IRVINE, CA /PRNewswire/ -- Masimo, the inventor of Masimo Rainbow Pulse CO-Oximetry™, Masimo Rainbow Acoustic Monitoring™, and Masimo SET® Measure-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, today announced it has acquired substantially all of the assets of Spire Semiconductor LLC, maker of advanced light emitting diode (LED) and other advanced component-level technologies. Masimo Semiconductor Inc., a newly formed, wholly owned subsidiary of Masimo Corp., will operate the business going forward. The acquisition gives Masimo an advanced ability to develop custom components, accelerate development cycles, and optimize future product costs.
Spire Corp. CEO and Chairman of the Board, Roger Little stated: "Spire Semiconductor has developed a superior intellectual property portfolio and advanced optoelectronic technology that is well-suited for Masimo's groundbreaking noninvasive patient monitoring technologies. For the past several years, Masimo has been one of Spire Semiconductor's largest customers. Masimo can now leverage Spire Semiconductor's strengths for an even greater impact on Masimo's industry leading innovations."
Joe Kiani, Masimo CEO and Chairman of the Board stated, "We believe that further advancements in noninvasive blood constituent monitoring technologies are unlikely using off-the-shelf optoelectronic components. Masimo Semiconductor will make the future possible and usher in a new era of technologic advancements for Masimo and ultimately our customers and patients."
Masimo Semiconductor, based in Hudson, NH, specializes in wafer epitaxy, foundry services, and device fabrication for biomedical, telecommunications, consumer products, and other markets. Masimo Semiconductor will continue to lead the industry in development of custom optoelectronic components, concentrator photovoltaic cells, photocathodes, PIN diodes, Avalanche diodes, laser power converters, thermo photovoltaics, and laser diodes.
About Spire
Spire Corp. is a diversified company, serving the solar energy, biomedical, telecommunications, and defense industries worldwide, with innovative products and services based on a common technology platform.
About Masimo
Masimo is the global leader in innovative noninvasive monitoring technologies that significantly improve patient care, helping solve "unsolvable" problems. In 1995, the company debuted Measure-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, known as Masimo SET, which virtually eliminated false alarms and increased pulse oximetry's ability to detect life-threatening events. "More than 100 independent and objective studies demonstrate Masimo SET provides the most reliable SpO2 and pulse rate measurements, even under the most challenging clinical conditions, including patient motion and low peripheral perfusion." In 2005, Masimo introduced rainbow SET Pulse CO-Oximetry technology, allowing noninvasive and continuous monitoring of blood constituents that previously required invasive procedures, including total hemoglobin (SpHb), oxygen content (SpOC), carboxyhemoglobin (SpCO), methemoglobin (SpMet), and Pleth Variability Index (PVI), in addition to SpO2, pulse rate, and perfusion index. In 2008, Masimo introduced Patient SafetyNet, a remote monitoring and wireless clinician notification system, designed to help hospitals avoid preventable deaths and injuries associated with failure to rescue events. In 2009, Masimo introduced rainbow Acoustic Monitoring, the "first-ever noninvasive and continuous monitoring of acoustic respiration rate (RRa)." Masimo's rainbow SET technology platform offers a breakthrough in patient safety by helping clinicians detect life-threatening conditions and helping guide treatment options. In 2010, Masimo acquired SEDLine, a pioneer in the development of innovative brain-function monitoring technology and devices. Masimo SET and Masimo rainbow SET technologies can be also found in over 100 multiparameter patient monitors from over 50 medical device manufacturers around the world. Founded in 1989, Masimo has the mission of "Improving Patient Outcome and Reducing Cost of Care...by Taking Noninvasive Monitoring to New Sites and Applications."