Optoelectronics Report articles from July 2002

Optoelectronics Report archives from July 2002

Veeco and FEI combine for $800 million.(Veeco Instruments)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 15, 2002... WOODBURY, NY and HILLSBORO, OR--Veeco Instruments and FEI signed a definitive merger agreement intended to double their size and boost the combined company to rankings of sixth in the semiconductor equipment market, third in the semiconductor...

Bookham closes two manufacturing plants.(Bookham Technology)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... OXFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND--Having finalized its acquisition of Marconi's optical component business earlier this year, Bookham Technology has decided to close two of its four manufacturing facilities. The company plans to manufacture ASOC...

Tunable filters. (News Briefs).(NP Photonics acquires Parvenu (Delaware, Maryland))(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... NP Photonics (Tucson, AZ) has acquired Parvenu, a Delaware corporation, which had previously acquired Solus Micro Technologies' (Westlake Village, CA) compliant MEMs technology, intellectual property, and tunable filter products. Parvenu will...

Going West. (News Briefs).(Lambda Physik opens California office)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... In a strategic move designed to grow sales and reach a large customer base on the U.S. West Coast, Lambda Physik (Gottingen, Germany) has opened a sales office in San Diego, CA. As part of this expansion, the company hired Bernhard Nikolaus...

Raman patent. (News Briefs).(jointly granted to Xtera Communications and University of Michigan, U.S.)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... U.S. Patent #6,239,902, covering the use of lumped or distributed Raman amplification on most types of NZDSF fibers for long-haul transport systems, has been jointly awarded to Xtera Communications (Allen, TX) and the University of Michigan....

UNC lobbies NSF for manufacturing center.(University of North Carolina)(National Sciene Foundation)(U.S.)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... CHARLOTTE, NC--The University of North Carolina (UNC) is part of an academic consortium that has submitted a preproposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a grant to establish a center for next-generation photonic manufacturing...

French consortium establishes nano center.(nanotechnology)(Grenoble, France)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... GRENOBLE, FRANCE--Construction has begun on Minatec, the Center for Innovation in Micro and Nanotechnology. The result of a collaboration between the French government, local authorities, the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), the...

New VP. (News Briefs).(TeraConnect appoints Michael Demeo)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... Having just reduced its workforce by nearly 50% (see OER, July 1, 2002), TeraConnect (Nashua, NH) has named Michael Demeo as its new vice president of sales. Demeo will be responsible for securing design wins and revenue for TeraConnect's...

Singapore office. (News Briefs).(Beta LaserMike moves Asia Pacific regional headquarters)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... Beta LaserMike (Dayton, OH), a manufacturer of precision measurement and control systems, has relocated its Asia Pacific regional headquarters to Singapore. The region is lead by Grant Latimer, executive sales director, Asia Pacific, who is...

Arbitration decision. (News Brief).(Lumenis and Light Age in court case)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... An arbitration panel has entered an award against Lumenis (Yokneam, Israel) and certain subsidiaries in the amount of $6.9 million plus interest. According to Lumenis, the claimant, Light Age (Somerset, NJ), had sought damages of $42 million...

Series B. (News Briefs).(Continuum Photonics closes on financing)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... Continuum Photonics (Billerica, MA), a provider of high-performance photonic subsystems and components, has closed on more than $14 million in its Series B financing. New investors Flagship Ventures and Prism Venture Partners co-led the...

Bowing out. (News Briefs).(Roper Industries withdraws proposed offering of shares)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... Roper Industries (Bogart, GA) has decided to withdraw its registration statement for a proposed offering of up to 5 million shares of common stock, due to unfavorable equity market conditions. "We remain committed to our disciplined strategy...

Equity financing. (News Briefs).(Optimer Photonics raises cash in equity financing)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... Optimer Photonics (Columbus, OH), a developer of functional optical materials and techniques for controlling light in optical waveguide structures, raised $5.5 million in equity financing in its latest funding round. Mitsubishi Corporation...

Multilaser device offers diagnostic advance.(U.S.)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... PRINCETON, NJ AND HUNTSVILLE, AL--VitalCare Diagnostics, a collaboration between Sarnoff Corporation and Vectranetics (founded by a group of researchers from the University of Alabama), is working to commercialize a diagnostic tool that uses...

Cambridge Lasers acquires Lexel assets.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... FREMONT, CA--Cambridge Lasers Laboratories has acquired substantial portions of Lexel Laser assets, including the bulk of the company's manufacturing equipment, the parts inventory, and all of the intellectual property. This purchase bolsters...

NEMI launches three new O/E projects.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... HERNDON, VA--The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI) has launched three new optoelectronics projects and a special optoelectronics study group in an effort to help improve yields and decrease costs of optoelectronics...

LED milestone. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... According to Lumileds Lighting (San Francisco, CA), its Luxeon LED-based lights have demonstrated industry-leading 90%+ lumen maintenance after 9000 hours, outperforming conventional 5-mm LEDs that retain just 70% of their brightness after...

New company. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... NGK Insulators (Tokyo, Japan) has formed a new U.S. company, NGK Electronics (Sunnyvale, CA) to handle marketing and sales for its sister companies NGK Locke, Electronics Division (raw materials and ceramic substrates), FM Industries (EMI)...

Ciena reorganizes. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... Ciena (Linthicum, MD) has realigned its organizational resources to better deliver on key business strategies and to realize operational efficiencies. Ciena has combined four product-development organizations (core transport, core switching,...

Changing names. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... IntelCore Technologies (North Grafton, MA) has changed its name to Verrillon, in conjunction with the company's move to a new, larger headquarters facility. The name change and move represent significant milestones for the producer of...

Asian subsidiary. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... Rofin-Sinar Technologies (Plymouth, MA and Hamburg, Germany) has incorporated a subsidiary in Taiwan to meet the demands of the growing markets in Asia. The new firm, Rofin-Baasel Taiwan Ltd., is located in Taipei and began operation on July...

NSF funds laser manufacturing center.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 15, 2002... NEWPORT NEWS, VA--Old Dominion University (ODU) is home to the new Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Lasers and Plasmas for Advanced Manufacturing, sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The center, which...

NPoint unveils ultra-precision technology.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... MIDDLETON, WI--The planets are aligning for nPoint. Or rather, the atoms. This mid-western designer of nanopositioning devices and motion controllers is announcing the "world's most advanced" precision technology, making possible manipulation...

Optoelectronics Report 40.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 15, 2002... Optoelectronics Report 40 52-week Company Ticker June28 July 12 Low High ADC Telecom ADCT 2.19 2.16 2.16 15.62...

New VP. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... NeoPhotonics (Fremont, CA) has appointed Jane Li to the position of vice president of sales and business development, responsible for developing global customer and partner relationships and forging strategic alliances with application...

Merger announced. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 15, 2002... NKT Holding (Birkerod, Denmark) announced the merger of its subsidiaries, lonas and Cisilias, to form NKT Integration A/S. The merger is intended to strengthen NKT Holding's position in optical telecommunications. The lonas foundry service...

Process development. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... Axsys Technologies (Rocky Hill, CT) is now offering process development services through its Photonics Lab. Built around Axsys' automated align and attach machines, the lab is focused on photonic device characterization, process development,...

Revenues down. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 15, 2002... Eye-laser manufacturer Visx (Santa Clara, CA) reported revenues of $36.6 million for the second quarter of 2002 (ended June 30), compared to $48.3 million for the comparable period of the prior year. Net income for the quarter was $5.9...

Prototyping services. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... Palomar Technologies (Vista, CA) has expanded its applications engineering division and test facilities to provide process development and prototyping services. The new service is intended to meet the needs of companies looking to develop or...

OIDA spotlights manufacturability.(Optoelectronics Industry Development Association workshop on low-cost manufacturing)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... BOSTON, MA--The last 12 months have seen a plethora of seminars and workshops focused on the current "hot topic" in optoelectronics: low-cost manufacturing as the key to renewed profitability. But the Optoelectronics Industry Development...

TeraConnect streamlines with major layoffs.(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
July 1, 2002... NASHUA, NH--From large players to small start-ups, the optical components industry continues to see downsizing and consolidation, mostly a direct result of the telecom downturn. One of the latest casualties is TeraConnect, a spin-off of...

Manufacturing pact. (News Briefs).(WaveSplitter Technologies )(Matsushita Kotobuki Electronics Industries )(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
July 1, 2002... WaveSplitter Technologies (Fremont, CA), a supplier of integrated optical components and modules, and Matsushita Kotobuki Electronics Industries (MKE), a subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (Osaka, Japan), signed an agreement...

Majority interest. (News Briefs).(Lambda Physik AG acquires Optomech GmbH)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
July 1, 2002... Lambda Physik AG (Gottingen, German) has acquired 98% of the capital stock of Optomech GmbH, a company operating the production of laser tubes under clean-room conditions. In order to strengthen the manufacturing competencies of key...

Taking over. (News Briefs).(Cambridge Lasers Laboratories )(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
July 1, 2002... Cambridge Lasers Laboratories (Fremont, CA) has expanded its production facilities to meet increasing demand for service and support of Lexel lasers, following Lexel's filing of Chapter 7 last month (see OER, June 1, 2002). Cambridge is...

Coherent wins contract from SEMATECH.(Coherent Inc.)(International Sematech)(continuous wave laser systems)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
July 1, 2002... SANTA CLARA, CA--Coherent has received a multiyear contract from International SEMATECH (ISMT; Austin, TX) to develop continuous wave laser systems at wavelengths below 200 nm. The lasers are intended to be used in the fabrication of advanced...

LightPath to shut down Albuquerque facility.(LightPath Technologies Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... ALBUQUERQUE, NM--Optical-component manufacturer LightPath Technologies is laying off 66 of its 175 employees and moving its corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities to Orlando, FL, as part of a restructuring and consolidation...

US government increases telecom spending.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... CHANTILLY, VA--Federal investment in telecommunications products and services will increase from $10.8 billion in FY2002 to $16.1 billion in FY2007, according to a report released in early June by Input, a market research firm that tracks...

Mode-coupling patent. (News Briefs).(Sabeus Photonics)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Sabeus Photonics (Chatsworth, CA) has been granted US Patent #6,360,038, covering novel modecoupling technology that the company claims promises to dramatically reduce the cost of manufacturing certain components for use in the optical...

Display contract. (News Briefs).(United States Display Consortium, Litrex Corp.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The US Display Consortium (USDC; San Jose, CA), a public-private partnership supporting the electronic display industry, has awarded a contract to Litrex (Pleasanton, CA), a manufacturer of industrial ink-jet systems, to complete a two-phase...

Expanded relationship. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... To provide customers an assured supply of semiconductor products based on fully compatible process technologies, Motorola (Austin, TX) has signed a broadened agreement with foundry partner Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation. The...

IC projections. (News Briefs).(integrated circuits)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Integrated circuits (ICs) used in optical switches will represent a $5.4 billion market opportunity by 2006, up from $654 million in 2002, according to Pioneer Consulting's (Boston, MA) latest report, Optical Chips: Enabling Technologies and...

Researchers eye OLEDs for general lighting.(organic light-emitting diodes)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... NISKAYUNA, NY--Researchers at General Electric (GE) are taking an organic approach to short-wavelength light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that could pave the way for these devices to replace current forms of room and street lighting. Today's...

Cost advantages give filter firms a leg up.(optical filter industry)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA-The DWDM filter market still offers opportunities for suppliers who stand out from the crowd, according to a new report from Communications Industry Researchers (CIR; www.cir-inc.com), an optical industry market research...

OLED license. (News Briefs).(Eastman Kodak Co.)(organic light-emitting diode )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Eastman Kodak (Rochester, NY) has licensed its organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology to Optrex Corporation of Japan. The royalty-bearing license to Optrex covers use of passivematrix OLED technology in a variety of flat-panel display...

Ramping up. (News Briefs).(appointment at Essient Photonics)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Expanding its development team to prepare for production ramp-up, Essient Photonics (Glasgow, Scotland) has appointed Ian Croston as director of engineering. Croston brings more than 15 years of fiberoptic manufacturing and development...

200 let go. (News Briefs).(Tellium Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Tellium (Oceanport, NJ) is implementing a business restructuring that was expected to result in a workforce reduction of approximately 200 employees by the end of June. The continued deteriorating conditions in the telecommunications industry...

Venture funding: NeoPhotonics. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... NeoPhotonics (Fremont, CA) has completed a financing round totaling approximately $35 million. New equity investors CDP Capital-Technology Ventures (formerly COP Sofinov), Rockport Capital Partners, Small-Technology Venture Capital (Harris &...

Auxora (Baldwin Park, CA), a provider of optical filter products for wavelength management and control. (News Briefs).(completes financing round)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Auxora (Baldwin Park, CA), a provider of optical filter products for wavelength management and control, has completed its Series A financing round with an additional $3 million, led by Rustic Canyon Ventures. Existing investors Intel Capital...

Indigo Systems Corporation. (News Briefs).(secures financing)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Indigo Systems Corporation (Santa Barbara, CA), a provider of high-performance infrared (IR) cameras and technology for commercial, industrial and military applications, has secured $17.6 million in financing from global private equity firm,...

China emerges as outsourcing hotbed.(manufacturing costs reduction)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... SAN FRANCISCO, CA--The Far East is rapidly finding favor among optical components manufacturers looking to reduce manufacturing costs in these lean times. According to E. Jan Vardaman, president and founder of TechSearch International...

Optoelectronics Report 40.(stocks)(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2002... Optoelectronics Report 40 52-week Company Ticker June 11 June 28 Low High ADC Telecom ADCT 2.55 2.19 2.19 15.62 Agere...

Santur Corporation. (News Briefs).(completes financing round)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Santur Corporation (Fremont, CA), a privately held optical components company, has completed its second round of venture financing, netting $23 million. Thomas Weisel Venture Partners led the round, with all previous venture capital...

Prototyping service.(Edmund Industrial Optics)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Edmund Industrial Optics (Barrington, NJ) has launched a rapid optical component prototyping service, bringing together optical manufacturing and thin-film coating to deliver custom components in four weeks or less. Prototype runs comprise...

LCD equipment. (News Briefs).(Creo and DuPont Imaging Technologies sign deal)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Creo (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) has signed an agreement with DuPont Imaging Technologies to develop equipment for a new thermal color filter system to be used in manufacturing color filter components used in liquid crystal displays (LCDs)....

Nuclear detection. (News Briefs).(Argonne National Laboratory creates device)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... A small, portable detector for finding concealed nuclear weapons and materials has been developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne, IL). The heart of the Argonne device is a small wafer of gallium...