About us

Founded in 2007, Bay Photonics is a specialist integrated photonics packaging company based in Paignton, UK—a region with deep roots in optical communications and a longstanding tradition of photonic component manufacturing.

Our 33-person team operates from a purpose-built facility designed specifically for microelectronic and photonic innovation. Here, we speak the language of silicon photonic packaging, seamlessly integrating optical modelling, optomechanical design, and advanced assembly technologies to deliver high-performance, robust solutions. We bring together deep technical expertise and state-of-the-art equipment to solve complex packaging challenges across a wide range of photonic applications. Our capabilities include:

Fully automated wire-bond and die-bond workstations

Multiple optical alignment stations for precision coupling

Resistive welding machines for hermetic sealing of Kovar-gold packages

Vacuum furnace processing for reliable bonding and sealing

X-ray tomography for high-resolution, non-destructive quality assurance

Engineering design services to support every stage of development

Our facility is engineered for flexibility, enabling us to support both low- and medium-volume production and high-complexity prototyping. We are trusted by customers working at the frontier of semiconductor technology, often engaged as an extension of their own engineering team.

Value proposition

At Bay Photonics, we’re not just an OSAT provider—we’re your agile partner in bringing next-generation photonics-based semiconductor solutions to life.

Whether enabling AI-driven data centers, powering the Internet of Things (IoT), or supporting quantum computing and virtual reality platforms, our mission is to help you move from concept to functional prototype with unmatched speed and confidence. From LIDAR systems for autonomous vehicles to ultrafast optical transceivers that fuel streaming services and high-speed internet, we operate at the forefront of advanced photonic integration.

We specialise in low-to-medium volume projects where traditional supply chains stall—due to technical complexity, specialised know-how, or limited access to high-precision assembly and test capability. Our independent, flexible facility offers:

Faster time to market

Reduced development risk

Lower total project cost

Our technical team brings decades of hands-on experience from world-leading optoelectronic component manufacturers, giving us the insight and adaptability to design, assemble, and test novel solutions for demanding applications.

Headquartered in Paignton, South West UK, within the Electronics & Photonics Innovation Centre (EPIC), we’re proud members of the Torbay Photonics Cluster—a vibrant ecosystem of innovators and supply chain partners advancing the future of photonics.

Glenn George
Managing Director

Bay Photonics was founded to exploit our customer’s innovative ideas for advance technological photonics solutions using truly state of the art photonics IC process chemistry and design techniques within a range of embrionic marketplaces.

At an early stage we had a vision to succeed by simply keeping our partners ahead of the pack through the delivery of relevant, well-considered and robust PIC assembly and packaging solutions, no matter what the base semiconductor technology was. Over the last decade it has become clear to us that within the photonics industry there is a huge opportunity for packaging solutions that deliver the exact physical solution that the customer’s application is requiring.

Photonics packaging is not like the electronic silicon chip business. There is no standard package and there is not likely to be one.

We are proud to be supporting some of the most exciting applications of photonics technology – a significant proportion only in their infancy at present.   As those markets grow, then Bay Photonics will grow with them, to support through to production volumes as required. Over the years we have nurtured and proudly supported both UK and global customers and are now becoming the prime source for prototypes of European designed PICs .

Thanks to our team’s imagination, world class engineering expertise and determination, Bay Photonics has become the ‘go to’ leader for ideas on innovative PIC packaging. We have brought about a new way of thinking toward PIC assembly and packaging – optimising designs to suit many applications, including telecom, datacom, quantum, marine, medical and defence.

We understand that you don’t succeed by chance, but by refusing to be complacent.

We are on a mission to continually innovate high performance assembly and packaging photonics solutions to suit today’s automated assembly, alignment and test machines. Our engineers have created a solid foundation upon which we are building future solutions that will significantly benefit the

organisations we work with, our direct customers and the ever increasing demand for real time access to a miriad of communication applications.

We warmly welcome you to join us on our incredible journey.

History

1982 – Glenn George joins STC– later Nortel – then Bookham

2007 – Company formed by Glenn George & Larry Clarke

2012 – Move to their own premises in Torquay

2014 – Built Class 10,000 cleanroom in Paignton

2015 – Relocated to The Brixham Laboratory

2020 – Relocated to EPIC, Paignton

Employees from Nortel/Bookham, Gooch & Housego, Eltek Semiconductor and others

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