OTTAWA, July 20 -- The National Research Council's (NRC) newly opened Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre (CPFC) made its first significant shipment of photonic wafers to a laser manufacturer five weeks after its official opening. The $43 million facility is a partnership between NRC and Carleton University to support growth of the Canadian photonics sector. It offers companies, universities and other institutions access to fabrication services to develop photonic devices. The center provides photonic device prototyping and design facilities. CPFC, located at NRC laboratories in Ottawa, provides both III-V semiconductor compound and silicon-based photonic circuits for applications in fiber optic communication systems, solid-state lighting, optical sensors for the environment and security applications, medical diagnostics and imaging, optical interconnects, solar cells and illumination systems. For more information, visit: www.cpfc-ccfdp.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca