Optics industry round-up

17 Jun 2002

This week sees companies pushing optics frontiers forward, new alliances and also funding.

Philips Enabling Technologies Group (ETG), the Belgian optics components manufacturer has joined forces with Israeli laser technologists OTM Technologies to develop laser-sensor applications, including cursors in mobile phones. "This is a significant opportunity for Philips to participate in next-generation handheld devices," said Rien de Schipper, business manager of Philips ETG.

Keeping with laser technology, Germany's Lambda Physik has opened a new production plant for excimer lasers. Based at its existing site in Goettingen, the new plant marks the beginning of the company's expansion plan. Testing facilities will soon be added and operations are set to start in October of this year.

Germany-based optics manufacturer Berliner Glas has bought a 75% share of SwissOptic, Switzerland, in a bid to advance optics technologies for applications such as measuring systems and semiconductors. SwissOptic will keep its name and its 180 employees. The Swiss surveying-technology company, Leica Geosystems, is SwissOptic's minority shareholder.

Swiss optical MEMs start-up Colibrys has secured USD 12 million in its first round of funding. The company plans to develop microsystems technologies and also double its manufacturing capacity. Colibrys was spun out of the Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique at the beginning of this year.

Finishing with defense, US-based DRS Technologies has secured a USD 7.4 million contract to provide the US army with subsystems for long-range scout surveillance. The contract has been awarded by Raytheon Systems, US, and the Optronics unit of DRS Technologies will carry out the work.