Lumera, U of Washington Claim EO Materials Breakthrough

BOTHELL, Wash., May 2 -- Lumera Corp., a subsidiary of Microvision Inc., said that, in collaboration with the University of Washington, it has demonstrated new materials that exhibit unprecedented levels of electro-optic activity.

The company says it is using the materials for the creation of optical components that will feature major improvements in drive voltage, optical loss and device size over current devices. Lumera's polymers are said to have shown electro-optic activity that is more than twice that of lithium niobate.

Researchers at the University of Washington, led by Larry Dalton and Alex Jen, have reported materials that demonstrate even higher levels of electro-optic activity. According to Lumera CEO Tom Mino, the university's latest materials, which were developed under a research agreement and exclusive license with Lumera, are achieving levels of electro-optic activity that are an additional 50% higher than those recently demonstrated at Lumera.