Business briefs

10 Jun 2005

Including news from GSI Group, JDS Uniphase, LG.Philips, Cambridge Display Technology and more.

•  Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) has agreed to market IBM's amorphous silicon TFT technology for OLED displays. The agreement covers driver technologies for both polymer and small molecule OLEDs. Technology licensing deals will be managed by IBM.

•  LG.Philips LCD has signed a deal to supply Hewlett-Packard with notebook PC and monitor LCD panels from June 2005 to May 2008.

•  Nichia of Japan has settled its patent infringement lawsuit with Korean LED maker Luxpia. Nichia filed the lawsuit in June 2004, alleging that LEDs sold by Luxpia infringed Nichia's Korean patent number 992103. According to Nichia, Luxpia opted to settle the case.

•  GSI Lumonics of the US has changed its name to GSI Group. The company will also change its NASDAQ trading symbol to GSIG.

•  Wahl Optoparts, a Jenoptik subsidiary specialising in polymer optics, is building a new facility at its Triptis site in Germany. Around EURO 9 million is being invested in the new 8000 square meter building, which will allow Wahl to house its entire manufacturing chain under one roof.

•  JDS Uniphase has acquired Photonic Power Systems (PPS) for an undisclosed sum. PPS specialises in a power delivery system called "power-over-fiber". According to PPS, photonic power could replace copper and batteries for remote sensors, coaxial cable in wireless applications and oil and gas-filled transformers in high-voltage applications. The approach delivers isolated power that is said to be immune to RF, EMI, high voltage and lightning.

•  Konarka Technologies, a developer of flexible solar cells, and Solaris Nanosciences, a maker of nano-scale antenna, are combining their technologies. The firms hope that because the antenna is smaller than the wavelength of light, it will absorb and transfer light more efficiently, leading to enhanced conversion efficiencies.

•  Thin-film coating specialist Advanced Technology Coatings and electro-optics developer Oxley, both of the UK, have teamed up to develop laser protection coatings.

•  Microvision of the US has selected Kaleido Technology to supply the free-form aspheric mirror in its MicroHUD - a head-up display system.

•  SPECTRO, a maker of optical and XRF spectrometers, has chosen Berliner Glas to manufacture the diffraction gratings found in SPECTRO's range of instruments.