MCE Technologies launches optoelectronics company
MCE Technologies Inc. (Ann Arbor, MI) recently launched MCE Optoelectronics Inc. to develop optoelectronic components and subsystems for the telecommunications industry. MCE Optoelectronics will focus on indium phosphide technology for development of various high-speed photonic and electronic functions for fiberoptic transceivers. R&D will be conducted in Ann Arbor, MI, and wafer fabrication will be located at facilities in Sunnyvale, CA.
LightPointe receives patent for free-space optical technology
The US Patent Office has issued a patent to LightPointe (San Diego, CA), a manufacturer and designer of carrier-class optical transmission equipment using free-space optical technology, for its all-optical networking technology. This technology allows the development of an ultrahigh-bandwidth all-optical network using free-space optics without the need for electro-optical conversion between fiber and free-space optical links, according to the company. In addition, the patent covers several "adaptive power control" techniques to safely regulate optical transmissions.
University of Rochester licenses technology to Atlantic
The University of Rochester (Rochester, NY) has agreed to exclusively license its "Magneto-Optical Modulator for Superconducting Digital-Output Interface" technology to Atlantic Technology Ventures Inc. (New York, NY). Invented by Roman Sobolewski, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, the technology provides a digital optical-output interface for ultrafast superconducting electronic circuits. The technology is based on a little-known class of materials that modulate light at very low temperatures using a magnetic field.
IEEE presents Medal of Honor
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' (IEEE; New York, NY) highest award, the Medal of Honor, was recently presented to Herwig Kogelnik, an adjunct vice president of photonics-systems research at the University of Oxford (Oxford, England). Kogelnik was honored for his "fundamental contributions to the science and technology of lasers and optoelectronics, and for leadership in R&D of photonics and lightwave communication systems."
Boeing agrees to evaluate LMG's all-optical switch
The Boeing Co.'s (Seattle, WA) Phantom Works R&D unit has entered into an agreement with Light Management Group (LMG; Norcross, GA) to evaluate its acousto-optic switch for potential applications in Boeing products. The switch uses sound waves to manipulate light waves, according to LMG, and can transform optical signals from one input channel to more than 1000 output channels.
Cooperative research results in linear optical amplifier
Genoa Corp. (Fremont, CA), collaborating with the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST; Gaithersburg, MD), has developed what is believed to be the world's first single-chip linear optical amplifier that can simultaneously amplify dozens of wavelengths without distortion. The packaged device is about the size of a sugar cube, reports NIST, and is expected to enable greater local use of optical networks and expand their capabilities.
Also in the news . . .
OCLI (Nuremburg, Germany), a wholly owned subsidiary of JDS Uniphase Corp. and a manufacturer of optical thin-film coatings and components, is consolidating its business in Santa Rosa, CA. The move is in line with JDSU's recently announced global realignment program. . . . Thermo Hilger Crystals (Kent, England) and The Crystal Consortium (Glasgow, Scotland) have signed a collaborative agreement to develop a range of infrared, scintillation, and optoelectronic-crystal materials for a variety of commercial applications. . . . ADC (Minneapolis, MN) and Infrared Communications Systems Inc. (Edmonds, WA) have successfully completed a laboratory trial demonstrating that digitized RF signals can be transported via free-space optics.
Sally Cole Cederquist