NeoPhotonics Acquires Lightwave Microsystems

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 3 -- NeoPhotonics Corp., a developer of nanomaterials-based photonics technologies and products, announced today it has purchased Lightwave Microsystems Corp., of San Jose, maker of integrated circuits for advanced optical communication systems. NeoPhotonics, based in Silicon Valley, did not release financial details of the purchase, but said all actions in merging the operations of the two privately held companies are complete.

NeoPhotonics said it also acquired all Lightwave intellectual property in the transaction. Many of Lightwave's employees have joined NeoPhotonics, and its wafer fabrication and module-packaging facilities have continued production under combined company engineering management after a brief shutdown last fall.

Tim Jenks, NeoPhototonics CEO, said, "Combining Lightwave's passive integration platform with NeoPhotonics' active waveguide platform provides the broadest and deepest photonic technology in the industry. Integration of active and passive functions means that optical subsystems are being made smaller and cheaper."

Jenks said the merger could also result in new products targeted at metro applications, such as colorless mux/demux and reconfigurable optical add/drop modules.

A combined management team will run the company: Jenks, along with Jane Li, vice president of sales and business development; Ron Mosso, vice president of manufacturing operations; and Ping Xie, vice president of product engineering; have been joined by Paul Schroeter, senior vice president of engineering and operations; Martin Lundie, CFO; and Ferris Lipscomb, vice president of marketing.

For more information, visit: www.neophotonics.com