Daily News Briefs

Wayne Shotts was selected as the new deputy director for operations at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), in Livermore, Calif. He has been acting deputy director since October, replacing Glenn Mara, who retired. Shotts has been a physicist at LLNL since 1974; in 1990, he was awarded the E.O. Lawrence Award for National Security for his contributions to the research and development of advanced nuclear weapons and his innovative approach to improving diagnostic methods, which have aided in solving some of the most pressing problems in nuclear explosive designs. In 1995, he was named associate director for Nonproliferation, Arms Control and International Security (NAI) at LLNL and in 2002 took on the additional role of heading its Homeland Security Organization. Shotts is a longtime member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society. His research interests include applied optics, nuclear chemistry, electromagnetics, plasma physics, weapons effects, arms control and nuclear policy. . . . Edmund Optics, of Barrington, N.J., has announced an agreement with Brysen Optical Corp., a Safety Harbor, Fla.-based maker of optical thin-film coatings and components, to distribute Brysen's surface quality scratch-and-dig standards, which are used to evaluate defects on optical components. Bill Strickland, president of Brysen Optical, said the need for scratch-and-dig standards arose during WWII at the Frankford Arsenal Army Ammunition Plant, in Philadelphia, as a way to standardize scratches and digs on military sights and telescopes. (A scratch is a mark or tear and a dig is a pit or divot in the surface of an optical component.) . . . Inplane Photonics, of South Plainfield, N.J., has been selected as a key supplier under Lockheed Martin's US Air Force contract for the Highly Integrated Photonics (HIP) program, which will develop key technologies to overcome constraints in the integration and packaging aspects of photonic devices. Inplane will develop advanced fiber optic network subsystems and modules for use in tactical combat aircraft. In this phase of the program, Inplane will focus on delivering integrated optical circuits for evaluation, measurement and ultimate system integration by Lockheed. . . . New Wave Research, a manufacturer of laser-based systems and modules for microelectronics and analytical instrumentation applications, has moved to larger headquarters in Fremont, Calif., that now house its design, engineering, manufacturing and customer-service functions. The move is the result of growth in business and markets including flat panel display repair, wafer scribing and semiconductor failure analysis, PIV (particle image velocimetry), laser ablation and OEM/industrial applications, said Lin Tso, director of marketing services. The facility is at 48660 Kato Road, Fremont, Calif., 94538.