Sensores

Xavveo, developer of a 4D photonic radar technology, has raised an $8.6 million seed round to support the commercialization of its distributed photonic radar technology. Xavveo’s technology platform has applications in autonomous vehicles, as well as factory automation and healthcare monitoring. Xavveo's current system uses advanced monolithic silicon photonics technology to provide lidar-like native angular resolution of <0.1º and provides a high level of reliability in detecting obstacles. According to the company, the technology allows autonomous vehicles a 360º field of view and retains its reliability in adverse weather conditions.

Xavveo was founded by current company CEO Sven Otte and CTO Stefan Meister,...

A new technique for 3D surface measurement, called fringe photometric stereo (FPS), could improve the speed and accuracy of surface measurements taken for industrial inspection, medical applications, robotic vision, and other purposes.

The FPS method for acquiring and reconstructing 3D surface measurements was developed by a research team at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.

FPS speeds up the image scanning process and enables high-quality, unambiguous 3D reconstruction by requiring fewer fringe patterns than traditional fringe projection profilometry (FPP).
Researchers developed a method for acquiring and reconstructing high-quality 3D surface measurements that is faster and more accurate than...

Liquid Instruments has integrated artificial intelligence (AI) into its Moku platform, including a new instrument, the Moku Neural Network. The added capabilities enable the quick deployment of machine learning models to physical systems, for applications including signal analysis, denoising, sensor conditioning, and closed loop feedback.

The Moku platform uses field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) to deliver a suite of instruments — from bench essentials including an oscilloscope to advanced tools including a lock-in amplifier — on one device. The Moku Neural Network enables users to rapidly develop and train their own artificial neural networks with Python and upload them to their Moku:Pro device.

Liquid...

Teledyne Technologies Inc. has entered into an agreement to acquire select aerospace and defense electronics businesses from Excelitas Technologies Corp. in a deal valued at $710 million (cash). The acquisition includes the Optical Systems (OS) Business, which is known under the Qioptiq brand based in Northern Wales, as well as the U.S.-based Advanced Electronic Systems (AES) business.

The UK-based OS Business provides advanced optics for heads-up and helmet-mounted displays, dismounted tactical night vision systems and proprietary glass used in space and satellite applications. In the U.S., the AES business provides custom energetics, including electronic safe and arm devices, high-voltage semiconductor switches and rubidium...

Through its subsidiary Photonics Management Corp., Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. has acquired BAE Systems Imaging, a San Jose, Calif.-based semiconductor manufacturer specializing in high-performance CMOS image sensors in the visible to near-infrared and X-ray regions. BAE Systems Imaging is currently subsidiary to parent company BAE Systems. Following the transaction, Hamamatsu said, BAE Systems Imaging will be known as Fairchild Imaging and will become Hamamatsu’s North American design center for 2D, low-noise image sensors.

BAE Systems Imaging’s (Fairchild's) core products include scientific CMOS (sCMOS) image sensors, as well as X-ray CMOS image sensors for dental and medical diagnostic applications. Hamamatsu said that it...

A new cationic-based photoresist can improve the production speed of two-photon lithography (TPL) without sacrificing resolution. The highly sensitive photoresist, called TP-EO (short for two-photon epoxy oligomer), was developed by a team at Zhejiang University.

TPL is a powerful tool for creating complex 3D shapes at the nanoscale. It uses photoresists — materials that change their chemical properties when exposed to light — to allow precise control during the nanofabrication process.

However, high-throughput TPL is problematic, especially for cationic-based photoresists. Cationic photoresists, like the classic SU-8 epoxy photoresist, often take longer to fabricate and result in less detailed structures, compared...

Teledyne DALSA has entered into a collaboration with Wickon Hightech s.r.o, a provider of advanced inspection and measurement systems. Teledyne DALSA will combine its high-resolution imaging sensors and systems with Wickon’s solutions in 3D inspection and measurement to develop 3D scanning solutions and expand their global market presence.

The companies claim that the 3D scanning solutions will enable faster and more accurate inspection and measurements across various industries, including semiconductors, battery and fuel cells, precision manufacturing, and healthcare.

Electro optics research company Norsk Elektro Optikk (NEO) has opened a new branch of its hyperspectral imaging-focused subsidiary HySpex in Berlin. HySpex GmbH will serve as a sales and support hub for both new and existing European clients with a broader aim of strengthening NEO’s European presence.

In addition to supporting traditional market segments, HySpex GmbH will focus on expanding HySpex’s role as an OEM provider for industrial suppliers and exploring new opportunities within the space industry. “We’ve already witnessed the positive impact of local support for our clients through HySpex Inc., our office in the U.S.,” said NEO CCO Hallvard Skjerping. “This new office will help us build on...

Using a laser and a light-reactive gel, a research team led by Hao Liu at ETH Zurich produced highly aligned microfilament structures for growing connective, nerve, and muscle tissue in a lab. The optically-based approach developed by the team could open new possibilities for building lifelike tissue models for biomedical research and translational medicine.

To successfully fabricate tissues in the laboratory, researchers must replicate the way that the cells in biological tissues are aligned. In many cases, this is achieved by producing a 3D, biocompatible tissue scaffold with aligned microstructures to serve as a platform on which to grow the tissues.

Liu first worked with lab-grown tissue as a graduate student in Osaka, when...

Teledyne Technologies and Micropac Industries have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Micropac will be merged with a wholly owned subsidiary of Teledyne. The transaction, expected to close by the end of 2024, values Micropac at approximately $57.3 million.

Micropac, founded in 1963, designs and manufactures microelectronic circuits, optoelectronic components, and sensor and display assemblies, primarily for military, aerospace, and medical applications.

More than 30 years ago, acclaimed physicist Edward Teller said, “No one should use a laser unless it’s a diode laser.” Although those of us engaged in the manufacture of laser diodes will perhaps be forgiven for our uncritical endorsement of Teller’s statement, ample scientific justification supports such a perspective.


Xenon (Xe) magnetic resonance imaging is an essential solution for specialized bioimaging, especially of the lungs. This method necessitates the hyperpolarization of Xe, which is achieved via laser diode-drive spin exchange optical pumping. Courtesy of Polarean Imaging Plc.
To start, consider the physical advantages that laser diodes offer users: For a given output power, laser diodes far...

How would one decide which potato to select out of a group? Most people have an intuitive sense that guides them when selecting a spud, for example, at the market or from the garden, but it becomes difficult to pen an authoritative description of what differentiates healthy tubers from their underripe or infected counterparts.

Such tasks pose a significant challenge in the agricultural world, where food safety guidelines and quality standards extend from the farm to processing facilities and ultimately to retailers. Computer-guided machine vision systems are deployed in a wide range of industries, and most of these systems rely on rules-based algorithms that provide concrete guardrails for assessing and classifying parts and products....

The terahertz portion of the electromagnetic spectrum refers to the frequencies between ~100 GHz and ~10 THz. This corresponds to wavelengths between 3 mm and 30 µm.

Lying between the electronic realm at lower frequencies and the optical (infrared) part of the spectrum — in effect, between two worlds — terahertz radiation has historically been difficult to generate. The efficiency of electronic devices, for example, transistors and oscillators, drops sharply as frequencies increase into the terahertz range. Photonic devices work well at higher (infrared and visible light) frequencies, but they struggle to produce terahertz radiation due to the need for highly precise and stable frequency mixing or efficient nonlinear...

Researchers have developed an ultrafast laser platform that generates ultra-broadband UV frequency combs with an unprecedented one million comb lines, providing exceptional spectral resolution. The approach, which also produces extremely accurate and stable frequencies, could enhance high-resolution atomic and molecular spectroscopy.

Optical frequency combs, which emit thousands of regularly spaced spectral lines, have been essential to fields like metrology, spectroscopy, and precision timekeeping via optical atomic clocks, earning the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics.

The first frequency combs operated within the visible to NIR range. Shortly after their introduction, their spectral range was extended to the UV region through...

Sydor Technologies, a developer of advanced diagnostics and high speed imaging for defense, research, and industrial applications, has named Nicholas West president. West will oversee daily operations of Sydor’s U.S. and U.K. businesses, reporting to company founder Michael Pavia, who will transition to chairman of the board.
Nicholas West. Courtesy of Sydor Technologies.

A micrometer-thin film coated over a flat glass substrate can deflect a light beam in the same way as a prism. This film can be fabricated to be structurally smooth, at a molecular level, and as clear and haze-free as a polished window of fused silica or sapphire.


Courtesy of BEAM Engineering for Advanced Measurements Co.

With an even wider transmission spectrum than classic optical windows, these flat prisms and lenses — as well as optical vortices, axicons, patterned phase plates, beam shapers, and numerous custom optics — find use for a variety of demanding applications. Many of these applications involve high-energy laser beams and take place in harsh environmental conditions, including in space and on the...

On Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2023, the clock started ticking on what would become a seismic 24-hour period. For those of us in North America, it began when we woke up to the news that Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, and Anne L’Huillier had been announced as winners of the Nobel Prize in physics. The trio’s award, in recognition of their advancements in attosecond pulse generation, established consecutive years in which a photonics (or photonics-enabled) achievement was celebrated with the ultimate honor.

In the optical sciences community, the 2023 winners represented something more. Though the accomplishments of Agostini, Krausz, and L’Huillier made it six of the last 10 Nobel Prizes in physics to have a photonics...

The commonly accepted definition of a cleanroom is a controlled environment that filters out pollutants such as dust, airborne microbes, and aerosol particles to provide the cleanest area possible. Cleanrooms are grouped, or classified, by the number of particles allowed in the air per cubic meter. These work areas control additional variables, such as temperature, airflow, and humidity.

The precise function of a cleanroom depends on its group. Certain cleanrooms are dedicated to fabrication operations. Others support Class 1 products used in automated operations — similar to a manufacturing environment. Cleanrooms that contain a high-power laser system, such as terawatt or petawatt systems, are classified separately.


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Air travel is not for everyone. Whether you’re afraid of heights, your wallet can’t cover the rising cost of a ticket, or you’re too tall to cram yourself into the ever-dwindling confines of a seat, there are many conceivable reasons as to why someone would forgo a trip in a flying aluminum can in favor of four-wheeled travel.

For the brave souls who can look past all of the prerequisite fears of boarding an airplane, and find it in themselves to surrender to their small uncomfortable seat, there may also be the threat of losing sleep that makes flying that much less appealing. Jet lag is rarely inescapable when flying across time zones due to our pesky circadian rhythm telling our bodies when night and daytime...

Developer of industrial cleaning laser systems Laser Photonics Corporation (LPC) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Control Micro Systems, Inc. (CMS), a provider of laser solutions for the pharmaceutical industry. The acquisition of CMS' assets, in a deal worth $1.05 million, is expected to provide an opportunity for Laser Photonics to strategically broaden its market reach, engineering talent, and technology portfolio for the medical and pharmaceuticals industries.
Control Micro Systems’ (CMS') laser drilling system used in controlled-release tablet production and packaging compliance. Courtesy of Laser Photonics Corporation. CMS delivers precision laser solutions to the pharmaceutical industry, particularly for...