Chinese component group is thinking global

Four Chinese optical component vendors have merged to create Photop Technologies.With headquarters in Fuzhou, Fujian, China, and Milpitas, California, the new operation employs more than 1000 staff and has access to 40 000 sq. m of facilities.The consolidated company - which comprises Koncent Communication (Koncent), Shanghai Uniwave Technologies (Suwtech), Fujian Sandgy Optronics (Sandgy) and Fuzhou Microlattice Semiconductor (Microlattice) - will offer products and related services in the following core areas:• passive and active components and modules for optical communications; • diode-pumped solid-state green/infrared lasers for display, entertainment, pointing and laboratory applications; • high-precision optical components and crystals for instrumentation, fiber-optic communication and lasers; • compound semiconductor crystals (GaAs and InP) as substrates for LED, laser-diode and wireless communication components.Photop clearly has global ambitions."In addition to our current high-quality, low-cost products, we are building a photonics manufacturing base for international customers by vertical integration of our resources," explained Hongrui Wang, the group's chairman.

He continued: "As a manufacturing partner, we are always ready to co-invest [in the] production line together with our customers, as well as establishing dedicated production lines to protect customers' intellectual property."

Koncent is a three-year-old manufacturer of fiber-optic components, micro-optical devices and photonic materials. Based in Fuzhou, Fujian, the group also provides a range of product outsourcing and contract manufacturing services from its 27 900 sq. m production facility (which includes class 100-10 000 clean rooms). Its workforce of more than 500 employees includes around 150 dedicated photonics engineers. Koncent is ISO 9001 certified.

Suwtech of Shanghai designs and manufactures diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) lasers. Its products include green diode lasers, power-stabilized and low-noise green/infrared/blue lasers, and single-frequency green/infrared lasers. Established in 1997, the group now claims to be "one of the main suppliers worldwide for low-power and low-cost DPSS lasers", based on an ability to "respond flexibly to non-standard requests". The company received ISO 9001:2000 certification in October 2002.

Sandgy of Fuzhou, Fujian, is a five-year-old company with around 300 staff and 7000 sq. m of facilities. Its core competency is the design and manufacture of precision optical components, including prisms, lenses, C-lenses, beam splitters, polarizing optics, micro-optics and waveplates. Sandgy also supplies a range of optical accessories, including fused silica mounts, glass tubes and glass capillaries, as well as various antireflective, highly reflective and partially reflective coatings. The company is ISO 9001 certified.

Microlattice specializes in R&D and the manufacture of a range of advanced optical materials. Based in Fuzhou, Fujian, the company's product lines covers semiconductor crystals (GaAs ingots/wafer, InP ingots/wafer) for LED, laser diode and wireless component applications; and various optoelectronics crystals (Nd:YVO4, Nd:GdVO4, KTP, BBO, green laser core) for solid-state infrared/green lasers and laser frequency conversion.