Emcore's Solar Cell Contract with Boeing Indicates Pickup in Satellite LaunchesMarch 10, 2004...It looks like the solar cell business for satellite applications is finally
kicking back in. Quarterbacking the happy turn of events is Emcore Corporation
of Somerset, New Jersey USA which was selected by Boeing to provide advanced
triple-junction high-efficiency solar cells and panels for the latest model
702 satellite which are being manufactured by Boeing. The contract is not only
uplifting, but includes an option for a follow-on satellite. "We are very
excited to be providing our high efficiency solar cell technology to Boeing
for the highest power model 702 satellite developed to date," said Earl
Fuller, Vice President, Emcore's Photovoltaics Division, which is based in Albuquerque,
New Mexico. "For years, Emcore has remained committed to developing the highest
quality, best performing solar cells and panels for space applications, and
we are grateful for our selection by Boeing. We are confident that the outstanding
performance of our advanced triple-junction solar cell technology will enable
them to continue to successfully satisfy the requirements of their customer.
Equipped with advanced triple junction solar cells, this satellite is able to
generate 18 kilowatts of power at start of service and 15.5 kilowatts at the
end of its 15-year design life." The specific cell that Boeing is keen on
is Emcore's Advanced Triple-Junction (ATJ) solar cell, and Fuller says the panel
manufacturing processes have performed successfully through exhaustive reliability
evaluations and qualification tests now by many customers. "We have
solar cells on-orbit in both low earth (LEO) as well as geosynchronous orbit
(GEO) applications and performance is meeting customer expectations. As a result
our design wins are continuing to increase." "We are beginning to see a recovery
in the commercial satellite industry. Boeing’s 702 satellite is one of 19 GEO
satellites ordered worldwide last year according to industry statistics,"
he added. Emcore's power efficiencies are the highest in the industry, at a
beginning life efficiency rate of 27.5%. Company
news release MEMS Startup Nanochip Scores $20 MillionMarch 10, 2004...Add a new name to your roster of MEMS startups, this one being Nanochip,
Inc., a MEMS-based storage company based in Fremont, California USA. Nanochip
has just secured $20 million in its Series B financing from JK&B Capital, which
led the round, plus institutional and corporate investors that included New
Enterprise Associates, Microsoft and AKN Technology. Nanochip is developing
what they categorize as a new class of MEMS-based multi-gigabyte storage chips
designed to be used in a wide range of consumer electronic products, including
Web phones, digital cameras, MP3 players, PDAs, mobile PCs, and related wireless
and remote storage appliances. "We are extremely pleased with the interest
and confidence these world-class investors share in the commercialization of
Nanochip's MEMS-based storage vision," said Gordon Knight, CEO of Nanochip.
"The fact that our investors are leaders in their respective industries,
and represent both industry and the investment community, affirms our belief
in the broad appeal of our technology." Nanochip will use the proceeds from
this investment round to fund continued development and initial manufacturing
of their first commercial rollout. More details on their progress are included
in the Company
news release
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Matsushita Targets Summer Intro of Blue Laser RecordersMarch 10, 2004...According to an EE Times article
by Yoshikol Hara titled Matsushita
to Offer Blu-ray Disk Recorders by July, Matsushita Electric is the
second Blu-ray disk recorder developer to get product ready for market. Following
in Sony's footsteps as a Blu-ray disk proponent (from the "other"
standards camp NEC has also already introduced), Matsushita publicly debuted
a prototype of its blue laser-based DVD-RAM recorder on Tuesday that employs
a two-layer 50 Gbyte disk that incorporates tuners that cover Japan's various
all digital TV broadcasting formats and also claims compatibility with present
DVD-RAM and DVD-R formats. Matsushita noted that they're targeting the commercial
introduction in Japan before the Athens Olympic Games in August when recording
is especially popular. The article noted that Matsushita us projecting a manufacturing
capability of 1 million DVD-RAM recorders a month. We will be featuring blue
spectrum lasers as used in these next generation DVDs at Blue
2004 in Taiwan this May. Refer to the updated
agenda for who will speaking on that topic, and when. Oplink Acquires Accumux and Intends to Continue on Acquisition PathMarch 10, 2004...Oplink Communications, Inc. of San Jose, California, a noted photonic foundry
and optical networking component maker, has acquired a privately held company
named Accumux Technologies, Inc. The acquisition expands Oplink's portfolio
of leading edge tunable dispersion compensation module (TDCM) technologies.
The specific TDCM technology developed by Accumux allows for tunability, multi-channel
compensation in the entire C-band, independent slope correction, zero nonlinearity,
low ripples in insertion loss and group delay, low polarization dependent loss
and low polarization mode dispersion, all in one compact size. Oplink has continued
to strengthen its integrated photonic-electronic design and manufacturing services
capabilities both at its San Jose, California facilities and offshore facilities
in Zhuhai, China. Mr. Joe Liu, President and CEO, noted that Oplink intends
to continue to strengthen their business model through the acquisitions of leading
complementary transmission technologies. Company
news release Intel Integrating VCSELs in Next-Gen Optical InterconnectsMarch 10, 2004...In a very well done overview of what Intel's doing to help shape the future
of optical interconnects, EE Times
reporter David Lammers underscored the importance of VCSELs in the schemen of
things. Dave's article, titled: Intel
prepares for optical-interconnect future in the March 8th issue, notes
that Intel "has developed a 12-channel optical link, with eight data, two
clock and two alignment channels, delivering an 8-Gbit/s aggregated data rate.
Besides the CMOS transceiver, the package incorporates vertical-cavity surface-emitting
lasers (VCSELs), positive-intrinsic-negative (PIN) photodetectors and polymer
waveguides." The most interesting part is towards the end, where Dave quotes
Ian Young, director of advanced circuits and technology at Intel's logic technology
development group in Hillsboro, Oregon USA as saying that, by the time the optical
approach is used for chip-to-chip interconnects, CMOS "will be competitive
with any III-V-based components." Currently, Intel is evidently sticking
with a planar package, in which the components are positioned side-by-side.
But in the future... "the CMOS-based transceiver must be fast enough to
feed a microprocessor with data," noting that that is only "part of
the solution. Creating a cost-effective manufacturing flow that allows the waveguides,
PIN and VCSEL parts, and the transceiver to be packaged without heat-related
damage to the optical components is another challenge." Agilent Launches ESD Protected Super Bright White LEDsMarch 10, 2004...Agilent Technologies' German arm in Böblingen has introduced a line of new
super bright white InGaN LEDs with electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection
in a weather-resistant packaging configuration that harnesses the brightness
and makes these LEDs ideal for outdoor applications such as pedestrian crossing
signs, speed limit and exit signs, scoreboards and other variable message signs,
as well as backlighting for transparent sign panels. Called the HLMP-CWx8 and
HLMP-CWx9 series of lamps, they are built with a new InGaN flip-chip die technology
that accounts for the higher brightness, and include a protective zener diode
for ESD protection. According to Agilent, these are the first white InGaN LED
lamps to be specified with a Class-2 ESD damage threshold as specified by MIL-STD-1686A.
Samples are now available with a guaranteed 4 week delivery lead time, and complete
details are included in the company
news release. Riber MBE Headed for QWIP & QCL Growth at ThalesMarch 10, 2004...Thales Research & Technology (TRT) in Orsay, France, has recently placed an
order for a Riber MBE 49 production machine to be used for the development and
production of Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector sensors (QWIP's) as well as
Quantum-Cascade Lasers (QCLs). QWIP's are employed in low power multi-spectral
thermal imaging systems for both military and commercial applications such as:
night vision, all-weather vision, air traffic control, and security. QCL's are
used to detect traces of gas in air quality monitoring systems, environmental
science, and medical diagnostics. Details are in the company
news release. Sandia Sensor Geared to Prevent FratricideMarch 10, 2004...As if war wasn't a stupid thing in itself, here's a story about the development
of a smart sensor that helps prevent horrible errors in judgment during times
of war. Sandia engineers in Albuquerque, New Mexico USA have created an innovative
radar tag sensor geared for mounting on military vehicles that can be easily
recognized by an attack aircraft as a "friendly" (i.e. one's own troops or
allies, versus those humans they are targeting to be killed, i.e. "the
enemy"). The advanced sensor, tracked via aircraft radar, can be used
to identify both USA and "coalition forces" during combat to avoid
"fratricide"... the term used by warriors as "the act of killing
one's own soldiers." Sandia National Labs researcher Lars Wells and a team
of engineers have completed numerous tests and identified partners and potential
customers for the sensor, which will be tested by the U.S. Army this fall. The
researchers have shown the sensor can work with multiple radars and multiple
aircraft, Wells said. "It is mature enough to consider as a fratricide and
situational-awareness solution now and for the long term," he said. Radar
echoes the sensor, dubbed by the Army as "Athena" the Goddess who supposedly
protects troops. The sensor is not a radio transmitter that broadcasts a signal
for the aircraft to receive. Instead, it creates synthetic radar echoes so
that the radar picks up the sensor signal in the same way it picks up radar
echoes from tanks, trucks, or other objects. Company
news release Kopin Wins $3.2 Milllion Contract to Make USA Warriors Smarter/SaferMarch 8, 2004...The U.S. Army has a program called "Future Force Warrior" (FFW) for
which Kopin Corporation of Taunton, Massachusetts USA has been award a $3.2
million DoD contract to develop ultra-high resolution color microdisplays. The
FFW program is designed to improve battlefield effectiveness and survivability
by incorporating technological breakthroughs in miniaturized electronics, wireless
communications, nano-textiles and ultra-low-power communications systems into
soldiers' equipment and uniforms. Company
news release Our news features are reported
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