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29 January 2009
Industry Newsmakers Fourth Quarter 2008
Industry Newsmakers
Fourth Quarter 2008
The following is a corporate news roundup from the Optical Society (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.
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OSA CORPORATE MEMBERS Fianium -- Fianium to Lead Project to Develop Advanced Supercontinuum Fiber Lasers Fiberguise Industries, Inc. -- Mode Scrambler Option Eliminates High Power Laser Hot Spots Intel Capital --Intel Capital Announces Three New Investments In China Including Its First Chinese Cleantech Investments JDS Uniphase Corporation -- JDSU Acquires Circadiant to Meet Growing Requirements for SFP+ and 10 GigE Stress Testing nLIGHT Corporation -- Medical Applications Benefit from Enhanced Laser Diode Performance at 1400 nm to 2000 nm Ocean Optics -- Ocean Optics Acquires Oerlikon Optics USA Operation Photonics Industries International, Inc. -- Photonics Industries Announces Air-Cooled Diode Pumped Eye Safe Wavelength Laser Raydiance -- Raydiance Secures $20 Million of New Funding to Support Continued Development and Commercialization of Ultrafast Laser Platform Zygo Corporation -- ESI, Inc., Zygo Corp. Announce Agreement to Merge |
Fourth Quarter 2008 Industry News Summary
In late 2008, OSA Corporate Member companies were seen leveraging business partnerships and new business strategies to foster innovation and novel product offerings. Components-maker JDSU acquired Circadiant, an industry leader in SFP+, 10 GigE and other stressed signal test solutions. Optical sensing company Ocean Optics, Inc. acquired the Oerlikon Optics business unit in Golden, Colo. Under the terms of the agreement, Oerlikon Optics will be fully integrated into Ocean Optics’ Thin Films Division. Oerlikon Optics is a supplier of custom optical components and subassemblies. Electro Scientific Industries, Inc. (ESI) and Zygo Corporation announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which the companies will merge in an all stock transaction. The companies said this merger combines two photonics-based technology leaders, possessing complementary technologies and strong brand names—ESI is a leading provider of world-class photonic microengineering solutions, while Zygo is a leader in the field of high-precision metrology solutions and optical systems.
On the investment side of the industry, Raydiance announced it secured $20 million in a new “Series D” round of financing led by Greenstreet Partners and joined by Draper Fisher Jurvetson, which provided the initial stage of funding for the company. Said Greenstreet Founding Partner Steven Green, “Raydiance has clearly made great strides in harnessing the transformative power of ultrafast light, and we are confident this company has the vision, leadership and the cutting-edge technology necessary to help solve some of the most pressing global challenges of our time.” In an effort to “accelerate renewable energy generation and drive China’s sustainable development,” Intel Capital announced two new investments in the Chinese cleantech industry in early Q4. This includes a new $20 million investment in Trony Solar Holdings Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese thin-film solar energy and solution provider and NP Holdings Limited, a technology company focused on massive electricity storage systems. These represent Intel Capital’s first two cleantech investments in China.
OSA Corporate Members continue to be on the forefront of leading-edge R&D. Fianium is leading a group of institutions to develop and evaluate advanced white-light (supercontinuum) fiber lasers for biomedical imaging applications. The company will work with the Centre for Photonics and Photonic Materials at the University of Bath and Edinburgh Instruments Ltd. on the $3.6 million project, which is co-funded by the UK Technology Strategy Board. Fiberguide Industries released a new mode scrambler option for its line of high power laser delivery assemblies that protects the fiber optic conduit by conducting heat away from the fiber end. Incorporated into the proximal end of the laser assembly, the mode scrambler allows the laser beam a homogeneous exit. The mode scrambler option is offered on Fiberguide’s standard silica and hard clad fibers. nLIGHT has announced a new generation of 1400 nm to 2000 nm semiconductor laser diodes based on indium phosphide that provide both higher power and better efficiency. These wavelengths open up a wide range of surgical and aesthetic medical applications through either direct use or to pump holmium or erbium lasers. Photonics Industries International has broadened its product line to now include an air-cooled version of its diode pumped eye safe wavelength laser. These lasers are produced at a fixed wavelength selected in the 1.5 µm to 3.4 µm (NIR) wavelength range.
