II-VI Incorporated Licenses Single-Crystal Diamond Technology from Element Six to Enable Disruptive Applications in New Markets

PITTSBURGH and OXFORD, United Kingdom, Feb. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — II‐VI Incorporated (Nasdaq: IIVI) and Element Six, both world leaders in engineered materials, today announced a strategic collaboration that will expand II-VI’s diamond platform, accelerating the development of new disruptive applications by licensing Element Six’s single-crystal diamond technology.

In a world where size, weight, and power consumption are strategic value drivers, the unique characteristics of diamond materials offer breakthrough solutions for designers of future generations of products. Applications of advanced power and RF electronics, including for 6G wireless components, as well as other emerging applications in life sciences, sensing, thermal management, and quantum computing, are expected to drive the adoption of single-crystal diamond, a material extremely challenging to manufacture but well known for its outstanding optical, mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties.

Through this important collaboration, II-VI is licensing from Element Six its intellectual property and equipment necessary to produce high-quality single-crystal diamond, thus expanding its core competency in diamond technology ahead of anticipated market opportunities.

“Element Six has invested hundreds of millions of dollars for over 70 years to become a world leader in single-crystal diamond engineering and growth. Its unique capabilities complement II-VI’s proprietary polycrystalline diamond, a material we already manufacture at scale,” said Steve Rummel, Sr. Vice President, Engineered Materials and Laser Optics Business Unit, II-VI Incorporated. “This exciting collaboration is consistent with II-VI’s innovation strategy of making early investments in technology platforms that are process- and capital-intensive, and that require time to evolve, mature, and scale, so we can enable our customers’ technology roadmaps.”

“With its diverse global manufacturing footprint, growth markets expertise, and a successful vertically integrated structure, II-VI is one of the largest listed photonics and compound semiconductor companies. These elements make it an ideal partner to accelerate the market adoption of this remarkable material,” said Dr. Daniel Twitchen, Chief Technologist, Element Six. “Besides future opportunities for electronics, there is also a wide range of near-term applications driving the demand for accessible high-quality single-crystal diamond, including high-power optics, high-durability parts, and high-performance thermal-management systems. We look forward to enabling these and many new markets through this strategic collaboration with II-VI.”

With a track record spanning more than two decades of introducing disruptive single-crystal diamond-enabled solutions to the market, Element Six has already helped to unlock a range of new applications in sensing, optics, and semiconductors. The strategic collaboration between the companies represents the next milestone to expand single-crystal diamond applications, delivering its competitive advantages to an ever-growing range of customers.

About II-VI Incorporated

II-VI Incorporated, a global leader in engineered materials and optoelectronic components, is a vertically integrated manufacturing company that develops innovative products for diversified applications in communications, industrial, aerospace & defense, semiconductor capital equipment, life sciences, consumer electronics, and automotive markets. Headquartered in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, the Company has research and development, manufacturing, sales, service, and distribution facilities worldwide. The Company produces a wide variety of application-specific photonic and electronic materials and components, and deploys them in various forms, including integrated with advanced software to support our customers. For more information, please visit us at www.ii-vi.com.

About Element Six

Element Six, part of the De Beers Group, is a world leader in the design, development, and production of synthetic diamond and tungsten carbide advanced materials. The company operates worldwide with primary manufacturing facilities in Germany, Ireland, South Africa, the U.K., and the U.S. Element Six uses the extreme properties of synthetic diamond to open up new possibilities in areas such as quantum optics, acoustics, power transmission, water treatment, thermal management, and sensors. For more information, please visit www.e6.com.