Hi Hudsonbacker, to answer your question about ATM size limitation:

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/09/01/2736375/0/en/POET-TechnologieRefreshes-At-the-Market-Public-Offering-in-the-United-States.html

TORONTO, Sept. 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- POET Technologies Inc. (the "Company") (TSXV: PTK; NASDAQ: POET) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an equity distribution agreement dated September 1, 2023 (the "Equity Distribution Agreement") with Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC as sales agent (“Craig-Hallum” or the “Agent”), pursuant to which the Company has resumed its "at-the-market" equity offering program (the "ATM Program") in the United States. Pursuant to the ATM Program, the Company may, at its discretion and from time-to-time during the term of the Equity Distribution Agreement, issue and sell, through the Agent, such number of common shares of the Company as would result in aggregate gross proceeds to the Company of up to US$30 million. Sales of the Company’s common shares, if any, through the Agent will be made through "at-the-market" issuances, including, without limitation, sales made directly on the Nasdaq Stock Market in the United States. 

Also, for clarification of the nature of these shares. Given that shares are sold on the open market, the buyer has no idea they are buying newly minted shares or seasoned shares.  ANd it makes no difference as the purchasers of the bnewly minted ATM shares can sell them as a regular share immediatley.

https://www.mayerbrown.com/-/media/files/perspectives-events/publications/2020/06/wtd--atm-offerings.pdf

Executing ATM Sales The sales agent generally will execute sales of the issuer’s securities through ordinary brokers’ transactions through securities exchanges or electronic trading systems at varying prices. These transactions do not involve any special selling efforts (i.e., no roadshow or other active solicitation) nor do they involve an amount of the issuer’s securities that would be considered significant relative to the issuer’s public float or daily trading volume. The commission payable by the issuer to the sales agent is consistent with the commission payable to a dealer executing trades rather than the type of fee that would be associated with underwriting compensation. Based on these various factors, the sales agent’s execution of ATM offerings  more closely resembles ordinary dealer activity than participation as an underwriter in a securities distribution