Lightmatter introduced vClick Optics, a detachable fiber array unit for co-packaged optics that targets one of the toughest manufacturing problems in advanced AI packages: how to connect fiber to photonic integrated circuits in a way that supports high-volume production, advanced packaging flows, and field replacement. The company said vClick delivers less than 1.5 dB insertion and re-insertion loss and supports broadband CWDM and DWDM operation, positioning the technology for 32 Tbps to 100 Tbps+ optical interconnects in future XPUs and switch platforms, including Lightmatter’s Passage L-Series.
The key technical claim centers on manufacturability. Lightmatter said vClick combines its vertically expanded-beam photonic approach with SENKO’s SEAT and MPC connector technologies to create a detachable optical interface that is compatible with mold-and-grind packaging flows demonstrated with ASE. The company argues that moving this optical interface earlier into wafer fabrication lets manufacturers validate “known good optical engines” before final integration with expensive compute die, reducing yield risk in advanced 3D CPO assembly.
Lightmatter also framed vClick as part of a broader OFC 2026 product push. Alongside the detachable FAU announcement, the company separately disclosed a record 1.6 Tbps-per-fiber Passage CPO chiplet result and a new Passage L20 optical engine, while also introducing eClick Optics as an edge-coupling alternative for larger die complexes.
- vClick Optics is positioned as an industry-first detachable FAU for CPO advanced packaging, according to Lightmatter.
- The company said the design supports high-bandwidth CWDM and DWDM across up to 80+ nanometers of optical spectrum.
- Lightmatter said the interface is mold-and-grind compatible for advanced packaging flows used by major foundries and OSATs.
- The platform avoids active fiber alignment during production, which could reduce assembly and test complexity.
- ASE and SENKO are named ecosystem partners in the packaging and connector stack behind the announcement.
- Lightmatter also introduced eClick Optics as a complementary edge-coupling option for larger die implementations such as its Passage M1000 reference platform.
“The increasing complexity in advanced AI chip packages and their production processes necessitates a move toward a known good optical engine at the wafer level,” said Ritesh Jain, SVP of Engineering and Operations at Lightmatter. “With vClick Optics, we are providing physical optical engine connectivity that integrates seamlessly into the world’s largest and most advanced semiconductor supply chains, ensuring that our L-Series 3D CPO platform is hyperscale volume-ready.”
🌐 Analysis: Lightmatter is pushing beyond photonic device performance and into the harder supply-chain question of how CPO gets manufactured, tested, and serviced at scale. That matters because advanced AI packages increasingly combine expensive compute die, high-bandwidth memory, and complex interconnect structures, making late-stage optical failures far more costly than in traditional pluggable optics. The company’s emphasis on known-good optical engines, detachable fiber interfaces, and compatibility with ASE-style advanced packaging flows signals an attempt to make CPO fit established semiconductor manufacturing practice rather than forcing a separate optical assembly model.
