IMRA America and Aculight Sign License Agreement for Patented Amplification Technology

ANN ARBOR, MI / Bothell, WA, December 5, 2006 —

IMRA America, Inc. (IMRA) (Ann Arbor, Mich.), a world leader in the research, development, manufacturing and application of ultrafast fiber lasers, and Aculight Corporation (ACULIGHT) (Bothell, Wash.), a leader in quality, innovative and cost-effective laser system solutions for national defense, aerospace and medical applications, have signed a license agreement for IMRA’s amplification technology. The technology enables ACULIGHT to continue to expand its fiber laser output energies and peak powers while retaining high beam quality.

In the agreement, IMRA licenses ACULIGHT 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.

“ACULIGHT has unparalleled expertise developing and supplying fiber lasers for defense and aerospace applications. Our accomplished fiber laser R&D team is one of the largest groups in the world dedicated to fiber laser development,” said Don Rich, president and CEO of Aculight. “Licensing the IMRA technology further enhances our laser development capabilities and will facilitate commercialization of our fiber laser products. We look forward to building a long association with the highly respected IMRA team.”

Mr. Takashi Omitsu, President of IMRA, said: “Over the past 14 years, IMRA has made an enormous investment in fiber amplifier and fiber laser research, leading the industry in technology required for combining high power with excellent beam quality. As more companies recognize the advantages of licensing this technology, IMRA will continue advancing the state of this art, for the benefit of both manufacturers and users of fiber products. We welcome ACULIGHT as a licensee of the 630 patent family.”

About IMRA America, Inc.
Founded in 1990, IMRA America, Inc., headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., is a global-acting company dedicated to being the leader in the development of ultrafast fiber laser technologies for commercial applications. IMRA’s turnkey fiber lasers with their compact size, 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 70 U.S. patents and patent applications and many more worldwide. In addition to delivering innovation through its products, IMRA America offers its technologies through patent and technology licensing. For information, visit www.imra.com or call (734) 930-2560.

About Aculight Corporation Founded in 1993, Aculight is focused on being the leader in providing quality, innovative and cost-effective laser system solutions for customers needs in national defense, aerospace and medical applications. Aculight develops and manufactures lasers with outputs from the UV to IR. Offering both off-the-shelf and custom-designed products, the company’s technology portfolio includes fiber lasers, DPSS lasers, mid-IR lasers, nonlinear optics, optical parametric oscillators, and external cavity diode lasers. For more information about Aculight, please contact Dr. Andrew Brown, director of business development, at (425) 482-1100 or visit www.aculight.com.

For more information, please contact:
Dr. Michelle Stock
Marketing Manager
IMRA America, Inc.
1044 Woodridge Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Phone: (734) 930-9201
Fax: (734) 930-9957
e-mail: lasers@imra.com