JDS Uniphase Acquires Advanced Digital Optics

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 3 -- JDS Uniphase, a supplier of optical components and assemblies for communications and display markets, announced today it has acquired Advanced Digital Optics Inc. (ADO) for approximately $12 million in cash.

JDS Uniphase said the acquisition extends its capabilities in the design and manufacture of microdisplay light engines for the high-definition television (HDTV) market.

ADO, founded in Westlake Village, Calif., in 1998 as Advanced Optical Engineering Inc., was renamed in 2001 when it became a subsidiary of ViewSonic Corp., of Walnut, Calif. ADO employees will join JDS Uniphase at its Santa Rosa facility.

The acquisition follows the collaboration between the two companies in developing the UltreX and DefiniTV light engines for the large-screen segment of this market.

"High definition requires high-performance optics, and this acquisition is an important step toward delivering the advanced technology needed for the large screen display market," said Hoss Christensen, head of JDS Uniphase's Laser, Optics and Display Products Group. "Our light engines have already gained industry recognition for technical excellence. We believe customers choosing either UltreX or DefiniTV solutions will enjoy one of the highest quality images available."

JDS Uniphase's UltreX light engine is designed for use with liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCOS) microdisplay technology, used by companies such as Brillian Corp., a Three-Five Systems Inc. spinoff that develops LCoS microdisplay products and subsystems that developers integrate into other projection products, including photo processors or multimedia projectors, or into near-to-eye products, such as monocular and binocular headsets.

The DefiniTV light engine is designed for digital light processing (DLP) imagers, a microdisplay technology developed by Texas Instruments.

JDS Uniphase said UltreX and DefiniTV, which are already used in rear-projection televisions, are now in production. In addition to light engines, JDS Uniphase's products for the display market include front surface mirrors, microdisplay windows for digital light processor imagers, color wheels and other coated optics and assemblies.

For more information, visit: www.jdsu.com