Photonics West Conference to Exceed 1000 Exhibitors, 2900 Presentations and 75 Courses

15,000 People Expected at World's Largest Photonics Industry Event From Jan. 20-25 in San Jose, CA


BELLINGHAM, WA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- January 9, 2007 --SPIE Photonics West returns to San Jose January 20-25, 2007 where more than 15,000 experts from across the world discuss new research and technology breakthroughs in the field of photonics. Photonics is the science and technology of light using lasers, detectors, imagers, and other optical devices and components. Applications include medical diagnostics and treatment, high-tech manufacturing, next-generation sensors, telecommunications and consumer products including DVD players and camera phones.

Technical programs, workshops, courses and networking events are organized around four symposia combined with two exhibitions at Photonics West:

1) BiOS 2007, the biomedical optics symposium
2) LASE 2007, the symposium on lasers and applications in science and
   engineering
3) MOEMS-MEMS 2007, the symposium on micro/nanosystems
4) OPTO 2007, the symposium on integrated optoelectronic devices
The Biomedical Optics Exhibition, with 140 companies participating, runs January 20-21, while the larger Photonics West Exhibition is set for January 23-25. All together, over 1000 companies will showcase their products.

"More companies, more researchers and more engineers are coming to Photonics West this year than ever before," said Janice Walker, director of events at SPIE. She added that the sold-out exhibit and a large increase in advance hotel bookings indicate tremendous industry momentum. "In particular, the biomedical, optoelectronic and laser conferences are surging, with a record-setting number of presentations, exhibitors, and attendees," she said.

In addition to the nearly 3,000 technical presentations, which anyone registered for the technical conference can attend, there are more than 50 free technology briefings offered to the public by suppliers, including Sony, Fraunhofer IPMS, Varian, Eastman Kodak, Newport, Ocean Optics, ZEMAX, FLIR Systems, ITT, RSoft Design Group, Hamamatsu, Lambda Research, Coherent, Goodrich, 4D Technology, Synopsys, Axsys Technologies, and others. These briefings, offered as part of the exhibition, highlight new products and discoveries held for release at Photonics West.

In addition, Photonics West attracts the leading technologists from IBM, Intel, Cisco, Samsung, Toyota, DuPont, Siemens, QinetiQ, Leica Microsystems, Aculight, Newport, Coherent, IPG Photonics and hundreds of other companies. Photonics West is where many of these companies unveil their R&D achievements, which define the technology roadmap for years ahead.

To enrich the exhibition experience, SPIE is continuing the successful Industry Perspectives sessions. Industry Perspectives start on Tuesday January 23 with a high-level Executive Panel, moderated by Steve Eglash, Worldview Technology Partners, and featuring top executives from Newport, Bookham, Coherent, Edmund Optics, Hamamatsu, and Melles Griot sharing their insight and perspectives. On January 25, David Krohn of Lightwave Ventures will discuss the tremendous growth opportunities in the Biomedical Optics market. There is no fee to attend these sessions.

"People involved in photonics, optics, lasers and applications like biomedical, sensors and displays tell us that there is no better place than Photonics West," added Walker. "They come to share vital discoveries, boost their knowledge, build connections and get a better sense of what's ahead in terms of technology and business opportunity. For the several-thousand presenters, the benefit includes that their editor-reviewed papers are published in the event proceedings and on SPIE's extensive Digital Library. Thus their work not only becomes visible to the broader world through online indices and search engines, but the publication of their work can strengthen intellectual property and patent claims. SPIE is the leading organization for patent information in photonics and related fields."

With over 1000 exhibitors from around the world, Photonics West fills both the Main and South Halls at the San Jose Convention Center, making it the largest tradeshow ever held in San Jose. Exhibitors will showcase products spanning optical design and development, components and systems incorporating lenses, lasers, coatings, sensors and detectors, fiber optics, LEDs, biomedical optics, optoelectronics, nanoscale positioning systems and a wide range of imaging technologies. The two huge Exhibition Halls at Photonics West comprise the largest face-to-face marketplace in North America for photonics and optics.

"Photonics West is recognized as the most important photonics industry event, where scientists, engineers, and business leaders gather to share ideas, talk about technology trends and see the latest commercial products, including the solutions offered by Newport," added Kim Abair, Senior Manager, Marketing Services, Newport Corporation.

Exhibition Hours and Registration Information:

The exhibition is free and open to the public, located at the San Jose Convention Center, in San Jose, California. Exhibition hours are 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on January 23 and 24, and 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on January 25. The SPIEWorks Career Fair is open during exhibition hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 23 and 24 with recruiters from firms including General Atomics, Lockheed, Northrop, Omnivision and Tyco Electronics.

Information about registering for Photonics West is available at http://spie.org/events/pw. On-site registration is available at the San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, California.

About SPIE

SPIE -- The International Society for Optical Engineering is a not-for-profit professional society that has become the largest international force for the exchange, collection and dissemination of knowledge in optics, photonics and imaging. Founded in 1955, SPIE organizes technical conferences around the world and publishes journals, books and proceedings, with over 225,000 technical papers available for download via the SPIE Digital Library. See spie.org for details.

Contact Information: MEDIA CONTACTS: Peter Hallett 206-280-7475 Email Contact Stacey Crockett 360-676-3290 Email Contact