The company is still very secretive and has not yet been officially launched. However, Elektroniktidningen has talked to sources close to the company and can reveal that Comlase has imminent plans to invest some SEK 300m to 400m. A production plant for the lasers should be operational next year. With a new production process, the company expects to achieve a power output which is greater than for existing pump lasers.
The world market for 980nm pump lasers is expected to reach SEK 27bn in 2004 and Comlase is hoping to control between 10 and 20 per cent of this market by 2005 or 2006. That is, if everything goes according to plan.
Heading the company are two prominent Swedish laser and EDFA experts, Carsten Lindström, formerly of Geotronics, and Peter Blixt, who has left Ericsson Microelectronics.
Gittan Cedervall