The researchers would serve as advisors to the company while continuing their ground-breaking work in the college's labs. We all know the world is not perfect but in the realm of technology transfer, the Reed Center for Photonics comes close. Founded in 1998, Alfalight designs, develops, manufactures and packages high-power diode lasers for the optical fiber communications market. Engineering Dan Botez and Assistant Professor Luke Mawst . Mawst, Botez, former Reed Center graduate student Tom Earles and Alfalight President and CEO Eric Apfelbach joined forces to commercialize the technology.
Semiconductor lasers are responsible for much of the explosion in telecommunications.
They provide a simple and inexpensive way to amplify digital signals throughout the world's millions of miles of fiber-optic cables. The increased power allows significantly larger amounts of information to be handled in the explosively expanding optical communications field. University Industry Relations provided funding for proof of concept. The faculty continue their research in the College of Engineering. We work continuously to develop the strategies that help researchers put their innovations to work.