VANCOUVER, WA-nLight, a manufacturer of high-power semiconductor lasers, has acquired the assets of Flextronics Photonics. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Flextronics Photonics employs 40 people in Hillsboro, OR, increasing nLight’s total workforce to 170.
“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 fiber-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,” said 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 also builds on nLight’s current capabilities. “This acquisition reinforces our strategy to offer integration capabilities for new high-volume applications,” Keeney added.
Headquartered in Singapore, Flextronics International is a provider of electronics manufacturing services to OEMs in a variety of industries, including photonics, computing, consumer, semiconductor, automotive, marine, aerospace, and medical. The company expanded further into photonics in 2001 with the acquisition of Wave Optics and Fico Fiber Optics, both of which were focused on developing and manufacturing optical components for the telecom and datacom markets.
nLight’s roots are also in telecom, although for the last few years the company has focused on the military market. It won $6 million in defense funding in 2003, attracted $12 million in private investments in 2004, and last year continued to pursue research for the defense industry. In July, nLight received a $6 million federal defense contract to develop and demonstrate military laser systems at new wavelengths that will replace existing systems that put people’s vision at risk, including weapons systems, laser lighting, and target designation lasers.