ALBUQUERQUE, NM — As part of its recent Sandia Technology Park facility expansion, EMCORE Corporation has tripled the size of its cleanroom facilities.

The recent expansion adds 36,000 square feet to the existing 50,000 square foot building which houses the company’s solar cell, optical components and networking product divisions.

“The additional cleanroom capacity is critical for us to serve our growing customer base, and provides an opportunity for EMCORE to continually develop new product technologies for the increasing global communications markets,” said Reuben Richards, president and CEO of EMCORE.

More than 280 employees will work at the Albuquerque location, and officials hope that number will increase significantly over the next year.

The original 50,000 square foot building was completed in October 1998. The company’s solar cell division manufactures triple junction solar cells for satellite applications. The optical device division provides building blocks for high-speed telecom and data communications applications, including Internet infrastructure by designing and manufacturing hig-speed laser components.

–Jeff VanPelt