Accuron Acquires Trymax Semiconductor: Week in Brief: 02/07/25

Focuslight Technologies, a provider of high-power diode lasers and materials, has renamed its subsidiary Focuslight Singapore to Heptagon Photonics to strengthen its branding alignment. Focuslight Singapore, established following last year’s acquisition of optical component assets from ams OSRAM AG, oversees operations in Southeast Asia as part of Focuslight global operations system. Specializing in high-volume manufacturing and rapid production cycles, it serves as a global photonics foundry, providing advanced photonics process development and manufacturing services under the prominent Heptagon brand.

AACHEN, Germany — Black Semiconductor, a developer of graphene-based chip technology, has moved its headquarters to Aachen, Germany, to develop a graphene photonic pilot line. The company’s FabONE facility has up to 15,000 sq m for cleanroom and infrastructure construction, and is expected to begin pilot production in 2027, with volume production expected to kick off in 2029.

SINGAPORE — Accuron Technologies, a global precision engineering and technology group, has secured a controlling interest in Trymax Semiconductor Equipment, a specialist in plasma-based and UV-based process equipment and solutions for semiconductor manufacturers. The transaction expands Accuron’s scope of solutions in the semiconductor equipment sector and strengthens its European presence. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

(From left) Mike Richard Mattner, co-managing director of industrial technologies at Accuron; Leo Meijer, CEO of Trymax; Tan Kai Hoe, CEO and president of Accuron; Ludo Vandenberk, executive vice president of Trymax; and Edwin Chow, vice president for industrials and new ventures and co-managing director of industrial technologies at Accuron. Courtesy of Accuron Technologies.

PONTE SAN PIETRO, Italy — MEI, a producer of lens-edging machines and solutions for the optics industry, has acquired a minority share in flo Optics. Active since 2019, flo Optics is an Israeli start-up focused on digitalizing the lens coating process. The company offers solutions for applying coating layers to lenses using additive manufacturing, which provides advantages in terms of precision, affordability, creativity, and sustainability.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Dutch Research Council and the PhotonDelta Foundation have opened the “Photonic Technologies” call for applications. The initiative, supported by €7 million ($7.3 million) in funding from PhotonDelta, aims to deliver photonic materials, chips, devices, and systems that are not yet strongly represented in PhotonDelta’s existing funded projects.

MÜNSTER, Germany — Pixel Photonics has received a grant of €1 million from the German Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation (SPRING) to further develop its waveguide-integrated superconducting nanowire single photon detectors for multipurpose detection. The funds allow the company to accelerate its progress toward multimode capable single-photon detectors which can be seamlessly integrated into established optical systems.

TORONTO — RTX’s BBN Technologies and Xanadu, in collaboration with the University of Maryland and Raytheon's Advanced Technology business, are spearheading a project in response to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Intensity-Squeezed Photonic Integration for Revolutionary Detectors (INSPIRED) program. The team aims to develop the INSIGHT device: an integrated, in-package squeezed light generator and homodyne detector. This innovation is designed to achieve an unprecedented detection sensitivity 16 dB below the photon shot noise level, leveraging cutting-edge silicon nitride photonic integrated circuits and high-efficiency on-chip detection.

PERTH, Australia — Nimy Resources has executed a nonbinding collaboration agreement with M2i to assure a supply of gallium in support of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). The DOD, through its Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization Office, aims to secure a reliable and sustainable supply of gallium materials to support production of semi-conductors, radar, and aerospace technologies. M2i specializes in the development and execution of a complete global value supply chain of critical minerals for the purposes of national defense, economy growth, and security for the U.S. and its free-trade partners.

BALLSTON, Virginia — The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has launched its Intensity-Squeezed Photonic Integration for Revolutionary Detectors (INSPIRED) program. INSPIRED seeks to develop compact, cost-effective optical detectors that allow signals previously buried in quantum noise to be clearly detected. The project is organized into two phases over three years. Phase 1 is focused on developing core squeezed-light components, with participation from eight research teams: Hewlett Packard Enterprise; RTX BBN Technologies, Inc.; Stanford University; University of Massachusetts at Amherst; University of California, Santa Barbara; University of Southern California; University of Virginia; and Yale University. Phase 2 seeks to deliver a complete squeezed-light detector, housed within a module the size of a deck of cards.

AUSTIN, Texas — TAU Systems, a producer of ultrafast, compact laser-plasma accelerators, has joined a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)-funded initiative to develop new radiation testing capabilities for space-bound electronics. The program, part of DARPA’s Advanced Sources for Single Event Effect Radiation Testing (ASSERT) initiative, seeks to enhance the resilience of electronics deployed in space environments where exposure to cosmic radiation poses significant risks to performance and longevity. TAU Systems will contribute its expertise in producing the high-energy particle beams necessary for testing and evaluating radiation-hardened components.