News in brief: OEpic, Soitec, Omron, SFP MSA
Fiber-optic component manufacturer OEpic has received more than 10 Photonics Technology Access Program (PTAP) awards supporting pre-commercial, state-of-the-art photonic device development at major universities since opening its Advanced Optoelectronics Foundry in March 2003.
PTAP, sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and administered by the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (OIDA), provides access for researchers to OEpic s advanced optoelectronic technology for such projects as optical waveguide switches, highly integrated multi-function optoelectronic chips, advanced lasers and photodetectors.
"OEpic is pleased to be involved with so many innovative researchers, such as Stanford University and UC San Diego." said Yi-Ching Pao, founder, president and CEO of OEpic. "These developments are necessary to continue the drive for more advanced photonics with higher speeds and increased integration at lower costs."
Siltronic licenses Soitec s Smart Cut technology
Siltronic, the silicon wafer division of Wacker Chemie GmbH, has signed a license for Soitec s proprietary Smart Cut technology.
The licensing agreement, which will allow Siltronic to utilize Smart Cut to produce advanced SOI wafers and strained SOI wafers, also includes a joint program to accelerate the development of strained SOI wafers.
Siltronic will be able to provide bonded SOI wafers based on the Smart Cut technology to its customers in 2005.
Omron buys backlight business
Japanese backlight system manufacturer Omron is to purchase the backlight business of Tama Electric, a wholly-owned subsidiary of KOA.
Omron is developing backlight units for small LCD panels used in cellular phones; these utilize LEDs as the light source and proprietary micro-lens array technology for light control.
Tama Electric is a leading manufacturer of backlights for larger displays, such as those used in LCD TVs. The acquisition should allow Omron to deploy its proprietary technology in other markets.
MSA for small form-factor pluggable DWDM transceivers
Agilent Technologies, Finisar, JDS Uniphase, TriQuint Optoelectronics and Tyco Electronics today announced a new multi-source agreement (MSA) for small form-factor 2.5 Gbit/s pluggable DWDM fiber-optic transceivers (see DWDM SFP MSA group website).
The DWDM small form-factor pluggable (SFP) MSA specification allows network equipment manufacturers to build applications with one platform that addresses multiple markets, including metro DWDM, multiple service operators, and storage area networks. Transceivers developed using this new specification will permit service providers to use cooled wavelength-specific laser sources in one SFP package to serve multiple markets.
The MSA specifies the extension of the existing SFP fiber-optic transceiver module and cage system to accommodate the use of cooled laser sources. Existing SFP transceivers are uncooled.