Sensores

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...

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has launched Project DioHELIOS, part of its Fusion 2040 – Research on the Way to the Fusion Power Plant funding initiative. The three-year joint project, funded with €17.3 million (~$19 million), aims to advance high-power laser diodes for fusion power plants, which the German government expects to be built as early as the 2040s.

Project DioHELIOS brings together ams-OSRAM, the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH), Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik (FBH), the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, Jenoptik, Laserline, and TRUMPF to boost the power and efficiency of high-power laser diodes and develop approaches for their automated mass...

Opterro, Inc. has signed a memorandum of understanding with Gooch & Housego PLC (G&H), manufacturer of photonic components and systems, aiming to combine Opterro’s fiber-optic distributed systems with G&H’s high-volume manufacturing capabilities to address the needs of industry and government customers across various sectors. The partnership will initially investigate commercial feasibility, with the intent to develop a long-term supply agreement that facilitates the expanding global distribution of Opterro’s sensing systems and end-to-end solutions. President of G&H Stratos Kehayas will also join Opterro’s board of directors as an observer.

The COMBS research team. Courtesy of RMIT University....

NY CREATES’ Albany NanoTech Complex is the expected location for the CHIPS for America EUV Accelerator, the first of three National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) facilities. The designation will be supported by an estimated $825 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce and is expected to garner significant investment in extreme ultraviolet (lithography) R&D under the CHIPS and Science Act.

The EUV Accelerator will serve as a focal point for advanced semiconductor R&D initiatives and support programs to bolster the necessary workforce. Research at the facility will focus on innovation in semiconductor technologies with the aim of supporting the U.S. domestic supply chain and the development of...

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have increased the measurement rate of Raman spectroscopy by 100-fold. Since the measurement rate of the technique has been a major limitation, the improvement is expected to aid advancements in multiple fields relying on the identification of molecules and cells, such as biomedical diagnostics and material analytics.

As a mode of identification for cells and molecules, Raman spectroscopy is widely used, but it’s limited in its ability to keep up with the speed of changes in certain chemical and physical reactions due to the low scattering cross section.

Over the last decade, various broadband-coherent Raman scattering spectroscopy techniques have been developed to address the...

The Israeli Ministry of Defense has committed more than $500 million to expand serial production of the country’s first domestically developed weapon system, the Iron Beam, with lead developers Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Elbit Systems.

Iron Beam is a ground-based 100 kW-class high energy laser air defense system designed to counter aerial threats, including rockets, mortars, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise missiles. The Israeli Ministry of Defense’s Directorate of Defense, Research & Development (DDR&D) R&D Unit leads the project.

Under a newly signed contract, Elbit Systems will provide the Israeli Ministry of Defense with its high-powered laser solution as well as ongoing support...

Gooch & Housego (G&H) has acquired Phoenix Optical Technologies, a manufacturer of precision optics technology based in St. Asaph, Wales. The acquisition, valued at up to £6.75 million (~$8.8 million), strengthens G&H’s position in aerospace and defense while expanding its presence in U.K. and European markets as a supplier to defense primes.

Phoenix Optical Technologies brings complementary expertise in precision optics processes, including prisms, domes, specialist machining and single point diamond turning. The company additionally offers onsite capabilities for the molding and annealing of glass, and its capabilities are expected to bolster the offerings of G&H’s Optical Systems division. The...