Hamamatsu Refiles for NKT Photonics Acquisition; Photonis Adds El-Mul: Week in Brief: 07/28/23

Through its existing European subsidiary Photonics Management Europe srl, Hamamatsu Photonics submitted an application to the Danish Business Authority to acquire shares in NKT Photonics. The acquisition would result in NKT being made subsidiary to Photonics Management Europe and sub-subsidiary to Hamamatsu. The application is a follow-up to Hamamatsu’s June 2022 bid to acquire NKT Photonics — a move that the Danish Business Authority blocked in May this year. Hamamatsu said it will conduct activities to obtain approval promptly, including consultations with relevant Danish authorities.

MERIGNAC, France — Sensor and imaging technology developer Photonis acquired El-Mul, a developer and manufacturer of charged-particle detectors and devices supporting ion- and electron-sensing solutions. The move adds capabilities in semiconductor inspection and electron microscopy, Photonis Group CEO Jerome Cerisier said. The acquisition is Photonis’ fourth in the last eight months. The company previously acquired Xenics, Telops, and Proxivision in separate deals. In addition to the acquisitions, Device-Alab, a designer and producer of infrared cameras, electronic subsystems, and embedded solutions, rebranded as Photonis Infrared France earlier this year and announced it will sell its products under the brand Xenics.

SEATTLE — Optical semiconductor company Lumotive entered into a commercial agreement with camera module developer Namuga, whereby Namuga will use Lumotive’s light control metasurface (LCM) chipsets to develop solid-state lidar module solutions. The solutions aim to support applications in 3D sensing in the industrial, consumer, and automotive markets. Lumotive’s LCM digital beam-steering technology relies on metamaterials to steer the laser beam without any moving parts, overcoming limitations to size, scalability, and reliability, the company said. Lumotive and sensor and automation technology company Hokuyo Automatic established a multiyear production contract earlier this year to expedite deployment of sensor technology in robotics and autonomous systems applications using Lumotive’s solid-state beam-steering chip in a 3D lidar sensor from Hokuyo.

Weighing 33 grams and with a flight time up to 25 minutes, the Black Hornet PRS transmits live video and high-definition still images back to the operator. The nano-UAS provides soldiers with immediate covert situational awareness to help them perform missions more safely and effectively. Courtesy of BusinessWire.

BOSTON — TELEDYNE FLIR Defense secured a five-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract to provide its Black Hornet 3 Personal Reconnaissance Systems (PRS) to the U.S. Army. The deal is worth up to $93.9 million, with the initial award to cover delivery of the nano-unmanned aerial systems (UAS), as well as controllers, spare parts, and training. The nano-UAS from Teledyne FLIR Defense weigh 33 grams and demonstrated up to 25 minutes of flight time while transmitting live video and high-definition still images to the operator. The U.S. Army has acquired the UAS from the company since 2018. The company announced last week that it will produce Black Hornet 3 PRS for use in Ukraine as part of an order from Norway’s Ministry of Defense.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Optica, through the Optica Foundation, created and unveiled the Leonard Mandel Quantum Optics Award. The award honors the legacy of Mandel, a luminary in the discipline of quantum optics, and looks to recognize distinguished contributions to the foundations of statistical and quantum optics and applications in advanced technologies. The award will be presented for the first time at Optica’s Quantum 2.0 conference next year.

TOKYO — Nikon and the 4JET Group established a joint development program to accelerate innovation and deployment of laser-based riblet technology. Laser riblet processing creates customized micro-structures on an object or surface that decrease air and water resistance, and thereby increase energy efficiency. Riblets are highly effective in reducing drag in airplanes and other modes of transport and have demonstrated potential for applications such as wind and gas turbines and other machines operating in turbulent conditions. The program pairs 4JET laser interference patterning technology with Nikon optical processing, riblet technology, and computational fluid dynamics expertise.

RICHMOND, Va. — Optical test and measurement company Laser Thermal will expand via a $2.9 million investment in Charlottesville, Va., home to the company’s manufacturing and R&D facility. The investment and expansion will create 28 jobs at the facility. The University of Virginia spinout develops solutions for semiconductor and microelectronics manufacturing.

TrinamiX and Bia Analytical Ltd. will develop a hand-held solution that uses NIR spectroscopy to allow users to test ingredients — and receive immediate results — to aid in decision-making at the point of sampling in the supply chain, rather than in the laboratory. Courtesy of trinamiX.

BELFAST, Northern Ireland — Near-infrared spectroscopy and sensing solutions provider trinamiX and food authentication-test development laboratory Bia Analytical Ltd. partnered to develop a solution that will offer a rapid portable authenticity result at the point of sampling. The hand-held solution targets food fraud and ingredient authenticity. It intends to allow clients to test ingredients and receive immediate results, enabling decision-making at the point of sampling in the supply chain rather than in the laboratory.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Freedom Photonics and Redwire were among 11 U.S. companies selected by NASA to develop technologies that the agency said could support long-term exploration on the moon and in space. Freedom Photonics secured $1.6 million to develop a watt-class direct diode lidar for remote sensing technology that could better detect methane in Earth’s atmosphere and improve scientists’ understanding of climate change, according to NASA. Redwire, a space infrastructure company that last summer brought to market a space-manufactured optical crystal product, will receive $12.9 million for an infrastructure manufacturing with lunar regolith. The projects will be funded jointly by NASA and the industry partners. The total expected NASA contribution to the partnerships is $150 million.

LONDON — Graphene integrated photonics startup CamGraPhIC Ltd. put in place a loan facility that will provide funding up to £1.5 million ($1.92 million) to accelerate growth and development. The University of Cambridge spinout formed to develop graphene-based photonics for high-speed data and telecommunications. Frontier IP, which owns more than a 20% equity stake in the company, made the announcement.