Business briefs

17 May 2010

Featuring news from Carl Zeiss, Zarlink, Jenoptik, Corning, Fianium and more.

• Carl Zeiss UK is acquiring Imaging Associates of the UK. Imaging Associates has been supporting digital imaging platforms in research, clinical and industrial environments and distributing the Carl Zeiss materials microscopy range in the UK since 1992. The company, with its offices in Bicester, will be fully integrated within the Carl Zeiss organization and continue to support customers in the industrial and materials microscopy markets.

• Zarlink Semiconductor, a developer of mixed-signal chip technologies for a broad range of optical communication and medical applications, has sold the assets of its Optical Products group to Tyco Electronics for approximately US$15m in cash. "This follows our strategy of narrowing our focus to markets where we can maintain a strong leadership position, while improving operational efficiencies to build a more profitable business," said Kirk Mandy, president and CEO of Zarlink. "This transaction enables us to target our sales and product development efforts on network timing, medical wireless and line circuit initiatives."

• Jenoptik has announced several changes to its structure. First, the Laser Technology division of Jenoptik Laser, Optik, Systeme GmbH and Jenoptik Laserdiode GmbH have merged to form Jenoptik Laser GmbH. Second, the remaining Optics, Micro-optics and Digital Imaging business units of Jenoptik Laser, Optik, Systeme GmbH are now operating as Jenoptik Optical Systems GmbH. Jenoptik Laser GmbH will cover the entire value chain in the field of OEM laser sources from epitaxial layer structuring of wafers up to solid-state and fibre lasers.

• Corning has introduced a new ultra-low-loss, large-effective-area submarine optical fibre, which it says addresses the needs of next-generation, high-data-rate submarine networks. According to Corning, its Vascade EX2000 optical fibre has a typical effective area of 112 µm² and an average attenuation of 0.162 decibels of loss per kilometer (dB/km) at 1550 nm. The company plans to use this new optical fibre to develop its next-generation dispersion-managed fibre solution, Vascade R2000 fibre, which will enable 40 gigabit per second (Gb/s) and 100 Gb/s systems to reach transoceanic distances.

• Ultrafast fibre laser manufacturer Fianium has settled its UK patent dispute with NKT Photonics/Crystal Fibre A/S on favourable terms. The dispute concerned two patents relating to photonic crystal fibre (PCF). Significantly, by order of the English Patents Court, Fianium's current PCF manufacturing processes do not infringe Crystal Fibre's patents. Fianium makes a nominal payment regarding a small number of lasers produced with alternative PCF manufacturing techniques and agrees to avoid future use of these alternatives. Both parties will contribute to each other's costs.

• Ondax, a specialist developer of volume holographic grating (VHG) filter technology for wavelength stabilization, has received a $500,000 phase II award from the US National Science Foundation to continue development of a miniature external-cavity tunable single frequency laser. The grant follows an earlier successful demonstration of a self-aligned, non-dispersive, tunable single frequency laser incorporating a multiline VHG element. The objectives of the second phase will be to extend the tuning range and develop mode-hop-free fine wavelength tuning.

• The Canadian government has awarded $306,000 in non-repayable funding to the Quebec Photonic Network (QPN). The funding will enable enterprises in the QPN to go on trade missions with the aim of breaking in to new markets. In addition to stimulating growth in the optics and photonics sector, the hope is that expansion into foreign markets will generate positive long-term spin-offs, particularly in terms of job creation and sales growth.