BluGlass secures breakthrough Indian defence contract for GaN laser diode development
Semiconductor technology specialist BluGlass (ASX: BLG) has landed a breakthrough contract with India’s Ministry of Defence.
The company is now an approved supplier to the ministry and has secured its first order valued at $230,000 to support its Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL).
Under the contract, BluGlass will provide development services focused on benchmarking the fabrication process of gallium nitride-based (GaN) laser diodes.
Various applications
GaN semiconductor lasers emit light in the blue and ultraviolet spectrum.
Their high power makes them suitable for various applications including communication, sensing and display technologies.
GaN lasers also have a number of industrial and scientific uses, while offering good efficiency when converting electrical energy into light.
Strategic partnerships
“BluGlass is continuing to strengthen our strategic partnerships with government agencies and defence primes around the world,” chief executive officer Jim Haden said.
“BluGlass was selected due to our ability to solve our customers’ most complex problems and our expertise in developing high-performance GaN laser technology for next-generation applications.”
“GaN lasers offer compact performance, higher photon energy and improved temperature stability, making them ideal for underwater and atmospheric LiDAR applications, countermeasures and jamming systems, communications, and quantum sensing and computing.”
Solid-state research
Located in Delhi, SSPL’s primary function is research in the field of solid-state materials, services and sub-systems.
Its activities include development of semiconductor materials, electronic components/sub-systems and the investigation of solid state materials and devices for futuristic defence applications.
Mr Haden believes India is strategically advancing its technological capabilities by integrating cutting-edge lasers and photonics.
Cutting-edge product range
With operations in Australia and the US, BluGlass is one of just a handful of global end-to-end GaN laser manufacturers, offering a cutting-edge range from small-batch custom-made lasers to medium and high-volume off-the-shelf products.
“BluGlass’ vertically integrated capabilities and focus on delivering custom solutions ensure our strategic allies and partners have access to advanced laser technology with strategic supply chain advantages,” Mr Haden said.
The company completed a $2.3 million placement at the start of May this year and subsequently launched a $6m share purchase plan offer (SPP), with institutional groups subscribing for as much as $3m of any shortfall from the SPP offer.