Monday, May 28, 2007

JDSU Closes Picolight Acquisition -- VCSELs

JDSU completed its acquisition of Picolight, a leading designer and manufacturer of optical pluggable transceivers.



JDSU said the deal strengthens its position in high-growth pluggable optics for the enterprise market and adds an established, vertically integrated manufacturing model.



Picolight has been a pioneer in developing the vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), a key technology used in high-speed and short-to-medium distance optical interconnects. The company has shipped over 1 million small form-factor pluggable products. The product line includes 850 nanometer (nm) and 1310 nm VCSEL-based transceivers. JDSU said the acquisition supports its growth and margin expansion initiatives with a best-in-class vertically integrated manufacturinghttp://www.jdsu.com

  • JDSU first announced plans to acquire Picolight in February 2007 in a transaction valued at approximately $115 million in JDSU stock, plus up to an additional $10 million in cash subject to the achievement of certain revenue targets during 2007.


  • The term "VCSEL" was coined in 1989 by optical innovator and Picolight Founder/Chief Technology Officer Jack Jewell. VCSELs emit light vertically through the surface of a wafer—rather than through its edges, as with edge-emitting lasers. Picolight VCSELs are semiconductor lasers in which the active region on-chip is embedded between mirror layers on a semiconductor wafer.