All-inorganic NIL emerging as architectural standard for next-generation AR waveguides; Seed 1 extension brings total funding to $7.5m adds University of Massachusetts, Channel 39, and Hub Investment Group
LOS ANGELES, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Myrias Optics, the leading commercial platform for all-inorganic metaoptics manufactured via additive nanoimprint lithography (NIL) at wafer scale, today announced more than 25 active customer engagements across AR/VR, datacom, and consumer electronics, alongside the close of a $2.7 million Seed 1 extension. All-inorganic NIL produces AR waveguides that are smaller, thermally stable, and manufacturable on existing equipment — the combination required to take smart glasses from prototype to mass-market consumer hardware. The company debuts its AR waveguide and diffractive optics platform at DisplayWeek 2026 (iZone, Los Angeles Convention Center, May 5–7).
The University of Massachusetts, Channel 39, and Hub Investment Group join a nine-investor syndicate led by MassVentures. Combined with a $3.3 million seed round led by Asia Optical and $1.5 million in NSF SBIR funding, Myrias has raised $7.5 million to advance from R&D to pilot production samples for initial design partners in 2026.
To schedule a meeting with Myrias at DisplayWeek 2026: fijol@myriasoptics.com | watkins@myriasoptics.com
25+ Active Engagements and Counting
Since initial commercial funding, Myrias has built an active engagement pipeline of more than 25 accounts spanning the full photonics value chain:
AR/VR OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers — evaluating all-inorganic waveguides for next-generation smart glasses platforms, including multiple global OEMs and Fortune 500 technology companies.Datacom and co-packaged optics leaders — exploring high-index metaoptics for optical interconnects as AI-driven bandwidth demand accelerates.Consumer electronics and automotive OEMs — assessing thermally stable optics for LIDAR, automotive sensing, and consumer device integration.Manufacturing ecosystem partners — preparing NIL equipment and substrate supply chains for pilot production scale-up.
“The velocity of inbound interest since February has been remarkable. OEMs that were in evaluation mode are now requesting samples and discussing pilot timelines. The market isn’t waiting, and neither are we.”
— John Fijol, CEO, Myrias Optics
Independent Validation Accelerates Interest
The customer pull is amplified by a wave of independent technical validation. In April 2026, Chris Chinnock, one of the display industry’s most respected analysts and president of Insight Media, published a comprehensive whitepaper, “NIL vs. Etched Waveguides for AR Glasses: Is All-Inorganic NIL the Inevitable Choice?: Part 1: Process”, distributed to more than 15,000 industry subscribers. Part 1 of the paper systematically evaluated three competing waveguide manufacturing approaches with the soon-to-be published Part 2 will evaluate manufacturing, performance and cost issues. Readers can then decide if Myrias’s all-inorganic NIL approach offers the best choice for next-generation waveguides for AR glasses.
The same month, Electronic Design published a feature article, “A Novel Approach to a New Type of Optics”, profiling the company’s technology platform and its implications across AR glasses and data center interconnects.
The convergence of analyst endorsement, trade press coverage, and accelerating customer engagement has created a flywheel effect that the Seed 1 extension reflects.
The Technology Platform
All-inorganic NIL replaces the polymer nanostructures used in conventional nanoimprint lithography, as a drop-in replacement using UV and thermally-stable inorganic materials eliminating the degradation that limits polymer-based waveguides. Myrias’s platform produces wafer-scale metaoptics with performance characteristics that set it apart from both polymer NIL and direct-etch approaches:
High refractive index — production ready from1.9 to 2.3 on glass today, targeting 2.6 by Q3. Higher index means wider field of view on fewer waveguide plates — thinner, lighter glasses at lower cost per eye.Aspect ratios up to 12:1 — vs. ~6:1 for conventional polymer NIL — delivering brighter displays with higher coupling efficiency and reduced optical loss.Full thermal and optical stability — no degradation under heat, UV, or humidity. Glasses survive direct sunlight, hot cars, and tropical climates without image drift or material breakdown, enabling true all-day consumer wearability.Drop-in equipment compatibility — runs on existing EVG, Canon SmartNIL, and GermanLitho NIL production lines, keeping CapEx low and enabling a path to sub-$100 per eye at volume.Tunable index via ALD backfill — precise waveguide index matching without material changes, eliminating rainbow artifacts and eye glow for social-grade wearability.
“This funding gets us to refractive index 2.6 and that’s the threshold. At 2.6, all-inorganic NIL becomes the inevitable manufacturing choice for broad adoption across the AR and VR industry. No other approach delivers this index at wafer scale on existing production equipment.”
— Jim Watkins, Ph.D., Founder, Myrias Optics
The Architecture Decision Window
The timing is strategic. Between 2027 and 2029, every major AR OEM (Meta, Apple, Samsung, Snap) will lock in the manufacturing approach for their next-generation smart glasses waveguides. The waveguide market, projected at $565 million in 2025, is converging on diffractive architectures. Three approaches are competing:
Type 1 — Polymer NIL: Widely deployed but thermally limited, lower index, aspect ratios capped at ~6:1.Type 2 — All-Inorganic NIL (Myrias): Drop-in for Type 1 equipment. Higher index, 12:1 aspect ratios, full thermal stability. The only approach combining NIL economics with inorganic performance.Type 3 — Direct Etch: High performance but capital-intensive and limited to semiconductor-grade fabs.
Unlike single-application startups, Myrias’s platform serves multiple high-growth photonics markets from a single manufacturing process including AR waveguides, datacom interconnects, beam-shaping optics for LIDAR, and diffractive elements for consumer and automotive sensing.
Meet Myrias at DisplayWeek 2026
Myrias Optics will be exhibiting in the Innovation Zone (iZone) at DisplayWeek 2026, Los Angeles Convention Center, May 5–7. The founding team will be available for meetings, demonstrations of wafer-level meta-optics samples, and discussions of pilot production partnerships.
Company Contacts and/or To schedule a meeting at DisplayWeek:
John Fijol, Ph.D., CEO — fijol@myriasoptics.com
Jim Watkins, Ph.D., Founder — watkins@myriasoptics.com
www.myriasoptics.com
About Myrias Optics
Myrias Optics is commercializing all-inorganic metaoptics manufactured via nanoimprint lithography (NIL) and atomic layer deposition (ALD) on silicon carbide and glass substrates. The company’s wafer-level platform delivers tunable refractive indices up to 2.6, aspect ratios exceeding 12:1, and the thermal and optical stability required for next-generation AR waveguides, datacom interconnects, and consumer and automotive applications. Founded by Jim Watkins, Ph.D. (UMass Amherst, NSF Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing) and led by CEO John Fijol, Ph.D. (former Applied Materials), Myrias operates out of UMass Amherst’s world-class nanofabrication facilities. The company has raised $7.5M to date from MassVentures, Asia Optical, UMass, NSF, and a syndicate of deep-tech venture investors.
EDITOR’S NOTES:
This release is an update to the February 27, 2026 announcement of Myrias Optics’ initial Seed 1 close of $2.1M. The round has since been extended to $2.7M with additional strategic investors.
Additional supporting materials available upon request:
Chris Chinnock video review and Part 2 of white paper (forthcoming — Insight Media)High-resolution product images, wafer photographs, and founder headshotsTechnical one-pager and capability brief
Executive interviews and demo appointments available on request.
Tags: AR waveguides, XR optics, VR displays, meta-optics, nanoimprint lithography, diffractive waveguides, all-inorganic NIL, ALD, silicon carbide optics, wafer-scale photonics
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SOURCE Myrias Optics
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