SAN FRANCISCO, May 19 -- Nufern, a manufacturer of fiber-intensive subassemblies and specialty optical fibers, has licensed a portfolio of patents from United Technologies Corp. (UTC), it announced this week at 2004 CLEO/IQEC.
   The portfolio includes patents relating to fiber lasers, such as fiber lasers with fiber Bragg grating (FBG)-based lasing cavities and fiber lasers with a master oscillator power amplifier design. Scientists at UTC did some of the early work on fiber lasers using FBGs, such as FBGs transversely written with ultraviolet light.
   "Nufern's license of the UTC portfolio further demonstrates our consideration of all aspects of the fiber laser and amplifier business," said Bryce Samson, director of business development at Nufern.
   "Our licensing program is an investment in the future that reduces risk," said Peter Rainville, Nufern's intellectual property counsel. "The UTC portfolio license complements our existing intellectual property in this field, such as our recent patent application directed to our linearly polarized fiber laser subassembly."