Semiconductor tools maker Ultratech (San Jose, CA) has noted that continued adoption of its laser spike anneal technology is driven by demand for leading-edge consumer devices like smart phones and tablets. 1 Just like the iPhone, the iPad depends on lasers for cutting, trimming, drilling, and marking its various semiconductor, metal, glass, and plastic components. Who knew that the Apple iPad would be the fastest-selling consumer electronic device ever, with sales of 3 million units in its first 80 days on the market-surpassing the iPhone's 1 million units in its first quarter. ![]() Companies learned a lot during the recession and cleaned up their free-spending ways, holding onto their money until expenditures are absolutely necessary." Couple this tight-fisted mentality with the rapid obsolescence that accompanies acceleration of new technologies (and corresponding reluctance to invest in something today that could be outdated tomorrow), and a fog creeps in to obscure the view as photonics companies attempt to anticipate market performance.īut there is an upside to uncertainty. "We once had a good grasp on quarterly performance, but now, even monthly performance is difficult to predict in certain market segments. "In the upheaval of the 2008/2009 recession, the biggest thing that the laser market lost was visibility going forward," said Jean-Michel Pelaprat, CEO and president of Vytran (Morganville, NJ). ![]() With some exceptions, nearly everyone we spoke to in mid to late 2010 about the lasers and photonics industry, which by all indications is growing, hesitated to be openly bullish about 2011.
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