Raytheon Secures Air Force Lab Deal for Domestic Lithium Niobate Wafer Production
RTX’s Raytheon won a U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory contract to develop domestic thin film lithium niobate wafer production, crucial for high-speed communications and advanced sensing. Raytheon will develop TFLN with G&H and hand off production to G&H in early 2026, securing U.S. supply for defense and commercial sectors.
1. Contract Award and Objectives
Raytheon received a contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory to create domestic production capabilities for thin film lithium niobate wafers, a material essential to next-generation photonics in defense and commercial communications and sensing systems.
2. Process Development and Handover
Under the deal, Raytheon's Advanced Technology team will employ ion slicing techniques to develop high-quality TFLN manufacturing processes with partner G&H, with low-rate initial production transitioning to G&H in early 2026.
3. Strategic Supply Chain Impact
Establishing a U.S.-based supplier aims to reduce reliance on foreign sources, strengthen resilience for the defense industrial base and commercial industries, and support AI, data center, and telecommunications applications.