IQE joins major micro-sensor consortium

IQE was celebrating a major development on Tuesday, having joined the new MIRPHAB consortium to establish a pilot line serving the growing demand for European analytical micro-sensors.

MIRPHAB stands for Mid Infrared Photonics Devices Fabrication for chemical sensing and spectroscopic applications.

The AIM-traded supplier of advanced semiconductor wafer products and services said the goal of the MIRPHAB was to establish a Europe-based production capability for mid infrared photonics devices.

It said that, by bringing together high volume epitaxial wafer production facilities at IQE with key end-users, the consortium can deliver an end-to-end production supply chain for a range of mid-IR devices for a wide range of infrared sensing applications.

IQE’s board said the initiative will also provide open access to the European photonics industry with a focus on small to medium enterprises, catering for their requirements to prototype a wide range of mid-IR devices for multiple end use applications.

The €15m pilot line for mid-IR devices will receive funding from both the European Commission’s photonics public-private partnership under the Horizon 2020 programme to the tune of €13m, and €2m from the Swiss government.

"IQE has established a strong track record in the manufacture of compound semiconductor wafers for laser applications, so we are very pleased to participate in MIRPHAB and provide the consortium with a commercial source of mid infrared epitaxial wafers,” said vice president of IQE’s infrared business unit Dr Mark Furlong.

“With demand for mid infrared devices growing rapidly, supporting the pilot line with a high production volume capability for wafers will be essential"