Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (AOI), a manufacturer of lasers for telecommunications systems, announced it has completed a second round of private equity financing, raising approximately $10 million. The company designs and manufactures long-wavelength (1550-nanometer) vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs).
Technology Associates Management Co. (TAMC), a Plano, Texas-based venture capital group, led this funding round. Opnet Partners, based in New York, also participated. AOI raised $7.2 million in a first offering last year, bringing the company's total equity investment to date to $17 million.
AOI is developing products based on its long wavelength VCSEL technology: single VCSELs, VCSEL arrays, tunable VCSELs, and VCSEL elements for external cavity tunable lasers. The company has already begun shipment of the latter product.
The company initially began shipping prototype quantities of 1550-nanometer single-mode VCSELs in late November of last year. Initial customer acceptance has been rapid, and the company is expanding its production capacity to meet the demand.
About AOI:
Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (AOI) is a next-generation vertically integrated optoelectronics company that designs, processes and packages advanced vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) for the telecommunications market. For more information, visit www.ao-inc.com.