Newton, NJ and Montreal, QC, Canada--Photonics product manufacturer Thorlabs acquired the iGuide optical fiber products of IRphotonics. IRphotonics designs and manufactures infrared (IR), fluoride-based optical fiber in the 0.30 to 5.5 micron range. Founded in 2003 by Mohammed Saad, IRphotonics' products have been incorporated into a wide range of multispectral applications in the medical, environmental sensing, spectroscopy, and defense industries.
The acquisition builds upon Thorlabs' recent purchase of Maxion Technologies, developer of mid-IR turnkey semiconductor lasers. The purchase of Maxion and IRphotonics has been part of a multiyear effort by Thorlabs to become a vertical manufacturer of a wide variety of products designed to provide solutions for researchers and product developers working in the mid-IR range. This underutilized portion of the optical spectrum has the potential to make a significant impact in medical and sensing markets, as the fundamental resonances of many molecules are located in this spectral range. In addition, there are two atmospheric transmission windows (3-5 µm and 8-10 µm) that allow for remote or standoff detection applications, allowing for wide area monitoring of chemical compounds.
"We welcome the IRphotonics team to the Thorlabs family," said Alex Cable, president and founder of Thorlabs. "By combining the quantum cascade lasers of Maxion Technologies, with the MIR fiber capabilities of IRphotonics, we are able to build photonic systems utilizing the benefits of both with 1 plus 1 being greater than 2. Additionally, having a vertical manufacturing base for MIR subsystems combined with a robust research effort, I believe we can make significant contributions to bringing MIR technologies to bear on technically challenging problems."
The IRphotonics iGuide group and manufacturing equipment will relocate to Thorlabs' headquarters in Newton, NJ, becoming an integral part of its growing Fiber Optics Business Unit. The integration of IRphotonics brings additional fiber draw capabilities to Thorlabs as well as core competencies in the manufacturing of glass and preforms.
Thorlabs was founded in 1989 to serve the laser and electro-optics research markets in R&D, industrial, life science, medical, and defense segments. The organization's integrated and diverse manufacturing assets include semiconductor fabrication of Fabry-Perot, DFB, and VCSEL lasers, fiber towers for drawing glass optical fibers (silica, fluoride, tellurite, and hollow core), MBE crystal growth machines, glass and metal fabrication facilities, advanced thin-film deposition capabilities, and optomechanical and optoelectronic shops.
SOURCE: Thorlabs; www.thorlabs.com/PressReleases.cfm?ReleaseID=70
