Dutch startup Brilliance RGB has raised €6 million to accelerate the development and scale-up of its integrated RGB laserchip technology. Brilliance’s miniature photonic laserchips enable compact, energy-efficient, and ultra bright Augmented Reality (AR) projectors, addressing the key hardware challenges in applications such as AR glasses and cars.
Photonic chip technology enables smaller, brighter and more efficient laser displays
AR hardware is traditionally constrained by the size and efficiency of the light engine. The existing display technologies require trade-offs between brightness, efficiency, and form factor. This limits the development of devices such as lightweight AR glasses and other applications for everyday indoor and outdoor use.
Using a patented silicon nitride-based photonic integrated circuit (PIC) platform with integrated laser technology, Brilliance’s laserchip lowers the power consumption by a factor of ten to allow all-day battery life, increases brightness for outdoor use, and maximizes Field of View for an immersive and natural AR experience. The tiny package enables a full AR experience in fashionable eyewear.
The technology uses mature high volume chip production manufacturing processes to replace today’s complex and expensive optical assemblies. The laserchips are designed to support many display architectures, ranging from industrial laser applications to Head-Up Displays (HUD) in automotive systems to eyewear AR projection.
Scaling up
Led by deep-tech investment fund Cottonwood Technology Fund, the growth capital will be used to accelerate Brilliance’s laserchip development and industrialization, enabling practical AR use in all kinds of environments. Next to Cottonwood Technology Fund, current investors such as PhotonVentures, Oost NL, PhotiX and other co-investors joined the round. “We have built a solid foundation thanks to the market traction we are generating and the core technology that has already proven itself. We will now continue scaling up and design custom solutions for our customers, while preparing for the first production launch by the end of this year,” said Tim Tiek, CEO of Brilliance. “Our goal is to bring scalable RGB laserchips to applications where size, efficiency and integration are critical for everyday use.”
About Brilliance RGB
Brilliance B.V. manufactures and develops laserchips for AR by using cutting-edge photonic technologies. Leveraging a patented silicon-nitride-based platform and laser integration techniques, the company delivers innovative solutions for next-generation laser displays and optical systems. With over 20 years of expertise ranging from PIC design to the automotive industry, manufacturing and high-volume scaling, Brilliance combines technical excellence with scalable, highly efficient, and cost-effective volume production capabilities. Brilliance’s mission is to redefine the standards of photonic integration and enable everyday AR by solving the problems of today’s bulky and complex projectors with fully integrated laserchips. Further information can be found at www.brilliancergb.com.