IMRA America and SPI Lasers Announce the Signing of License Agreement

ANN ARBOR, MI / SOUTHAMPTON, UK, Oct. 12, 2006 —

IMRA America, Inc., (IMRA) world leader in the research, development, manufacturing and application of ultrafast fiber lasers and SPI Lasers PLC (SPI), a recognized leader in the design and manufacture of fiber lasers, announce an agreement where SPI licenses IMRA patents for amplification technology enabling SPI to continue to expand the output energies and peak powers from its fiber lasers.

In this agreement, IMRA, based in Ann Arbor, MI, licenses SPI U.S. Patent No. 5,818,630 “Single-Mode Amplifiers and Compressors Based on Multi-Mode Fibers.” and the IMRA family of related patents. These patents are relevant to products that utilize Large Mode Area (LMA), Double-Clad (DC) fibers.

“SPI is committed to broadening the portfolio of fibre laser products that serve the needs, and enhance the competitiveness of our customers. This IMRA technology, when combined with our unique GTWaveTM platform, provides enhanced performance in terms of achievable power and pulse energy. Such attributes will not only enhance the operation of our existing products but allow SPI to enter new market verticals.” said Dr. David Parker, President and CEO of SPI. “We look forward to building a long association with the highly respected IMRA team, particularly in the field of ultrafast fiber lasers.”

Mr. Takashi Omitsu, President of IMRA, commenting on the agreement, said: “IMRA is delighted that we are able to contribute to the progress of SPI. We believe our intellectual property and technical strengths will aid them in building a successful business in the industrial laser market.”

About IMRA America, Inc.
Founded in 1990, IMRA America, Inc., headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., is a global acting company dedicated to a leading edge position in the development of ultrafast fiber laser technologies for commercial applications. IMRA’s turnkey fiber lasers with compact packaging, high stability and maintenance-free operation, are ideal optical pulse sources for material processing, semiconductor inspection and repair, homeland security, instrumentation, medical diagnostics and therapy, and telecommunications. They are based on IMRA’s proprietary fiber oscillator, fiber amplifier, and advanced pulse compressor technologies, documented in over 60 U.S. patents and patent applications and many more worldwide. For information, visit www.imra.com or call (734) 930-2560.

About SPI SPI develops and manufactures state-of-the-art CW, modulated and pulsed fiber lasers, components and subsystems, with powers ranging from Ws to kWs for a variety of industrial applications, such as cutting, welding, micro-machining, materials processing, marking and printing. The advantages of fiber lasers are their superior beam quality, a greatly reduced footprint, and no maintenance - radically reducing the costs of ownership. The company’s specialty-fiber based optical design enables these compact laser modules to deliver optimum power density with high beam quality to the point of use and are the ideal replacements for the more expensive, bulky, traditional laser systems. For information visit www.spilasers.com.

For more information, please contact:
Dr. Michelle Stock
Marketing Manager
IMRA America, Inc.
1044 Woodridge Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Phone: (734) 930-2560
Fax: (734) 930-9957
e-mail: lasers@imra.com