Finisar Acquiring u2t Photonics

In a move to strengthen its 100G coherent technologies portfolio, Finisar Corp. is acquiring u2t Photonics AG of Berlin for $20 million in cash, the companies said Wednesday.

The acquisition will add indium phosphide (InP)-based 100G receivers and photodetectors to Finisar’s high-speed optics portfolio and will consolidate Finisar’s partnership with u2t on InP-based IQ Mach-Zehnder modulators for 100G coherent applications.

Finisar said that the receiver, photodiode and modulator technologies and products, when combined with its narrow-linewidth tunable lasers, will provide customers with vertically integrated modules for the 100G coherent metro and long haul markets.

In calendar year 2013, u2t had total revenues of approximately $33 million. Under the deal, Finisar will assume net debt of approximately $7 million.

“During our collaboration to acquire the assets of COGO Optronics GmbH and develop the InP modulator technology from the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute, we realized that Finisar’s technical strength, ability to cost-effectively commercialize technology and global access to customers and markets would combine extremely well with our industry-leading technology and -design capabilities,” said Andreas Umbach, CEO and co-founder of u2t.

“Finisar is very excited about the near-term applications for the u2t technology and products for the 100G coherent telecom markets,” said John Clark, Finisar's executive vice president for Technology and Global R&D. “We are even more excited about the potential to use this technology to help drive data rates higher than 100 Gb/s and form factors smaller than the CFP2 module, and enabling new market applications in both telecom and datacom.”

The transaction, expected to close this month, is subject to customary closing conditions.

For more information, visit: www.finisar.com or www.u2t.com