PennWell to launch BioOptics World magazine
Looking to capitalize on the rapidly growing market for optical technologies and instrumentation in the life sciences, PennWell (Nashua, NH), publisher of Laser Focus World, announces its latest venture, BioOptics World. The magazine and Web site (see www.BioOpticsWorld.com) will launch in January 2008 at BiOS 2008, part of the SPIE Photonics West 2008 exhibition in San Jose, CA.
Comprising a bimonthly magazine, monthly eNewsletter, and Web site, BioOptics World will focus on the design, development, and utilization of optical technologies for the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease and disease processes. It is intended for biomedical researchers and engineers involved in the development and fabrication of optical components and systems used in the life sciences, as well as for scientists and clinicians who utilize these technologies.
ARO is acquired by Saint-Gobain Crystals
Alpine Research Optics (ARO; Boulder, CO), a supplier of high-performance coated optics, has been acquired by Saint-Gobain Crystals. Saint-Gobain Crystals is part of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain, which is headquartered in Paris, France. “Saint-Gobain has spent the last several years building a world-class operation covering a diverse range of optical materials,” said Peter Tibbetts, general manager, Saint-Gobain Photonics. “ARO can now leverage this expertise and offer finished coated components based on Saint-Gobain crystalline materials.”
CVI Melles Griot acquires CIOL
Newly formedCVI Melles Griot (Albuquerque, NM) acquired Coherent Imaging Optics (CIOL; Auburn, CA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Coherent (Santa Clara, CA). CIOL is a supplier of infrared optical components for advanced thermal imaging and other electro-optic systems. According to Stuart Schoenmann, CEO of CVI Melles Griot, the acquisition will help meet customer demand with local manufacturing for defense contracts and provide new capabilities to manufacture infrared imaging optics and assemblies.
Agilent to offer complex monolithic optics
Agilent Technologies (Santa Clara, CA) announced its Complex Monolithic Optics (CMO) Development Program for OEM customers. Complex monolithic optics are stand-alone optical assemblies that are created when multiple discrete optics are bonded together into a single, prealigned optical structure that streamlines an optical system by reducing the individual part count and improving performance and reliability. “The future of cost-effective optical-system design will depend on smaller, lighter, more reliable optical assemblies,” said Vince Barich, Agilent Precision Optics operations manager. The use of CMOs lowers the cost of ownership because system installation becomes easier and downtime caused by alignment or contamination issues is greatly reduced or eliminated.
Thorlabs, BMC partner on adaptive optics
Photonics industry equipment provider Thorlabs (Newton, NJ) andBoston Micromachines (BMC; Cambridge, MA) have formed a partnership that will allow BMC, a provider of advanced microelectromechanical-systems-based mirror products, to bring its deformable mirrors to the photonics-research community. “This partnership is a signal to the industry that adaptive optics is now ready for prime time,” said Paul Bierden, president of Boston Micromachines. “With BMC’s technological advancements and Thorlabs’ venerable position in the photonics industry, this partnership will drive this proven technology to wide deployment in new commercial applications.” Alex Cable, president and founder of Thorlabs, has joined BMC’s board of directors, invested in the company, and will serve as an advisor to BMC.
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Also in the news . . .
The Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (Washington, D.C.) has formed its first formal community of interest, The Silicon Photonics Alliance, to promote silicon photonics in standards, commercial adoption, and vendor communication. . . . Fogale nanotech of France, a provider of high-accuracy dimensional metrology equipment, has opened its first North American office in Los Angeles. . . . SUSS MicroTec (Munich, Germany) received the first order for its new Gamma XPress coat / develop cluster from Rohm and Haas Electronics Materials, a world leader in the development and manufacture of electronic materials for the semiconductor markets. . . . Structured Materials Industries (Piscataway, NJ) received National Science Foundation Phase I Small Business Innovation Research funding for a large-volume, high-deposition-rate bulk silicon carbide chemical vapor deposition growth tool. . . . Wright Williams & Kelly (Pleasanton, CA), a cost-and-productivity-management software and consulting services company, published a report examining the cost structures of competing mask-defect inspection strategies for 193 nm scanners operating at the 65 nm node. . . . Shell Global Solutions selected the Thermo Fisher Scientific (Cambridge, England) iCAP 6500 emission spectrometer for testing racing cars at Le Mans 2007.