GLW Corning Inc

Light Management group to commercialize company's photonics R&D innovations MIDLAND, Mich., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- To address the needs of customers in the $65-billion optoelectronics market, Dow Corning Corporation today announced that its Photonics Solutions business development program will become part of the company's mainstream Electronics business. As a result of the move, the company will increase its sales, marketing and product development activities to support creation of light management applications for a vast range of markets, including automotive, displays and telecommunications. The new Light Management group will focus on helping customers around the globe develop and commercialize applications that rely on the emission, transmission, amplification, detection, modulation and switching of light. Dow Corning's intensified focus on light-based applications comes as device manufacturers require performance improvements such as faster data transmission rates and more efficient light throughput than what conventional electronic devices can deliver. The high optical transmission, good transmittance and design flexibility of silicon-based materials make them a key enabling technology for light-based applications. "With 60 years of experience in silicon chemistry, Dow Corning understands like no other company the stringent demands placed on materials found in the lightpath and the advantages silicon-based materials bring to this challenge," said Tom Cook, global industry executive director, Dow Corning. "Our photonics R&D innovations have allowed our customers to develop unprecedented light- based applications. We're now building on these successes by supporting customers with the full breadth of our capabilities - from technology innovation and product formulation to applications development, supply chain management and other business-enhancing services that help our customers reach their business goals." The Light Management group offers photonics products, services and technology solutions to meet optoelectronics customer needs. The initial focus of the group includes commercializing encapsulants and lenses for light- emitting diodes (LED) as well as materials for optical assemblies, fiber optics and light pipe/guidance applications. The group also provides a range of services, from optical waveguide prototyping and R&D contracting to total supply chain management solutions. Dow Corning also expects to develop optical interconnect and holographic material technologies, innovations that the company has been exploring through key collaborations with optical IC maker Gemfire Corporation and Aprilis, Inc., a holographic media and data storage system developer. The Light Management group expands Dow Corning's Electronics business, complementing the company's innovations in the areas of thermal management, semiconductor fabrication, semiconductor packaging and board and module protection and assembly. For optoelectronics applications, silicon-based materials have very high optical transmission in the UV-visible spectrum, making them excellent candidates for optical applications across multiple market sectors. Silicon-based materials also have very good transmittance in the near infrared (NIR) spectrum, and offer the ability to control and design a wide range of refractive indices. In addition, silicon-based materials typically have no or very low bi-refringence due to their mechanical compliance. According to the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (OIDA), optoelectronics-enabled systems represented a $223-billion market in 2004; of that, optoelectronic components accounted for $65 billion, while optoelectronic materials represented a $14-billion market. About Dow Corning Dow Corning Corporation (http://www.dowcorning.com/electronics) is a globally integrated provider of materials, application technology and services, and is focused on providing innovative technology for all segments of the electronics industry. Dow Corning has development and applications centers strategically located throughout Asia, Europe and the United States. The centers offer advanced resources for electronics materials and services, and are staffed with experienced professionals who can provide technical support to customers locally. Dow Corning Corporation is equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) and Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW). More than half of Dow Corning Corporation's sales are outside the United States. DATASOURCE: Dow Corning CONTACT: Don Piering of Dow Corning, +1-989-496-8972, ; or Bruce Hokanson of Loomis Group, +1-360-574-4000, for Dow Corning Web site: http://www.dowcorning.com/electronics

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