June 15, 2009--Danish companies Crystal Fibre A/S, a large commercial supplier of microstructured specialty fiber (a.k.a. photonic crystal fiber), and Koheras A/S, a leader in ultra precise fiber lasers and supercontinuum white light lasers, are merging to form a single company--NKT Photonics A/S (Birkerød, Denmark). The merger results from the increasing synergy between the two companies serving a market that continually requires innovative, competitive and well-proven fiber-based solutions, they say. NKT Photonics leverages the combined strengths of both companies to better serve existing and new clients with the most advanced solutions in fiber components, fiber subsystems; ultra precise fiber lasers and fiber-based white light lasers.
"We have seen that many of our industrial and academic customers require solutions that provide increased optical functionality, but without increasing the complexity of the optical delivery system," says Jakob Skov, CEO of the new company. "This requires a design and production of novel fibers with extended optical properties which are then integrated into systems that are simple to use. A typical example is our SuperK and SpectraK product portfolio."
The Koheras ultra-precise fiber laser range, the SuperK white light supercontinuum portfolio, the aeroLASE amplifier modules and the Crystal Fibre nonlinear and Crystal Fibre specialty fiber products will remain established brands within NKT Photonics. Thus, customers are able to find turn-key solutions at fiber, module or system level and expert knowledge to develop and manufacture OEM solutions.
"Combining the expertise from Crystal Fibre and the system integration know-how from Koheras, lays the foundation for an accelerated development of new and groundbreaking products from NKT Photonics," Skov added.
NKT Photonics is exhibiting this week at Laser 2009 Munich booth (#C1.302), where it will demonstrate and display product and new releases. Among these are a new generation of AdjustiK and BoostiK single frequency, low noise and fully integrated fiber laser benchtop systems, and a new addition to its CRYSTAL FIBRE FemtoWHITE series: FemtoWHITE CARS
The optical design of the new AdjustiK and BoostiK benchtop systems is based upon third generation Koheras BasiK laser engine featuring a fully digital control interface and power upgradability enabled by the internal modularised platform. The systems are designed for R&D and scientific applications requiring high frequency stability and low noise laser operation, including advanced sensor interrogation systems, spectroscopy, and atomic trapping. KOHERAS fiber lasers are offered at custom specified wavelengths within the C- and L-band as well as within the 1.03 – 1.12 μm wavelength range. The AdjustiK series provides up to 200 mW of optical output power, and up to 1 W from the BoostiK series.
The FemtoWHITE CARS supercontinuum generator for Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) supplements NKT Photonics' supercontinuum product range spanning bare fibers to turnkey systems such as the SuperK series. It eliminates the need for more-complex laser systems like cavity dumped oscillators or two synchronized oscillators. Pump the FemtoWHITE CARS with an 800 nm range femtosecond laser and it generates a spectrum optimized for CARS applications--without the hassle of fiber cleaving and handling.
In 2004, Danish fiber laser manufacturer Koheras A/S acquired the majority of laser manufacturer LG-Laser Technologies GmbH (Kleinostheim, Germany) in order to achieve a stronger presence in Germany, and two years later Koheras LG-Laser Technologies changed its name to Koheras GmbH.
For more information see the website for the new NKT Photonics A/S.
Posted by Barbara G. Goode, [email protected], for Laser Focus World.