u²t Photonics and its 100G coherent technologies acquired by Finisar

Jan. 9, 2014

Sunnyvale, CA--Finisar is buying u²t Photonics for approximately $20 million in cash plus the assumption of approximately $7 million of net debt.

Conard Holton

Sunnyvale, CA--Finisar (NASDAQ: FNSR) is buying u²t Photonics (Berlin, Germany) for approximately $20 million in cash plus the assumption of approximately $7 million of net debt. With this acquisition, Finisar will add indium-phosphide (InP)-based 100G high speed receivers and photodetectors to its current portfolio of high speed optics technologies. In 2013, u²t had total revenues of approximately $33 million.

Finisar and u²t already partner on InP-based IQ Mach-Zehnder modulators for 100G coherent applications. Finisar says that by combining all of u2t's receiver, photodiode, and modulator technologies with Finisar’s narrow-line width tunable lasers, the company can provide its customers vertically integrated modules for the 100G coherent metro and long-haul fiber optic communications markets.

Andreas Umbach, CEO and Co-Founder of u²t, said, "During our collaboration to acquire the assets of COGO Optronics and develop the InP modulator technology from the Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institute (HHI), we realized that Finisar’s technical strength, ability to cost effectively commercialize technology, and global access to customers and markets would combine extremely well with our technology and design capabilities. Furthermore, the acquisition provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity for our employees and innovative technologies to make a greater impact on the optical communication markets."

John Clark, Finisar's Executive Vice President for Technology and Global R&D, said, " We are excited about the potential to use this technology to help drive data rates higher than 100 Gb/s and form factors smaller than the CFP2 module and enabling new market applications in both telecom and datacom."

About the Author

Conard Holton | Editor at Large

Conard Holton has 25 years of science and technology editing and writing experience. He was formerly a staff member and consultant for government agencies such as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and engineering companies such as Bechtel. He joined Laser Focus World in 1997 as senior editor, becoming editor in chief of WDM Solutions, which he founded in 1999. In 2003 he joined Vision Systems Design as editor in chief, while continuing as contributing editor at Laser Focus World. Conard became editor in chief of Laser Focus World in August 2011, a role in which he served through August 2018. He then served as Editor at Large for Laser Focus World and Co-Chair of the Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar from August 2018 through January 2022. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, with additional studies at the Colorado School of Mines and Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.