Active Optical Cable Patent Awarded to EMCORE Corporation

ALBUQUERQUE, NM, March 18, 2009 --EMCORE Corporation (Nasdaq: EMKR), a leading provider of compound semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the broadband, fiber optic, satellite and terrestrial solar power markets, today announced that it has received a patent award for its Active Optical Cable technology. The new patent (US Patent No. 7,494,287 B2) with broad claims covers all fiber optic active cable applications and is believed to be fundamental to current and future market segments and platforms related to data communications links between information systems.

Today's high-speed data communications networks utilize optical fiber cables for data transmission between information system units such as computer clusters, mass data storage devices, and routers. Typical systems communicate via electrical host adapters that when connected to electro-optical transceivers mated with an optical fiber cable enable high bandwidth, low latency, lightweight and improved airflow data networks.

According to the Active Optical Cables Market Study 2009 by Information Gatekeepers Inc. the overall cumulative cable revenue from 2009 through 2013 is expected to exceed $8.5 billion. This represents a total of 1,040 million meter cables cumulative for the five years.

"EMCORE previously announced supporting IBM's use of 55 miles of our active optical fiber for the world's first petaflop supercomputer", said Stephen Krasulick, Executive Vice President and General Manager of EMCORE's Fiber Optics Products division. Krasulick added, "For next generation 40 Gb/s and greater bandwidth applications we expect active optical cables to replace copper cables and become the dominate connect solution."

The company currently sells in high volume the EMCORE Connects Cables (ECC) product platform for high-performance InfiniBand interconnects that operate at high-speed 20 Gb/s data rates and is sampling next generation 40 Gb/s data rate cables to major OEMs.

EMCORE is demonstrating the new 40 Gb/s ECC at the OFC/NFOEC Conference and Exposition on March 24-26 in San Diego, California. EMCORE Connects Cables currently support 40 Gb/s Quad Data Rate (QDR), 20 Gb/s Double Data Rate (DDR) and 10 Gb/s Single Data Rate (SDR) and are available in lengths from 1 to 100 meters.

For more information, visit EMCORE at www.emcoreconnects.com

About EMCORE:
EMCORE Corporation is a leading provider of compound semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the broadband, fiber optic, satellite and terrestrial solar power markets. EMCORE's Fiber Optics unit offers optical components, subsystems and systems that enable the transmission of video, voice and data over high-capacity fiber optic cables for high-speed data and telecommunications, cable television (CATV) and fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks. EMCORE's Solar Power unit provides solar products for satellite and terrestrial applications. For satellite applications, EMCORE offers high-efficiency compound semiconductor-based gallium arsenide (GaAs) solar cells, covered interconnect cells and fully integrated solar panels. For terrestrial applications, EMCORE offers concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems for utility scale solar applications as well as offering its high-efficiency GaAs solar cells and CPV components for use in solar power concentrator systems. For specific information about our company, our products or the markets we serve, please visit our website at www.emcore.com.

Safe Harbor:
Statements in this press release that are not historical facts, and the assumptions underlying such statements, constitute "forward-looking statements" and assumptions underlying "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including (a) the failure of the products mentioned (i) to perform as expected without material defects, (ii) to be manufactured at acceptable volumes, yields, and cost, and (iii) to be successful under field conditions, (b) the failure of the products to be selected by prospective customers for large-scale deployment and ^© the ability of the Company's customers to achieve their own business goals and objectives. Readers should also review the risk factors set forth in EMCORE's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and EMCORE does not assume any obligation to update these statements.

Contact:
EMCORE Corporation
Silvia M. Gentile
Executive Offices
(505) 323-3417
info@emcore.com

TTC Group
Victor Allgeier
(646) 290-6400
vic@ttcominc.com