Oclaro Ships 100 Millionth VCSEL and Establishes Volume Leadership Position

SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Oclaro, Inc. (Nasdaq: OCLR), a tier-one provider of optical communications and laser solutions, today announced that it has shipped its 100 millionth VCSEL (Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser) chip from its Zurich, Switzerland facility. The company was able to achieve this milestone by delivering high reliability and tight process control at the volumes and cost levels demanded by leading optics and electronics manufacturers. Oclaro is now expanding this proven manufacturing excellence into other high-volume applications for diode lasers, such as optical interconnects, optical illumination and other emerging consumer applications.

VCSELs are semiconductor laser diodes that meet the stringent requirements for process control and reliability, but with a surface emitting geometry that allows testing at various stages throughout the manufacturing process for controlling quality and performance. The Oclaro VCSEL team has been leading the commercialization of VCSELs for demanding industrial and consumer applications and has accumulated industry-leading expertise in all aspects of VCSEL design and manufacturing.

"The ability to scale to high volume reliably and cost-effectively is a strength that Oclaro perfected in the telecom space and is now leveraging in emerging high volume markets," said Yves Le Maitre, Executive Vice President and Division Manager at Oclaro. "Oclaro's unique expertise and manufacturing capability is driving the adoption of lasers into adjacent and diverse photonics markets. As a result, Oclaro diode lasers are now being incorporated into a wide range of products being used by home consumers across the globe."

Oclaro's Growing VCSEL Business

Oclaro VCSELs are currently powering high-volume consumer electronics devices such as computer mice and finger navigation engines for mobile devices. In addition, VCSEL-based optical cables are emerging as a replacement for the existing electrical cable technology in mainstream computing devices because electrical solutions are approaching their practical limits for speed and length. VCSEL-based optical interconnects, on the other hand, do not have these same limitations because they transmit data using light instead of electricity. The achieved 100M milestone exemplifies Oclaro's leading position as a laser diode supplier into these emerging volume markets.

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 U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Information in this release is subject to change without notice.

SOURCE Oclaro, Inc.