Sensores

Researchers from Peking University developed a high-efficiency ultrathin optical crystal based on boron nitride. According to Liu Kaihui, director of the Institute of Condensed Matter and Material Physics at Peking University, the research provides a brand-new design model and material system, opening avenues in basic optics theory, materials science, and potential technologies.

Due to the limitations of traditional theory models and material systems, existing crystals have struggled to meet the requirements for developing future laser devices, such as miniaturization, high integration, and functionalization.

Optical phase matching involves establishing a proper phase relationship between the fundamental excitation and...

Oxford Instruments has acquired specialist camera provider First Light Imaging. Following the acquisition, the company will become part of Oxford Instruments Andor, complementing the company’s existing scientific camera portfolio and enabling expansion into adjacent markets.

Under the terms of the acquisition, Oxford Instruments will pay an initial cash consideration of €15.7 million ($17.2 million), on a cash-free, debt-free basis, with a further €3 million cash consideration conditional on First Light’s trading performance over a 12-month period following completion.

The Oxford Instruments group comprises businesses including Andor Technology, Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology, and WITec. Its...

Researchers have developed a technology that uses meta-optical devices to perform thermal imaging. The approach captures richer information about imaged objects, including spectral and polarization details, which could broaden the use of thermal imaging in fields such as autonomous navigation, security, thermography, medical imaging, and remote sensing.

According to research team leader Zubin Jacob, the method is able to overcome limitations of traditional spectral imagers, which are often bulky and fragile due to their reliance on large filter wheels or interferometers. “We combined meta-optical devices and cutting-edge computational imaging algorithms to create a system that is both compact and robust while also having a...

The process of 4D printing is an extension of 3D printing, in which solid objects are created using materials that can change shape when exposed to certain stimuli like heat, water, or light.

At the University of Queensland’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), researchers have printed 4D structures using liquid metal polymers that can be coaxed into performing a range of mechanical tasks with infrared lasers.
AIBN researchers Ruirui Qiao (left) and Liwen Zhang have developed a new method to prepare liquid metal polymers for 4D printing. The solid 4D structures created by their lab can be manipulated into different shapes with an infrared laser. Courtesy of AIBN.
Lead researchers Liwen Zhang...

ABB, a leader in electrification and automation technology, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Canadian-based Real Tech, a supplier of optical sensor technology that enables real-time water monitoring and testing. Real Tech has more than 10,000 installed solutions in municipal water and wastewater, along with other industries, and will add to ABB’s presence in the water management segment. The transaction is expected to close in Q1 2024. The financial terms were not disclosed.

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. — Kopin Corporation, a provider of micro-displays and optical solutions, has received a $20.5 million contract to provide a new thermal weapon sight eyepiece configuration for a Department of Defense prime...

The Consumer Electronics Show, the flagship event of the Consumer Technology Association, opened its doors Tuesday. The annual show, which showcases the latest innovations and developments in consumer technology, concludes today. Photonics Media has tracked this year’s product demonstrations, partnerships, and photonics industry news.

Kopin Corporation, a provider of optical systems and micro-displays, has partnered with MICLEDI Microdisplays, a fabless semiconductor design and technology company developing microLED displays, to design, develop and manufacture advanced microLED displays for AR technology in high brightness condition. The program will leverage MICLEDI’s CMOS production flow and Kopin’s backplane...

AMS Technologies, a provider of lasers, optical components, lighting, power technologies, and thermal management systems, has enhanced its high-power laser engineering capabilities with the acquisition of neoLASE, a developer of high-brilliance, diode-pumped, solid-state (DPSS) lasers.
(From left) Philipp Weber, CFO and COO of AMS Technologies; Maik Frede, founder and managing director of neoLASE and vice president of engineering at AMS Technologies; and Jan Meise, CEO of AMS Technologies. Courtesy of AMS Technologies. neoLASE, a 2007 spin-out of Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V.’s laser development department, additionally offers master oscillator power amplifier systems from nano- to femtosecond pulse durations.

Per the deal,...

SPIE’s Awards Committee has named the recipients of its annual awards, recognizing achievements in photonics research, education, industry, and community leadership. The awards span a broad range of technical and professional areas, including medicine, metamaterials, moiré photonics, liquid crystals, attoscience, and nanophotonics.

Katie Schwertz is the 2024 recipient of the SPIE President’s Award. Courtesy of SPIE. Among the winners are 2023 Nobel Prize recipient Anne L’Huillier, who received the SPIE Maiman Laser Award; Ji-Xin Cheng, recipient of the Biophotonics Technology Innovator Award; and Teri W. Odom, who received the SPIE Mozi Award.

Akhlesh Lakhtakia is the recipient of the SPIE Gold Medal...

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has agreed to acquire AI networking, cloud, and connected security solutions leader Juniper Networks. The all-cash acquisition, worth $40.00 per share, carries an equity value of approximately $14 billion.

HPE expects that the deal will double its networking business and support both companies’ efforts in AI and cloud technology. The combined company will offer secure, end-to-end AI-native solutions built on the foundation of cloud, high performance, and experience-first, and will also have the ability to collect, analyze, and act on aggregated telemetry across a broader installed base.

Upon completion of the transaction, Juniper CEO Rami Rahim will lead the combined HPE networking...

Innoviz Technologies Ltd. added Stefan Jacoby and Alexander von Witzleben to its board of directors. Jacoby is the former executive vice president and head of international operations at General Motors and served as CEO and vice president of other automotive companies, including Mitsubishi, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo. Witzleben most recently served as CEO of Arbonia AG and has CEO-level experience at Feintool International and Jenoptik.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Industrial technology company Enpro Inc. appointed Joe Bruderek CFO effective April 1, following the retirement of J. Milton Childress II. Bruderek serves as Enrpo's executive vice president of finance. Prior to joining Enpro, Bruderek served as vice president of commodities...

An optical plasmonic tweezer-controlled surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) platform developed by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) enables efficient, high-throughput, single-molecule characterization in solution. It has the potential to uncover hidden molecular mechanisms that can affect the health of people living with type 2 diabetes.

Existing single-molecule approaches are limited to ultra-dilution or molecular immobilization because their diffraction-limited detection volume cannot be further reduced. These methods hinder the ability to study the dynamic actions of these molecules, necessitating the development of advanced single-molecule methods.

In a recent breakthrough, the research team led...

Excelitas Technologies will relocate its operations to Pittsburgh, moving from its current headquarters in Waltham, Mass., outside of Boston. According to a release issued by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's press office, the company has committed to a 12-year lease in a Pittsburgh location and aims to complete the move this summer.

Excelitas is a developer and manufacturer of optics, photonics, and imaging equipment including cameras, sensors and detectors, sources, precision timekeeping instruments, lasers, space optics, and assemblies. The company has ~7500 employees working across 33 locations in North America, Europe, and Asia.

According to the press announcement, Excelitas will create at least 250 jobs over the next four...

A research team from imec has developed perovskite-based LEDs that emit light 1000× brighter than OLEDs. According to the researchers, the advancement is a pivotal milestone toward a perovskite injection laser, which promises advances in image projection, environmental sensing, and medical diagnostics, among other applications.

Perovskite materials are well known for their potential in photovoltaic technology, though perovskites also carry potential as a light amplifier for thin-film laser diodes. Perovskites’ optoelectrical properties, low-cost processability, and efficient charge transport make it a strong candidate for light emission applications like LEDs.
Researchers at imec developed perovskite-based LEDs capable...

Researchers from ICFO and ICFO computer vision spinout Qurv have fabricated a high-performance shortwave-infrared (SWIR) image sensor based on nontoxic colloidal quantum dots (CQDs). In their study, the team reports on a method for synthesizing functional high-quality nontoxic CQDs integrable with CMOS technology.

Invisible to our eyes, SWIR light can enable reliability, functionality, and performance in high-volume computer vision first applications in service robotics, automotive, and consumer electronics markets. CQD-based image sensor technology offers a promising technology platform to enable high-volume compatible image sensors in the SWIR. CQDs — nanometric semiconductor crystals — are a solution-processed material...

The world did not become a better place in 2023. But some parts of the photonics industry made remarkable progress. And that will endure.

The world of photonics is changing. In some places at a slow pace, in others by leaps and bounds.

Laser equipment for materials processing, what many people regard as “the laser market,” looks rather mature and is steadily evolving. Elsewhere, the photonic solutions for telecommunications and computing that have often been regarded as a part of the semiconductor world are now set to conquer that realm. Big things are happening in that sector, and timing could be crucial in determining who will benefit most from current trends.

Finally, there is laser fusion. Will it save the...

Colorado-based emissions monitoring technology provider LongPath Technologies has received a conditional commitment for an up to $189 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy. The loan will support the scaling of LongPath methane detection and quantification technology to include 1000 large-area remote methane monitors across key U.S. oil and gas production basins in six U.S. states.
A LongPath Methane Emissions Overwatch Central Node in Texas. LongPath has received an up to $189 million loan from the Department of Energy to scale its Active Emissions Overwatch system across key U.S. oil and gas production basins. Courtesy of LongPath Technologies. Traditional methane monitoring technology commonly relies on infrequent...

Multidrug-resistant bacteria are considered a serious threat to infection control. Faced with the increasing difficulty of developing new antibiotics to combat resilient bacterial strains, scientists are turning to photodynamic inactivation (PDI), a light-based approach to breaking antimicrobial resistance.

PDI strengthens the effect of antibiotics and induces oxidative stress in microorganisms through the interaction of light with a photosensitizer. The photosensitizer is energized in PDI by absorbing visible light to form reactive oxygen species that trigger bacterial inactivation by oxidizing and destroying microorganisms or weakening their resistance to antibiotics.
A research group at the University of São...

LASER-TEC is the Center for Laser and Fiber Optics Education, founded in 2013 by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and headquartered at Indian River State College in Florida. It was founded to help meet the goals of educating and sourcing domestic talent in the areas of optics and photonics. As a service to students, recent graduates, and prospective employers, Photonics Spectra runs a profile of one of the LASER-TEC colleges each month.


Professor Tracy Barnes (left) trains students on the PROMATION G Series robotic soldering system.
Hillsborough Community College (HCC) offers an electronics engineering technology Associate of Science degree, with a Laser and Photonics Technician Certificate. The coursework of the...