September 16, 2005 Midland, MI -- Dow Corning announced that its Photonics Solutions business development program will become part of the company's mainstream Electronics business. As a result of the move, the company says it will increase its sales, marketing and product development activities to support creation of light management applications for a range of markets, including automotive, displays, and telecommunications. The company says the move is intended to address the needs of customers in the $65 billion optoelectronics market.
The company says its new Light Management group will focus on helping customers develop and commercialize applications that rely on the emission, transmission, amplification, detection, modulation, and switching of light. The company says its intensified focus on light-based applications comes as device manufacturers require performance improvements such as faster data transmission rates and more efficient light throughput than what conventional electronic devices can deliver. According to the company, the high optical transmission, good transmittance, and design flexibility of silicon-based materials make them a key enabling technology for light-based applications.
"With 60 years of experience in silicon chemistry, Dow Corning understands like no other company the stringent demands placed on materials found in the lightpath, and the advantages silicon-based materials bring to this challenge," says Tom Cook, global industry executive director of Dow Corning. "Our photonics R&D innovations have allowed our customers to develop unprecedented light-based applications. We're now building on these successes by supporting customers with the full breadth of our capabilities - from technology innovation and product formulation to applications development, supply chain management, and other business-enhancing services that help our customers reach their business goals."
The company the initial focus of its Light Management group includes commercializing encapsulants and lenses for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and for materials for optical assemblies, fiber-optics, and light pipe/guidance applications. The company says the group also provides a range of services, from optical waveguide prototyping and R&D contracting to total supply chain management solutions.
The company also expects to develop optical interconnect and holographic material technologies, through key collaborations with optical IC maker Gemfire and with Aprilis, a holographic media and data storage system developer.