Trymax secures InP laser agreement with AOI
Trymax Semiconductor Equipment, a specialist manufacturer of plasma- and UV-based tools, has been awarded a substantial, multi-year, multi-million-dollar purchase order by Applied Optoelectronics (AOI), a provider of optical and HFC networking products that power AI.
AOI fabricates its own chips and wafers in-house, using InP to build lasers for optical transceivers used in data centres. InP-based laser manufacturing can present specific process challenges, particularly in handling fragile substrates across mixed wafer sizes — an area in which Trymax has established expertise.
Under the contract, Trymax will provide AOI with its Ashers and UV curing systems to support the chip-making process by removing residues, etching surfaces, and treating materials at various stages of fabrication. These platforms are capable of processing InP wafers ranging from three to six inches and are widely recognized for handling fragile substrates without compromising yield.
Commenting on the announcement, Garrie Murphy, sales director Americas at Trymax, said, “This award reflects the depth of engineering collaboration we've built with AOI over time. Our teams have worked closely to align our Ashers and UV curing platforms with the exacting tolerances their manufacturing processes demand, and this marks a natural extension of that partnership as their production needs continue to grow.”
Stephen Hu, deputy director of wafer and chip production at AOI, highlighted the benefits of the partnership, adding: "Trymax is a trusted partner for plasma cleaning and UV/ozone surface preparation equipment, which we plan to integrate into our wafer fab in Sugar Land. In our evaluation, their equipment performed very well and their team has been highly responsive, which is critical for our partners as we aim to rapidly expand our laser chip production capacity in Texas.”
