Elenion Technologies emerges from stealth mode with silicon photonics optical engines

Elenion Technologies, Inc., part of Marlin Equity Partners' portfolio, has emerged from stealth mode with an eye toward making its mark with a combination of silicon photonics, RFIC, packaging, light source, and control expertise. Company executives say they have already supplied optical products to fellow Marlin company Coriant and are now turning their attention to addressing the needs of additional potential customers.

The company is an outgrowth of Silicon Lightwave Services (SLS), a silicon photonics design services company Marlin quietly purchased about two and half years ago, say Elenion CEO Larry Schwerin and CTO Michael Hochberg. Schwerin formerly worked at wavelength-selective switch company Capella Intelligent Subsystems, while Hochberg co-founded silicon photonics pioneer Luxtera Corp. Marlin incubated the company alongside Coriant as it transitioned to its current incarnation, which Schwerin says provided Elenion with insight into systems-level requirements.

That relationship naturally led to Coriant becoming Elenion's first customer. Elenion is now prepared to expand its focus to address the needs of companies in both the telecom and datacom network sectors, Schwerin and Hochberg assert. Elenion won't be ready to discuss specific products publicly until next March, but Schwerin describes them as "optical engines" that leverage the company's advanced packaging and related expertise. The company also has partnerships in place to incorporate those engines into higher level products such as optical transceivers if customers desire, Schwerin adds. Elenion likely will serve module houses, systems firms, and related enterprises.

Schwerin and Hochberg also aren't yet keen to discuss Elenion's approach (or approaches) to coupling light into silicon photonics wafers. They say that integrated approaches, such as incorporating the light source into the silicon photonics wafer or coupling a light-emitting engine alongside the wafer, would best suit the applications Elenion hopes to serve. The chosen approach(es) will have to support high-volume manufacturing to meet the expected requirements of hyperscale data centers, Schwerin notes.

Elenion is headquartered in New York City, with offices in San Jose and Munich. Other executive team members include:

• George Berberis, COO
• Scott Kleinberg, CFO
• Dominick Scordo, senior vice president, engineering
• Marc Bohn, vice president, product line management
• David Lam, vice president, business development and sales
• Peter Magill, vice president, systems architecture
• Whitney Hardin, corporate office management

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