Electro Scientific Industries Inc. of Portland, Ore., a provider of photonic microengineering solutions, has agreed to acquire New Wave Research (NWR) Inc. of Fremont, Calif., a developer and manufacturer of high-end laser-based systems and components, for $36 million net cash outlay. NWR will provide ESI entry into the sapphire wafer scribing market through its Accuscribe systems, as well as into LCD repair with its Quicklaze suite of products.