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Rofin-Sinar acquires FiLaser technology to boost display processing capability
Industrial laser company Rofin- Sinar Technologies has acquired the assets of FiLaser, a developer of singulation processes for brittle materials. FiLaser, based in Oregon, USA,
has developed advanced laser process technology used for precision cutting and drilling of brittle materials including glass, sapphire and semiconductor substrates. Its applications are found in the touch panel display, LCD, cell phone display, LED, and semiconductor markets. The new agreement includes all intellectual property including trademarks, expertise, patents and patent applications of FiLaser. Following the purchase, Rofin plans to use FiLaser’s patented technology to advance its laser systems and bring the technology to the industrial laser market. The technology will complement Rofin-Sinar’s existing ultrashort pulse laser offering.
IN BRIEF
Pro-Lite Technology has formed a French subsidiary company, Pro-Lite Technology France SAS, based in Bordeaux.
Idex Optics and Photonics has appointed Bob Muscat as vice-president of the company’s performance optics business unit, and Michael Marsh as the general manager of the optical systems business.
SPI Lasers, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trumpf Group, has appointed former CTO of Trumpf laser division, Dr Christian Schmitz, as its new CEO.
LZH project to accelerate
Laser Zentrum Hannover (LZH) is leading a subproject within the EU project, Lashare, into developing relevant assessment criteria for new laser-based products. In the future, these criteria will be used to evaluate if and how new laser- based products can attain market maturity. The scientists of the research institute are also pushing forward three prototypes in the fields of metal cutting, 2µm lasers and a mobile processing unit.
Lashare is a European project involving more than 30 SMEs from across Europe, partners from industry and six laser research institutes. The main objective is to share knowledge on
8 ELECTRO OPTICS l APRIL 2014 commercialisation of laser products
laser based equipment and its use addressing the whole value chain end to end. Normally, innovative laser-based products take a long time before they are ready for industry. The small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) developing the technologies very often lack the know-how and resources to match the technologies to the demands of industry. Based upon the assessment criteria being defined in the subproject, SMEs will be able to evaluate their developments more easily and provide potential investors with more security. LZH will cooperate closely with the five research partners of the project.
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Free-space lasers to speed stock trading
D
ata transmitted between the data centres of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq are to be made by
a laser network. Chicago-based Anova, a low- latency network and optical engineering firm, has set up the laser network that covers the 35 miles between the data centres of the NYSE in Mahwah, New Jersey and those of Nasdaq in Carteret, NJ. Fibre optic, microwave and millimetre wave
networks are all used to transmit data for high- frequency trading, a type of stock trading that relies on computer algorithms to make large numbers of trades extremely quickly. The new laser link will transmit data only marginally faster than previously, but its low latency could result in large profits because of the volume of trades. Anova’s laser network is based on technology
developed by AOptix for military communication between drones, planes and other vehicles. In the trading communication system, the laser is installed on a tower and transmits to a receiver
– according to Anova, data can be transmitted at up 20km distance. The technology combines the benefits of free space optic (FSO) lasers and millimetre wave radio frequencies. Speaking to Electro Optics, a spokesperson at Anova commented: ‘These two spectrums have mutually exclusive attenuation properties, which translate to the system being largely impervious to rain, fog and snow.’ The system uses adaptive gimbals that auto- track and auto-align in real time which gives the network the ability to withstand up to 3° of tower twist and sway.
AshDesign/
Shutterstock.com
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