re: Two Items: MEMs, and LightWave Corning Story
Dave, those were some impressive photos, but the descriptions could have gone on a bit longer. I still have some problems with moving parts on chips, sensing instead that fully integrated organic solutions are right around the corner.
For another good look at a MEMS-based mirror assembly used in LU's Lambda Router product line, see the front page of the January 2000 issue of LightWave Magazine. This is a free registration site, if you haven't been there before.
You can either do a search at light-wave.com , or go directly to:
lw.pennwellnet.com
While we're talking LightWave site, this is their headline story concerning Corning's latest moves. (copied below)
lw.pennwellnet.com
Enjoy, Frank
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Corning pumps up the competition with business agreements
By Susan Fogarty, Online Editor
"Scrambling to keep up with the dynamic and
acquisition-frenzied optical components market, Corning
Inc. (Corning, NY) made several major announcements this
week. The fiber maker has agreed to buy NetOptix Corp.
(Sturbridge, MA), a manufacturer of thin-film filters, for
approximately $2 billion in stock. Corning also has formed an
equity venture, Samsung Corning Micro-Optics, to package
thin-film filters for dense wavelength-division multiplexing
(DWDM) components, and has agreed to purchase a
photonics research facility.
"According to Corning's Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer, Roger G. Ackerman, the announcements indicate
that the company intends to continue to strengthen its
position in the industry. "Market demand for optical
networking products is expanding at an incredible rate,"
Ackerman said. "The market for DWDM components, in
particular, will double this year. The acquisition of NetOptix
will help Corning capitalize on this growing market
opportunity."
"The purchase also points to the trend toward consolidation
in the fiber-optic component arena and Corning's need to
keep up with that trend, notes Fayad Abbasi, analyst for
StreetAdvisor.com. "After JDS Uniphase purchased several
companies and Lucent purchased Ortel, Corning could not
afford to be left behind. The current market makeup for
independent fiber-optic component manufacturers shows
JDS Uniphase in the top spot, with Corning at number two,"
Abbasi says. "We expect increasing activity in acquisitions
as these two leaders, along with Lucent, continue to
compete fiercely," he predicts.
"Under the terms of the acquisition, Corning will exchange
0.90 shares of Corning common stock for each share of
NetOptix common stock. Based on the closing price for
Corning last Friday, the transaction would be valued at
approximately $2 billion. Corning said it expects the deal to
lower its earnings slightly this year but increase them
beginning in 2001.
"After the deal closes, Corning said NetOptix will supply the
thin-film filters it makes-as well as filters produced at
Corning's operation in Marlborough, MA--to the Samsung
Corning Micro-Electronics venture. The new company will
manufacture DWDM packaged components using robotics
and other automation developed by Samsung in several
manufacturing steps that are currently done manually. As a
result, the company expects enormous benefits in capacity,
reproducibility, unit cost, and reduced cycle time.
"Samsung Corning Micro-Optics will be located in an existing
Samsung facility near Seoul in Suwon, South Korea. Volume
manufacturing is expected by mid-2000.
"On the research and development side, Corning announced
that it will buy the Photonics Technology Research Center
in Martlesham, UK, from British Telecommunications Plc for
about $66 million. The integration of the center's research
into Corning's technology is expected to lead to new
product commercialization and strengthen research on
photonic components and network devices.
"Says Corning's chief technology officer and executive vice
president for science and technology, Charles W. Deneka,
"The research and development of planar integrated optics,
semiconductor optical amplifiers, electro-absorption
modulators, and optical networking devices underway at
the center offer excellent opportunities for us to deliver
new products to our current businesses, and at the same
time augment our other internal product development
efforts."
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