Strategic Partner joins Thorlabs
Thorlabs acquires VCSEL expert Praevium Research
Thorlabs has acquired Praevium Research, an expert for high-speed tunable Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs). Founded by Dr. Vijay Jayaraman in 2001, the two organizations have been working together since 2008, when Praevium became a member of Thorlabs’ Strategic Partner Program.
Over the past 17 years, Praevium has partnered with Thorlabs on the development and commercialization of several novel technologies, including the MEMS-VCSEL Swept-Wavelength Laser Sources, Swept Source OCT Systems at 1060 nm and 1300 nm, and broadband SLD Light Sources for OCT applications.
As a division of Thorlabs, Praevium will maintain its current leadership, with Christopher Burgner as its General Manager and Vijay Jayaraman as a Senior Scientist, continue to conduct business under the Praevium Research name operating out of its current facility a short distance from Santa Barbara, CA, and maintain its focus on the development of novel semiconductor lasers and detectors in partnership with the Thorlabs team in Jessup, MD.
Jenn Cable, President of Thorlabs, commented, “Praevium’s expertise and innovation in high-speed tunable MEMS-VCSEL laser design and fabrication has been instrumental to our success in bringing innovative lasers to the Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) medical device market and enabling our own OCT product lines. I look forward to using our combined expertise to accelerate product development and commercialization.”
Praevium Founder Vijay Jayaraman remarked, “Thorlabs has been a fantastic partner for nearly two decades, and we have been honored to work with them to develop advanced laser technology that is improving the quality of human life across the globe. We are excited to join this world-class organization and multiply the impact of MEMS-VCSELs and other emerging photonics technologies across a broad variety of biomedical, sensor, and other applications.”
