Oclaro Provides Complete Fiber Laser Diode Solutions Portfolio; Outlines Future Innovation and Technology Advancements

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Oclaro, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCLR), a tier-one provider of optical communications and laser solutions, today outlined its complete line of fiber laser solutions and disclosed the technology direction of future products.  As a leading provider of diodes for industrial fiber laser solutions, Oclaro is able to leverage its world-class manufacturing operations, technology expertise and packaging technology to consistently deliver industry-leading performance, quality, brightness, and cost competiveness.  The company's full suite of seed and pump lasers will be on display at next week's LASER World of PHOTONICS show in Munich in the Oclaro booth #469, Hall C1 in the New Munich Trade Fair Centre.

Fiber lasers have been steadily gaining market share from conventional non-fiber laser solutions in the industrial market because they deliver excellent performance and reliability at a more efficient cost point, in particular for micro and high power materials processing.  Because fiber lasers are based on fiber optics (no moving parts), they tend to be more cost effective (fewer parts, more compact), have longer life expectancy, and deliver high beam quality at similar power levels, which enables them to produce less errors and work faster than non-fiber solutions.  Due to these advantages, the market for fiber laser solutions is expected to grow 15-20 percent per year in an industry estimated at $1.5 billion today.*

"Through our focus on vertical integration, technology leadership and world-class manufacturing operations, Oclaro has the resources and expertise to continually advance fiber laser technology while maintaining industry-leading cost structures," said Jim Haynes, President and General Manager, Photonic Components Business Unit at Oclaro. "Today, we are not only showcasing the complete laser diode solutions we have already brought to market, but we are also putting a stake in the ground to let our customers know that our future products will push the limits on pricing, efficiency, footprint, brightness and reliability."

Oclaro's Current and Future Fiber Laser solutions

Oclaro delivers one of the most complete portfolios of diodes for fiber laser solutions today.  These products include the following:

• 915 to 976nm BMU single emitters - 10W from a 105um fiber.  90% of the light contained in a 0.12 NA.
• 915 to 976nm BMU multi-emitter - 25W from a 105um fiber.  90% of the light contained in a 0.12 NA.
• Orion VBG - 20W from a 105um fiber.  Wavelength locked at 976 nm, <-0.5 nm FWHM.  90% of the light contained in a 0.18 NA.
• Seed Lasers - High output power, up to 400mW kink free CW or 1.2W pulsed peak at 1060nm, single mode lasers.

For future products, Oclaro intends to leverage its vast technology and manufacturing resources to continue improving the efficiency, beam strength, and reliability of its fiber laser diode offerings.  The company anticipates that future pump lasers will drive pricing to well below $10 per watt, significantly improve efficiency, reduce packaging footprint by 20 percent and increase brightness by 30 percent.   Below is a summary of the types of innovations Oclaro intends to bring to market in the future:

• Develop higher brightness/power single emitter chips
• Develop range of MM multi-emitter solutions to address various market segments (low and mid power)
• Introduce super high power solutions for KW through fiber combining trays
• Provide improved wavelength stability with gratings
• Expand single mode seed laser portfolio to include new wavelengths and low-noise options

About Oclaro

Oclaro, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCLR) is a tier-one provider of optical communications and laser components, modules and subsystems for a broad range of diverse markets, including telecommunications, industrial, scientific, consumer electronics, and medical. Oclaro is a global leader, dedicated to photonics innovation with cutting-edge research and development (R&D) and chip fabrication facilities in the U.K., Switzerland and Italy, and in-house and contract manufacturing sites in the U.S., Thailand and China. To support its diverse and global customer base, Oclaro maintains design, sales and service organizations in each of the major regions around the world. For more information visit http://www.oclaro.com.

Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. Oclaro, the Oclaro logo, and certain other Oclaro trademarks and logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Oclaro, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the US and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Information in this release is subject to change without notice.

* Projected market data is based on internal Oclaro estimates and information from external analyst reports.

SOURCE Oclaro, Inc.