Oplink Buying Aurora Photonics

Aurora Photonics is a pioneer in tunable acousto-optic (AO) technologies, and holds six fundamental AO technology patents, Oplink officials said in a statement.

As a leader in passive fiber optical components, the acquisition will enhance Oplink's ability to deliver a broader range of tunable optical components, officials said. The strength of this acquisition is the combination of Oplink's micro-optics design and packaging technology with Aurora's tunable technology to provide a series of tunable products including 100 GHz in-fiber optical add-drop multiplexers (IFOADM), low-cost optical spectrum analyzers (OSA), optical channel monitors and various tunable filters.

Dr. I. C. Chang, president of Aurora Photonics, will become Oplink's vice president of advanced tunable/AO technology. Dr. Chang pioneered the first series of commercial AO products and authored more than a dozen AO patents, including the basic invention of the noncollinear acousto-optical tunable filter (AOTF).

"Next generation passive optical components must deliver tunability, flexibility, quality, microelectronic-optical integration, and low cost," stated Joe Liu, Oplink's chief executive officer (CEO), in a statement. "Oplink intends to be one of the leaders providing end-to-end tunable and integrated products to address growing Metro, Access, and Long-Haul applications."