Industry Newsmakers -- Fall 2007

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30 November 2007

Industry Newsmakers -- Fall 2007

Industry Newsmakers

Fall 2007

The following is a corporate news roundup from the Optical Society of America (OSA). This quarterly gathering of industry news is a complimentary service offered by the OSA PR team.

For more information on these or other OSA corporate members making news, please contact Lyndsay Meyer at lmeyer @osa.org or 202.416.1435.

Fall 2007 Industry News Summary

Some of the most talked about advancements in the optics and photonics industry are seen in the field of optical fiber communication. OSA Corporate Member companies are leading the way in the race for ever-faster networks and larger bandwidth. JDSU recently announced it has successfully demonstrated a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) that combines a tunable laser and optical modulator, using a technology known as the Integrated Laser Mach Zehnder. The new PIC will allow JDSU to develop smaller, higher performance, more efficient and more cost-effective tunable solutions that support faster network speeds.

And as fast as network speeds are increasing, so too are the quick-fire business changes in the marketplace. Fiber optics manufacturer Photop Technologies, Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Optimal Coatech Corp, Ltd. (OPDM). OPDM is a professional coating company in China specializing in the design, prototyping, volume production, product inspection and testing of telecom WDM filters, FTTx filters, and IR-Cut filters. Fiber laser developer/manufacturer IMRA America, Inc. and diode laser maker TOPTICA Photonics AG have signed a license agreement for IMRA femtosecond fiber technology. In the agreement, IMRA licenses TOPTICA a large portfolio of IMRA patents related to ultra-fast fiber lasers.

OSA Corporate Members Making News

CVI Melles Griot -- CVI Melles Griot Continues Growth Strategy with Acquisition of Coherent Imaging Optics

IMRA America & TOPTICA -- IMRA and TOPTICA Sign License Agreement on Ultra-Fast Fiber Technology

Institute of Optics, University of Rochester -- Gift Establishes Optical Engineering Center

JDSU - JDSU Advances Tunable "Transmitter-on-a-Chip" Technology

Newport -- Newport Corporation Announces Retirement of Robert G. Deuster, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Photop -- Photop Acquires OPDM

QPC Lasers -- QPC Lasers Wins $750,000 Contract from U.S. Defense Customer; Fiber Laser Engines Designed for Specialized Airborne Weapons Applications

Zygo -- ZYGO Receives a $4.4 Million Order for Long-Range Night Vision Surveillance Systems

The newly merged CVI Melles Griot continues to make waves in the optics industry as it moves forward with its growth strategy with the acquisition of Coherent Imaging Optics. CVI CEO Stuart Schoenmann says the acquisition "increases our infrared optics manufacturing capacity, brings us unique coating technologies, and further strengthens our European manufacturing presence." Newport Corporation is also seeing some internal changes to its business as its chairman and CEO, Robert Deuster, retired last month. J. Phillippy, formerly Newport's president and chief operating officer, now serves as president and CEO, while Kenneth F. Potashner, a member of the Board since 1998, was appointed non-executive chairman of the Board.

U.S. Government contracts are rolling in for OSA Corporate Members. QPC Lasers, Inc. was awarded a $750,000 contract last month to deliver high power fiber laser pump engines for directed energy weapons applications from a U.S. defense customer. The award brings the total contracts from this customer to $1.75 million since April. Optical metrology supplier Zygo Corporation announced that its Optical Systems Division has been awarded an initial $4.4 million manufacturing contract to produce long-range night vision surveillance systems serving a variety of critical Homeland Security, Department of Defense and Department of Energy applications.

Finally, the renowned Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester is expanding its facilities and educational offerings with the creation of the Robert E. Hopkins Center for Optical Design & Engineering. The new center, made possible by a $2 million gift from former Corning Tropel Corporation CEO John Bruning, celebrates the achievements of Professor Emeritus Robert Hopkins, director of the Institute from 1954 to 1965 and widely revered as the "father of optical engineering." Bruning's gift provides support for the center and will help to fund a new faculty position. All of this will directly feed the center's educational commitment by offering students a hands-on experience as they pursue their bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in optical engineering.