ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Ardesta LLC has launched a start-up company, Translume, Inc. to focus on optical components for the telecommunications industry. Using ultrafast femtolaser technology originally developed at the University of Michigan, Translume writes three-dimensional waveguides and machines other optical features inside or on the surface of glass materials. The result is an unmatched level of integration and manufacturability.

Translume's team will be led by Dr. Philippe Bado who will serve as chief science officer. He will be based in Ann Arbor, MI. Having spent the last 20 years researching ultrafast lasers, Dr. Bado was formerly vice president for technology at Clark-MXR, Inc. in Dexter, Michigan. He holds a Ph.D. in physical chemistry and a master's degree in chemistry from the University of California, San Diego. A Swiss native, Bado has written dozens of articles on optics and micromachining and holds one French and three U.S. patents. Three additional scientists will also be joining Translume: Dr. Mark Dugan, Dr. Ali Said and Dr. Tom Sosnowski.

"Present optical fabrication methods fail," Bado said. "Translume solves these problems by writing waveguides inside bulk glass with a focused beam of light as its tool bit. The result is a prescribed pattern guided by a computer. This accurate "direct write" method will make us the supplier of choice of components and subsystems for the all-optical network of the future."

Ardesta LLC