Vigo, Spain -- The city of Vigo in Spain will be the location of a new state-of-the-art foundry for III-V-Semiconductor-based photonics, called SPARC (III-V Semiconductor Foundry and Advanced Photonics Research Center).

This new company will consist of a 1.600 m2 cleanroom for wafer production, and a research centre that will assist customers in bringing fully-certified photonic products to the market. The foundry will be operational around late 2023.

'Potential of III-V semiconductors'

SPARC aims to capitalize on the potential of III-V semiconductors (GaAs, InP, GaN,..) to accommodate the increasing number of markets and applications that rely heavily on light, photonics, and high-speed electronics.

III-V semiconductors are the only class of materials that can be used to realize very-compact- and efficient light sources and detectors across a very wavelength range from the ultraviolet up to the mid-infrared.

Consequently, SPARC will have the capability and capacity to address a large customer base across a wide range of different markets, including optical communications, displays, lighting, aerospace, automotive, biomedical, sensing, and quantum technologies, as well as high-speed- and/or high-power electronic applications for which the III-V Semiconductor technology is equally well suited for.