Spectra-Physics returns to original name on 40th anniversary
Last month, the world's first commercial laser company, Spectra-Physics Lasers Inc. (Mountain View, CA), celebrated its 40th anniversary by changing its name back to its original name, Spectra-Physics Inc. Spectra-Physics was purchased first in 1986 by a Swiss company, Ciba-Geigy, and then in 1990 by a Swedish company, Pharos, which in 1992 changed its name to Spectra-Physics AB. To distinguish itself from the other divisions of its new parent, the original Spectra-Physics became Spectra-Physics Lasers. With the subsequent purchase of Spectra-Physics AB by Thermo-Electron (Waltham, MA), the original name was freed from any possible confusion and also encompassed new strategic directions, such as the growing focus on optics for the telecom market, according to Patrick Edsell, CEO, president, and chairman . "We are really a laser and optics company," Edsell said.
European Physical Society presents annual awards
At the recent Laser 2001 conference in Munich, Germany, The European Physical Society's Quantum Electronics and Optics division presented its annual awards—the Quantum Electronics and Optics Prize and the Fresnel Prize—to four experts in the fields of laser spectroscopy and quantum optics. This year's Quantum Electronics and Optics Prize was awarded to Theodor Haensch of the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics (Garching, Germany) for innovative work in laser spectroscopy, and to Algis Piskarskas of Villinius University (Lithuania) for pioneering R&D of ultrashort pulsed light sources based on optical-parametric generation and oscillation. The Fresnel Prize, an award to recognize scientists under the age of 35 for "noteworthy contributions to optics, quantum electronics, or quantum optics," was presented to Konrad Banaszek of Oxford University's Centre for Quantum Computation (Oxford, England) and Ronald Holzwarth of the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics (Garching, Germany). Banaszek received the award for contributions to the understanding of nonclassical light, while Holzwarth was honored for creating a femtosecond laser to measure the frequency of light with extreme precision.
Bandwidth9 grows in capacity, collaborators, and advisors
Bandwidth9 (Fremont, CA) has activated a fourth epitaxial-growth reactor used to manufacture its tunable lasers. With four reactors, Bandwidth9 now has material-growth capacity exceeding 100,000 gross die per month. The company is also working with Corning Incorporated (Corning, NY) to explore combined solutions that reduce costs and magnify deployment flexibility for metro optical carriers. In addition, Kenichi Iga, one of the initial developers of surface-emitting lasers, and Tingye Li, a pioneering researcher in the development of wavelength-division multiplexing, have joined the company's technical advisory board.
Micronic and ASML form strategic alliance
Micronic Laser Systems AB (Téby, Sweden) and ASML Holding NV (Veldhoven, The Netherlands) announced a joint development program to develop new tools in the area of semiconductor lithography applications. Part of this alliance will involve an interest-free convertible loan in the amount of $29.2 million from ASML to Micronic. The loan has a term of three years and can be converted into 1 million shares of Micronic upon the first request of ASML.
Also in the news . . .
ROFIN-SINAR Technologies Inc. (Plymouth, MI and Hamburg, Germany) has announced that its shares have been admitted for trade on the German Neuer Market. . . . Saab Avionics (Stockholm, Sweden) has announced an order for an eye-safe laser rangefinder from Thales Optronique (Guyancourt, France) for a French fighter aircraft. The order, worth $4.2 million, includes development and manufacturing. . . . Zia Laser Inc. (Albuquerque, NM), developer of quantum-dot semiconductor lasers for the data and telecommunications markets, announced it has received $6 million in seed-round funding. The company will leverage its initial investment to aggressively pursue several key hires, build corporate infrastructure, and expand product development.
Hassaun A. Jones-Bey