Electro-Optics, Lawrence Livermore Launch Cooperative Agreement for Faraday Rotator Development

Electro-Optics Technology Inc. (EOT), in an alliance with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), has launched a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to develop and manufacture a 100-kW Faraday rotator over the next three years.

“On behalf of all EOT employees, we are honored and excited to work with LLNL to develop Faraday rotators for use in laser systems at unprecedented power levels,” said David Scerbak, CEO of Electro-Optics Technology. “We look forward to many mutual technological developments which enable the commercialization of these important devices for future generation laser systems and applications.”

Both partners bring unique expertise to jointly push the frontiers of laser technology: EOT focuses on Faraday rotators and LLNL's NIF Photon Science Directorate is a developer of energetic high-average-power pulsed and ultrafast laser systems. This work is being executed within the Advanced Photon Technologies (APT) program of NIF&PS, which investigates and develops cutting-edge photon technologies that enable both scientific advancement and new commercial applications. Faraday rotators operating at the highest average powers are needed for laser systems with applications in industry, national security, fusion energy drivers and science.

“We are pleased to engage EOT in this work,” said Craig Siders, LLNL's senior scientist and commercial technology development leader in APT. “ One of our goals as part of a national security laboratory is to enhance U.S. leadership and national competitiveness in advanced photon technologies. A key strategy in doing that is to engage in exactly this sort of close-working CRADA with industry leaders. We look forward to the near-term impact this joint team will have on high average power handling rotators, and to the potential longer-term impact to science and society as the enabled high-power lasers improve the capability and capacity of U.S. industry.”