Business briefs

13 Jan 2006

Including news from Edmund Optics, Goodrich, FLIR Systems, DALSA and more.

•  Edmund Optics has received $2.8 million from the US Department of Defense to develop the tools required to manufacture aspheres. The initial focus will be to create low-cost tooling methods for low to mid-volume lens production followed by reducing assembly times of complex optical systems such as high-precision night vision kit.

•  US start-up Prism Solar Technologies (PST) has secured an investment of $500,000 from Rudd-Klein Alternative Energy Ventures in its series A financing round. PST's core technology is the use of holographic optics in photovoltaics.

•  Goodrich, US, has been awarded a US Army contract to deliver an indium gallium arsenide detector array for use in high-definition shortwave infrared night vision cameras. The company's Optical and Space Systems division, formerly Sensors Unlimited, will carry out the work.

•  FLIR Systems of the US says it has received orders for thermal imaging cameras to help detect fever - an indicator of diseases including avian flu. The French Ministry of Health will deploy cameras in six airports throughout France while an undisclosed US company will use the systems at its overseas manufacturing facilities.

•  DALSA of Canada has received contracts totalling C$1.3 million from Next Instrument, a Korean supplier of flat-panel display inspection equipment. The cameras will be used in the Korean firm's inspection kit which looks for defects in flat panel televisions, notebook PCs and LCD monitors.

•  Arima Devices of Taiwan is to purchase Philips' optical pick-up (OPU) business unit, which employs 740 people in Asia and 40 staff in Europe. Under the terms of the agreement, Philips will take a 14% share in Arima Devices. No further financial details were disclosed.

•  Williams Advanced Materials (WAM) has acquired fellow US firm CERAC, a provider of physical vapor deposition and speciality inorganic materials, for $25 million. Over the past 12 months, WAM has also acquired Thin Film Technology, US, and Irish company OMC Scientific Holdings.

•  Nichia of Japan has settled its lawsuit with Doshisha Corporation over Christmas illumination LEDs. Under the terms of the settlement, which involves an undisclosed payment, Doshisha agreed to respect Nichia's IP and purchase LEDs from the Japanese firm.

•  InPhase Technologies, a developer of holographic data storage media and systems, is shipping its first batch of holographic-ROM media for use in consumer devices. The media can be made in variety of shapes ranging from postage stamp to credit-card size and is able to store high definition content.