In December 2006, Zia Laser was acquired by NL Nanosemiconductor GmBH, a leader in the commercialization of Quantum Dot technology for semiconductor lasers. The two firms had had cooperative relationships with each other. Spun off from the High Technology Materials at the University of New Mexico, Zia Laser develops quantum dot passively mode locked lasers to address applications that require an extremely stable optical clocking signal at a multi-Gigahertz repetition rate in the 1200 1340 nm wavelength range. Zia Laser's products address applications in network communications and optical clock distribution for next generation high speed microprocessors.. the firm develops quantum dot semiconductor lasers for the data and telecom markets. Its lasers are designed for use in metro, access, test and measurement communication systems, and medical optical applications. The company spun off from the Center for High Technology Materials at the University of New Mexico. Quantum dots, a key area of nanotechnology, self-assemble through a process known as Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE). The dots confine the electronic carriers in all three dimensions, this leads to dramatically more efficient generation of light in semiconductor lasers. Zia Laser develops quantum dot semiconductor lasers for the data and telecom markets. Its lasers are designed for use in metro, access, test and measurement communication systems, and medical optical applications.
