IPG Photonics (Oxford, MA) has purchased more than 100 key U.S. patents, and their more than 340 foreign counterparts, by acquiring a photonics patent portfolio from British Telecom. This large portfolio includes patents relevant to both current and future photonics components and systems as well as devices and techniques that are commonly used throughout the photonics industry.
The acquired patents concern pioneering research by British Telecom in the field of photonics dating back to the 1990s. The patents are in the fields of optical fiber lasers and amplifiers, semiconductor devices, integrated optics, fiber gratings, high-speed systems, and optical networking.
"With the purchase of these important patents, IPG's intellectual property portfolio is unparalleled in the fiber laser field," says Dr. Valentin P. Gapontsev, IPG Photonics' chief executive officer. "These patents cover pioneering work by British Telecom and we are pleased to have secured the rights to technologies that are so pivotal to our industry. These patents complement our strong IP portfolio, including the growing number of pending patent applications that we already have."
Of particular note to IPG in this portfolio are early patents that cover single-mode lasers.