Manufacturer to expand its Mass. facility

Kopin Corp., a maker of transistor wafers used to amplify Wi-Fi and cell phone circuits, announced last week that it is expanding its Taunton production facility, aided by a $3 million state development grant.
The Kopin Corp. factory expansion is expected to bring 45 new jobs into the area, along with retaining between 100 and 110 others, said Christopher Kealey, of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.
“The grant represents a partnership between Kopin and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to create jobs and maintain Massachusetts as a leader in high-tech manufacturing,” said John C.C. Fan, president and CEO, in a news release.
The grant was secured with the help of the collaborative, which is the state’s development agency focusing on renewable energy and innovation.
“There was a part of the 2006 state budget that created a $3 million grant for a southeastern Massachusetts company, and our organization is a quasi-public economic development company,” said Christopher Kealy, of MTC.
Kopin has more than 200 patents and patents pending and has shipped more than 20 million displays. Its Taunton facility focuses on the production of heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs). Kopin touts its vertical transistors as the first commercially available of their kind, with a nano-structure that allows wireless devices – including Wi-Fi and OEM technology – to be made smaller.
At other production facilities – including sites in Westboro, Mass., and South Korea – the company also produces microdisplays used in consumer and military electronics, including digital cameras, thermal weapon sights and personal video eyewear.
The company’s HBTs and CyberDisplay LCDs brought in revenue of $90.3 million in 2005 and, as of July 1, 2006, the company reported holdings of $111.8 million in cash and marketable securities.
Because of Kopin’s growth, it’s been courted by other states for expansion, said Kealey. And that’s where a $3 million grant like this one can keep technology local. •