Online staff -- Electronics Weekly, a sister publication of EDNAsia
Bookham has licensed a portfolio of patents on silicon photonics to US silicon photonic component manufacturer, Kotura.
The California-based company will design and manufacture silicon waveguide devices such as variable optical attenuators and modulators. It will also construct multi-functional optical silicon chips.
"We recognize that silicon technology continues to have great potential and feel that the timing is right for us to license our patents," said Haydn Jones, director of IP at Bookham.
Bookham stopped manufacturing silicon photonic devices based on its patented ASOC technology two years ago. This was part of a plan to diversify its business beyond the optical telecoms market which was then in the middle of a down turn.
According to Jean-Louis Malinge, CEO of Kotura: "Silicon photonics is emerging as an important technology with broad applications."
The license is non-exclusive and other similar deals may follow.
