News

Funding:

Initial seed round was completed with investments from Imperial Innovations and business angel/ entrepreneur Dr Paul Atherton. Midaz Lasers is located in the Imperial College incubator unit in South Kensington, London.

Press Releases:

14th December 2010

ESA and Midaz Lasers to develop alexandrite lasers for LIDAR

The European Space Agency (ESA) and Midaz Lasers Limited (London, England), a spin-out company from Imperial College London, will work together on a development program to use alexandrite lasers to replace Nd:YAG lasers as the dominant source for light detection and ranging (LIDAR) applications.

Capable of measuring a wide variety of atmospheric parameters, LIDAR is a remote sensing technology suited to measurements including wind speed, temperature, aerosols and the density and distribution of pollutant gases. LIDAR is currently dominated by YAG lasers as the laser source of choice but they can suffer from low efficiency and applications are restricted by lack of wavelength tunability which severely limits the scientific data they can acquire.

Midaz Lasers has significant expertise in the design and development of high power diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) lasers. The company's technology team, led by professor Michael Damzen, have planned a technology development program based on the potential benefits of alexandrite laser performance including higher wall-plug efficiency (to improve power/weight restrictions on mobile platforms) and ultimately the possibility of tuning the laser system in the ultraviolet (UV).

Lidar Technologies Limited is a world leader in the development of LIDAR systems and is providing technical support and expertise for the execution of the project and subsequent phases of development. The ESA has offered funding of nearly $220,000 dollars (150,000 Euro) for the initial development phase as first step in a road map towards implementation. This funding enables an engineered version of the diode-pumped Alexandrite laser to be constructed by Midaz. Other commercial applications for the Alexandrite laser will also be assessed and exploitation routes determined.

3rd September 2007

Professor Michael Damzen is elected Fellow of the Optical Society of America
Professor Michael Damzen, Founder of Midaz Lasers Ltd and Professor of Experimental Laser Physics at Imperial College London, is elected as a Fellow of the Optical Society of America. He was presented with this honour at an awards ceremony at the Laser 2007 Show in Munich on 19 June 2007. The citation for Professor Damzen's election as a Fellow was:

You are being recognised for contributions to optics and laser physics over more than 25 years through research into nonlinear optics and development of laser technology and through inspired teaching

Professor Damzen added:

I am honoured to be elected as a Fellow to this prestigious scientific society who are at the forefront of leadership in the field of optics. I hope it will inspire me to continued contributions to the knowledge-base and technological development of this important field that has enabled so many aspects of science, industry, medicine and information technologies.

"Year after year, OSA honors the best and the brightest in the field of optics and photonics by selecting its Fellows," said Elizabeth Rogan, OSA executive director. "Michael Damzen has contributed much to the field, providing leadership, innovation, expertise, service and quality research. OSA congratulates him on his achievements."

Further information: Dennis Camilleri, Midaz Lasers Ltd: Tel +44 (0) 1480 390648. Email: dennis.camilleri@midaz.co.uk

31th July 2007

Midaz Lasers wins LDA Grant to develop Diode Pumped Solid State Lasers
Midaz lasers Ltd a spinout from Imperial College London, has been successful in securing a London Development Agency (LDA) Grant to help fund the research into an innovative range of diode pumped solid state Ultra Violet (UV) lasers based on proprietary technology.

Midaz has a clear technology roadmap that includes optimisation and conversion of its Infra Red (IR) laser designs for use in the UV. Potentially, the company’s innovative UV lasers will offer significantly higher yield and improved manufacturing quality for the production of semiconductor-based products such as electronic components, flat panel displays and solar cells.

Business Development Manager at Midaz, Dennis Camilleri said, "We are delighted with this LDA Grant of £72,000 as it will help us to accelerate our research activities in UV lasers and bring highly innovative technology products to market. Midaz is set to be a global market leader in semiconductor laser micromachining."

Further information: Dennis Camilleri, Midaz Lasers Ltd: Tel +44 (0) 1480 390648. Email: dennis.camilleri@midaz.co.uk

Press information:
Contact: Dennis Camilleri for background information on Midaz Lasers. Notes to editors

• The London Development Agency works to improve quality of life for all Londoners and drive sustainable economic growth.
• Grant for Research and Development is a Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills business support solution. It is administered in the London region by the London Development Agency. For further details on the scheme please see www.london-innovation.org.uk, e-mail grand@lda.gov.uk or telephone 020 7593 8695/8124.

14th June 2007

UK Breakthrough Aims to Revolutionise UV Laser Micromachining

13th Oct 2006

"Midaz announces major breakthrough in high-performance compact lasers." News release provided by Midaz Lasers Ltd for download. 

11th Oct 2006

"Imperial Innovations invests $280k in the Midaz touch" News release provided by Optics.org at http://optics.org/articles/news/12/10/14 

25th Sept 2006

"Imperial Innovations Investment in Midaz Lasers Limited." News release provided by RNS, the company news service from the London Stock Exchange. RNS Number 4261J, pdf version for download.