Chicago – At the initiative of Ubifrance, the French Agency for International Business Development, eleven French companies have joined forces to attend Photonics West in San Jose, January 27-29. Photonics West has become North America's largest exhibition on optics, lasers, biomedical optics, optoelectronic components, and imaging technologies.
The tradeshow is the venue chosen by the French optics industry in its efforts to penetrate the North American market and, more specifically, the United States' west coast market.
France has made significant contributions to the optics sector, with scientific research efforts dating back to the seventeenth century. As a result of this long history, the country boasts a significant base of skills and knowledge in the field. For example, the Lumière brothers invented modern movies in the city of Lyon around the turn of the last century and French scientist Bernard Maintenaz developed the multifocal progressive lens in 1959. This history rich in inventions, patents, and innovations has served as a foundation for several French companies now doing business on an international scale.
Groups like Essilor in the field of ophthalmic optics, Angénieux for the film industry, Sagem and Thalès for biometry, spatial optics, and optronics, and Alcatel for the telecommunications industry are just a few examples of French businesses that are prominent in the sector. These corporations also support a large network of innovative, creative small and medium-sized technology firms and provide project management services on an international scale. In addition, France has been a forerunner in emerging disciplines such as optronics, biophotonics, and optoelectronics.
The French delegation is attending the tradeshow in collaboration with Opticsvalley and GIFO (the French Optics Manufacturing Association).
For more information, visit www.ubifrance.com.
Exhibiting Companies on the French Pavilion at Photonics West 2004
AA OPTO ELECTRONIC, a world leader in the design and production of acousto-optics devices and all associated radio-frequency drivers.
ATI ELECTRONIQUE, a company that produces passive fiber optic components: couplers, WDM, filters and hermetic feed-through for telecom, datacom, medical and sensor applications.
CEDRAT TECHNOLOGY, manufacturer of amplified piezo actuators, mechanisms and motors with their related electronics, which are well suited for applications requiring fast and precise actuation, micropositioning and active damping such as aerospace, laser, optics, telecom, scientific instruments, microlithography, vision, machine tools, and medical applications.
CILAS, a company that specializes in adaptative optics, active optics, deformable mirrors and coatings.
DA-LIGHTCOM, manufacturer of a new ultra wide band driver amplifier for electro optical modulators delivering adjustable output drive voltage up to 7 Vpp, part of the company's full range of subassembly modules.
LASELEC, a specialist in laser systems and the design and production of their components. The company recently introduced LYDYA, a range of high power laser diodes drivers capable to drive CW and Q-CW diodes, bars and stacks up to 180 Amperes by 100 Volts at high duty cycles.
PHASICS, a company that develops and manufactures adaptive optic loops and wave front sensors, including new achromatic lateral shearing interferometers.
PHOTLINE TECHNOLOGIES, a young firm that designs and produces integration optimized LINb03 modulators for a variety of high bandwidth applications and high data rate optical networks.
SAGEM, a company that provides coating services and specializes in precision optics for astronomy space, lasers and microelectronics.
SAVIMEX, one of the leading European companies in the transformation of precision plastic and, in particular, in optics, that specializes in precision molding by injection, surface treatment (anti-scratch, anti-fog, metallization under vacuum), and nanotechnology (diamond turning).
SOPRA, a world-class supplier of spectroscopic ellipsometers serving four markets: photonics, semiconductors, flat panel displays and R&D laboratories. The company is also a leading edge excimer laser technology supplier.
Exhibiting French Associations
GIFO, the French Optics Manufacturing Association dedicated to promoting the French industry's interests throughout France and abroad and to advancing science, technology and business opportunities for the precision optics industrial base.
OPTICSVALLEY, a French association whose mission is to structure, promote and help to develop the photonics industry in the greater Paris region through research, training, technology transfer and business creation.