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Photonics Industry News

• JDSU providing optical components to NIF
  July 2, 2009--JDSU (Milpitas, CA), supplier of optical components for telecommunications, medical, and consumer markets, is supplying optical components called electro-optic modulators for the new National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser system at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Construction for NIF was completed earlier this year.



• Newport's Photovoltaic Laboratory receives ISO/IEC accreditation
  July 2, 2009--Photonic solutions provider Newport Corporation (Irvine, CA) announced that the Photovoltaic Laboratory of its Technology and Applications Center (TAC-PV Lab), located in Irvine, was accredited to the highest international standard for calibration labs by the American Association of Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA), to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard.



• DARPA selects Pranalytica as one of three to continue development of high-efficiency mid-IR QCLs
  June 30, 2009--The US's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected Pranalytica Inc. (Santa Monica, CA) to continue in the Efficient Mid Infrared Laser (EMIL) program, a project created to fill the Department of Defense's need for directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM), advanced stand-off chemical sensors, and laser radar (LADAR). EMIL's Phase 1B aims for 50% wall plug efficiency for high-efficiency quantum cascade lasers (QCLs).



• Resolve invests in MFT testing equipment to qualify optical systems performance
  June 30, 2009--Resolve Optics Ltd. (Chesham, England), a developer of OEM quantity specialist lens systems and optical designs for small and large high technology businesses, says it has invested in modulation transfer function (MTF) testing equipment. The investment enables unambiguous metrics detailing the performance of the specialty lenses and lens systems the company designs and supplies, reports Resolve.



• Sterlite invests to expand fiber optics manufacturing capacity to 20 million km by 2011
  June 29, 2009--Sterlite Technologies Ltd. (Pune, India) a global provider of transmission solutions for the telecom and power industries, says its Board of Directors has approved the enhancement of the company's annual optical fiber production capacity to 20 million km, which would position Sterlite among the top three manufacturers globally.



• Strategies Unlimited forecasts high growth rates for LED replacement-lamp market
  June 26, 2009--Market conditions are right for the LED replacement-lamp market to accelerate in the next few years, according to a new market report by Strategies Unlimited (Mountain View, CA).



• COMSOL Community goes live
  June 26, 2009--COMSOL (Burlington, MA), the maker of COMSOL Multiphysics modeling and simulation software, has launched a new networking site to allow users of its software to connect with their colleagues.



• New industrial efficiency programs provide government funding up to 50% or more for purchase of fiber lasers
  June 25, 2009--Because fiber lasers are energy efficient, they are well suited for new financial assistance programs promoting use of power-conserving technologies, says IPG Photonics Corp. (Oxford, MA). One such program, the Clean Energy and Industrial Efficiency Program of the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER), is accepting applications until June 30, 2009; similar programs are offered by other states and Canadian provinces.



• Oclaro announces several new offerings, enters eye-safe laser diode market
  June 25, 2009--Oclaro Inc. (San Jose, CA) says it has entered the eye-safe wavelength market with long-wavelength laser diode single-emitter and bar products emitting at about 1.5µm, targeting applications in defense, material processing and medical. The company also announced several other offerings: new single-emitter-based modules, high-power lasers for Raman spectroscopy, and--in association with Laserline--a high-beam-quality direct-diode laser system.



• Newport Corporation to relocate Lasers Division headquarters to Santa Clara
  June 24, 2009--Newport Corporation (Irvine, CA) announced that it will relocate and consolidate its Spectra-Physics Lasers Division headquarters from its current five-building location in Mountain View, CA, to a single new manufacturing, research and development, and office facility located at 3625 Peterson Way in Santa Clara, CA.