News in brief: ULM Photonics and AOI
Schott is increasing its stake in German VCSEL maker ULM Photonics to 52%. Schott now has majority ownership of the two-year-old Ulm University spin-off..
"Schott’s investment comes despite the worldwide downturn in the telecommunications market," said Karl-Peter Merz, chairman of the board of directors of Schott Optovance. "We are pursuing attractive opportunities to apply ULM s VCSEL technology in applications inside and out side the telecom and datacom markets."
Due to the current market conditions, Schott is restructuring its Schott Optovance division in Southbridge, Mass., which manufactures high-density, fiber management components for parallel optical interconnects. The company will be sold, spun-in or closed by the end of the year.
"We are facing the realities of today’s telecommunications markets," said Merz. "Although Schott Optovance has developed a unique and strong technology basis and became the leader in its respective sector, we are not able to forecast when a sustained turnaround of the telecommunications markets will take effect."
Applied Optoelectronics earns ISO 9001:2000 certification
Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (AOI) has announced that its quality management system has been certified ISO 9001:2000 compliant for the design and manufacture of semiconductor diode lasers.
AOI is a vertically integrated optoelectronics company based in Sugar Land, Texas that designs, grows, processes and packages advanced lasers for the telecommunications and spectroscopy markets.
AOI was certified following an independent third-party audit by The Registrar Company, Inc., an accredited ANSI/RAB ISO certification body. The audit demonstrated that AOI s quality management system complies with the ISO 9001:2000 standard. Registration requires the implementation of quality management systems in all areas that influence products delivered to customers, as well as controlling design and development activities.
"This certification is a testament to the strength of the quality management system the AOI team has developed. It’s very rewarding to verify that our internal system meets the requirements of this rigorous international standard," said Stefan Murry, AOI s Director of Marketing. "ISO 9000:2001 certification also provides our customers with an extra level of assurance that AOI has systems to ensure a consistent, quality product."
