Increased demand for personal computers and the growth of the Internet are two factors accounting for worldwide shipments of photonic components that exceeded $7.1 billion in 1997, an increase of 10 percent from the previous year.
Market watchdog Strategies Unlimited, based in Mountain View, Calif., released the data as part of its survey of the top 50 photonic component suppliers. The survey includes shipments of light-emitting diodes, optocouplers, laser diodes, detectors, datacom and telecom modules, and image sensors.
The survey also found that the top 10 companies generated nearly 60 percent of total worldwide revenues. The top 15 companies generated 75 percent of the revenues, with the remaining 35 companies garnering most of the remaining 25 percent.