This winter, the CORNERSTONE Public Engagement Team joined the magical Light Up Trails, an interactive art experience. This year’s theme is ‘Enchanted’ — a magical after-dark trail filled with light, atmospheric sound, and a festive feel. As visitors wandered through the glowing artworks, we walked the paths with them, sharing little bursts of photonics along…
Author: Lakshmi
Tyndall National Institute
Tyndall National Institute have developed a standardised, cost-effective, “off-the-shelf” photonic packaging solution that fully supports CORNERSTONEs silicon photonic PIC platforms.
PHiX Photonics Assembly
PHiX Grating Coupler-Based Optical Packaging Template Now Available for CORNERSTONE Platforms We are pleased to announce that the PHiX grating coupler-based optical packaging template is now available for use with all CORNERSTONE technology platforms. This generic packaging template supports optical and electrical interfacing for CORNERSTONE multi-project wafer (MPW) chips, enabling seamless integration with PHiX Photonics…
Lighting Up Creativity: Silicon Photonics Chip Scratch-Art at the Arts & Humanities Festival
The Southampton Cultural Quarter came alive during this year’s Arts & Humanities Festival, where Emily joined the Optics and Photonics Society (OpSoc) for their Play with Scientists and Light activity day. On Saturday 8 November, the CORNERSTONE Public Engagement Team brought colour, curiosity, and hands-on learning to the festival with a new Silicon Photonics Chip…
The Duke of Edinburgh visits CORNERSTONE and the University of Southampton to see how silicon photonics is powering UK innovation
CORNERSTONE was honoured to welcome His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh to the University of Southampton on Friday 3rd October 2025. The visit highlighted how ground-breaking, light-based technologies are powering the UK’s economic growth and strengthening its global leadership in silicon photonics. During the visit, The Duke explored the University’s cleanroom facilities, gaining first-hand…
UK Photonics in Focus: CORNERSTONE Leads Discussion on Growth and Innovation at Labour Party Conference
From 28 September to 1 October 2025, CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre (C-PIC), in partnership with the New Statesman, the UK’s leading progressive political and cultural publication, hosted a well-attended panel discussion at the Labour Party’s Annual Conference in Liverpool, exploring how photonics is shaping the UK’s innovation landscape and the opportunities it presents for national…
From Research to Outreach – How C-PIC Builds Public Understanding of Photonics
Silicon photonics (SiPh) holds transformative potential across a wide range of industries – from telecommunications and healthcare to quantum computing and environmental sensing. However, realising this potential requires more than technical excellence – it demands public understanding that drives investment, policy support, and crucially, the talent pipeline needed to fuel a thriving ecosystem of SiPh-enabled…
Advancing Silicon Photonic Development with Wave Photonics Process Design Kits
Silicon photonics (SiPh) holds enormous potential to transform industries ranging from telecommunications and data centres to medical diagnostics and environmental sensing. However, the promise of SiPh can only be realised if there is sufficient technological access and the sophisticated process required for its commercial deployment are simplified. Overcoming variations in manufacturing and ensuring consistency in…
CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre Launches Open GitHub Repository at ECOC 2025
The CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre (C-PIC), the UK’s dedicated Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) for silicon photonics, has announced the launch of its new Open Platform at the European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) 2025 on 29th September. The platform marks a major step towards open-source collaboration in photonics, providing researchers, innovators, and industry partners…
Light for Future Semiconductors: Unlocking Economic Growth Through Photonics
The CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre successfully hosted its latest event, “Roundtable: Light for Future Semiconductors – Unlocking Economic Growth Through Photonics,” on 18th of March 2025. The discussion, attended by key stakeholders, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, and academics to spotlight the UK’s leadership in photonics and its potential to drive economic growth. The discussion focused…