04/09/2026
Baltic Photonics develops Latvian-made GaAs substrates for night vision technologies
Baltic Photonics, in cooperation with Photonics International R&D center, is implementing an EU co-financed commercialisation project aimed at developing and validating a technology for the epitaxy and processing of specialised 21–22 mm gallium arsenide (GaAs) semiconductor wafers for photocathodes.
GaAs photocathodes are the central element of modern night vision devices. Today the small-format substrates they require are cut from large 4–6 inch wafers, which causes defects and material losses, and their production is not available in Latvia or the Baltics.
In this project the substrates will be grown directly in the target format, reducing production costs by up to 50% and establishing the first supply chain for this critical component localised in Europe.
