__________________________________________________________________________________ Plessey
Semiconductors solving problems in real time.“ Manufacturing gets easier because you’ re used to change management and unexpected issues. We’ re built to handle problems, so production flows more smoothly because we’ re always ready to tackle challenges.”
This continuous mindset helps tackle one of the biggest challenges in semiconductor manufacturing: scaling technology without losing control of quality, yield, or consistency. Plessey has spent years refining microLED processes and now applies many of those lessons to optical interconnect development.
Thomas believes technology development and manufacturability need to happen in parallel rather than as separate stages.“ Developing a technology and making it manufacturable are not sequential activities, they need to happen concurrently.” That integrated approach creates faster learning cycles, with manufacturing insight feeding directly back into development to improve yield, cost, and speed while shortening the path from innovation to production.
A lot of Plessey’ s flexibility comes from its GaN-on-silicon platform. Originally designed for high power LEDs, the technology now forms the foundation for both display products and optical interconnect systems.“ GaN-on-silicon lets us run larger substrates with improved performance. That’ s a huge commercial advantage. It enables other key fabrication technologies like hybrid bonding, to be more effective. We’ ve built up a lot of experience with it, and it’ s no accident we’ re using it for both displays and interconnects.”
Recent investments show a clear effort to bring critical expertise closer to the production line. One of the biggest additions in the past year is phosphide epitaxy capability.“ Twelve months ago, we couldn’ t grow our own red LEDs onsite. That’ s
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