Micron enters international agreements
Micron Semiconductor Products (Boise, ID) and Celetron International (Hamilton, Bermuda) have signed a distribution agreement for Celetron to supply Micron products in India. Micron has also entered into an agreement with Given Imaging (Yoqneam, Israel) to develop and supply current and next-generation complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors to Given Imaging for use in Given Imaging's M2A capsule endoscope. Micron also announced a ranking of third in the world among companies receiving patents awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2002. The company moved up a notch from its 2001 ranking of fourth by earning 1833 patents in 2002, an increase of more than 11.5%. Micron trailed only IBM and Canon, which received 3288 and 1893 patents, respectively. Following Micron (in order) were: NEC, Hitachi, Matsushita, Sony, General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, and Mitsubishi. This is the third consecutive year Micron has ranked in the top ten.
Metrologic restructures bank debt facility
Metrologic Instruments (Blackwood, NJ), a manufacturer of imaging systems using laser, holographic, camera and vision-based technologies, high-speed automated data-capture solutions, and barcode scanners has restructured its bank debt facility with the execution of a three-year, $17.5 million amended facility with PNC Bank. The facility includes a $13 million revolving credit facility and a $4.5 million term loan. "Metrologic generated $30 million of positive cash flow from operations over the past 24 months and has restored the company to profitability, which has resulted in reduced bank debt of $10.3 million at the end of 2002," said C. Harry Knowles, Metrologic's chairman and CEO. "Consequently, we were able to consider several excellent proposals from senior lenders and banks to restructure the previous bank debt facility."
Cranfield University opens optics center
Cranfield University (Swindon, England) has announced the opening of the Centre for Photo-Manipulation and Photo-Analysis of Materials. This initiative is funded by Cranfield University under the remit of the Science Research Investment Fund (SRIF) from the Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE). The center is situated in Shrivenham at the Royal Military College of Science (RMCS), approximately 7 miles from Swindon. The center is an interdisciplinary venture involving four departments: Engineering Systems Department, Department of Materials and Medical Science, Department of Environmental, and Ordnance Systems and Department of Aerospace, Power and Sensors.
Universal Display wins defense contracts
Universal Display (Ewing, NJ) has been awarded a two-year, $729,996 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II Program contract by the U.S. Department of the Army to further its development of conformable and transparent display technologies. This work will support the Army's goal to develop conformable, high-resolution, miniature, full-color OLED displays for helmet-mounted display (HMD) systems. The company also has been awarded a $69,850 a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract by the U.S. Department of the Army to demonstrate the feasibility of building active-matrix, organic light-emitting device (AMOLED) displays on durable metal foil for use in military applications where size, weight, and ruggedness are critical.
Virtek to supply projection systems for fighter jets
Virtek Vision International (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) has completed the installation of contracts totaling more than CA$1.7 million awarded in 2002 from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (Fort Worth, TX). In this order Virtek LaserEdge laser projection systems were supplied for the manufacture of composite parts used in the construction of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program and F/A-22 Raptor fighter jets. Virtek LaserEdge laser projection systems have also been purchased by F-35 JSF principal partners Northrop Grumman (Los Angeles, CA) and BAE Systems (Nashua, NH) and several other customers.
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Also in the news . . .
Mobility Concepts (Naperville, IL), a provider of mobile computing solutions to Fortune 2000 companies and the operating subsidiary of Active Link Communications (Naperville, IL), has signed an agreement with Microvision (Bothell, WA) to market Microvision's Flic laser barcode scanner. . . . Pacific Nanotechnology (Santa Clara, CA) is offering seminars on atomic-force microscope applications to provide nanotechnologists and nanoresearchers with practical strategies to aid their research and process control applications.