Laser Industry Report
Coherent Inc. to acquire DEOS
Coherent Inc. (Santa Clara, CA) has announced a definitive agreement to acquire DeMaria ElectroOptics Systems Inc. (DEOS; Bloomfield, CT), a designer and manufacturer of carbon dioxide lasers used in electronics packaging, materials processing and research applications, for $22.5 million in cash. DEOS's sales for the year ending Dec. 31, 2000 were approximately $13.2 million.
Scientech wins Laser Megajoule contract for calorimeters
Scientech (Boulder, CO) has been awarded a contract to supply calorimeters for the French Laser Megajoule (LMJ) program by Sagem S.A. (Paris, France), a subcontractor for LMJ laser diagnostics. The large-aperture calorimeters will measure single-pulse energy levels of the large-diameter laser beams in the LMJ fusion ignition facility of the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique. Scientech has designed similar special calorimeters for various research laboratories.
Sharp to build a semiconductor laser-diode plant
Sharp Corp. (Tokyo, Japan) has announced its intention to spend $151.7 million to build a plant in Hiroshima to produce semiconductors, including semiconductor laser-diode chips, starting in September of next year, according to Reuters. Sharp is also reportedly looking into production of blue laser diodes and projects demand for semiconductor lasers to rise along with demand for the CD and DVD systems that use them.
AirFiber reaps $50 million in equity financing
AirFiber Inc. (San Diego, CA) has announced the receipt of $50 million in the first closing of its third round of equity financing. The round was led by GM Capital Partners and included London Merchant Securities, along with several of AirFiber's existing investors. AirFiber will apply the proceeds to the continued development of sales and marketing, as well as customer support and distribution for its free-space optical-communication equipment targeted at telecom applications.
fSONA signs deal with General Dynamics
fSONA Communications Corp. (Richmond, British Columbia, Canada), has signed a long-term agreement with General Dynamics Worldwide Telecommunications Systems (Falls Church, VA) for global installation and technical support services of its free-space optical-communication equipment, with the assistance of General Dynamics' telecom engineers and technicians. "With its worldwide deployment capabilities and exceptional technical resources, General Dynamics is a perfect fit for us," Theresa Carbonneau, CEO of fSONA, said. "We have already been working together on a number of beta site installations, and the relationship has proven highly effective for our customers."
Latest Star Wars technology passes review
The team of aerospace contractors developing the US Air Force's Space-Based Laser Integrated Flight Experiment (SBL-IFX) has successfully completed the experimental satellite's system requirements review, taking a major step forward in the ongoing design and manufacturing development process. Team SBL-IFX, a joint venture comprising TRW (Cleveland, OH), Lockheed Martin (Bethesda, MD), and Boeing (Seattle, WA), reviewed the SBL-IFX system-level specifications and key development milestones with the Air Force and Ballistic Missile Defense Organization during the review, held last March in El Segundo, CA.
Also in the news. . .
Blue Sky Research (San Jose, CA) has announced availability of free-space telecom laser sources. . . . Cree Inc. (Durham, NC) has increased the repurchase limits under its stock repurchase program announced in January 2001 to include an additional three million shares, for a total of seven million shares of its outstanding common stock. . . . Cymer Inc. (San Diego, CA) has introduced lithography light-source-specific e-diagnostics and performance-monitoring software for remote analysis and support of the company's global installed base of excimer light sources.
Hassaun A. Jones-Bey