Daily News Briefs

Accent Optical Technologies of Bend, Ore., a supplier of lattice engineering and photolithography process control tools, announced that Sigm Plus of Moscow, a manufacturer of III-V epitaxial wafers, has placed an order for an RPMSigma photoluminescence mapping system, to used to support manufacturing of GaAs and InP-based epitaxial materials for optoelectronic applications, including laser diodes and LEDs. . . . According to a report by Norwalk, Conn.-based industry researcher Business Communications Company Inc., the total worldwide revenues for fiber optic sensors, a by-product of optical fiber research and development, are projected to increase from the current $288.1 million to $304.3 million in 2006 and will reach $370 million by 2011. Optical fiber sensors are used in telecommunications, medicine, defense and aerospace applications and can be used to measure temperature, pressure, humidity, acceleration and strain. Researchers say the moderate growth rate reflects the challenges facing the market over the next five years, with high cost being a dominant factor.