It appears TriQuint Semiconductor Inc. (Nasdaq: TQNT) has found one buyer, at least, in its quest to trim down its optical-components division.

A recent SEC filing from JDS Uniphase Corp. (Nasdaq: JDSU; Toronto: JDU) shows the company acquired TriQuint's undersea pump-laser packaging technology on May 6, for $6.6 million in cash. JDSU will account for the purchase in its fourth fiscal quarter, which ends in June.

Note that JDSU didn't acquire actual lasers, which would be a bit nonsensical, considering JDS and SDL Inc. had so much pump-laser power that they had to divest some of it during their merger (see Nortel Buys JDSU Plant for $2.5B and JDSU and SDL: The Saga Continues). Rather, JDSU wanted the packaging technology in order to develop entire pump modules, a JDSU spokesman says.

In addition to the technology, JDSU will pick up a couple of TriQuint's employees, the spokesman says.

A TriQuint spokeswoman wouldn't elaborate on the deal, but it's likely that the pump-laser packaging came from the acquisition of the optical components division of Agere Systems (NYSE: AGR.A) early this year. TriQuint was primarily interested in Agere's lasers and detectors, and the company has been seeking buyers for the other product lines (see TriQuint Closes Agere Acquisition and TriQuint Talking Deals at OFC).

Of course, the undersea business right now is, well, underwater (see Report: Undersea Cable Market Has Sunk and Elmic Shows IP Storage Stack). But the JDSU spokesman says the company wants to prepare for that legendary day when long-haul and undersea buildouts come back to life. In the undersea case, specifically, qualification takes much longer, and JDSU wants to be ready for any new contracts that surface.

— Craig Matsumoto, Senior Editor, Light Reading