UK agreement to advance crystal technology

17 Jun 2002

Academia, the military and now commercial business have agreed to work together on crystalline materials.

The Crystal Consortium, Scotland, UK and Thermo Hilger Crystals have signed a collaborative agreement to develop a range of advanced infrared, scintillation and optoelectronic crystal materials. The materials will be aimed at scientific, medical and telecommunications applications.

The companies say that they will be combining the expertise in manufacturing, quality control and commercial marketing of Thermo Hilger Crystals with the R&D capabilities of The Crystal Consortium (TCC). "The investment in advanced facilities for the growth, assessment and processing of new, industrial-grade crystalline materials will enable us to lead the technology in our current markets while expanding into the optoelectronic crystal market, especially for telecommunication applications," explained Jim Telfer, managing director of Thermo Hilger Crystals.

TCC was formed by combining the bulk optical materials facilities of DERA, the UK's Defence Research arm and the Optical Materials Research Centre at the University of Strathclyde. Thermo Hilger Crystals is a leading producer of scintillation and optical crystals and has been growing crystals for more than 50 years.