SUGAR LAND, Texas -- Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (AOI), a leading manufacturer of laser diodes, photodetectors, and optical modules for fiber optic communications systems, has announced the acquisition of U.S. Patent No. 6,263,002 from Micron Optics, Inc. (Micron Optics) of Atlanta, Georgia.

The patent is a fundamental one covering external-cavity diode laser technology. In this type of diode laser, one of the cavity mirrors is formed by optical elements not directly integrated on the laser chip.

In particular, the acquired patent, along with AOI’s own patent, U.S. Patent No. 6,669,367, covers external-cavity diode lasers (ECDLs) in which one cavity mirror is formed on the end of an optical fiber.

External-cavity laser technology has many applications including dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM), tunable lasers, and low-chirp ultra-long distance directly modulated transmitter lasers. The technology will enable lower production cost of advanced diode lasers, compared with the current generation of distributed feedback (DFB) and distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) laser designs.

The acquired patent augments AOI’s existing portfolio of external-cavity laser patents and gives the company broad rights to the key technology for these advanced lasers.

“As the optical components market continues to evolve, innovative technologies such as external-cavity lasers are destined to play a more important role. With this technology, AOI believes that it is well positioned to offer high performance DWDM components that offer substantial cost reduction compared with existing laser technology,” commented Dr. Thompson Lin, Founder, President, and CEO of AOI.

As part of the transaction, AOI has granted Micron Optics rights to certain of its patents covering vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) technology. Commenting on the announcement, Andrei Csipkes, Micron Optics' Executive VP and COO indicated "This is a win-win for both Micron Optics and AOI. From our point of view, we have acquired licenses from AOI which provide Micron Optics with additional clearance to pursue certain VCSEL products. We also plan to collaborate with AOI in the future, taking advantage of synergies between our two companies."

Applied Optoelectronics Inc. (AOI)