Optical-coating firms in merger deal

17 Jun 2002

The Satis Vacuum Group of Switzerland has taken over RTC Systems of Biggleswade, UK, to form what the company calls "a new global leader in optical-coating technology". The new company, Satis RTC, will target the telecoms and precision-optics markets.

Satis Vacuum produces optical-coating machines. The company's site in Milan has manufactured more than 200 instruments in the last three years and is gearing up to make more than 80 systems this year.

RTC Systems is known for the development of the PDS plasma source and the Artisan deposition-control system. Des Gibson, managing director of Satis RTC, told Optics.Org that the Biggleswade facility would be expanded rapidly to cope with worldwide demand. Applications of the coatings include dense-wavelength division multiplexing filters for telecommunications, and antireflectance and high-reflectance coatings for laser-diode facets.