October 8, 2003 – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Fuji Xerox have agreed to jointly develop optical chip technologies, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

The deal will combine Fuji Xerox’s technology for layering metal films using optical lithography techniques with Mitsubishi’s fabrication equipment for 100nm nanostructures, to create crystals made from a latticework of nonmetal ferroelectric wires.

The resulting materials could be used in chip circuitry to incorporate the functions of optical switches and transformers into a single component. The companies expect to begin production of crystal structures by 2006.