IMRA and Toptica agree on ultrafast
Ultrafast-fiber-laser manufacturer IMRA America (Ann Arbor, MI) and Toptica Photonics (Munich, Germany), manufacturer of diode lasers and femto-fiber technology for industrial and scientific markets, signed a license agreement for IMRA femtosecond fiber technology. In the agreement, IMRA licenses Toptica a large portfolio of IMRA patents related to ultrafast fiber lasers.
“As the international fiber-laser community recognizes the importance of intellectual property licensing, IMRA is continuing to advance the state of this art for the benefit of both manufacturers and users of fiber-laser products,” said Takashi Omitsu, IMRA president. “We welcome Toptica, a key member of this community, as an IMRA licensee.”
LDTD partnership speeds sample analysis
Thermo Fisher Scientific (San Jose, CA) announced a strategic partnership with Phytronix Technologies (Quebec, QC, Canada) for the use of laser-diode thermal desorption (LDTD) technology for applications in sample analysis for both quantitative and qualitative applications in high-throughput drug discovery, drug development, food safety, and environmental applications. The LDTD technology increases the speed of analysis of compounds by 20 to 100 times compared to established techniques based on liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Pharmacokinetic studies using LDTD technology can be performed in less than 10 minutes, and enzyme inhibition assays in 18 minutes compared to 10 hours currently required with LC-MS techniques.
LEDs poised to drive new lighting revolution
After two years of moderate single-digit revenue growth in 2005 and 2006, the solid-state-lighting industry is poised to propel light-emitting-diode (LED) revenue to a double-digit expansion rate in 2007. iSuppli (El Segundo, CA) forecasts total LED market revenue will grow by about 13.7% in 2007 and will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 14.6% between 2006 and 2012 to reach $12.3 billion. A significant portion of this growth will be driven by ultrahigh-brightness and high-brightness LEDs used for lighting applications.
“The new phase of LED growth will be driven by the continued strong demand for solid-state lighting for the backlighting of keypads and displays in mobile devices,” said Jagdish Rebello, director and principal analyst with iSuppli. “It also will be propelled by new emerging markets for LEDs in the interior lighting of automobiles and in the backlighting of large-screen liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) for televisions and notebook computers.
Air Force supports laser-guided missile
The U.S. Air Force fired Raytheon’s (Tucson, AZ) laser-guided Maverick missile in combat operations for the first time in June. Until now, only the Navy and Marine Corps have used the laser-guided version of the Maverick missile. To meet its long-term need for precision engagement of high-speed moving targets, the Air Force asked Raytheon to restart the laser-guided Maverick production line after a 15-year hiatus. The latest laser-guided Maverick will incorporate state-of-the-art seeker technology that is expected to improve on Maverick’s proven combat record. Raytheon anticipates laser-guided Maverick production for the Air Force, Navy and international customers as early as 2009.
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Also in the news . . .
Zecotek Medical Systems (Vancouver, BC, Canada) sold a continuous-wave single-frequency ring-dye-laser system to Korea’s Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) for high-precision laser spectroscopy in its Advanced Photonics Research Institute. . . . The Colorado Photonics Industry Association (Denver, CO) named the company formerly known as Picolight (acquired by JDSU in May 2007) as the 2007 Colorado Photonics Company of the Year. . . . nLIGHT (Vancouver, WA), a manufacturer of high-power semiconductor lasers, announced the closure of the definitive agreement to acquire leading specialty-fiber manufacturer Liekki (Lohja, Finland). . . . Bookham (San Jose, CA) announced the pricing of a public offering of 16 milion shares of common stock at a price of $2.75 per share. . . . Cymer (San Diego, CA), supplier of excimer-laser light sources used in semiconductor manufacturing, reached its goal of demonstrating 100 W of extreme-ultraviolet burst power. . . . Laser Institute of America’s 26th International Congress on Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics (ICALEO) 2007 set an all time record for attendance with 566 total participants, the most in its 25-year history. . . . Within hours of Tropical Storm Noel blowing over Florida’s southern Atlantic coast in November, GlobalMind, a land survey and mapping provider, used Leica Geosystems’ (Norcross, GA) ScanStation high-definition 3-D laser scanner to detail some of the immediate storm damage. . . . Nufern achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification at its headquarters and optical-fiber and fiber-laser manufacturing facility in East Granby, CT. . . . Diode-laser maker DILAS unveiled its new web site at www.DILAS.com that provides customers the ability to search products by wavelength and power.