Thermo Fisher Completes Max Analytical Acquisition: Week in Brief: 3/11/22

Lumentum Holdings and Ayar Labs have entered a strategic partnership to deliver CW-WDM MSA compliant external laser sources in high volume. The light sources are critical to power Ayar Labs’ optical I/O solution, which delivers high bandwidth, energy efficiency, and latency benefits for computing and networking over current short-reach copper links.

WALTHAM, Mass. — Thermo Fisher Scientific completed its acquisition of Max Analytical Technologies, a producer of FTIR-based gas analysis solutions for process monitoring, source testing, and ambient air monitoring. The addition complements and expands Thermo Fisher’s FTIR instrument, software, and service offerings, and it expands the breadth of vibrational spectroscopy solutions and services across a range of market segments.

AACHEN, Germany — Universities and research institutions in the state of North Rhine-Wesphalia (NRW) established a competence network, “EIN Quantum NRW,” initiated by the state government of NRW. The participants will pool expertise in research and technology for more effective networking and a robust knowledge infrastructure. Together with the Fraunhofer Institutes FHR, IAIS, IMS, and SCAI located in NRW, Fraunhofer ILT and the Research Center Jülich are establishing a Center of Quantum Science and Engineering in the Rhineland region.

With QuTech, Fraunhofer ILT is developing key components for the quantum internet, such as the illustrated prototype for a low-noise quantum frequency converter. Courtesy of Fraunhofer ILT.

NEWBURYPORT, Mass. — Rochester Electronics LLC is partnering with optical device solution manufacturer Kyoto Semiconductor Co. Ltd. to offer active and end-of-life products. Kyoto Semiconductor products will be available at Rochester Electronics.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — AI computing company Luminous Computing raised $105 million in Series A financing, with participation from investors including Gigafund, Bill Gates, 8090 Parnters, Neo, Third Kind Venture Capital, Alumni Ventures Group, Strawberry Creek Ventures, Horsley Bridge, and Modern Venture Partners. The funding will primarily be used to expand the company’s engineering team, refine products, and prepare for commercial-scale production.

ORLANDO, Fla. — LightPath Technologies Inc. received qualification for use of its Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) coating process for its proprietary Black Diamond chalcogenide-based material to manufacture infrared lenses for military purposes. The receipt of military qualification dovetails with the company’s recently secured exclusive optical usage license to manufacture products using the IR patent portfolio developed and owned by the U.S. Navy’s Naval Research Laboratory.

SAN DIEGO — Ranovus Inc. and TE Connectivity developed a co-packaged optics (CPO) platform based on Ranovus’ Odin 800-Gbit/s Analog Drive CPO 2.0 architecture with TE’s CPx fine pitch socket interposer technology. The CPO implementation is the result of a three-year collaboration between the companies and showcases a fully operational co-packaged optical assembly that has been successfully socketed onto a package substrate typical of what is required for a full CPO solution.

PITTSBURGH — II-VI is accelerating its investment in 150- and 200-mm silicon carbide (SiC) substrate and epitaxial wafer manufacturing with large-scale factory expansions in Easton, Pa., and Kista, Sweden. This is part of the company’s previously announced $1 billion investment in SiC over the next 10 years. II-VI will significantly build out its nearly 300,000-sq-ft factory in Easton to scale up production of its 150- and 200-mm SiC substrates and epitaxial wafers. Easton’s 150- and 200-mm SiC substrate output is expected to reach the equivalent of 1 million 150-mm substrates annually by 2027, with the proportion of 200-mm substrates growing over time. The expansion of the epitaxial wafer capacity in Kista is aimed at serving the European market.

HANNOVER, Germany — The UNLOWDET project aims to develop a process to defuse explosive ordnance underwater using a laser, with the goal of as little disruption to ecosystems as possible. Researchers from Laser Zentrum Hannover, Laser on demand GmbH, and EGGERS Kampfmittelbergung GmbH are following the approach of “Low-Order Detonation,” in which only a small part of the explosive is reacted. In the first step, a laser beam is used to make a defined joint in the explosive ordnance, thus weakening the shell. In the second step, a Low-Order Detonation is then triggered with the laser beam so that the detonator is removed and the ignition chain is interrupted. The process may be done remotely with a diving robot.

With laser-induced detonation, explosive ordnance is defused more safely, efficiently, and in a more environmentally friendly manner. Courtesy of LZH.

OXFORD, England — Rockley Photonics entered a development partnership with Medtronic, whereby the companies will bring Rockley’s recently announced Bioptx biomarker sensing platform into Medtronic solutions for use across various health care settings.

MONTREAL — A recently awarded grant of $450,000 from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s basic research office, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, will enable two Canadian startups, Ki3 Photonics and Quantum Bridge Technologies, to explore highly entangled states of light as they relate to telecommunications and computing applications. Ki3 Photonics specializes in the generation and processing of quantum photonic signals; the company develops solutions, readily implementable with existing telecom infrastructure, for quantum networks with parallel/multichannel information processing. Quantum Bridge Technologies is developing all-photonic quantum repeaters based on principles of classical and quantum information theory.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Perception systems developer Aeva’s Aeries 4D lidar sensors are now supported on the NVIDIA DRIVE autonomous vehicle platform, the companies announced. Aeva’s frequency modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) 4D lidar sensors detect 3D position and instant velocity for each point at distances up to 500 m.

ST. BLAISE, Switzerland — Alpes Lasers SA launched a dissemination campaign to improve general knowledge of frequency combs under the FET QOMBINA project. The project follows up on work performed in the FET project QOMBS. Information gathered through the QOMBINA project will be used to produce a road map of future product development. The project falls under the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 umbrella of projects.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Optical solutions provider Windstream Wholesale successfully completed 1000-km 400G field trials leveraging pluggable modules from II-VI Inc. with QSFP-DD-DCO optics that achieve a high transmit power of 0 dBm. The trials showed high levels of performance and strong working margins over a production network route and traversing up to 24 ROADMs in a lab environment.

NORTH VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Aurora Solar Technologies will acquire BT Imaging Pty. Ltd. Aurora made the acquisition offer through a share for share transaction in the amount of 16.2 million CAD (~$12.68 million), based on an Aurora share price of 0.20 CAD ($0.16). The offer has been initially accepted by 63% of all BTi shareholders. The transaction is expected to close on or about May 31 of this year.

DUBLIN — Tibidabo Scientific will open a virtual office in Lviv, Ukraine. The company seeks to hire 75 full-time employees.

DALGETY BAY, Scotland — Wafer-scale optics designer and manufacturer PowerPhotonic’s U.S. subsidiary signed a long-term lease for manufacturing facilities in the Sahuarita Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Center in Sahuarita, Ariz. The company cited the move as part of its continued expansion into North America.

AMHERST, N.H. — Finetech, a provider of precision die bonders and advanced rework equipment, completed a Class 1000 (ISO 6) cleanroom in its Amherst Customer Applications Center. The building houses the Finetech eastern sales and applications support team.