Business briefs

08 Oct 2007

Featuring news from Saint-Gobain, Alpine Research Optics, Quantel, Spire Corporation, FLIR, Glasgow University, MAZeT, Ocean Optics and others.

• Alpine Research Optics, a US supplier of high-performance coated optics, has been acquired by Saint-Gobain Crystals. The deal will allow ARO to offer finished coated components based on Saint-Gobain's range of crystalline materials, according to the two companies. The French company produces optical raw materials including laser crystals, sapphire, UV-grade fused silica, MgF₂ and CaF₂.

• Quantel, a French developer of diode and fiber lasers, has established a German office headed by Olivier Dubreuil. He will handle German and Austrian customers for the company's scientific and industrial product line, while Quantel's local partner LOT-Oriel remains responsible for after-sales service. The new office will allow more direct contact between Quantel and its local customers, according to the company.

• Spire Corporation has received a two-year, $998k research contract from the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to develop highly reliable, high-power cryogenic red-diode lasers. The technology involved is similar to that currently used by Spire to manufacture concentrator solar cells from gallium arsenide. Bandwidth Semiconductor, Spire's wholly owned subsidiary, will carry out technical tasks related to epitaxial material growth and device processing.

• Saab Bofors Dynamics, Sweden, has placed an order worth $9.5 million with FLIR for custom designed thermal imaging systems and components. Deliveries will begin in 2008, and the systems will be integrated into the RBS70 air defense missile system for delivery to export customers.

FLIR has also received a $48 million indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract from the US Naval Surface Warfare Center for its Recon III long-range, hand-held imagers. The units will be furnished to the US Special Operations Command to equip teams with a hand held long range imaging equipment.

• Gravitational wave research at the University of Glasgow has been boosted by a 5-year grant of £7.1 million ($14.2 million) from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council, and will include research into upgraded LIGO (laser interferometer gravitational wave observatory) detectors. LIGO employs a laser interferometer to detect when gravitational waves interact with a laser beam.

• MAZeT, a developer of industrial electronics and color sensors, has launched a Color and Spectral Sensoring business unit, headed by Frank Krumbein. Creation of the unit will enable the company to more easily develop complete opto-electronic systems and color and spectral sensor components, according to MAZeT.

People

• Ocean Optics has promoted Rob Randelman to company president, following the move of former president and founder Mike Morris to vice chairman of the spectroscopy and photonic instruments supplier. Randelman was previously VP of sales and marketing and oversaw the establishment of the company's sales and service facility in Shanghai.

• Ned Hall has been appointed chief financial officer by JMAR Technologies, a US developer of high-resolution imaging and photonics technologies. He has previously held finance and CFO positions in a variety of engineering and technology companies.

• Timothy Lewin has joined the board of Prism Solar Technologies, a manufacturer of solar modules utilizing holographic optics. Lewin is a specialist in financial management of emerging markets, and is currently advisory board chairman of a private equity fund focused on Russia and CIS.

• Xiangyang Song has joined the engineering team at J P Sercel Associates, a designer and supplier of laser materials processing workstations. He joins the company's team of laser technology scientists as an applications and process engineering specialist, working on UV excimer and DPSS materials processing systems.

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