LightChip to join fray for WDM dollars

As a porch light draws a variety of flying insects, the bright future of fiber optics is creating a buzz of new players in wavelength division multiplexing. The latest entry is LightChip Inc., a joint venture formed by LightPath Technologies Inc., Albuquerque, N.M., and Invention Machine Corp., Boston.

LightPath has developed and patented Gradium glass, which is chemically treated to produce lightwave-altering properties. IMC produces proprietary software that incorporates "inventive" thinking in an artificial intelligence environment to help companies solve complex engineering and scientific problems.

LightPath has been developing its product for 10 years and has just begun commercial deployment within the last year, said Leslie Danziger, the company's chairman and chief executive officer.

LightPath sells its Gradium glass to companies that make products ranging from laser diodes to rifle scopes, but the LightChip venture marks the company's first direct involvement in incorporating its technology as a component of a larger product.

"With Gradium, you have a more complex profile inside the glass and fewer lens elements," Danziger said.

LightPath has been eyeing WDM as a prospective market for years, Danziger said. The company already has a preliminary short-distance WDM platform and is in "serious discussions" with major telecom equipment providers regarding partnerships. But the IMC relationship is a competitive edge, she said.

LightChip isn't a guaranteed success, though. Gradient glass technology is common, and selling to companies that can incorporate the devices into systems may not be easy, said Peter Hankin, principal in Ryan Hankin Kent.