Startup Novalux Claims Breakthrough Fiber-Optics Laser
Dow Jones News Service ~ May 10, 2000 ~ 5:05 pm EST
By Mark Boslet
PALO ALTO, Calif. (Dow Jones)--A former technology executive at the Xerox Parc research center claims to have come up with a breakthrough in laser technology designed to increase the performance and lower the cost of fiber-optic gear.
Malcolm Thompson, chief executive of Sunnyvale, Calif., Novalux Inc., told Dow Jones Newswires that his laser-generating chip could reach the market early next year after it completes six months of reliability testing.
Novalux, which has kept the development cloaked in secrecy, will formally open its Sunnyvale manufacturing fab on Thursday.
Lasers are key components of a fiber-optic system, generating the beams of light that carry data along fibers of glass. Many communications and telecommunications companies are turning to fiber optics because of the high capacity and speed of transmissions.
Novalux, founded in 1998, has raised $17 million from venture capitalists and expects to compete against companies such as JDS Uniphase Corp. (JDSU) and SDL Inc. (SDL).
Many laser-generating semiconductors emit an elliptical beam of light from their edge, Thompson said. That beam then needs to be focused with an optical lens before being used.
Novalux has developed a chip that generates a circular beam, with no need to refocus, he said. That beam comes from the surface of the chip and because the light comes from a larger area of the chip, it is more reliable, he claims.
It also is more powerful, even while the chip is cheaper to make, Thompson said.
- Mark Boslet; Dow Jones Newswires; 650-496-1366
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