The II-VI EpiWorks division of II-VI Inc., a provider of compound semiconductor epitaxial wafers, announced that it is breaking ground on a state-of-the-art production facility in Champaign, Ill. The expansion is expected to be complete by mid-2017 and will enable a quadrupling of capacity in Champaign over the next three years. In addition to substantial epitaxial wafer production space, the new cleanroom will house a state-of-the-art wafer characterization and test laboratory. To operate the new facility, EpiWorks is actively recruiting experienced managers, engineers and technicians. “High-performance compound semiconductors are required to meet the performance needs of modern communication networks, sensors, smartphones, wireless communications networks and datacenters,” said Giovanni Barbarossa, chief technology officer and president of the laser solutions segment. “Our technology is being adopted in many applications, and we are ensuring that our capacity continues to meet customer demand now and in the future. The new capacity will support our radio frequency and photonics businesses, and we will have more resources to research and develop new materials and products.” The expansion enhances EpiWorks’ leadership position in the global compound semiconductor industry, supporting the performance and volume requirements for several key components that enable multiple growing markets. These include InP and GaAs-based optoelectronic communication components for cloud computing and datacenters, vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) for 3D sensing and next-generation wide bandgap devices for 5G wireless infrastructure. “Immediately after merging with II-VI in February, we ordered three new metal-organic chemical vapor deposition production tools and filled our current cleanroom space,” said Quesnell Hartmann and David Ahmari, co-founders of II-VI EpiWorks. “These systems have already been installed, and we have now moved into the next phase of growth by expanding our cleanroom space, launching an aggressive hiring plan and working to build the industry’s most technologically advanced and efficient manufacturing line.”