Lightwave Electronics Corporation
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Laser technology, Photonics |
| Founded | 1984 in California, United States |
| Founder | Robert L. Mortensen, Robert L. Byer, David Bloom |
| Fate | Acquired by JDS Uniphase Corporation (now Lumentum) in 2005 |
| Headquarters | Mountain View , United States |
Key people | Robert L. Mortensen (President until ~1999), Phillip Meredith (President 2000–2005) |
| Products | Diode-pumped solid-state lasers, Nonplanar ring oscillator lasers, Q-switched lasers, Injection seeding systems |
Number of employees | 120 (2005) |
| Parent | JDS Uniphase Corporation (now Lumentum) |
Lightwave Electronics Corporation specialized in the development and production of diode-pumped solid-state laser technology, significantly contributing to its evolution. The firm catered to a variety of sectors, including scientific investigation and precision micromachining. Holding 51 patents within the United States, Lightwave’s innovations were also referenced in 91 other patent filings by external inventors.
Established in California in 1984, Lightwave Electronics was founded by prominent figures such as Robert L. Mortensen, formerly with Spectra Physics, alongside Stanford academics Drs. Robert L. Byer and David Bloom. Initial funding was provided by Newport Corporation under the leadership of Dr. Milton Chang. Mortensen led the company as president for nearly 15 years before Phillip Meredith took over from 2000 until the enterprise was acquired.
In 2005, JDS Uniphase Corporation (currently known as Lumentum, NASDAQ: LITE) purchased Lightwave for an estimated $65–67 million in cash. At that point, the company employed about 120 people and was based in Mountain View, California.
Products
Lightwave Electronics gained recognition for its single-frequency lasers utilizing a nonplanar ring oscillator configuration, operating at wavelengths of 1064 nm and 1319 nm with neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) crystals. These lasers were instrumental in powering the initial Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) generation and were also integrated into NASA’s Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer satellite launched in 2004.
The company manufactured a visible laser emitting at 532 nm via frequency doubling of the nonplanar ring oscillator output, employing magnesium-doped lithium niobate crystals. Another significant offering was an injection seeding system designed to achieve single-frequency operation in high-energy Q-switched lasers, enhancing their application in precise quantitative spectroscopy. This product represented Lightwave’s first major commercial achievement.
Lightwave made a notable impact on industrial applications through acousto-optically Q-switched lasers operating at 1047 nm (Nd:YLF) and 1342 nm (neodymium-doped yttrium orthovanadate), which contributed to improved yields in semiconductor memory fabrication. Between 1988 and 2008, these compact Q-switched lasers played a critical role in the link blowing process for dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) production and were incorporated into equipment by companies such as Electro Scientific Industries, GSI, and Nikon.
In 1998, the company launched internally frequency-converted Q-switched lasers delivering ultraviolet output ranging from 2 to 20 Watts at 355 nm using lithium triborate (LBO). These UV lasers featured pulse durations longer than competing models, which enhanced micromachining applications like laser drilling and circuit board cutting by favoring melting over vaporization, thus lowering power requirements.
Around 1996, Lightwave developed an acousto-optically mode-locked laser characterized by low frequency jitter, tailored for rapid voltage measurements essential to integrated circuit design. The firm also produced ultraviolet mode-locked lasers at 355 nm for fluorescence excitation in flow cytometry applications, utilizing passive mode-locking through semiconductor saturable absorbers. In the late 1990s, Lightwave offered a Nd:YAG laser frequency-doubled to 532 nm with potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP), specifically aimed at ophthalmic uses.
Technology
Initial offerings were developed through partnerships with Stanford University and various laboratories in the Bay Area. The nonplanar ring oscillator, a technology pioneered at Stanford, was licensed to Lightwave Electronics. Collaborative efforts with SRI International and Sandia National Laboratories led to the creation of injection seeding devices.
Lightwave Electronics possesses 51 U.S. patents, many of which pertain to active laser stabilization techniques, including control over optical frequency, intensity, pulse repetition rate, and pulse energy. Additional intellectual property covers laser fabrication methods; early iterations mounted optics using solder, whereas subsequent models incorporated UV-curable adhesives to enhance precision and adaptability.
Their nonplanar ring lasers and infrared Q-switched lasers designed for DRAM manufacturing employed "end-pumping," where semiconductor laser beams were aligned coaxially. Later designs, such as all 355 nm lasers, transitioned to side-pumping by positioning compact Nd:YAG rods adjacent to high-power semiconductor lasers. Lightwave secured a patent for an effective side-pumping approach that preserves diffraction-limited beam quality. While end-pumped lasers were limited to power outputs below 1 watt, side-pumped versions achieved levels exceeding 20 watts.
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program played a significant role in funding the company's technological advancements and supporting its expansion.
Successor companies
Entities that emerged from Lightwave Electronics Corporation include Electro-Optics Technology based in Traverse City, MI; Time-Bandwidth Products located in Zurich, Switzerland—now integrated into Lumentum; and Mobius Photonics, which was acquired by IPG Photonics. By 2015, Lumentum's portfolio featured products derived from Lightwave’s technologies, such as the NPRO 125/126 nonplanar ring lasers, Q-series Q-switched 355 nm lasers, and Xcyte quasi-continuous 355 nm lasers.