accuracy, and chips still need to be tested fast.
And grating couplers and edge coupling each demand a different approach.
THE CHALLENGE
When alignment accuracy isn't stable, the coupling you get varies from chip to chip.
Grating couplers are harder still: the light must go in at an angle, not straight on. the harder it is, the longer each chip takes, and development falls behind.
HOW WE SOLVE IT
0.01 μm stage resolution and automatic alignment algorithms take it from first light search to angle and peak alignment, automatically and fast. Grippers and edge couplers are available as options.
- Stable alignment, less chip-to-chip variation
- Handles both edge coupling and grating coupling
- Faster per chip, faster to results
02MULTI-CHANNEL ARRAY ALIGNMENT
Can you align a multi-channel array and get every channel right?
In CPO, you're not aligning one fiber. You're optimizing a whole array across every axis together.
THE CHALLENGE
With more channels, alignment gets more complex. Tune one axis and the rest shift. With rotation in play, holding every channel at minimum loss is where the hours go.
HOW WE SOLVE IT
With up to 12-axis control and feedback from the power meter, multi-channel array alignment runs automatically.
- Built for multi-channel array configurations
- In-house software automates multi-channel alignment end to end
- Active alignment for maximum accuracy
03OPTICAL ASSEMBLY
Does your alignment hold through bonding?
In optical assembly, heat and shrinkage shift parts out of position, and that shift decides whether your alignment holds.
THE CHALLENGE
Whether you bond with adhesive, UV cure, or fusion splicing/welding, heat and shrinkage move things out of position.
And sourcing each piece of bonding equipment separately, then integrating it, is a burden of its own.
HOW WE SOLVE IT
Active alignment detects the shift during bonding and corrects it. An adhesive dispenser and UV curing light are available as options. A full set of APIs and sample programs is available. You can build your own flow.
- Active alignment algorithms correct the shift
- Reduces the extra development and sourcing bonding takes
04DEVICE CHARACTERIZATION
Can you characterize every new device, fast and accurately?
Device characterization demands two things at once: handling a wide range of devices and aligning each one accurately.
THE CHALLENGE
Every device has its own shape and type, so each one needs its own alignment approach. The whole setup needs to be reconfigured for each one.
HOW WE SOLVE IT
A wide range of options and multiple alignment methods cover devices of different shapes and structures. Switch the option, and you're aligned for a different device.
- Six alignment methods
- Filed Search
- XYZ Alignment (Focus)
- XY Alignment (Flat)
- XYθZ alignment (Rotation)
- Single Axis Alignment
- Loopback Alignment
- A quick option swap, and you're on the next device
Business solutions
Your alignment process
is costing you more than you think.
That cost isn't the price of the hardware.
It's the time, the talent, and the quality you lose every time alignment is done by hand.
And it never shows up on the invoice.
What is alignment process
really taking from your business?
Most companies treat alignment as a technical problem.
And it is. But the deeper cost is organizational.
EW is built to solve it.
| Before EW | After EW |
|---|---|
| Your best engineers tied up in alignment, not research |
Back in the lab, doing the work they were hired for |
| Quality that depends on who runs the alignment |
The same result, whoever runs it |
| Months spent building your own system from parts |
One system, working the day it’s installed |
| Separate systems for R&D and production | One system that scales from R&D to production |
01THE COST IN PEOPLE
You didn't hire your best engineers to run alignment.
THE CHALLENGE
Your best engineers spend their days on alignment instead. Every hour by hand is an hour not spent on the research you hired them for.
HOW WE SOLVE IT
Our automated alignment system takes the work off them. Their time and thinking go back to the research and development you hired them for. That's where your real output comes from.
- Far less time to get someone up to speed
- Engineers free to focus on research and development
02THE RISK OF SKILL ONLY A FEW PEOPLE HAVE
Today, your quality depends on who runs the alignment.
THE CHALLENGE
You want to grow. That means adding people, moving them, scaling the team. But when alignment lives in a few skilled hands, every one of those moves risks your quality. What you depend on becomes what holds you back.
HOW WE SOLVE IT
Our automated alignment system takes the skill out of the process . Now you can add people, move them, and scale the team without putting quality at risk.
- Less depending on personal skill
- The same quality from anyone, every run
- Grow capacity whenever the business needs it
03THE COST OF BUILDING YOUR OWN ALIGNMENT SYSTEM
You're not aligning yet.You're still sourcing parts and building it yourself.
THE CHALLENGE
Your team buys the parts, assembles them, writes the code, and debugs it for weeks before the in-house system finally works. The invoice only shows the parts. It doesn't show the time.
HOW WE SOLVE IT
Our alignment system comes complete: software, interface, and stage already work as one, with a full range of accessories ready to go. No code to write, nothing to integrate. You're aligning the day it's installed.
- No more in-house development
- No fixtures or grippers to build
- A turnkey system, working from day one
04 THE COST OF R&D-ONLY SYSTEMS
The system you built for R&D won't scale to production.
THE CHALLENGE
The alignment system you used in R&D doesn't meet what the production line demands, so you invest in it all over again to move into production.
HOW WE SOLVE IT
Our alignment system shares the same stage and software as our dedicated production platform . The same platform scales from R&D to the production line. A full set of APIs and sample programs is available. You can build your own flow.
- Minimize reinvestment when you scale
- The same system from R&D to production
