Neptec Optical Solutions, Inc. (NOS) designs, manufactures or sells a comprehensive line of high performance, fiber optic subsystems, modules and components. Our mission is to help companies in telecom, datacom, aerospace, medical and laboratory applications to build optical systems by providing passive optical subsystems, product and services and connectivity cleaning solutions.
Established in 2001, the company consists of three parts: 1) Fiber optic connectivity and optical subsystems business 2) Custom design and manufacturing services 3) Venture funded R&D projects developing optical switching and spectrographic technologies for medical, mil/aero and communications applications.
NOS currently sells fully tested standard fiber optic patch cords and cables, optical modules and components and connector cleaning products. NOS also offers custom design services and contract manufacturing for companies needing passive optical subsystems and integration.
Key markets served are: CATV, SANs, metro & long haul telecom, datacom, laboratory, medical and military/aerospace. Our core competency is based on a complete understanding of ceramics, optical epoxies, optical fibers and passive optical devices, components, subsystems, optical product integration and spectroscopy.
Headquartered near the heart of Silicon Valley in Fremont, CA, NOS has approximately 40 employees in 35,000 sq feet of manufacturing space in design, support, manufacturing and product development. With over 250 customers, the company prides itself in manufacturing complex passive optical subsystems and components with:
- Custom designs and services
- Being geographically close to customers to provide high-levels of customer support, quick problem solving and interactions
- Quick-turn delivery measured in days not weeks with same-day delivery in some cases
- Consistency of delivery for volume manufactured products
- Very high levels of mechanical and optical quality
- Testing beyond “Telcordia” standards, triple testing every termination with documentation
In addition to contract manufacturing and standard optical products, the company has been venture funded nearly $30M to develop the next generation of optical switches, photonic subsystems and optical spectrometer-based instruments using the developed skills in optical technologies, micro-machines and ceramics.
In 2004, Neptec developed and patented an optical switch based on specialized ceramics, epoxies, and micro-machines that tested reliably from –40C to +85C for optical switching communications in harsh environments for outside plant CATV, military and aerospace applications.
In 2004, Neptec developed an innovative rotary optical switch. This device can be used to control optical signal paths for communications and spectroscopy instrument applications. Robotically assembled and aligned, ceramic-based optical switches are under development with numerous patents filed and granted.
In 2005, Neptec spun-out as a separate company the technologies to form Prescient Medical Inc (PMI) (www.prescientmedical.com) a separately funded company developing optical catheter-based spectrographic systems to detect vulnerable plaques that cause atherosclerosis inflammation which is the root of coronary heart disease. PMI was formed from many members of the management team from Johnson & Johnson’s Interventional Systems group which lead the commercialization of the coronary stent business. The system is currently in clinical trials and the company has raised over $80M.
In 2006, Neptec developed a new, innovative and patented high-speed optical spectrometer technology using Raman, fluorescence, and NIR techniques. These spectrometers use an innovative optical ceramic-based rotary optical system, specially selected optical filters and a patented mathematical optical technique called “discrete principal component analysis” (dPCA). This combination enables an enormous reduction in the amount of data required to make a material analysis and results in being able to build a very simple, low-cost spectrographic instrument. The Raman patent can be viewed at the following link: http://www.google.com/patents?id=-E2jAAAAEBAJ&dq=brad+smith+Neptec+optical+solutions
In December 2007, Neptec spun out a second company Optical Oncology Inc. (OOI) to develop hand-held, optical spectrographic analysis systems that detect and analyze skin cancers. These product are based on the Raman rotary optical spectrometer technologies. The company is currently being funded and is headed by CEO Mark Samuels. Former CEO of Spectrx Inc.
Neptec Optical Solutions is privately held by Spencer Trask Media and Communications LLC in Reston, VA and Manhattan, NY. (www.spencertrask.com)