ProPhotonix agrees licensing deal with Tyndall and Cork Institutes

06 Jan 2015

Cork, Ireland-developed laser module technology suits applications in food, industry, medicine and security.

ProPhotonix, based in Salem, NH, USA, a developer of LED illumination systems and laser diode modules, with operations in Ireland and the UK, is entering into an exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement with both Cork Institute of Technology and Cork’s Tyndall National Institute, which will extend ProPhotonix' laser module solutions offering.

The license agreement covers high power fiber laser module technology that was developed through Enterprise Ireland's Innovation Partnership Program with the Centre for Advanced Photonics & Process Analysis at Cork Institute of Technology and the Tyndall's Photonics Packaging Group.

Due to their compact size, laser diode and fiber technologies are suitable for large-scale integration into high density arrays, tight spaces or compact and handheld systems. With fiber core diameters as small as 2.5µm and scalable power levels, these fiber-coupled modules offer high brightness and power at all wavelengths, for many applications. Based on premium laser diodes, these laser systems reduce energy requirements and operating costs due to low power operation of the diodes.

These modules are easily installed, replaced or removed and can be designed for Plug & Play functionality. The modules are offered with individual drivers, a single master driver board for laser arrays or can be designed to plug directly into our customer's own driver boards.

Future plans

Simon Stanley, Managing Director, ProPhotonix Ireland, stated "We are delighted with the success of our collaboration with Tyndall and CAPPA and look forward to working together in the future to expand photonics technologies.

Dr. Liam Lewis, Centre Manager for CAPPA, said, “The typical out put power of these lasers is up to 300mW but they can work in combination to deliver several watts if required. Some advantages of our design is that they have a relatively small form factor, with good power and efficiency from a single unit.”

He added, "Our relationship with ProPhotonix has grown steadily over the last year culminating in the development of this successful product. We are already looking at new projects with the possibility of developing higher powers, different wavelength ranges, smaller form factors and so on."

Professor Paul Townsend, Head of Photonics at Tyndall and Director of the Irish Photonic Integration Centre, commented "This is an exciting example of how Tyndall's world-class photonics research capabilities can be harnessed to help our industry partners develop high value technology ready for market deployment, with immediate impact on product portfolios and sales.

Photonics West debut

These new capabilities provide a platform to develop a range of innovative product solutions for our customers in the industrial, security and medical markets for a diverse range of applications including food and pharmaceutical product sorting and semiconductor and biomedical inspection systems. The technology was developed to be "production ready" and will launch this new capability at Photonics West, from 10-12 February 2015 in San Francisco, California; booth 1100."

About the Author

Matthew Peach is a contributing editor to optics.org.