EM4 Photonics of Burlington, Mass., and Newport Corp. of Irvine, Calif., have signed a letter of intent concerning joint development of photonic device manufacturing equipment and processes. As part of the deal, Newport will receive exclusive license to use portions of EM4's optoelectronic packaging technology in its automated manufacturing resources, and it will become a preferred supplier for test and assembly equipment to support EM4's optical manufacturing services business. By combining their expertise, the companies expect to bring lower-cost active optoelectronic devices to the market.