The II-VI EpiWorks Division of II‐VI Incorporated is breaking ground on a new production facility in Champaign, Illinois. The expansion, expected to be complete by mid-2017, will enable a quadrupling of capacity over the next three years. In addition to adding epitaxial wafer production capacity, the new cleanroom will house a state-of-the-art wafer characterization and test laboratory.

II-VI EpiWorks develops and manufactures compound semiconductor epitaxial wafers for application in optical components, wireless devices and high-speed communication systems. EpiWorks is adding capacity to support the performance and volume requirements of several growing optoelectronic markets, including InP and GaAs optoelectronic communication components for cloud computing and datacenters, VCSELs for 3D sensing and wide bandgap devices for 5G wireless infrastructure.

The expansion follows EpiWorks acquisition by II-VI, in February 2016, and the installation of three new MOCVD production tools, which filled the current cleanroom.

Giovanni Barbarossa, chief technology officer and president of the Laser Solutions segment of II-VI said, “The new capacity will support our RF and photonics businesses, and we will have more resources to research and develop new materials and products.”

To operate the new facility, EpiWorks is recruiting experienced managers, engineers and technicians. In a statement released by II-VI, Illinois governor Bruce Rauner said, "It is great to see EpiWorks continue to grow and create jobs in Illinois. This company has a strong Illinois history, having been founded by University of Illinois alumni.”