Business briefs

09 Sep 2005

Including news from JDS Uniphase, Cree, Goodrich, Sensors Unlimited and more.

Acquisitions:

•  JDS Uniphase is to acquire fellow US firm Agility Communications for an undisclosed sum. Based in Santa Barbara, California, Agilty has around 90 employees and specializes in tunable lasers for optical networks. The acquisition is expected to close in the quarter ending December 2005, subject to regulatory approvals.

•  US defense giant Goodrich has acquired Sensors Unlimited (SUI) for $60 million in cash. SUI, US, is an expert in indium gallium arsenide short-wavelength infrared imaging technology. The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2005. “This is a strategically important acquisition for our surveillance and reconnaissance business,” said Marshall Larsen, CEO of Goodrich.

General company news:

•  High-speed camera maker Redlake of the US has teamed up with the US National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). According to Redlake, its MotionXtra HG cameras will be used at NASCAR’s R&D center to develop safer racing cars for the NASCAR circuit.

•  Cree Asia-Pacific, a subsidiary of US-based Cree, is opening its new headquarters in Hong Kong Science Technology Park next week. “Cree Asia-Pacific is investing in a new headquarters facility and expert personnel to deepen Cree’s commitment to its Asian customers,” said Mike Dunn, the managing director of Cree Asia-Pacific.

•  Cree has also announced this week that, in a laboratory development, its XLamp 7090 LEDs have produced a maximum luminous flux of 86 lumens and 70 lumens per watt at 350 mA. The company says this represents a 43% increase in brightness compared with the maximum luminous flux of its white XLamp 7090 power LEDs currently in production.

Steve Johnson, head of the Lighting Research Laboratory at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, said this was great news for the lighting world. “This indicates that the LED industry is at least two years closer to achieving the holy grail of 150 lumens per watt,” he said.

•  Azores Corp, US, a supplier of photolithography equipment for the flat-panel display and semiconductor industries, has relocated to a 33,000 square foot facility in Wilmington, Massachusetts. The new headquarters has been specially designed for photolithographic stepper manufacturing and includes 15-foot high ceilings and Class 1000 clean room facilities.

•  UK-based Land Instrument International has formed a joint venture company with Eurotherm DEL India Ltd. Called Land DEL Infrared Pvt Ltd, the firm will provide complete sales, services and support for the entire range of Land’s infrared temperature, thermal and process imaging products to customers in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

•  Osram Opto Semiconductors has released it first commercially-available laser emitting in the visible range. The SPL CG65 emits 500 mW continuous wave at 650 nm in a lateral stripe width of 100 microns and is said to suit medical applications such as photodynamic therapy. Osram quotes a typical lifespan of 4000 hours at 20°C.