Optical Research Associates, a privately held premier provider of optical design software and optical engineering services has been acquired by Synopsys (News - Alert), Inc., a major player in software and IP for semiconductor design, verification and manufacturing.

Synopsys, with the addition of ORA's expertise, technology and products will be allowed to move into the rapidly growing markets associated with displays and solid state lighting using light emitting diodes, as well as expand into markets such as semiconductor lithography equipment and cameras.

The applications that need light in order to be controlled or manipulated are designed and optimized by the ORA software. The engineers, through the software are allowed to design and optimize the optical components and systems found in products such as cameras, telescopes, semiconductor lithography equipment, projectors, laptop displays, automotive lighting, and solid state lighting using LEDs. Items such as lenses, prisms and mirrors are included in the optical components.

"Optical design is a logical adjacency for Synopsys. The analysis and optimization of optical systems involves the same level of algorithmic and software engineering expertise Synopsys is known to provide," said Howard Ko, senior VP and general manager of Synopsys' silicon engineering group, in a press release. "Not only do our companies offer complementary technology and a shared vision, we both have cultures committed to technical excellence and leadership. We believe that together we can provide substantial value to ORA's current customers as well as to growing and emerging markets in solid state lighting and LEDs."

The optics industry receives innovative solutions from Optical Research Associates. ORA, owing to CODE V and LightTools software products, are one of the world's leading developers of optical design and analysis software. For the design and analysis of optical imaging and optical communication systems, CODE V is used. The reaction of light rays is precisely simulated by CODE V, as they pass through or bounce off elements such as lenses, mirrors and prisms. It also calculates image quality.

LightTools is a 3D tool focused on how best to manipulate and control light. It is capable of accurately simulating how light will be perceived in real-world environments to help engineers design products such as automotive headlights, street lights and cell phone displays.

With more than 4,800 completed projects, ORA's Engineering Services group provides imaginative, cost-effective solutions across the entire spectrum of optical design. The company works in close-coordination with its software distribution partners and has customers in more than 25 countries.

In related news, Synopsys' DesignWare Serial Advanced Technology Attachment IP solution has successfully passed the SATA International Organization electrical, digital and system interoperability testing for 130- to 40-nanometer process technologies.