Scalable production makes photonics suitable for the masses
Morphotonics develops machines that can deliver on the promise of augmented reality and integrated photonics.
Published on September 27, 2025
© Morphotonics
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When discussing augmented reality, it's often about apps, smart features, or futuristic applications. However, according to Jan Matthijs ter Meulen of Morphotonics, the breakthrough of AR glasses and integrated photonics hinges on one crucial factor: scalable production. “The question is not whether lenses are needed, but how we are going to make them all.”
Ter Meulen, who spoke during Brainport Industries' photonics update, begins his story with a concrete example: glasses that project information onto a waveguide, a piece of glass that enables the conduction of light. “That information is coupled directly into a piece of glass, moves sideways, and is decoupled right in front of your eye. It's all done with photonics.”
The technology has been around for years and is already being used today in logistics centers, for example, where employees can collect products faster with smart glasses, or in healthcare, where doctors receive real-time information. Yet the feeling remains that AR is a promise that has not yet been fully realized.
That image could change quickly. “All the big companies are working on it: Apple, Meta, Snap,” says Ter Meulen. “Meta, for example, has collaborated with Luxottica to develop the Ray-Ban Display Glass. The cost is around $800 – it's slowly becoming affordable.”
© Morphotonics
New applications on the horizon
The applications extend beyond convenience or entertainment. Ter Meulen gives an example: “Suppose someone is speaking Chinese, then you can immediately see a translation on the screen. And if both of you are wearing such glasses, you can even have a conversation in two different languages.”
According to him, it is only a matter of time before a large part of the population starts wearing AR glasses. “Seventy to eighty percent of people already wear glasses. It is precisely this group that will be the first to embrace this technology.”
And that's where Morphotonics comes in. Founded in 2014 and now employing around fifty people, the company develops machines that can produce the necessary lenses – waveguides – on a large scale. “What we supply are production tools that are used by factories and production sites. We develop the machines, and companies in the Brainport region use them to make the structures.”
The core of their technology is surprisingly simple: an advanced stamping technique. “You start with a master, which is coated with an anti-stick layer. We press that stamp into a photoresist and, after curing with UV light, the product is ready. This process can be repeated endlessly.”
The scalable nature is crucial. “We print structures on one square meter at a time, with structures down to 50 nanometers. And we can print a wide variety of shapes – from prisms and micro-lenses to diffractive patterns. This can be done on glass, foils, wafers, and panels.”
Precision and upscaling go hand in hand
AR places specific demands on production. “With augmented reality, you need extremely thin residual layers, less than 50 nanometers. We have shown that we can achieve this uniformly over a large surface area,” says Ter Meulen. “In addition, dimensional stability is important: the distance between the structures must remain exactly constant.”
To this end, Morphotonics is developing new machines such as the Cypris, which can apply extremely thin coatings using inkjet technology. “Alignment is essential here. We have developed a system that is positionally accurate to around 5 microns.”
Although Morphotonics initially focused on applications in 3D displays, the company is now increasingly concentrating on integrated photonics and panel-level packaging. “What we are good at is applying very small structures. We are working on applications such as 3D displays and AR waveguides, as well as exploring the future of integrated electronics and photonics. And we have the tools to do that.”
For Ter Meulen, it is clear that upscaling is the key. “Every application has its own requirements, which means that we are constantly developing new machines. The great thing is that we can do that here, in the Brainport region, together with partners.”