NLM Photonics, which is developing organic electro-optic materials that can be integrated within semiconductor photonic platforms, says it has added Brad Booth to the company’s board of directors. Booth most recently was a technical program manager at Meta Platforms and is a former chair and president of the Consortium for On-Board Optics (COBO).
Founded in Seattle, WA, as Nonlinear Materials Corp., NLM Photonics leverages work conducted at the University of Washington and elsewhere into organic nonlinear chromophores and plasmonics to support photonic functions such as modulation. The work includes development of a crosslinkable organic glass technology that the company asserts enables standard solution processing techniques and high thermal and photochemical stability. NLM Photonics recently received an exclusive license from the University of Washington for a patented technology called BAH13, a chromophore that the collaborators believe will enable increased performance in plasmonic-organic hybrid photonic devices. NLM Photonics does not yet have a released product.
Booth expressed enthusiasm about his new role. “I am honored to be joining the NLM Photonics Board of Directors,” stated Booth. “As cloud and AI data centers continue to push technologies to greater levels of bandwidth requirements to meet the growing needs of industry, there will be increased pressure to find materials and technologies that can meet those demands in a more energy-efficient manner. The team at NLM Photonics is on the leading edge of addressing the energy-efficient bandwidth conundrum.”
Booth brings a wealth of experience to the NLM Photonics board. In addition to his roles at Meta and COBO, he was principal network architect in Microsoft’s Azure Hardware Architecture Group and, prior to that position, held technology strategist and engineering positions at Dell, Intel, and Bell-Northern Research. On the industry association side, Booth held leadership positions within the Ethernet Technology Consortium and the Ethernet Alliance. He also served on the board of directors for the IOWN Global Forum and the 10 Gigabit Ethernet Alliance.
“NLM Photonics is thrilled to welcome Brad onto our board of directors. His industry expertise and connections will be an invaluable asset to the company and its future,” said Gerard Zytnicki, CEO of NLM Photonics.
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
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