Gooch & Housego Plc is a photonics technology business, which engages in the research, design, and manufacture of photonic systems, components, and instrumentation for applications in the Aerospace and Defence, Industrial, Life Sciences, and Scientific Research sectors. It operates through the following segments: Aerospace and Defence, Life Sciences/Biophotonics, Industrial, and Corporate. The Industrial segment includes the industrial laser markert for use in the semiconductor and microelectronic industries, and other industrial applications such as metrology, telecommunications, and scientific research. The company was founded by Archibald William Charles Gooch and Leslie Housego in 1948 and is headquartered in Ilminster, the United Kingdom.