Bookham Technology has purchased Palomar Technologies Inc.'s (Vista, CA) laser diode assembly cell (LDA) to complement its automated equipment for volume manufacturing and new product development at its facility in Paignton, England. The company is using the LDA to manufacture its chip-on-carrier tunable laser devices.

The LDA is a high-precision assembly system that fully automates complex laser diode component assembly. The flexible, computer-controlled assembly machine performs high accuracy pulse heat eutectic die attach. With high accuracy automatic placement of components, the LDA improves yield, which also improves the quality of subassembly for downstream module assembly processes.

Bookham Technology manufactures optical and radio frequency components, modules and subsystems. The company's components and subsystems are used in telecommunications, aerospace, industrial and military industries.

"At Bookham, we focus on excelling in product design, process control and automation to build and deliver high-performance products," says Gwen Briens, engineering manager of chip on carrier and WAVE operations at Bookham. "The automation equipment from Palomar is a part of our overall commitment to provide cost-effective optical functionality for our customers. It also allows us to design new components with automation in mind from the start."

For more information on LDAs, call 760-931-3600 or visit www.palomartechnologies.com.