Photonic solutions maker Excelitas Technologies (Waltham, MA) has opened a new plant for its German subsidiary Qioptiq in Göttingen, Germany. The new facility expands the company’s capacity for assembly of highly sophisticated optomechanical systems and components for the semiconductor industry, offering 72,000 sq. ft. of space—16,000 sq. ft. of which is dedicated to Class 5 cleanrooms to meet very high cleanliness requirements.
Excelitas’ $30 million-plus investment includes a photovoltaic system, an automated material warehouse, and an ultrasonic cleaning system that meets the highest cleanliness standards for optical components in the semiconductor industry.
Excelitas had already made substantial investments in new cleanrooms at its Qioptiq facility in Göttingen in 2012, 2015, and 2017. Together, both sites now provide around 28,000 sq. ft. of cleanroom production space for the assembly of optical and optomechanical systems, as well as for coating and other optical production processes.
About 90 guests, including members of the German Bundestag attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 21, 2021. The mayor of Göttingen, Rolf-Georg Köhler, congratulated the company. Excelitas representatives affirmed their commitment to the Göttingen location and commended the rapid completion of the construction project under challenging conditions.
On September 3, 2021, Excelitas acquired PCO AG in Kelheim, Germany, further expanding its operational footprint in Germany, as well as extending its product portfolio to include high-performance scientific CMOS camera technology for biomedical and industrial imaging applications.