SOMERSET, N.J., Aug. 25 -- ASIP, a Princeton University photonics spinoff company, has secured a $2.5 million contract from SenterNovem, part of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, to study advanced semiconductor nanostructures and photonic technology. The grant will enable ASIP to expand R&D at Netherlands-based ThreeFive Photonics BV, which ASIP acquired in 2003, and at the COBRA Research School of the Technical University of Eindhoven (Eindhoven, Netherlands). ASIP and COBRA will research new technologies, such as quantum dot active regions, high-aspect-ratio photonic band gap structures and advanced integrated device designs, to help eliminate the traditional barriers to achieving large-scale optoelectronic integration. These barriers include high-power dissipation, the need for thermoelectric cooling and poor manufacturing yields. "This research contract will accelerate performance advancements to ASIP's existing line of industry-leading, high-speed lasers and build the foundation for the next-generation of photonic integrated circuits," said Mike Decelle, ASIP president and CEO. "We are anxious to bring together the collective power of ASIP's Asymmetric TwinGuide (ATG) technology with complementary technologies such as quantum dots and photonic band gaps. These complementary technologies will further expand the range of optoelectronic devices that can be integrated using our ATG." ASIP provides optical components that enable the widespread deployment of optical solutions in telecom and datacom networks. ASIP's products are built on the company's patented ATG technology, a platform for monolithic photonic integration in fiber optic networks. For more information, visit: www.asipinc.com