Coherent, Inc.
Coherent, Inc. is a company with headquarters located in Santa Clara, California, United States, with 26 additional locations in the US, Europe, and Asia.
The company designs, manufactures and markets laser systems and components, laser measurement and control products, optics, and laser control and measurement, which are used in semiconductor and microelectronics manufacturing, industrial manufacturing, defense, space, and scientific research.
History
Founded in 1966 as Coherent Radiation Laboratories by Eugene Watson and a small group of scientists with $20,000 of startup capital. Watson, previously the sales and marketing manager at Spectra-Physics, was convinced of the commercial possibility for lasers in science and manufacturing. After having his proposal to build this business at Spectra-Physics rejected by the Board of Directors, he resigned and announced his intention to start a new venture to produce gas-ion and CO2 lasers.The founding team included physicist James Hobart, mechanical engineer Wayne Mefferd, laser scientist Steven Jarrett, and rounding out the team was Bob Rorden, an electronics engineer. This talented team of engineers and scientists is credited with creating some of the most successful commercial laser products in the history of the industry.
Operating in Watson's Palo Alto home, the immediate need that Watson and his team faced was access to sufficient electrical power. A 220-volt outlet in the laundry room was repurposed and next to a washer and dryer, the first Coherent laser product was developed. Unveiled at the Westcon trade show just 4 months later, the first Coherent product was also the first commercially available carbon dioxide laser. Boeing Manufacturing Research Lab was the first Coherent customer. Watson himself undertook the installation in January 1967, and discovered the laser was working when a hole was burned in the customer's tweed jacket hanging on a door. The jacket was replaced by Coherent and, in the process, the first happy customer was acquired.
With a new laser product on the market, Coherent developed the second product out of necessity, a power meter. Throughout the history of Coherent, laser measurement devices have been an integral part of the product portfolio. New laser types and a bewildering array of power and wavelength options, along with the addition of optics products, have given the company one of the most diversified catalogs in the industry.
With capital from the Rockefeller Family providing necessary funding for that early growth, Coherent went public in 1970 and continued to grow. With a growing list of customers across the globe and new products that pushed the boundaries of lasers for science, medical, industrial, and electronics markets, Coherent was recognized as a leader in commercial lasers.
A number of conditions created crisis in the 1980's, as commodity laser products inundated the market. Lasers are technically complex but relatively easy to develop, and with little startup capital required for a new entrant to produce lasers, competitors flourished. A number of self-inflicted problems plagued Coherent in this time period, the most threatening was a failed joint venture with General Electric that produced a profoundly flawed product that tarnished the Coherent brand image. The company failed to deliver on quality, delivery, and service promises and the company struggled financially.
James Hobart was appointed to the CEO role in August of 1988. He restructured the business units and implemented sweeping improvement programs modeled on Japanese manufacturing. Just in Time, Statistical Process Control, and Continuous Process Improvement manufacturing was implemented throughout the company, stressing quality and efficiency as core operating principles. By 1990 production output has increased 20% over 1987 with 30% fewer employees, product defect rates were halved, and 90% of deliveries were made on time.
The 1990's were a period of growth and innovation at Coherent, and in just a two year period 34 new products were launched. Coherent acquired and occupied a new corporate headquarters in Santa Clara, CA, moving out of historical home in Palo Alto. Efficiency and profits increased, fueling a period of global expansion and acquisitions. In July 1996, Bernard J. Couillaud was promoted from VP and General Manager of the Coherent Laser Group to President and Chief Executive Officer.
Over the years, Coherent was involved in a number of mergers and acquisitions. In July 1995, Coherent acquired the laser diode operations of Uniphase Corporation. In December 1996, the company purchased 80% of Tutcore OY, Ltd., based in Tampere, Finland and ranked as the world's leading manufacturer of aluminum-free semiconductor wafers used in manufacturing laser diodes. Rofin-Sinar, O.R. Laesrtechnologie, Dilas, Nufern and many more acquisitions have added to the product portfolio and technical talent that Coherent is globally recognized for.
In April 2020, Coherent Inc. announced the appointment of Andy W. Mattes as its new President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors.
The Bernard J. Couillaud Prize
The OSA Foundation and Coherent Inc. partnered in 2017 to offer the , awarded annually following a rigorous selection process. The Couillaud Prize honors the legacy of the former CEO of Coherent, Bernard J. Couillaud, who unexpectedly in 2017. Couillaud was a brilliant physicist who, in collaboration with T.W. Hansch, developed the Hansch-Couillaud technique for laser frequency stabilization, was instrumental in the development of numerous Dye, DPSS, and :Ti:S lasers in his various roles at Coherent, authored countless publications and received numerous patents before becoming CEO in 1996. He served as CEO until 2002, at which time he was named Chairman of the Board of Directors until his retirement in 2007.The Couillaud Prize is offered to early-career professionals pursuing compelling and innovative research in ultrafast lasers that offers the potential for positive impact on science. With an emphasis on solving difficult, real-world problems, the Couillaud Prize is a personal prize intended to help the young professional advance their research and commercial prospects. Consisting of two parts, the Couillaud Prize is a merit award of USD$20,500 with up to $5,000 in travel expense reimbursement to attend OSA scientific conferences.