News Article
Thorlabs penetrates high-speed optoelectronics market
The firm is expanding its horizons and will develop products for up to 100 GHz deployment. Many similar products currently on the market utilise indium phosphide (InP) technology
Thorlabs has announced a greenfield initiative to start a new business unit, Thorlabs Ultrafast Optoelectronics (Thorlabs-UFO).
The team will focus on addressing the need for high-speed optoelectronic products with bandwidths as high as 100 GHz for deployment in applications outside of the traditional telecommunications market.
These new products will range from basic components to instrumentation consistent with Thorlabs’ catalogue of Photonic Tools. Dedicated to establishing R&D facilities distributed geographically, Thorlabs made the decision to locate the new venture in the heart of Michigan’s vibrant photonics community in Ann Arbor.
Thorlabs-UFO will look to design, develop, and manufacture leading-edge photonics and optoelectronics products and systems, guided by key insights from customers in the marketplace. The team aims to leverage the technical expertise that it possesses within the organisation’s optomechanical, semiconductor, ultrafast laser, and imaging system product development areas.
Together, this combined knowledge and feedback loop should contribute to a high-speed product line aimed at meeting the specific needs of the market, expanding Thorlabs’ catalogue offering, and supporting R&D initiatives within other Thorlabs’ business units.
“Our initial efforts will be in the area of ultrafast optoelectronic components such as lasers, modulators, and subsystems,” comments Janis Valdmanis, General Manager of the Michigan operation. “Ultimately, our research and development efforts here at Thorlabs Ultrafast Optoelectronics will also serve to complement and advance Thorlabs’ other initiatives in ultrafast and high-power lasers, optical & fibre optic instrumentation, and life science products.”
“There is a long tradition of successful photonics-related research activity going on right here at the University of Michigan and other Michigan-based industrial and educational institutions,” notes Valdmanis. “We hope to promote a strong interaction with that research community and attract strong talent from those channels in the coming years, contributing to Michigan’s overall job growth.”
Michigan is also home to a new state-sponsored Photonics Cluster comprised of thirty companies and educational institutions called Mi-Light. This cohesive effort to enhance the Photonics industry in Michigan in conjunction with national photonics initiatives provides an ideal backdrop for Thorlabs’ new venture.
The team will focus on addressing the need for high-speed optoelectronic products with bandwidths as high as 100 GHz for deployment in applications outside of the traditional telecommunications market.
These new products will range from basic components to instrumentation consistent with Thorlabs’ catalogue of Photonic Tools. Dedicated to establishing R&D facilities distributed geographically, Thorlabs made the decision to locate the new venture in the heart of Michigan’s vibrant photonics community in Ann Arbor.
Thorlabs-UFO will look to design, develop, and manufacture leading-edge photonics and optoelectronics products and systems, guided by key insights from customers in the marketplace. The team aims to leverage the technical expertise that it possesses within the organisation’s optomechanical, semiconductor, ultrafast laser, and imaging system product development areas.
Together, this combined knowledge and feedback loop should contribute to a high-speed product line aimed at meeting the specific needs of the market, expanding Thorlabs’ catalogue offering, and supporting R&D initiatives within other Thorlabs’ business units.
“Our initial efforts will be in the area of ultrafast optoelectronic components such as lasers, modulators, and subsystems,” comments Janis Valdmanis, General Manager of the Michigan operation. “Ultimately, our research and development efforts here at Thorlabs Ultrafast Optoelectronics will also serve to complement and advance Thorlabs’ other initiatives in ultrafast and high-power lasers, optical & fibre optic instrumentation, and life science products.”
“There is a long tradition of successful photonics-related research activity going on right here at the University of Michigan and other Michigan-based industrial and educational institutions,” notes Valdmanis. “We hope to promote a strong interaction with that research community and attract strong talent from those channels in the coming years, contributing to Michigan’s overall job growth.”
Michigan is also home to a new state-sponsored Photonics Cluster comprised of thirty companies and educational institutions called Mi-Light. This cohesive effort to enhance the Photonics industry in Michigan in conjunction with national photonics initiatives provides an ideal backdrop for Thorlabs’ new venture.
