ClassOne Technology announced that two leading photonics manufacturers have placed follow-on production orders for its Solstice S8 systems. The equipment, configured with GoldPro electroplating chambers, will handle high-volume gold plating on 4-inch and 6-inch indium phosphide (InP) wafers. These wafers are essential components for optical devices used in AI data centers and high-bandwidth communications infrastructure.
What it means
The customers, who already use Solstice as their global standard for gold plating processes, plan to deploy multiple additional systems as they expand InP transceiver production capacity. The platform’s design allows manufacturers to integrate metal lift-off, wet-etch, and other processing steps on the same equipment line. This expansion aligns with broader market trends; Yole Group reports that AI data center scaling is driving significant growth in the photonics sector.
The optical transceiver market is projected to reach $112 billion by 2031, while the photonics packaging market is forecast at $14.4 billion. ClassOne CEO Byron Exarcos said the orders reflect customer confidence in the company’s ability to deliver necessary process performance and throughput for next-generation production.
Key facts
- Two industry-leading photonics manufacturers placed follow-on orders.
- Systems configured with GoldPro electroplating chambers.
- Equipment processes 4-inch and 6-inch indium phosphide wafers.
- Optical transceiver market projected to reach $112 billion by 2031.
- Photonics packaging market forecast at $14.4 billion.
- Solstice platform supports metal lift-off and wet-etch processes.
Source: ClassOne Technology news release