Aculight Corp. to help ready solid-state lasers for military and aerospace applications

BOTHELL, Wash., June 15, 2007. Aculight Corp. in Bothell, Wash., won a three-year subcontract to help prepare optically pumped semiconductor laser technology for volume manufacturing in military and commercial aircraft applications.

The technology, originally developed at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate (AFRL/DELS) at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., is for advanced mid-infrared laser transmitters for future aircraft infrared countermeasures defensive systems, which can help protect military and commercial aircraft from heat-seeking missiles.

The $2.6 million contract to Aculight is from the Pennsylvania State University's Electro-Optics Center (EOC), which is doing research for the U.S. Office of Naval Research's, Manufacturing Technology Program (Navy ManTech) and is being conducted on behalf of the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command office, PMA 272, in charge of advanced tactical aircraft.

Aculight will participate in process development work that will investigate thermal and yield improvements to improve laser efficiency or increase the output power of these devices.

Processes performed by AFRL/DELS will begin move to Aculight, establishing an industrial capacity to manufacture these lasers. Pilot component production runs will validate these new fabrication processes.

Aculight develops and manufactures laser technologies for military and medical applications. The company specializes in fiber lasers, diode-pumped solid-state lasers, nonlinear optics, and semiconductor lasers.

For more information contact Aculight online at www.aculight.com.