The Qioptiq Group has appointed Peter Griffith to the newly-created position of business development manager for commercial optics in the USA and Canada.

His responsibilities include the development of commercial OEM business for the company's precision optics manufacturing facilities in Singapore, Germany and California. Prior to joining Qioptiq, Griffith worked for several leading optics companies including Newport Corporation, Melles Griot and Lambda Research Optics, where he held various sales and marketing management roles. He holds an engineering degree in optics from the University of Rochester.

25 September 2006

Oxxius, a manufacturer of ultracompact lasers, has raised $10m in a second round of equity financing. The round was led by existing investor Sofinnova Partners, which was joined by AXA Private Equity and San Francisco-based Sofinnova Ventures.

'This additional funding will enable us to grow the commercial and industrial operations of the company and consolidate our position of first-tier laser provider to instrumentation manufacturers,' said Thierry Georges, co-founder and CEO of Oxxius.

'The potential we identified in Oxxius in the first round has turned into a major market opportunity backed by a strong and differentiated technology,' said Alain Rodermann, a partner with Sofinnova Partners.

'Our investment philosophy is to support world-class teams. Oxxius is led by a serial entrepreneur and has the talent and dedication to grow into a highly successful venture,' addede Jean-Marc Fiamma, investment manager with AXA Private Equity.

Alain Azan of Sofinnova Ventures concluded: 'Oxxius brings a unique value proposition to the US laser market. Few investment opportunities in European start-ups have excited us as much in recent years.'

20 September 2006

SensL has developed a first degree level training course in photon counting and timing. The Photon Counting Fundamentals Educator Pack and the Photon Timing Upgrade Pack are aimed at academics, researchers and engineers who wish to learn and explore new technology and techniques in photon detection.

Designed in conjunction with academics from University College Cork and the Dublin Institute of Technology, the packs combine photon detection hardware and software with academic theory to present a product tailored to maximise education and training. The packs include prepared lectures and step-by-step experiments combined with the latest solid state detector technology. The two-pack approach enables budget conscious customers to buy into the fundamentals course and then upgrade later when budgets allow.

'The SensL Photon Counting and Timing Educator products fill a gap that existed in the area of photon detector education and training,' said Dr Aoife Moloney, lecturer at Dublin Institute of Technology. 'By involving an academic institute in the development of the lectures and experiments, SensL has produced a product that is perfectly tailored to educational needs.'

19 September 2006

Armstrong Optical has made two new appointments. Rob Roach returns to the company after a two-year absence, and will be developing sales of optical components and subassemblies from suppliers such as Swiss Optics, Sydor Optics and Optics Technology. Roach will also be charged with developing new markets for Armstrong's portfolio of metrology products.

Angie Routledge joins the company as office manager, where she will be responsible for all administration, initial customer enquiries and supplying product information.

18 September 2006

Manufacturer and distributor Photonic Products is now able to offer OEMs and system integrators a subassembly design and manufacture service and one-stop source for precision CNC multi-axis sliding-head milling and turning. OEMs using the service no longer have to order and stock the many different parts making up an assembly; instead, a single part number covers the whole assembly, which is delivered complete and, where relevant, tested and ready for immediate use.

Photonic Products has developed sophisticated processes for high volume and custom designed electro-optical component and subassembly manufacturing in its 14,000 square foot manufacturing facility. Any work requiring quality prototype or small batch production through to high volumes can be handled on its CNC machining facilities.

Managing director, Tony Pope, said: 'We have invested heavily in creating a high quality, cost-effective service around the very latest multi-axis machining centre technology. The ability to produce complex components in one single operation, without the need for secondary operations, enables us to offer our customers quick turnaround from prototype to production.'

11 September 2006

PerkinElmer has acquired Avalon Instruments, based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, adding bench-top dispersive Raman spectrometers to its portfolio of molecular spectroscopy products. The Avalon Raman platforms support both bulk analysis and microscopic imaging, enabling scientists and technicians to gain more information about their samples with excellent reproducibility. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

'Customers will now have a single dependable source for high-throughput IR, NIR and Raman, along with integrated software and accessories,' said Robert F. Friel, president of PerkinElmer Life and Analytical Sciences. 'The PerkinElmer Raman instrumentation is designed for intuitive use, minimal operator intervention, and highly reproducible results to help labs achieve a high level of throughput and productivity.'

'We are excited to join PerkinElmer and contribute to their innovative approach to product development and continuous improvement, along with becoming part of a global leader in customer service and support,' said Dr. Andrew Dennis, managing director, Avalon Instruments.

The new Raman products under the PerkinElmer name are expected to be shipping to customers during November 2006.

6 September 2006

The China International Optoelectronics Technology and Application Exhibition (OPET) will take place from 24-26 November at INTEX Shanghai, China.

Organised by CMP Sinoexpo, the show has been conceived to create a platform for the optoelectronics industry in the Yangtse Delta region. The exhibition offers suppliers the opportunity to meet with users, while the '21st Century China Optoelectronics Industry Development Forum', a co-located two-day conference, provides experts the opportunity to exchange information on research and know-how.

The number of exhibitors has already exceed expectations, with more than 200 filling 6000 square metres on two floors of the exhibition centre. Project manager Zhen Litou said: 'The industry is doing very well in China, with double digit growth in all its major sectors. Also we have been able to line up all the major organisations and institutes to support the expo. We also had very quick confirmation from some of the major brands such as Olympics, Phoenix, Scholl and Sunny Optics. The local players quickly followed.'

30 August 2006

nLight has acquired the assets of Flextronics Photonics. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

'This acquisition reinforces our position as a leading supplier of high-power semiconductor laser solutions,' said Scott Keeney, nLight president and CEO. 'It positions us well to provide integrated solutions that will enable new applications in a broad range of industries.'

The acquisition will add an array of new fibre-coupled and hybrid microelectronic products that will complement nLight's current products. The acquisition of new core competencies will be combined with nLight's semiconductor laser technology to expand nLight's product portfolio.

'The integration of new high-reliability products with our existing high-power and high-brightness diodes will enable new capabilities in a variety of applications and market segments,' noted Jake Bell, nLight Defense Group Vice President. 'In particular, the combination of these technologies in our ITAR compliant manufacturing facilities will serve the DoD community well for applications including illumination, laser communications, laser-initiated ordinance, and laser-based measurement systems.

The acquired packaging design and high-volume manufacturing builds on nLight's current capabilities. Keeney said: 'This acquisition reinforces our strategy to offer integration capabilities for new high-volume applications.'

29 August 2006

Following the acquisition of Quality Laser Optics (QLO) in April, CVI Technical Optics has now integrated the QLO factory and its personnel into its Onchan facility on the Isle of Man.

General manager Dr Helmut Kessler said: '12 weeks to completely re-arrange the Onchan facility and relocate QLO lock, stock and barrel is a major achievement. Many thanks to all staff for their hard work and commitment. We also thank our customers for their patience during this time. All hands really were on deck and the result is impressive.'

As part of the integration, Gary Thomas, former owner and managing director of QLO, has been appointed as business development manager for the large optics division at CVI.

Chris Bridle, European sales manager at CVI, said: 'Gary has vast experience and a first-class reputation in this field. This position enables us to dedicated more specialist resource to this market.'

23 August 2006

Ingo Gretschel has been appointed as managing director of Qioptiq GmbH, based in Asslar, Germany. Gretschel has many years' experience in optomechanical design and the manufacture of products and components for both military and commercial applications. Qioptiq GmbH develops and manufactures micro systems for medical, telecommunication, sensor and optical systems technologies.

22 August 2006

Powerlase has signed a distribution agreement with Japan Laser Corporation (JLC) for the latter to distribute its Starlase AO series lasers in Japan.

Tony King, CEO of Powerlase, said: 'JLC be a key partner for Powerlase. Its heritage and commitment to the successful implementation of applications-driven laser solutions makes JLC a perfect fit for Powerlase, as we continue to expand our global capacity and capability.'

16 August 2006

Janis Research Company has appointed Elliot Scientific to distribute all of its cryogenic equipment range throughout the UK and Ireland.

Founded in 1961 in the USA, Janis Research Company has been providing the scientific and technical community with cryogenic equipment for research, characterisation, and industrial applications. Products include optical cryostats for laser applications, variable temperature cryostats, research dewars, superconducting magnet systems, ultra-low temperature systems, cryogen-free systems and custom-engineered equipment.

Mike Elliot said: 'We are particularly keen to have negotiated this agreement with Janis. The company adds great strength and depth to our existing magnetics and cryogenics offering.'

16 August 2006

The executive management team at Rofin-Sinar Laser is being reorganised. Dr Walter Volkmar is retiring from his position as managing director of the Laser division and the Laser Marking division. Dr Armin Renneisen, formerly operations manager at the company's facility in Günding, replaces him as managing director Rofin-Sinar Laser, while Thomas Merke takes over as chief operating officer of the Laser Marking division. Thorsten Frauenpreiß and Ingrid Mittelstädt have also joined the management board at Rofin-Sinar Laser.

28 July 2006

Scott Keeney, the president and CEO of nLight, recently received the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Technology category for the Pacific Northwest region. The award scheme, which has been run by consultancy firm Ernst and Young for the past 20 years, recognises individuals leading fast growing businesses in various categories in many regions and countries.

After winning the regional category, Keeney is now eligible for the national award in the United States, which will be judged and awarded in mid-November. All national winners are then entered into the world competition for the overall Entrepreneur of the Year prize.

'This award belongs to more than 100 employees at nLight who have done a fantastic job. This is a tremendous honour,' said Keeney. Semiconductor firm nLight builds systems for entertainment, medical surgery and defence.

27 July 2006

Scientists working at Rice University in Houston, Texas, have used a combination of laser light and nanoparticles to create the world's first nano-scale pH meter. The device could be used for real-time measurement of changes in acidity inside living cells and tissues.

The team, lead by Naomi Halas, professor of chemistry and director of the Laboratory for Nanophotonics at Rice, created the pH sensors using nanoparticles whose light scattering properties change with varying acidity. The findings were first discussed in the journal Nano Letters.

The scientists built the sensors using nanoshells - optically-tuned nanoparticles invented by Halas. Each nanoshell contains a tiny core of non-conducting silica covered by a thin shell of material. The team coated each nanoshell with a layer of molecules sensitive to pH levels, paramercaptobenzoic acid, or pMBA. When placed in solutions of varying acidity and illuminated with laser light, the nanoshell-molecule device made small but detectable changes to the properties of the scattered light that can be used to determine the pH of the nanodevices' local environment, to an accuracy of 0.1pH.

The team hopes the new technique will give biologists a method for measuring accurate pH changes over a wide range inside living tissue and cells, in real-time. 'Almost every biologist I've spoken to has come up with one or two things they'd like to measure with this,' said Halas.

The technique could eventually be used for applications such as determining whether tumour cells are malignant, without invasive surgery. With current methods, a sample of tissue has to be removed via biopsy and examined under a microscope. An 'optical biopsy' would need nothing more invasive than an injection to measure the pH inside the tumour.

18 July 2006

A new Broadway show is using a lighting system from Ocean Optics for some of its main illumination. The SeaChanger Color Engine is being used by Disney Theatrical Productions for its new show Tarzan, which opened in May at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York.

Tarzan, with music by Phil Collins and libretto by David Henry Hwang, is based on the book Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs and the Disney film Tarzan. Natasha Katz, the lighting designer, who won a Tony Award in 2000 for her work on the show Aida, was nominated for the 2006 Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Musical for her work on Tarzan. In a review of the show, Ben Brantley of The New York Times concluded: 'Natasha Katz's lighting summons a magical spirit.'

The SeaChanger Color Engine offers so-called 'hexachromic' colour mixing, by complementing the usual cyan, yellow and magenta colour filters with an additional 'extreme green' diachromic filter. The various combinations of filters expand the palette of colours available over those using only the traditional three colour filters.

10 July 2006

The latest appointments from the industry

• The UK's Central Laser Facility at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, near Oxford, has appointed a new director - Dr Mike Dunne. Dunne was previously at the UK's Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston, where he ran a research programme investigating plasma physics. At the CLF Dunne will oversee upgrades to both the high power laser facilities and ultrafast spectroscopy facility.
• Edmund Optics has elected Dr Malcolm Ross O'Neill, a retired Lieutenant General, to its board of directors. O'Neill recently retired from Lockheed Martin, where he was a vice president and chief technical officer. During his 33 years in the US Army O'Neill held posts including director of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, deputy director of the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, and commander of the Army Laboratory Command.
• James Taylor is the new European sales manager for Northrop Grumman Cutting Edge Optronics. Previously, Taylor was responsible for European sales at Synoptics.
• Ocean Optics has expanded its sales team with two new appointments: Cicely Rathmell has been promoted to the position of OEM sales manager; and Dr Jorge Macho has joined the company as application sales scientist.
• Vertilas has appointed Christian Neumeyr as chief executive officer. Formerly vice president of sales and product marketing at Vertilas, Neumeyr has also held executive positions at Infineon, Multilink Technology and Broadcom. 'I am very excited about this appointment and looking forward to the tasks ahead,' he said.
• Optical Surfaces has appointed a general manager to coordinate the company's growth. The appointee, Iain Brock, previously held technical and managerial positions within the optical divisions of Philips Electronics (and associated companies).

4 July 2006

The University of Surrey in the UK has been awarded £118,000 to develop un-cooled semiconductor lasers operating in the mid-infrared segment of the electro-magnetic spectrum. This forms part of a programme of research being funded by the UK government's Department of Trade and Industry. A consortium of two universities and five industrial partners led by Qinetiq, the military research establishment that was recently privatised, is supporting the project.

Researchers hope that the project will eventually lead to the development of new, highly efficient lasers that can operate in the mid-infrared at room temperature, for applications such as medical imaging, as well as manipulating materials and engineering at the nano-scale.

4 July 2006

Californian firm Novalux has secured funding of $21.7m, to develop its surface-emitting cavity lasers. The financing round has been led by Unaxis, an optics company with its headquarters in Switzerland. Novalux and Unaxis have entered an agreement whereby Novalux will supply Unaxis with semiconductor laser chips. Unaxis will use these to produce red-green-blue laser modules for variety of display projectors, such as rear-projection televisions, front projectors, and small portable displays.

21 June 2006

OLED-T, a developer and manufacturer of organic light emitting diode (OLED) materials and device structures, has invested $900,000 in a research and development facility on the Brunel University Science Park site, near Uxbridge in the UK. The new chemistry laboratory will be used by OLED-T to produce OLED materials, known as ELAMATES, and to develop future of materials.

The opening of the new lab exemplifies current moves in the OLED industry gearing up to take advantage of new markets and applications - research consultancy DisplaySearch reported recently that the OLED industry reached revenues of more than $500m in 2005, a figure that could rise to $4.6bn by 2010. 'The OLED market is growing incredibly fast and the opportunities for the future of the technology, especially in small form factor displays such as MP3 players and mobile phones, are massive,' said Myrddin Jones, CEO of OLED-T.

20 June 2006

LG-Laser Technologies has changed its name to Koheras GmbH. This represents the latest move consolidating LG-Laser with Koheras A/S, the Danish manufacturer of fibre laser that acquired German laser producer LG-Laser in 2004. After two years of collaboration and preparation for the current changes, the companies will now act as the Koheras group, which will now present a combined portfolio of laser products to a range of markets and industrial applications.

20 June 2006

Edmund Optics has opened a new office in Seoul, Korea, and produced a version of its catalogue in Korean. The Korean office will provide technical support to customers and distributors in the region, while the Korean-language catalogue lists more than 400 new products added to Edmund's inventory.

John Stack, president of Edmund Optics, told Electro Optics: 'The strong growth in semiconductor production, test and measurement, university research in optics and other industries throughout Asia has encouraged businesses to invest in the area. Edmund Optics has already expanded into Japan, China, and Singapore. However, the technical growth in photonics and imaging we are experiencing in Korea makes it an ideal choice for additional engineering and service support. Opening a new facility there seemed to be a logical step.'

'As we expand into Asia, we must offer customers in the region the same level of support that we provide for customers in the US and Europe.' said John Cleather, vice president of international sales at Edmund. 'This means responding to technical queries on the day they are received; and moving to a next day delivery service for most orders.'

Timothy Paul Kennedy, marketing director at Edmund's Singapore office, will be responsible for the new Korean office. Optical Engineer Rhee Joon Ho will manage day-to-day operations.

8 June 2006

The Jenoptik group of companies has returned to its roots, servicing the optical market. In addition to shedding the last of its non-photonics companies - the Clean Systems business division - from its portfolio, the group has changed its official title from Jenoptik Jena to Jenoptik Germany. The company is now focusing on materials processing, medical technology, safety and defence technology, the semiconductor and aerospace industries, as well as digital imaging and measurement technology.

26 May 2006

The Nautilus laser system from Photon Energy has received the prestigious Red Dot award 2006 for outstanding design. The internationally recognised prize is awarded annually for original and innovative designs. The Nautilus is a tabletop laser used for marking materials with lasers. The design of the Nautilus is based on a spiral, similar to a snail's shell. 'Many companies participating in the Red Dot design award have been investing in innovative design for a long time in order to stand out from their competition,' said Professor Dr Zec, the founder of the Red Dot design award. 'However, creativity by itself is not enough; the products must be of a high quality.'

26 May 2006

PicoQuant has launched an award scheme for young scientists working in the field of molecular spectroscopy. The prize of $750 will be presented at the 'Ultra-sensitive and single molecule detection technologies' session at Photonics West 2007, for the winning paper submitted in the field. The winner will also be invited to give a presentation at PicoQuant's 13th international workshop on 'Single molecule spectroscopy and ultra-sensitive analysis in the life sciences', which is to be held in Berlin during September 2007. The competition is open to anyone aged 35 or below. Abstracts must be submitted to PicoQuant on or before 10 July.

22 May 2006

The latest recruitment news from the industry

• Dr Abe Ghanbari has joined Ocean Optics as vice president of operations. In this new role Ghanbari will be responsible for managing the company's engineering and manufacturing processes, developing new systems, and guiding the strategic growth of the company. Previously he has worked at Applied Materials, Sony, and Dielectric Systems, developing technologies such as scientific and meteorological instruments, flat panel displays, semiconductor, and data storage equipment.
• SPIE - the International Society for Optical Engineering - has appointed Gary Colquhoun as its industry liaison for SPIE Europe. He will be responsible for working with the industry to develop and expand the range of exhibitions and conferences run by SPIE.

22 May 2006

The European laser industry could double in size by 2010, according to an ambitious market survey by the European Photonics Industry Consortium. The study, titled Laser applications in Europe, outlines a series of tactics and strategies for the European laser industry, with the ultimate motivation of keeping the European industry efficient in the face of increasing competition from the Far East and from the American industry across the Atlantic. The document combines detailed market analysis with research data gathered at an industrial workshop held in Dresden in November 2005.

This study complements the findings and ambitions of the Photonics21 agenda, also published by EPIC, which outlines strategies for the European Photonics Industry to continue to develop and grow into the 21st Century. Vivian Reding, European Commissioner for information society and media, speaking at the original Photonics21 workshop, claimed: 'The benefit of photonics can only be fully exploited by international and European co-operation.'

19 May 2006

Halma, a safety and environmental technology group based in the United Kingdom has acquired Mikropack, a German manufacturer of light sources and photonic accessories. Mikropack will become part of Halma's Ocean Optics group. Mikropack has been supplying components for analytical spectroscopic systems to Ocean Optics for 10 years.

19 May 2006

Start-up company MDL Innovations has acquired the share capital and related intellectual property of Michelson Diagnostics from Sira Technology, a certification company that entered administration in March 2006. The new company will specialise in engineering consultancy, in particular the design of optical systems for biomedical diagnostic tools and optical devices for industrial applications.

The new company has been formed by six former employees of Sira, and is led by Jon Holmes, previously business director of Sira Biomedical and director of the Smart Optics Faraday Partnership.

10 May 2006

Powerlase has increased the size of its manufacturing site by 12,800 sq ft, after a successful financial year. The company has grown at a rate of 223 per cent per year, making Powerlase the fifth fastest growing company backed by venture capital in the UK. Much of the new space will be used for product assembly and testing.

10 May 2006

UK optical systems specialist Photonics Products has been honoured with its second Queen's Award for Enterprise, in the category of International Trade. The accolade was announced on the 80th birthday of the Queen.

Tony Pope, managing director of Photonic Products, said: 'We at Photonic Products are honoured to receive a second Queen's Award. It shows that small organisations with a highly dedicated staff can still win prestigious awards. We would like to thank our suppliers for their continued support which has significantly contributed to our success.'

5 May 2006

Irish semiconductor company Firecomms has completed a €9.6m investment agreement with new and existing shareholders. This investment will allow Firecomms to increase production of its semiconductor VCSEL devices, and of the company's newly released fibre optic devices. This funding also will support the expansion of Firecomms' product line, sales and marketing operations, and other activities.

5 May 2006

The management team of BFi OPTiLAS completed a management buy out of the company on 28 April. The management team has engaged with a private equity firm, Activa Capital, in order to acquire a majority stake in the European distributor of photonics components. Activa Capital manages investments worth more than €185m on behalf of a number of European pension funds, insurance companies, and other investment organisations.

BFi OPTiLAS previously formed a wholly-owned, autonomous organisation within the Avnet group. Avnet acquired BFI Ibexsa in 1995. The company merged with Optilas in 1998, creating BFi OPTiLAS. Avnet still holds a minority stake in the company.

3 May 2006

Coherent has been named in Business Ethics magazine's list of '100 best corporate citizens' for the second year in a row. The list recognises good practice in various areas of corporate social responsibility; such as good treatment of employees; care for the environment, looking at pollution prevention, clean energy, and major use of recycled materials; and good community relations, with companies assessed in terms of charitable giving and support for local communities.

'Corporations must look at how their business practices impact all stakeholders,' said John Ambroseo, president and chief executive officer of Coherent. 'Coherent is proud to be recognised as a good corporate citizen.'

3 May 2006

Aculight has appointed Dr Robert Afzal as director of technology development. Afzal joins Aculight from Spectra Systems, where he was vice president of research and development. Previously, Afzal held several positions within NASA. His appointment marks Aculight's continuing move into the aerospace and defence markets.

2 May 2006

Osram Opto Semiconductors, working with Dilas, has broken the world record for efficiency for a laser bar emitting a beam with a wavelength of 808nm. The laser bar achieved an input/output efficiency of 64 per cent operating at 120W. The values were measured under laboratory conditions at room temperature and take power losses of the electrical system into account.

The work was carried out under the BRILASI research project (Brilliant High-Power Laser Diodes for Industrial Applications), initiated by the German Ministry for Education and Research to develop highly efficient and reliable diode lasers for industrial applications. One of the primary uses of diode laser bars is to pump solid-state lasers used for industrial materials processing, such as cutting and welding.

21 April 2006

CVI Technical Optics has acquired Quality Laser Optics of Ballasalla, Isle of Man. This acquisition will increase CVI Technical Optics' European manufacturing capacity by more than 25 per cent, and add new material processing capabilities, such as phosphate disk polishing, to its range of products and services. With this new acquisition CVI now has more than 400 employees worldwide serving the semiconductor, biotech, industrial, commercial, aerospace and research industries.

20 April 2006

Investment firms are showing renewed confidence in new laser technology. Vertilas, a German manufacture of vertical cavity surface emitting laser diodes, has secured financial support totalling €3.6m in its third investment round. The main backers of Vertilas are High Tech Private Equity and Mittelstandsbank, a new investor.

The new investment will support Vertilas' work producing and marketing semiconductor lasers with long-wavelengths, designed specifically for sensor and measurement applications, as well as optical communications.

20 April 2006

The fibre laser market is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 35 per cent until 2010, compared with nine per cent for the rest of the laser industry, according to consultancy firm Strategies Unlimited. Its recent report, Fiber Laser Market Review and Forecast-2006, also points out that many of the major industry players such as Coherent, Newport, Trumpf, and Rofin-Sinar do not yet offer fibre lasers of their own, instead relying upon more established methods of laser generation, leaving the market open for niche producers.

'The fibre laser is the next generation of laser technology that provides most of the advantages and eliminates many of the disadvantages of the conventional solid-state laser,' said Tom Hausken, director of components research at Strategies Unlimited. However, on a more cautious note, he added: 'The machine tool business that these lasers serve is a notoriously cautious and slow-changing craft industry. It's all about throughput, life cycle cost, low maintenance, and application support. The end user isn't impressed with the laser itself, only with what the system can do.'

The future looks good for fibre lasers, although improvements in the price and performance of direct diode systems, such as thin disk lasers, could, in turn, help suppliers of those systems capture market share from systems using fibre lasers (although in some cases the laser suppliers may be the same).

13 April 2006

Michael Kneier has joined the management team of eagleyard Photonics as the vice president of sales and marketing. Berlin-based eagleyard Photonics specialises in high-power laser diodes. Prior to this appointment Kneier was in charge of sales and marketing at u2t Photonics. Previously he has held positions with Siemens and Infineon Technologies.

13 April 2006

Toyoda Gosei and Lumileds Lighting International, a subsidiary of Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands, have entered an agreement to allow the companies (including subsidiaries) to use each other's patents for semiconductor LEDs -- Philips Lumileds Lighting Company holds patents for high-brightness red LEDs and high-power blue LEDs, while Toyoda Gosei holds a number of patents for blue LEDs.

This agreement will allow both Philips Lumileds and Toyoda Gosei significantly more freedom in their development efforts by removing the risk of infringing each other's patents. Toyoda Gosei and Philips Lumileds have stated that they intend to maintain a friendly business relationship and continue to develop high-brightness LEDs and expand the LED market through fair competition.

6 April 2006

Coherent has opened a new office in Seoul. Coherent Korea will offer support and sales services to Korean customers of Coherent's lasers and laser systems. Wooyang Trading Company, which has served as Coherent's distributor in Korea, will continue to be responsible for sales to universities and research institutions. However, Coherent Korea now will provide industrial sales and all service to Coherent's customers.

4 April 2006

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