News: Suppliers
26 August 2026
Trymax secures multi-million-dollar supply agreement with AOI to support InP laser manufacturing
Trymax Semiconductor Equipment BV of Nijmegen, The Netherlands (which provides plasma-based solutions for photoresist removal, surface cleaning, isotropic etch and UV curing/charge erase) has been awarded a multi-year, multi-million-dollar purchase order by Applied Optoelectronics Inc (AOI) of Sugar Land, TX, USA (a designer and manufacturer of optical and hybrid fibre-coaxial networking products for AI data centers, cable TV and broadband fiber access networks).
AOI grows and fabricates its own indium phosphide (InP)-based laser chips and wafers in-house, for use in its optical transceivers for intra- and inter-data-center connectivity. InP-based laser manufacturing can present specific process challenges, particularly in handling fragile substrates across mixed wafer sizes — an area in which Trymax has established itself as an equipment supplier for this class of device, based on its tool availability, innovative technology and wafer-handling capabilities, it is claimed.
Trymax will provide AOI with its ashers and UV curing systems to support the chip-making process by removing residues, etching surfaces, and treating materials at various stages of fabrication. These platforms can process InP wafers ranging from 3- to 6-inches in diameter and are recognized for handling fragile substrates without compromising yield, Trymax says.
“This award reflects the depth of engineering collaboration we've built with AOI over time,” says Garrie Murphy, sales director Americas at Trymax. “Our teams have worked closely to align our ashers and UV curing platforms with the exacting tolerances their manufacturing processes demand, and this marks a natural extension of that partnership as their production needs continue to grow,” he adds.
“Trymax is a trusted partner for plasma cleaning and UV/ozone surface preparation equipment, which we plan to integrate into our wafer fab in Sugar Land,” comments Stephen Hu, deputy director of Wafer and Chip Production at AOI. “In our evaluation, their equipment performed very well and their team has been highly responsive, which is critical for our partners as we aim to rapidly expand our laser chip production capacity in Texas.”
Trymax is exhibiting in the Netherlands Pavilion in Hall 1 (K2760) at SEMICON Taiwan 2026 at TaiNEX, Taipei (2–4 September).
AOI awarded $20.9m Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund grant
Scientech to distribute Trymax’s resist ashing and UV products in Taiwan
