AFO Research Inc. (AFO) is a high technology research and development company specializing in the development of next generation optical materials.

AFO was found based on the long-term vision of company founder and well-respected scientist, Dr. Alfred Margaryan and co-founders, Jack Illare and Ashot Margaryan. They noticed technological advancements in optics were heavily dependent upon new and improved materials that could perform under extraordinary conditions. For years, silica-based glasses were the choice for many major industries. However, its physical characteristics and limitations forced industries and scientists to explore new glass compositions and processing techniques to evolve with the ever-increasing number of applications. The emergence of these “specialty glasses” in the last few years have significantly changed several large industries, including telecommunications, electronics, and biomedical. This is where AFO saw its opportunity to introduce its next-generation specialty glass.

AFO’s scientific team is led by Dr. Margaryan who has been involved in the research and development of specialty glasses since the early 1960s. His pioneering work has been recognized by well-known scientists like Nobel Prize recipient and one of the founders of the laser, A.M. PROKHOROV