SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Symmorphix, Inc., a developer of Amplifying Photonic Integrated Components (APICs), has started producing planar wafers at its state-of-the-art fabrication facility located in Sunnyvale. A back-end assembly and test facility in Santa Rosa also began operations, transforming the planar wafers into optical amplifiers that promise to improve optical network equipment performance and scalability.The Sunnyvale wafer fab uses proprietary physical vapor deposition equipment originally developed for flat panel screens by the company’s founders while at Applied Materials and later customized by Symmorphix for photonics-optimized materials. Other qualified fabrication equipment includes etch, film and optical metrology, inspection, and photolithography, all housed in a Class 10 and 100 clean room environments. The back-end assembly and test facility in Santa Rosa handles packaging and quality assurance. This facility includes equipment for dice, polish, align/attach, electronics, and characterization. Symmorphix recently implemented a build-to-order manufacturing system designed to maintain lean inventories and quick-turns on new product development. “With the opening of these new facilities, Symmorphix is driving the industry’s transition from fiber-based discrete components to planar integrated photonic devices, which use manufacturing processes similar to those used for highly integrated semiconductors,” said Peter Brooks, president, Symmorphix. “Unlike fiber-based components, planar integrated photonic devices benefit from Moore's Law of scalability, making it feasible to create all-optical network systems that will enable carriers to rapidly provision a variety of revenue-generating services.” Symmorphix Inc.