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22 Oct 2004
Including news from Toyoda Gosei, JVC, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Universal Display Corporation and more.
General company news:
• Toyoda Gosei claims to have developed a 1000 mcd white LED. The device combines a blue LED with yellow phosphors. The company will ship samples of the device this month and expects to begin mass production this year. It hopes to release a 1300 mcd version by March 2005.
• JVC of Japan says it has developed a single lens with a numeric aperture of 0.95. The ultra-small lens has a focal length of 0.75 mm and is 2.1 mm in diameter. JVC plans to use the lens in optical pickups for Blu-ray discs and mobile devices.
• Carl Zeiss Meditec of Germany is to acquire Laser Diagnostic Technologies (LDT) of the US for an undisclosed sum. LDT specializes in the diagnosis of eye diseases. It invented and commercialized a glaucoma detection system based on a confocal scanning laser opthalmoscope with an integrated polarimeter.
• MEMS specialist MEMSCAP is acquiring fellow French firm Optogone for EURO 3.8 million in stock, equivalent to 12 961 952 common MEMSCAP shares. Optogone makes liquid-crystal-based optical components for DWDM networks. If Optogone achieves certain revenue targets over the next 24 months, MEMSCAP will issue an additional 3 030 303 shares.
• US-based Vitex Systems has established a subsidiary called Vitek Systems KK in Japan. Vitex develops ultra-thin barrier layers and flexible substrates which are used in flat-panel displays such as OLEDs. The subsidiary will provide development and support capabilities.
• CVI Technical Optics, headquartered in the US, has finished upgrading its coating facility on the Isle of Man. Improvements include the installation of both an electron beam gun for physical vapour deposition coating and a Zygo GPI interferometer.
Funding and contracts:
• Universal Display Corporation, US, has won a $750 000 SBIR Phase II contract from the US Department of Energy to produce a phosphorescent white OLED lighting panel with increased light extraction efficiency. This is the second SBIS Phase II contract the company has announced this month.
• Optical Research Associates (ORA), US, has received an SBIR grant from NASA. ORA will use the award to develop optical design software than supports beam propagation results at a contrast level of 1 x 10-11. This is several orders of magnitude better than current commercially-available software.
• Capella Photonics of the US has closed its Series C funding round on $6 million. The cash will allow Capella to boost the marketing of its wavelength selective switch modules, which are used in optical add/drop multiplexer and optical cross-connect applications.
• KVH Industries, US, has received three orders totalling around $1 million for its fiber-optic gyroscope (FOG) products. The FOGs will provide precision-pointing in a range of defense situations such as on remote gun turrets and surface-to-air missile platforms.
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