Swave Photonics

Swave Photonics, a spin-off of imec and Vrije Universiteit Brussel, is a fabless semiconductor company specializing in the design and sale of holographic solutions, integrating proprietary diffractive photonics and software. The company's HXR technology enhances pixel resolution by a factor of 1000, packing billions of tiny pixels densely to facilitate realistic 20/20 vision without the need for AR/VR headsets or prescription glasses. This technology also provides 180° to 360° viewing angles for AR glasses and headsets.

In April 2024, the company launched the world’s first 3D holographic display for compact XR devices. The device will enable AI-powered spatial computing experiences, with the first device targeted being AR glasses. Swave Photonics expects the device to reach customers in the second half of 2024 and is currently taking orders for HXR development kits for device manufacturers.

Swave's HXR technology projects holographic images that seek to address the current AR/VR/XR challenges related to focal depth and eye tracking, enabling viewers to focus easily on objects at varying distances. The technology leverages advancements in photonics and holography based on diffractive optics. It is aimed at metaverse platforms, 360-degree holographic walls, 3D gaming, AR/VR/XR glasses, collaborative video conferencing, and heads-up displays for automotive and aerospace systems.

Swave Photonics originated from research conducted at Imec. In the late 2000s, Imec began exploring holography, resulting in promising demonstrations of binary modulation holography. However, the initial approach based on MEMS was shelved due to scalability limitations. The project was revived in 2016 with a new approach, not reliant on MEMS, LCoS, or microLED, but utilizing a 90% standard CMOS process to create tiny pixels below 220 nm. After five years of technology maturation at Imec, Swave Photonics was formed to integrate this technology into products with the aim of transforming immersive image experiences.

Funding and financials

In June 2023, the company raised EUR 3 million (~USD 3.3 million) in a seed funding round led by current investors imec.xpand, Flanders Future Techfund (FFTF), and QBIC. The capital raised was to facilitate Swave's development of its diffractive optics technology used in XR applications..