Fiberoptics Industry Report

by Hassaun Jones-Bey and Kathy Kincade

StockerYale acquires Ciena optical-fiber groupStockerYale (Salem, NH) has acquired the specialty optical-fiber group of Ciena (Linthicum, MD) for an undisclosed amount of cash and stock. Ciena will transfer to StockerYale all intellectual property related to proprietary specialty optical-fiber technology developed at Ciena, a fully developed optical-fiber product line, and all specialty optical-fiber manufacturing equipment and related test and measurement assets. In addition, Ciena and StockerYale have signed a three-year primary-supplier agreement whereby StockerYale will supply Ciena with specialty optical fibers. "The acquisition of Ciena's specialty optical-fiber business underscores StockerYale's commitment to continue building and positioning itself as a world-class photonics company," said Mark Blodgett, StockerYale chairman and CEO.InP component market expected to growIn a new market report, Strategies Unlimited (Mountain View, CA) forecasts that the market for indium phosphide (InP)-based electronic components will exceed $500 million in 2006 and has the potential to reach several billion dollars within a decade. The most likely applications for these devices include chipsets for 40-Gbit/s optical communications systems, receiver interconnects for 10-Gbit/s systems, power amplifiers for 2.5G and 3G mobile-telephone handsets, and interconnects for millimeter-wave (greater than 18 GHz) radios used in mobile-telephone backhaul equipment and broadband wireless access. Strategies Unlimited found nearly 130 companies and more than 100 universities and research centers worldwide with activities related to InP electronics.Lumentis ramps up production of DWDM Lumentis (Stockholm, Sweden), a provider of metro DWDM systems, has doubled the capacity of its existing headquarters to ramp up production and marketing activities. Lumentis added 10,000 sq ft by expanding to another floor at its location. The company says the new facility will accommodate up to 80 employees within the next two years. Lumentis received US$19 million from Deutsche Bank and Santec, a developer of optical components, in April; the Santec partnership includes a strategic investment, R&D cooperation, and the expansion of Lumentis metro DWDM solutions into the Asian market.Lucent joint venture sells assets in ChinaLucent Technologies China (Shanghai) and its joint-venture partners at Lucent Technologies of Shanghai (LTOS) have agreed to sell the venture's manufacturing assets to Jabil Circuit (St. Petersburg, FL), an electronics-manufacturing services company. Lucent Technologies and Jabil Circuit have also signed a supply agreement whereby Jabil will produce optical switches and other optical-transmission equipment for Lucent. Lucent and joint-venture partners Shanghai Optical Communication, Shanghai Post & Telecommunication Equipment, and Shanghai Jiushi formed LTOS in 1989 to produce optical-transmission equipment for the regional market.JDS Uniphase donates equipment to SSU labJDS Uniphase has donated nearly $1 million of analytical equipment in support of a new master's degree program in Computer and Engineering Science at Sonoma State University (Rohnert Park, CA). The equipment will be used in a new photonics laboratory that will be ready for use this summer in the university's Salazar Hall. The lab is part of the new Cerent Engineering Science Complex, which will include seven other high-tech laboratories in addition to the photonics lab. "We expect to have about 50 graduate students in the program by next fall," said Saeid Rahimi, dean of the School of Science and Technology.KVH receives orders for fiberoptic gyrosKVH Industries (Middletown, RI) has begun shipments of fiberoptic gyros (FOGs) for integration aboard several vehicles being constructed by two European systems integrators. The orders, with a total value of more than $700,000, represent the first significant deployment of KVH gyros for use in turret-stabilization applications. For the first of the two orders, KVH will supply single-axis gyros for use in an upgrade of turrets aboard main battle tanks. The second order includes dual-axis gyros for integration within a new turret designed for use aboard armored combat vehicles.Also in the news . . .LightPath Technologies (Albuquerque, NM), a manufacturer and integrator of fiberoptic components for the telecom industry, has invested an additional $1.5 million in LightChip (Salem, NH), an optical-networking company. . . . Polychromix (Woburn, MA), a privately held advanced-communications technology company developing modular optical subsystems for communications applications, raised $7 million in its first round of funding. . . . Meriton Networks (Ottawa, Ont., Canada) has launched its first products, an optical add/drop switch and a network management system, and has established its European headquarters in Bristol, England. . . . Picolight (Boulder, CO) has raised $27 million in its latest funding round.