Vector Photonics

Vector Photonics is a semiconductor company commercializing a new class of laser technology known as Photonic Crystal Surface Emitting Lasers (PCSELs). A 2020 spin-out from the University of Glasgow, the company was co-founded by Neil Martin (CEO), Dr. Richard Taylor (CTO), Professor Richard Hogg, and Dr. David Childs, emerging from world-leading research conducted within the university. Dr. Taylor, the inventor of the all-semiconductor PCSEL technology, developed the basis for the company during his PhD and subsequent academic career before returning to the UK to commercialize it. The company was incorporated in March 2020 and secured its first seed funding round of over £4 million by 2021, which included £1.6 million in equity. The company's core technology, the PCSEL, represents a significant development in the semiconductor laser field. It uniquely combines the high power and speed of Edge Emitting Lasers (EELs) with the low-cost manufacturing and surface-emission benefits of Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs). This combination addresses a critical trade-off in existing laser technologies, offering high power, high speed, and low cost in a single device. PCSELs emit light from their top surface, simplifying packaging and integration into electronic assemblies, and they can be manufactured using established supply chains, which enhances scalability and yield. Vector Photonics operates on a fabless business model, focusing on the design and process knowledge while outsourcing the high-volume manufacturing to semiconductor foundry partners. This strategy allows for rapid scalability and supply chain resilience. The initial target market is the datacenter industry, where PCSELs can significantly reduce the power consumption of next-generation networks and co-located optics. The technology's high power and efficiency are also being developed to address the data transmission bottlenecks in Artificial Intelligence (AI) hardware. Beyond datacenters and AI, the company is targeting a broad range of applications, including free-space optical communications, LiDAR for autonomous vehicles, 3D metal and plastic printing, and optical sensing. Since its founding, Vector Photonics has achieved several key milestones. In April 2026, the company successfully demonstrated its PCSEL technology in a real-world setting for the first time by transmitting data across the River Clyde in Glasgow. This moved the technology from a lab-validated prototype to one demonstrated in an operational environment. The company has secured significant funding to fuel its commercialization efforts, raising a total of $7.29 million over four rounds, including investments from Clean Growth Fund, Foresight WAE Technology, Scottish Enterprise, and UKI2S. Keywords: PCSEL, Photonic Crystal Surface Emitting Lasers, semiconductor lasers, datacenter lasers, free-space optical communications, LiDAR technology, 3D printing lasers, optical sensing, University of Glasgow spin-out, fabless semiconductor, data communications, AI hardware, additive manufacturing, Neil Martin, Richard Taylor, optical phased array, surface-emitting lasers, high-power lasers, low-cost lasers, datacentre networks