Source Photonics expands laser ops with new fab in China

26 Sep 2017

Invests in facility in Jintan to double output of InP lasers and components.

Source Photonics and the Jintan Economic Development Zone are to establish a new optical laser facility in Jintan, China. Source Photonics is investing in the new fab in Jintan to double its output of InP lasers and other components.

Source Photonics commented that increasing demand for more bandwidth in cloud data centers, optical networks, wireless communications systems, and fiber-to-the-home is creating the need for more efficient and higher throughput optical lasers and related transceivers.

Its Chinese fab launch announcement stated, “With the need to evolve from single-channel to multi-channel optical connectivity products to overcome physical barriers, indium phosphide laser volumes are expected to grow rapidly over the next several years. In support of these growing requirements, we are investing in this new fab facility.”

Doubling production

The expanded Jintan fab will more than double the company’s current output of indium phosphide lasers and related components. It will include wafer MOCVD, chip processing, and related component production.

The new facility will augment its existing fab in Hsinchu, Taiwan, which has more than doubled its output over the past three years and introduced more advanced devices required for the current 100G and emerging 400G markets. Initial production in the new facility will commence in Q2 2018.

Doug Wright, CEO of Source Photonics, commented, “The new world-class facility in Jintan will allow us to improve our service levels to our customers and bring productive and leading-edge technology to market. We are pleased to work with the city of Jintan to accelerate our investments in this critical technology.”

The company provides optical communications technology for data centers, metro, and access networks. It is developing so-called next-generation solutions to provide its customers with enabling technologies to support the increasing demands of cloud infrastructure, wireless communications, routing, and fiber-to-the-premises installations.