IMS as a major player in nanostructure research. The agreement which was initiated by IMS includes eight Canadian organizations, providing a link to European researchers working in the area of nanotechnology through exchange visits, joint projects and annual workshops. In keeping with NRC's entrepreneurial spirit, recent IMS industrial highlights include the successful spin-off of technology developed in the laboratory to companies uniquely positioned to bring this technology to market. Crosslight Software Inc. creates powerful software packages to simulate, in a 2D or 3D environment, theoperationn of semiconductor lasers and other optoelectronic devices. SiGe Microsystems Inc. capitalizing on the benefits of SiGe technology produces high performance bi-polar integrated circuits.
Typical products are narrow band optical filters used in fibre-optic communications.
In response to the Bank of Canada's requirement for practical anti- counterfeiting devices, NRC developed an accurate, cost effective process and precision controlled thin film deposition equipment. The result was the first patent in Canada, U.S. and Britain for optical security devices based on thin films technology. Research in this area continues with the development of new processes and techniques to protect compact discs from counterfeiting.