Agreement boosts nanoimprint lithography
SUSS MicroTec (Munich, Germany), supplier of solutions for the microelectromechanical systems, advanced packaging, and nanotechnology markets, entered into a license agreement with Philips Research (Eindhoven, The Netherlands), for a new enabling technology called substrate conformal imprint lithography (SCIL). This technology for sub-50 nm patterning bridges the gap between small rigid stamp applications for best resolution and large-area soft stamp usage with the usual limited printing resolution below 200 nm. “SCIL represents an enabling new technology that paves the way for further commercialization of nanoimprint lithography,” said Rolf Wolf, general manager of SUSS MicroTec lithography division.
Saint-Gobain acquires Lumilog
France-based semiconductor-materials maker Saint-Gobain acquired Lumilog (Vallauris, France), which is now operating as a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain. Spun off from the Center of Hetero-Epitaxie Research and Applications (CHREA) of France’s National Scientific Research Center’s (CNRS) in 2001, Lumilog manufactures free-standing bulk gallium nitride substrates as well as 2 in. gallium nitride template epiwafers on sapphire substrates for optoelectronic and microelectronic applications.
Caltech semiconductor spinoff acquired
AmberWave Systems (Salem, NH), developer of semiconductor materials technologies, acquired Aonex Technologies (Pasadena, CA) and its suite of materials integration technologies originating from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech; Pasadena, CA). Aonex, a publicly traded company commercializing new technologies in life sciences, electronics, and energy, was cofounded in 2004 by Arrowhead and Caltech professor Harry Atwater, who pioneered research in materials integration and applications for advanced, laminate composite semiconductors. Since then, Aonex has explored materials relevant to solar energy and advanced laser products, making significant progress in demonstrating the viability of laminated semiconductor materials for high-efficiency electro-optical devices.
Gooch & Housego awarded for NIF crystals
For the second time in 2008, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL; Livermore, CA) honored Gooch & Housego (Ilminster, England) with a Vendor Appreciation award for its performance in the growth and fabrication of crystals for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at LLNL. The crystals, supplied by Gooch & Housego Cleveland, will be used for harmonic frequency generation and plasma electrode Pockels cells at the NIF, which aims to achieve self-sustaining nuclear fusion and energy gain. Gooch & Housego was also recognized in January for the supply of crystal quartz wave plates to the NIF program.
NPL purchases OCT scanner from Michelson
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL; Kent, England) purchased an optical-coherence-tomography (OCT) scanner from Kent-based Michelson Diagnostics. “Our research will underpin the application of OCT imaging to a huge range of applications, such as in diagnosis of cancer, tissue engineering, and new ways of looking at tooth decay and dental biomaterials,” said Pete Tomlins, leader of the research team at NPL, which chose the Michelson Diagnostics EX1301 OCT scanner after evaluating performance of several competing products. The EX1301 provides double the image resolution by virtue of its novel optical design, according to Tomlins.
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Also in the news . . .Also in the news . . .
Northrop Grumman is forming a strategic research partnership with the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) and the Florida Photonics Center of Excellence (FPCE) within the University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL) for codevelopment of advanced optic and photonic technologies in exchange for preferential rights to any resulting technology developed through the partnership. . . . Richard Sandberg of JILA and the University of Colorado at Boulder won the 2008 OSA – New Focus/Bookham Student Award from The Optical Society of America (OSA; Washington, DC) and New Focus (San Jose, CA), a Bookham brand, for his work, “70 nm Lensless Diffractive Microscopy using Tabletop Soft X-Ray Sources.”. . . Sylvain G. Cloutier, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Delaware (Newark, DE), was named the first recipient of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Young Faculty Award for his work that combines optics and materials for silicon-based microelectronics applications. . . . The National Optics Institute (Quebec City, QC, Canada) signed a three-year cooperation agreement for joint research and innovation activities in photonic micro- and nanotechnology with the Bavarian Laser Centre (Erlangen, Germany), which specializes in photonic microsystems research, development, and production.