Innolume Expands Manufacturing Capacity and Strengthens Vertical Integration in Dortmund
Innolume is significantly expanding its manufacturing and development capabilities in Dortmund to meet growing customer demand across its entire product portfolio. The expansion includes a new production facility, additional epitaxial growth systems, and extensive upgrades to existing manufacturing infrastructure.
These investments will strengthen Innolume's vertically integrated manufacturing capabilities, covering epitaxial growth, wafer processing, optical coatings, assembly, packaging, and final testing of laser chips and modules. The expansion will enable the company to scale production of existing products, accelerate the introduction of new technologies, and maintain high standards of quality and reliability.
The additional capacity will support growing demand across key markets, including silicon photonics based optical transceivers, high-speed optical interconnects for cloud data centers and AI infrastructure, LiDAR systems, and a broad range of industrial, medical, and scientific applications.
New Production Facility in Dortmund-Derne
Innolume is developing a new manufacturing facility in Dortmund-Derne. The expansion will support the manufacturing of gallium arsenide (GaAs)-based products utilizing both Quantum Dot (QD) and Quantum Well (QW) technologies.
Significant progress has already been made, including the installation of a 15-meter-high nitrogen storage tank and the preparation of four cleanrooms for molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) systems. Additional infrastructure upgrades are underway, including a new 10 kV power supply to support the increased manufacturing capacity. Planning, permitting, technical documentation, and construction activities are being carried out in parallel wherever possible to accelerate the project timeline.
Increasing Epitaxial Production Capacity
Innolume currently operates two Riber MBE49 reactors at its existing production facility in the Phoenix West technology and industrial park in Dortmund. As part of its capacity expansion, two new Riber MBE6000 reactors will be installed at the new manufacturing facility in Dortmund-Derne. Delivery and installation are scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, followed by commissioning. Production at the new facility is expected to ramp up progressively throughout 2027. In addition, Innolume has ordered a Veeco GEN2000 molecular beam epitaxy system to further strengthen its manufacturing capabilities. The new systems will significantly expand epitaxial production capacity and strengthen Innolume's capabilities for 6-inch GaAs wafer manufacturing. Combined with the existing equipment, they will provide flexibility across 3-, 4-, and 6-inch wafer formats, supporting higher production volumes and a broad range of customer requirements.
Upgrading the Existing Production Facility
Alongside the new facility, Innolume is investing approximately EUR 20 million in upgrades to its existing production site. These investments will expand manufacturing capabilities across wafer processing, optical coatings, inspection, reliability testing, and packaging, supporting both standard products and customer-specific solutions.
A major focus is the expansion and automation of wafer processing. The upgrades include a new automated area for photoresist coating, developing, and baking, alongside additional equipment for lift-off, cleaning, and etching. New mask alignment equipment, an advanced oxidation system, additional deposition equipment, and upgraded lapping and polishing systems will further strengthen Innolume's in-house wafer processing capabilities.
Innolume is also expanding its electron beam lithography (EBL) capacity with two additional Raith systems, both scheduled for installation in November 2026. Together with the existing system, these investments will significantly increase capacity for high-precision grating writing in distributed feedback (DFB) lasers, supporting the development of new laser designs and higher production volumes.
Further investments focus on passivation and optical coatings for laser facets. A Veeco SPECTOR ion beam deposition system has already been installed, enabling precise deposition of optical coatings with controlled reflectivity. This will expand Innolume's in-house coating capacity and provide greater flexibility in meeting different optical performance requirements.
To maintain consistent product quality and reliability as production volumes increase, Innolume is expanding its inspection and characterization capabilities with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), an atomic force microscope (AFM), and a Dektak profilometer. These systems will support detailed inspection and analysis of device structures and surface characteristics throughout development and manufacturing. Additional reliability testing equipment, environmental chambers, and expanded burn-in capacity will strengthen product qualification and lifetime testing in accordance with applicable Telcordia standards and customer-specific requirements.
In parallel, Innolume is expanding its assembly and packaging capabilities through additional high-precision die bonding and wire bonding equipment. New systems for seam sealing, optical alignment, and welding will increase manufacturing capacity for packaged laser devices and fiber-coupled modules, supporting larger production volumes and customer-specific requirements.
With these investments, Innolume is laying the foundation for the next stage of industrial growth. The expanded manufacturing infrastructure will enable the company to support larger production volumes, shorten manufacturing lead times as capacity becomes available, and respond more flexibly to customer requirements. At the same time, Innolume will continue to invest in new technologies and product development to address the evolving needs of its global customer base.
