FEB. 5–BURLINGTON, Mass–EM4 Inc., a provider of contract design and manufacturing services for photonics and integrated optics, claims it has launched a breakthrough manufacturing process.

EM4 officials say they have developed a single step, high precision, sub-micron process for producing active optoelectronic components, resulting in increased yields, reduced cycle times, and lower costs.

With an $8 million round of funding, EM4’s new facility enlarges the company’s manufacturing and office space. The new 30,000-square-foot building significantly increases EM4’s production capacity. The facility includes a manufacturing cleanroom that is more than triple the size of EM4’s former site, enabling EM4 to increase its optoelectronic and photonic component design and manufacturing abilities accordingly. EM4 plans to move into the site later this month, and is also undertaking a move into substantially larger facilities in Bedford, Mass.

EM4 has developed proprietary next-generation assembly tools that provide faster, more accurate, and more reproducible fiber alignment at critical manufacturing stages. The process utilizes partial automation and provides a two-fold increase in capacity and throughput, while also improving yield.