Coherent Corp. reached a new manufacturing milestone by bringing 6-inch Indium Phosphide (InP) wafers into full production, completing the transition a full year ahead of its internal schedule. The move expands InP manufacturing beyond development and pilot lines, marking a scale-up step for compound semiconductor substrates used in high-performance photonic devices.
The company said teams in Fremont, California, and Sherman, Texas, jointly executed the process transfer and production ramp. Scaling InP to 6-inch wafers presents technical challenges distinct from silicon, including material uniformity, defect control, and yield management across larger diameters. Coherent characterized the achievement as a manufacturing execution milestone rather than a research demonstration.
With 6-inch InP now in production, Coherent positions itself to support higher-volume demand for photonic integrated circuits used in optical communications, sensing, and emerging AI-driven systems. Larger wafer formats typically improve manufacturing efficiency and device economics, which can influence supply availability across data center interconnect, telecom, and specialty photonics markets.
- First reported transition of 6-inch InP wafers into full production
- Production completed one year ahead of the company’s planned timeline
- Manufacturing collaboration between Fremont, CA, and Sherman, TX facilities
- Targets higher-volume photonics applications including communications and AI infrastructure
“We are proud to announce that Coherent has successfully achieved the world’s first 6-inch Indium Phosphide production—accomplished one full year ahead of schedule,” the company stated.