BAE has always been a stop gap in my opinion and clearly the new management team are ready to move on to the next step to put a commercial application into production. Everything right now in my opinion is pointing to the optical interface which will be a huge market for POET.
We do not know what has been achieved at BAE since it has not been revealed. But it has long since been identified that all POET components (both optical and electronic) have been built at the UCONN lab. In other words was the work they have achieved at BAE using the advanced e-beam writing tools enough to now set them on this new course directly “with other commercial foundry suppliers with direct opto-electronic experience.” It seems the answer to that question is yes. And more importantly in answering this question ask yourself why these foundries want to work with POET in their facilities to develop a product? Do you think this management team is employing a smoke and mirrors technique to convince them that they need to provide space on their floors for POET or is it more likely that they have seen what POETs capabilities are and want to be one of the early adaptors of this technology. Just in case it has missed your notice POET is not talking about one facility. They are talking about multiple facilities which of course increases the potential outcome for quick success and deployment of the first POET commercial offerings.
With an immediate view to commercialization, the Company has continued to develop the base process technology necessary to build the complete suite of optoelectronics devices. The new management team is focused on exploiting existing high growth markets where the disruptive power of the POET platform IP provides competitive differentiation. To that end the planned milestones - “PET PDK”, the “electrical 100-nm ring oscillator” and the “50 GHz VCSEL” will be replaced with market relevant and product driven milestones that maximizes the commercialization potential. These milestones will also capture the aggressive lab-fab transition plans being put in place, ensuring that the technology can be commercialized with no additional transfer delays from concept validation to product realization. The Company is engaged in discussions with multiple companies as it finalizes its choice of foundry and epitaxial wafer partners and has recently signed memorandums of understanding with some of these companies and expects to continue this process.
Clearly the plan is to have as many foundries involved as possible…the question you then need to be asking is how many companies are we expecting POET to sign deals with?
Again I have always believed that BAE was a stop gap for commercial development however the potential also exists that BAE have plans of their own with POET and this move to get POET into other foundries for commercial applications allows their POET experts at BAE to now work towards their military applications?
