Most High-Tech Firms Join Alliances

Stephanie A. Weiss

Just over two-thirds of high-tech businesses have participated in strategic alliances in the last three years, and photonics continues to have a share of that activity.

The latest Technology Barometer study from PricewaterhouseCoopers and BSI Global Research Inc. shows that companies involved in alliances tend to truly believe in the concept: On average, each one joins seven alliances.

The study found that marketing and distribution are the top types of alliances, followed by technology licenses, e-business alliances, R&D contracts and design collaborations.

Participants cited trade and industry contacts and competitors as the most useful source for identifying potential alliance partners.

Photonics Spectra last examined photonics alliances in February 1999, but the magazine has continued to reflect photonics companies' interest in the concept.

Recent photonics alliances include:

Laser Fare ATG and Industrial Microphotonics Co., to commercialize high-performance laser diodes.
Cambridge Display Technology and Bayer AG, to develop materials for light-emitting polymer applications.
Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. and Nikon Corp., to manufacture and market microscopes.
Nanovation Technologies Inc. and Cronos Integrated Microsystems Inc., to develop optical interconnects.
Bookham Technology Ltd. and E-Tek Dynamics Inc., to develop an arrayed waveguide grating.
Corning Inc. and Photronics Inc., to develop photoblanks for lithography reticles.
Infineon Technologies AG and Altitun AB, to develop and market tunable lasers for telecommunications.
Stocker & Yale Inc. and Illumination Technologies Inc., to develop illumination systems for industrial imaging.
Basler Vision Technologies and Pulnix America Inc., to produce a common imager interface based on the Channel Link standard.