Business briefs

• A two-year contract worth nearly $2 million has been awarded to Universal Display by the US Department of Energy (DOE), to develop a ceiling-based white OLED lighting system. Universal Display plans to use Armstrong World Industries as a key subcontractor. The contract will involve the development and delivery of an integrated ceiling illumination system that exceeds the DOE's 2010 performance goals, using Universal Display's high-efficiency phosphorescent OLED technology.

• Goodrich Corporation will acquire the Chicago Aerial Industries and Pacific Optical Division assets of Recon/Optical (ROI), a supplier of airborne reconnaissance cameras and optical products for the homeland security and military market. ROI will become part of Goodrich's ISR Systems business within its Electronic Systems segment, where ROI's products for low and medium altitude missions will complement Goodrich's high altitude camera systems, according to a joint statement.

• Fluid Logic, a supplier of fully synthetic grinding fluids, has sold its grinding and fabrication fluids business for brittle materials to Ferro Corporation. The businesses transferred include the company's range of polishing fluids used for flat glass, precision optics, ophthalmic lenses and specialty plastics.

• The Sentinel-3 satellite, which will study sea surface topography, sea/land surface temperature and other environmental features, will use CCD image sensors supplied by e2v under a contract placed with the UK-based manufacturer by Thales Alenia Space. Sentinel-3 is part of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative, a response to demands for more-effective environmental policies being led by the European Commission.

• TEM will distribute the Zecotek range of fibre and solid-state lasers, MAPD photodetectors, RFO vanadate crystals and patented LFS scintillation material in Japan. The new distribution agreement will fall within Zecotek's existing manufacturing agreement with Fujikura, signed in March 2008. Since that agreement Japan has become a priority market for Zecotek, a territory claimed to be on a par with North America for both industrial and research applications of the company's products.

• Admesy has named Ocean Optics as the worldwide distributor for its range of spectroscopy and photonic instruments, including colorimeters, light sources and accessories. The in-line testing and industrial diagnostics expertise offered by Admesy will complement the Ocean Optics range and improve service to customers, according to a joint statement.

• MultiPix Imaging has been appointed as the distributor of MVTec Software's range of machine vision software products in the UK and Ireland. MultiPix will also provide technical support for MVTec's HALCON and ActivVisionTools products. MultiPix had previously been MVTec's distribution partner in the territory until 2005 and has now been reappointed to the role, in a transition being made in preparation for the launch of HALCON 9.0 at the beginning of 2009.

• II-VI Incorporated has completed an additional investment in Guangdong Fuxin Electronic Technology Company (Fuxin), China, following its initial investment in Fuxin in March 2007. II-VI will remain a minority investor in Fuxin; additional financial terms were not released. Fuxin develops and manufactures thermoelectric-based consumer appliances, such as refrigerators and wine coolers, and has begun work with II-VI's subsidiary Marlow Industries to expand opportunities in thermoelectric control in other markets, such as optoelectronics, aerospace, defence, medical and industrial sectors.

• As part of the ongoing Airborne Laser (ABL) project, Boeing and the US Missile Defence Agency have installed the high-energy laser aboard the ABL aircraft and have begun testing the laser with its chemical fuel. The tests involve flowing the laser's chemicals through the system to confirm sequencing and control. Once these are completed, the team will fire the laser aboard the aircraft on the ground for the first time. The ABL aircraft consists of a modified Boeing 747-400F whose back half holds the high-energy laser, designed and built by Northrop Grumman. The aircraft's front half contains the beam control/fire control system, developed by Lockheed Martin, and the battle management system, provided by Boeing. The first airborne intercept of a ballistic missile by the laser system is scheduled for 2009.

• The venues for Tessera's fifth annual technical symposium series have been announced. They will be held in Hsinchu City, Taiwan, on September 23 2008; Tokyo, Japan on September 25 2008; and San Jose, US, on January 26 2009. The theme of the symposiums will be "The Power of Integration." During the event, representatives from Aptina, Asia Optical, Samsung, Toshiba and market research firm IDC will discuss topics including the future of imaging in converged mobile devices, and transforming mobile devices through high-end imaging.

People

• DisplaySearch has appointed Paul Semenza as senior vice-president managing the North American and European analyst teams. He most recently served as vice-president and manager of iSuppli's Display Business, where he managed the firm's market intelligence and consulting practice in the electronic display and consumer electronics sectors.

• Twan Korthorst has been appointed chief executive officer of PhoeniX Software, a supplier of software solutions for the micro- and nanotechnology industries based in the Netherlands. Korthorst joined PhoeniX in 2007 as general manager and now replaces Hans van den Vlekkert as CEO.