ABOUT US
Company overview
PHIX offers assembly services and contract manufacturing for photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and MEMS. We build optoelectronic modules based on all major PIC technology platforms, such as indium phosphide, silicon photonics, silicon nitride, and planar lightwave circuit. We specialize in chip-to-chip hybrid integration, coupling to fiber arrays, and interfacing of DC and RF electrical signals. By offering our knowledge already at the chip design stage, we ensure ease of scale-up for volume manufacturing. PHIX provides a one-stop-shop for PIC and MEMS assembly, from design to volume production.
We have a state-of-the-art production facility located in Enschede, the Netherlands, supporting the global industrial development of PIC and MEMS enabled modules.
What is integrated photonics packaging?
Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are chips in which photons are the carriers of data and energy. Compared to electronic integrated circuits (ICs), they can provide further miniaturization, higher processing speeds and lower power consumption. Also known as ASPICs, for application-specific photonic integrated circuits, these photonic chips have applications in countless areas. Examples are LIDAR systems in self-driving vehicles, medical scanners and quantum processors, to name just a few.
Even though PICs can house a lot of functionality on a small surface, a PIC by itself is not a functional product yet. To make it become a part of a photonics-enabled module, it needs to be connected to components like optical fibers, other PICs, cooling solutions, and electronics. The design and manufacturing of the package in which these connections are made is the core business of PHIX.
PHIX is the photonic equivalent of an OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test) company. In the electronics industry, the word ‘packaging’ often refers to the placement of the bare semiconductor die into a small protective enclosure. The resulting component is still called an IC. The packaging of a photonic IC, by contrast, also involves thermal management and the connection of optical fibers and electronics. It is a micro-assembly process that results in a PIC-enabled module that has both optical and electrical inputs and outputs.
Animation of a PIC based hybrid tunable laser module being assembled
Our core competencies
Going from a PIC to a functional module is a multi-disciplinary design process. It involves product design (of the chip and the module), assembly process development, and equipment management. Our engineering and management teams contain people from each of these backgrounds. This gives us the overview and maturity to optimize the product’s performance and cost while keeping the countless parameters within these disciplines in mind.
Our knowledge and experience in the fields of optics, electronics, and mechanical engineering allows us to produce working prototypes already from the first chips. We can then proceed to optimize the PIC and module design, process and equipment, in order to scale up the production of the modules to high volumes.
Combining our broad industry overview with our engineering manpower, manufacturing expertise, and world-wide network of suppliers, we are ready to prepare, ramp up, and scale the production of your PIC-enabled modules.
Management team
Albert Hasper, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Albert Hasper is an operational and technical executive with 25+ years of experience in international high-tech business-to-business industry. For 7 years he was the Managing Director of the Amtech Solar Companies. In 2011 he was appointed General Manager of Tempress Systems B.V. Before that he was the VP of Global Operations at ASM International. Prior to the VP role he served for more than 5 years as General Manager of ASM Europe and was responsible for the world-wide Vertical Furnace product line.
Albert holds an M.Sc. and Ph.D. Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Twente. He has authored and co-authored over 25 scientific papers in various scientific journals. He is an inventor of 13 issued US patents in the areas of CVD & ALD deposition and Capital Equipment.
Joost van Kerkhof, Ph.D.
Chief Operations Officer
Joost van Kerkhof started PHIX in 2018 together with Albert Hasper. He has more than 25 years of experience in the micro-nano technology industry. His experience in producing high tech products in scalable volumes already started when he held positions as Director R&D and Director Operations within Texas Instruments (which became Sensata Technologies in 2006). Joost continued in automotive sensing at Sensata Technologies as Director Business Integration. Prior to starting PHIX, Joost was the CEO of XiO Photonics and COO of LioniX International.
Joost holds M.Sc and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering, specialized in micro-nano technology and (bio)sensors.
Jeroen Duis
Chief Technology Officer
Jeroen Duis received his bachelor’s degree from the Technical University of Rijswijk in 2001. After his study he worked 16 years within TE Connectivity. Within the Fiber Optic Business Unit and corporate technology team he held several positions in engineering, research, technology scouting and management. During this time, he gained a broad experience in: laser processing of glass fibers, WDM multiplexing, low loss optical interconnects, next generation photonic chip packaging for applications in mobile phones, automotive and high speed computing applications. In March 2017 he accepted a position at SMART Photonics, a scale up in Indium Phosphide wafer manufacturing where he was responsible for the business development. November 2018, Jeroen accepted a position as Chief Commercial Officer at PHIX Photonics Assembly where he was responsible for the commercial activities and the strategic direction for the hybrid packaging. He is the author and co-author of several publications and holds 15 patent applications in the field of optical interconnection technology. In September 2024 he moved to the position of Chief Technology Officer.
Marieke Hofste
Chief Financial Officer
Marieke Hofste has over 25 years of experience working in finance. She started her career with KPMG, one of the “big four” accountancy firms in The Netherlands. In 2009 she started working at the University of Twente where she managed the shareholder portfolio of the many spin-off companies that the university is known for. She was involved with large redeveloping projects, funding, financial and investment challenges, as well as setting up an investment fund. She was highly involved in the launch of the Fraunhofer Project Center in Enschede. Marieke also contributed to a program that helped create value for companies by connecting them to researchers and the facilities of the university. In 2018 she was introduced to the world of electronics when she started as CFO at Elect High-Tech Electronics, an electronics assembly company located in Twente. She joined PHIX in March 2021.
Marcel van Veen
Sales Director
Biography coming soon
Partnerships
PHIX has a strong position within the integrated photonics ecosystem by cooperating with many other players in this competitive field. Our industry partners expand our product and service portfolios, enabling us to provide more complete photonics assembly solutions. Consortia help to establish a clear and streamlined ecosystem for integrated photonic technologies. Additionally, the European research project collaborations develop new PIC-enabled technologies that we can help introduce to the market with our photonics assembly expertise.
Company values
The core company values of PHIX define how we work together as colleagues, how we interact with customers, how we make business decisions, and what we look for when we hire new people. They are an integral part of our company culture.
Team Spirit
We love cooperation, help each other, and take on a constructive and positive attitude.
Embrace Diversity
We respect our differences and care for each other, recognizing that our diversity makes us stronger.
Reliable Partner
We take a result-driven and data-driven approach, deliver what we promise, are trustworthy, honest and transparent.
Committed Ambition
We are passionate and ambitious about advancing photonics packaging and making PHIX and our customers succeed. We are committed to establishing a long- term manufacturing footprint in Europe.
Actionable Ethics
Doing good is about the choices we make. We contribute to a fairer, healthier and more sustainable world, by abstaining from contributions to bribery, slavery, child labor, and mass destruction.