Brilliance Lands Investment from PhotonVentures and Oost NL

Netherlands-based integrated laser technology startup company Brilliance has secured €2 million ($2.16 million) in seed funding from Oost NL and PhotonVentures. Brilliance’s silicon nitride-based PIC technology address the limitations of low resolution and high energy consumption in AR and VR displays by projecting sharp colorful images onto glass surfaces such as eyeglass lenses and car windows.

Brilliance CEO Tim Tiek (left) and CTO Douwe Geuzebroek. Courtesy of Brilliance.

According to Brilliance, the company’s patented PIC technology enables it to create the smallest possible RGB laser module. Brilliance has successfully demonstrated prototype chips, developed through flip-chip technology, which, the company said, are now undergoing testing by producers of AR applications. The company’s technology delivers precise control over optical output properties, to ensure compatibility with advanced eye-tracking systems and durability through a hermetically sealed design with strategically placed electrical connections.

The company’s module additionally achieves fully integrated power monitoring and speckle reduction, and is sized at 4 by 7 mm, with a thickness of 1.5 mm.

From the funding, the company plans to further develop its current generation of proof-of-concept chips into customer specific prototypes. The company is also taking steps in the industrialization phase of its production process in anticipation of future demand.