Mississippi partnership to produce silicon carbide

April 5, 2005, Pittsburgh, PA--II-VI Incorporated announced that it is partnering with SemiSouth Laboratories (Starkville, MS) and Mississippi State University (Mississippi State, MS) to establish a silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor-substrate-manufacturing facility in Starkville.

This effort will focus on II-VI's production capabilities in SiC substrates, along with an advanced SiC epitaxial material-growth technology at SemiSouth. Technical and operational support will be provided from II-VI's Wide Bandgap Materials Group technical center and headquarters (Pine Brook, NJ).

II-VI Incorporated also announced that it made an investment in SemiSouth. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Silicon carbide can be used as the substrate for blue and UV light-emitting diodes, as well as for high-temperature electronics and optoelectronics, radio-frequency electronics, and high-power electronics.