WILMINGTON, Mass. -- Agiltron, Inc., headquartered in Wilmington, MA, has been awarded a $3,500,000 grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Advanced Technology Program to develop a new type of optical switch based on a revolutionary optical MEMS Technology. Agiltron will be joined in this effort by AC Photonics of Santa Clara, California.

Agiltron’s founder and President, Dr. Jing Zhao, stated that “The financial support provided by the NIST Advanced Technology Program will allow Agiltron to continue to develop breakthrough optical switch technology at a time when alternative funding sources for high-risk technology are difficult to find. Successful development of this technology will bring significant benefits to telecommunications, aerospace, defense and security applications.”

During the four-year project, the Agiltron / AC Photonics team will develop a new type of high-speed optical switch for use in telecommunications networks. The switch is based on a differentiated micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) platform that offers lower loss, higher speed, lower voltage operation, and longer lifetime compared to competing optical switching technologies.

MEMS-based optical switches provide optical switching of large numbers of signals with minimal signal distortion. However, they do have large optical signal loss because known MEMS approaches can only generate enough force to move small mirrors within the switch. To address these issues associated with current optical switching, Agiltron and AC Photonics intend to develop a new category of optical switches that employ an innovative new high-performance electrostrictive film material coupled with a relatively large silicon mirror fabricated on a cantilever arm that efficiently deflects the light beams within the switch. This technology could revolutionize optical MEMS technology, replacing expensive electronic switches and enabling widespread deployment of all-optical switching networks. In addition, the innovative use of semiconductor integrated circuit manufacturing technology promises very low production costs.

Optical switches will become a major infrastructural telecommunications component, with many millions of devices needed in the coming years, and could help revitalize the US broadband telecommunications industry. A recent report from KMI Research states that optical switches will show double-digit sales growth from now through 2007. The biotechnology, automotive, defense and security industries also could find applications for the new MEMS devices.

Agiltron designs, develops and manufactures a complete line of light management components that provide exceptional performance and value for communications, defense and security applications. The Company’s products are based on advanced materials and micro-optic technologies, which are covered by more than a dozen issued or pending patents. Agiltron’s recently introduced CrystaLatch™ fiberoptic switch is the first non-mechanical sub-millisecond latching switch available in 1x2, 1x4, 1x8 and 4x4 formats, with demonstrated ultra-high reliability of over 50 billion switching cycles. Founded in 2001, privately held Agiltron has experienced exceptional growth amid a telecom slowdown. Additional information is available on the Company’s website at www.agiltron.com.

The ATP provides cost-shared funding to industry-led teams which can include non-profits and universities to help advance particularly challenging, high-risk R&D projects that have the potential to spark important, broad-based economic or social benefits for the United States. The program supports projects that industry cannot fully fund on its own because of significant technical risks.

ATP awards are made on the basis of rigorous, competitive peer review of the scientific and technical merit of each proposal. The program accelerates enabling technology research, but does not support product development work. Further information about ATP is available at www.atp.nist.gov.

Agiltron Inc.National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)