SCHOTT, an international technology group and a leader in advanced hermetic packaging, has announced the launch of its new hermetic optical MEMS lids product family. Designed to meet the stringent demands of high-port-count optical circuit switches (OCS) and sensing applications, these lids set a new benchmark for protection, optical performance and long-term reliability. The products will be introduced to key partners and customers at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC 2026) from March 15 to 19 in Los Angeles, California.
As demand for bandwidth grows, hyper-scale and AI service providers are adopting OCS to future-proof their networks. OCSs act like high-speed, reconfigurable train tracks for light in a data centre, allowing massive amounts of data to be directly routed between servers with minimal delay and power. The prevalent OCS technology uses MEMS mirrors to create direct optical paths between fibres, enabling ultra-low latency, massive scalability, and energy efficiency.
SCHOTT’s hermetic lids shield the sensitive MEMS components in these switches from moisture, dust and particulate contamination, a fundamental requirement for device longevity. With larger optical windows (up to 100 square centimetres), a single lid can protect and seal MEMS arrays containing significantly more mirrors. This enables higher port counts and switching capacity while keeping the footprint compact.
Fabricated from high-precision optical glass, SCHOTT hermetic MEMS lids eliminate optical birefringence, a phenomenon that can distort signal integrity in high-precision systems and is common with crystalline materials like sapphire. Optical glass provides an isotropic, amorphous structure for consistent refractive index in all directions. Glass also provides an optimal balance of high performance and manufacturability, delivering exceptional value without compromising on optical clarity or hermetic reliability.
Manufactured in Germany, SCHOTT’s MEMS lids come with the assurance of decades of opto-electronics expertise, consistent quality even at very high volumes, and supply chain security.
The hermetic optical MEMS lids product line underscores SCHOTT’s commitment to supporting the photonics infrastructure behind cloud computing and AI. In addition, the company can customise hermetic lids in various form factors and shapes for other applications, including sensing and AR/VR light engines.
The new products will be introduced to key partners and customers for the first time during OFC 2026.