Wired
Apple has also injected $410 million into its key supplier of laser technology II-VI, which is used in the Face ID cameras and LiDAR scanners of the iPhone and iPad. This investment is Apple’s second investment in II-VI, and Apple said it will enable it to obtain components that will be used in next-generation devices earlier.
As early as 2017, Apple invested $390 million in the company from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund, which was also known as Finisar at the time. At the time, Apple said that the cash would help VCSELs (vertical cavity surface emitting lasers) mass production, and it would also increase research and development costs.
VCSEL was already part of the TrueDepth camera array in the iPhone X. They help sensors to track distances, and Apple uses them for Face ID to power features such as Animoji and Memoji, and recently launched the LiDAR Scanner depth-sensing camera. This camera was first introduced on the iPad Pro, but later also appeared on some iPhone models. This technology is not only helpful to the way Apple’s cameras work, but also to the launch of Apple’s augmented reality products.
In November 2018, Finisar was acquired by II-VI, the company specializing in optoelectronic components and other businesses. Although it makes parts for consumer electronics and communications equipment, it also develops automobiles and semiconductor capital equipment. This may be particularly attractive to Apple. As part of its Titan project department, Apple is not only quietly developing self-driving cars, but as its Mac production line shifts to Apple processors, Apple is increasingly making its own Chip.
Part of Apple’s first cash was used to restart the parts manufacturing plant in Sherman, Texas. Apple says that the new funding from the $5 billion Advanced Manufacturing Fund will add additional capacity, while also operating in Sherman, Texas, Warren, New Jersey, Easton, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. The city of Champagne creates 700 jobs.