Coherent expands capacity in US and Europe

This enables Coherent to increase production capacity and lower die costs for InP optoelectronic devices, used in applications such as coherent optical communications, datacom transceivers, AI interconnects, advanced sensing for consumer electronics and wearables, medical and automotive applications, and in the future, in 6G wireless and satellite communications networks.

“We are very excited to announce our 6-inch indium phosphide wafer fabrication capability in both our Sherman and Järfälla fabs, which is a result of our continuous investment in innovation and technology development, and our years of investment and operating experience in high-volume VCSEL array manufacturing for mobile handsets,” said Dr. Giovanni Barbarossa, Chief Strategy Officer and President, Materials Segment, in a press release. 

 Dr. Beck Mason, Executive Vice President, Telecommunications, says that by moving to 6-inch wafers, Coherent will be able to deliver massive productivity improvements, including manufacturing four times the number of devices per wafer, achieving a greater than 60% reduction in die cost – which will allow the company to transition its fabs to higher-capacity, more-efficient automated process tools.

“This capability will allow us to meet the growing demand for our indium phosphide products in several of our core markets, while enhancing our competitiveness and profitability,” says Dr. Beck Mason.

Coherent is in the process of qualifying several existing products on its 6-inch InP platform, including a 200G electro-absorption modulated laser (EML), 200G distributed-feedback laser and Mach-Zehnder modulator (DFB-MZ), 100G EML, high-speed photodetectors, and high-power CW lasers for silicon photonics applications. 

The company expects to transition the bulk of its production from 3-inch InP to 6-inch InP in the next few years.