Good news Steven, Newcomers and Truth-Seekers:
I want to close the loop on my earlier questions.
I’ve received credible information from a source I trust indicating that neither of the large customers announced in November are working on plasmonic modulators. This has been a BIG issue with me. Receiving this information addresses my primary concern regarding Lightwave's 2025 progress and I’m genuinely pleased and relieved.
While that information did not explicitly spell out front-end CMOS compatibility, I’m not aware of any other non-CMOS-compatible architectures Lightwave has referenced in shareholder communications besides plasmonics.
Given that, I think it’s reasonable to infer these programs are aligned with standard silicon photonics fabrication and BEOL polymer integration.
One additional point for me: the size and caliber of these customers materially mitigates concerns about the relatively small number of Stage-2 or Stage-3 programs disclosed so far. At this stage, one or two large, technically demanding customers are far more meaningful than a long list of smaller engagements. Additional customers of course would be a good sign of more widespread acceptance, and we have been given signals to expect more in the first quarter.