PHOENIX, AZ — Photronics, Inc., a leading supplier of photomasks, recently started manufacturing operations at its new Phoenix facility, which includes 11,000 square feet of ISO Class 3 (Class 1) cleanroom space.

The 30,000 square foot facility, which cost more than $30 million, also houses customer support activities for the company. Part of the cleanroom space has been reserved for future expansion of the site’s technological capabilities. The site has been designed to accommodate the technology and capacity requirements of semiconductor manufacturers using 0.25 micron technologies.

“The Southwestern United States processes more silicon than any other region in North America and Arizona is considered to be one of the fastest growing semiconductor-producing states,” said Photronics president James L. MacDonald. “Photronics is committed to serving the semiconductor manufacturers in this region, insuring that we have both the capability and capacity to meet their technology and volume requirements.”

Officials say that more than 130 will be employed at the Arizona site within the next five years.

–Jeff VanPelt