II-VI Incorporated and the University of South Florida Achieve Research Milestone in Thin-Film Diamond on Silicon Technology for 5G Wireless

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 04, 2018 -- II‐VI Incorporated (NASDAQ:IIVI), a leader in engineered materials and devices for communications, today announced the achievement of a key research milestone in the development of thin-film diamond on silicon technology for 5G wireless communications, in collaboration with the University of South Florida (USF).

Mobile communications service providers are planning to enhance their high speed broadband services with 5G wireless, which is driving the demand for devices with much higher bandwidth and power efficiency than can be achieved through existing technologies. II-VI and USF successfully completed the first phase of their joint research program, which was initiated in June 2016, to develop a new technology platform using thin-film diamond on silicon that will enable next generation high speed electronic components in 5G wireless handsets.

“II-VI is a leader in engineered materials and thin-film technologies for communications,” said Dr. Wen-Qing Xu, GM of Platform Technology Development and Incubation, II-VI Incorporated. “Our work with USF accelerates the development timelines and will enable us to be ready in time to serve the market for 5G wireless components.”

II-VI and USF joint research activities were partly funded by the Matching Grant Research Program (MGRP) from the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. Activities included the design, modeling, fabrication and characterization of prototype devices.           

“Our research team at USF was able to leverage our area of expertise in micro-machined thin-film diamond on silicon, to rapidly converge on a technical solution for II-VI,” said Dr. Jing Wang, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of South Florida. “We acknowledge MGRP’s support for this program along with a dozen others in recent years.”

The new thin film diamond on silicon technology platform will add to II-VI's portfolio of GaAs and SiC engineered materials for high speed wireless applications.   

About II-VI Incorporated

II-VI Incorporated, a global leader in engineered materials and optoelectronic components, is a vertically integrated manufacturing company that develops innovative products for diversified applications in the industrial, optical communications, military, life sciences, semiconductor equipment, and consumer markets. Headquartered in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, the Company has research and development, manufacturing, sales, service, and distribution facilities worldwide. The Company produces a wide variety of application-specific photonic and electronic materials and components, and deploys them in various forms, including integrated with advanced software to enable our customers. For more information, please visit us at www.ii-vi.com.

About The Florida High Tech Corridor Council

The Florida High Tech Corridor Council was established by the Florida Legislature in 1996. It is an economic development initiative of the University of South Florida (USF), the University of Central Florida (UCF) and the University of Florida (UF) spanning a 23-county region. The mission of The Corridor is to grow high tech industry and innovation through partnerships that support research, marketing, workforce and entrepreneurship. A partnership involving more than 25 local and regional economic development organizations (EDOs), 14 state/community colleges and 12 CareerSource boards, The Corridor is co-chaired by the presidents of USF, UCF and UF, and includes the presidents of two state colleges, the president of the Florida Institute of Technology and representatives of high tech industry. The unique partnership has resulted in a strategic approach to high tech economic development that supports matching funds research, marketing, workforce development and entrepreneurship leveraging governmental, EDO and corporate budgets on a regional rather than local basis. For more information, visit www.floridahightech.com

About The Matching Grant Research Program

Since the inception of the program in 1996, The Corridor has partnered with 360 companies on more than 1,400 research projects in industries ranging from Aerospace to Sustainable Energy. The nearly $65 million in funds that have been invested by The Corridor have generated an additional $1 billion in quantifiable downstream impacts. The Matching Grants Research Program is open to technology companies located in the 23-county Corridor to partner with USF faculty for applicable research. While projects may be proposed in any discipline, proposals are particularly encouraged in areas contributing to the development of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council focus areas.

CONTACT:
Mark Lourie
Dir. Corporate Communications
[email protected]
www.ii-vi.com