Dear Colleagues

A year on and every day there is still talk of the pandemic but some light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccination roll out and the UK appears ahead of other nations so we should see return to normality first. It still means as a business we continue with our long-term LASER COMPONENTS Group plans and one such project recently completed is the new production facility in Chandler Arizona. With construction remaining on target throughout the pandemic, completion ended on time last September for this 2,700 m² factory with ISO 7 Class 10,000 cleanrooms that will support 80 employees or 200 on 3 shifts. Specifically designed and equipped for the manufacture of avalanche photodiodes and IR detectors such as lithium tantalate and DLaTGS pyroelectric and lead-salt detectors, this state-of-the-art facility will keep LASER COMPONENTS on track for its global plans.

Other projects include the investment of a new ion beam sputtering coating machine at our Munich factory to increase production of ultra-high quality laser optics with high laser damage threshold dielectric coatings. We included additional in-house CRDS (cavity ring-down spectroscopy) measurement capability and with reference mirrors we can verify coating absorption levels of R>99.995% at 1064 nm, with 532 nm and 355 nm planned.

Our single photon counting modules, COUNT, now have a new characterisation station to simultaneously verify multiple units and at various wavelengths.

Step by step we increase our productivity and enhance performance of our products, as well as the introduction of new products when customers make strong requests. We also have additional products from our many valued supplier partners. The strongest business cooperation with our supplier partners extends many decades. Our partnerships aim is to offer our customers components that complement each other to bring winning solutions and gain new market share. Please do let us know of any exacting requirements you have, and we shall explore the possibility to add these to our road-map.

Meanwhile, keep safe and I hope when we publish our next newsletter there is evidence the pandemic is slowly being beaten and we can once again meet in person at tradeshows and other venues.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Varney
Managing Director, Laser Components (UK), Ltd.