Hamamatsu Photonics Korea Completes New Factory: Week in Brief: 3/14/25

Tower Semiconductor, an analog semiconductor solutions foundry, has expanded its collaboration with Innolight, a high-speed optical transceiver developer, by using Tower’s newest silicon photonics platform, now in production. Leveraging the platform, the solution will address the needs of 100 Gbps per lane (400 G/800 G), 200 Gbps per lane (1.6 T) today, and 400 Gbps per lane (3.2 T) optical modules in the future, according to the companies.

ENSCHEDE, Netherlands — Photonic quantum computing company QuiX Quantum has entered into a partnership with Fermioniq, a quantum-inspired software company, and Deltares, an applied research institute in the fields of water and subsurface, to discover quantum modeling solutions that will improve water management and infrastructure. Funded by the Dutch Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Water Management, the collaboration is expected to set the foundation for further developments in quantum-powered hydrodynamic modeling, with broader implications for global water management challenges.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Sidus Space, a space mission enabler, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Warpspace, a space-tech company specializing in communication network services, to establish a framework to pursue a joint venture focused on delivering integrated solutions for next-generation satellite communications and mission operations. Activities related to the joint venture are expected to begin immediately, with both companies working toward defining the next steps for implementation.

Hamamatsu Photonics Korea’s new factory in Hwaseong-si, South Korea. Courtesy of Hamamatsu Photonics.

HAMAMATSU CITY, Japan — Hamamatsu Photonics Korea Co., Ltd. has completed construction on a new factory in Hwaseong-si, South Korea. According to the company, the new factory will boost Hamamatsu Photonics Korea’s production capacity of semiconductor failure analysis equipment and expand its sales in the global market. The company’s manufacturing plant will be moved to the newly built factory with full-scale operations expected to begin this month.

ESPOO, Finland — Atomic layer deposition (ALD) company Beneq and photo-detection solutions company Photonis Scientific have reported a significant advancement in microchannel plate (MCP) technology stemming from a collaboration focused on replacing traditional lead-based materials with ALD-enabled solutions to drive sustainable MCP manufacturing. The approach decouples the properties of the glass substrate from those of the conductive and electron emissive coatings, allowing each to be independently optimized. ALD enables MCP manufacturers to eliminate hazardous materials while maintaining performance under harsh conditions and extend device lifespan by up to 10 times compared to conventional methods.

BOULDER, Colo. — Infleqtion, a quantum information technologies company, has been awarded $6.2 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy to develop quantum-enhanced solutions for energy grid optimization. The funding will support Infleqtion’s ENCODE project, an initiative aimed at improving energy grid efficiency through quantum computing, in collaboration with the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, EPRI, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

KOMAKI, Japan — Optical technologies company santec AOC Corporation has entered into an equity investment and technical alliance agreement with developer of multicore fiber (MCF) optical components KS Photonics Inc. Through the collaboration, the companies plan to work together to accelerate commercialization efforts and further expand the application of MCF technologies in the optical communications industry.

VIRGINAI BEACH, Va. — ViDARR Inc., a developer of advanced defense optical technologies, has invested $2.69 million in a new manufacturing facility in Virginia Beach, Va. The company’s 16,410 sq ft facility will expand production capabilities and promote collaboration with local businesses and the region’s defense sector, according to the company.

MAWSON LAKES, Australia — Integrated defense and security company QinetiQ has successfully demonstrated a prototype of its scalable high-power laser optical chain at QinetiQ Laboratories in Adelaide, Australia. Done in partnership with Defence Science and Technology Group, a group under the Australian Department of Defence, the demonstration brings the entities closer to understanding pathways for sovereign directed energy defensive systems to counter current and emerging threats posed by uncrewed aircraft, such as drones.

DRESDEN, Germany — ALLOS Semiconductors, a producer of gallium nitride on silicon (GaN-on-Si) epiwafer technologies, has acquired the GaN intellectual property portfolio from AZUR Space Solar Power, a developer of multi-junction solar cells for space photovoltaic and terrestrial concentrator photovoltaic applications. The acquisition includes the buy-back of the GaN-on-Si technology for high power electronics applications, which ALLOS originally sold to AZUR in 2020, along with several jointly completed innovations and resulting patent applications.