Sensores

Zebra Technologies will acquire Photoneo, a developer and manufacturer of 3D machine vision solutions. The acquisition will expand Zebra’s portfolio and strengthen its position as a leader in the 3D segment of the machine vision market, combining Photoneo’s 3D sensors with Zebra’s capabilities in AI-powered imaging, inspection software, and autonomous data capture.

Financial terms of the acquisition are not being disclosed. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025.

Bratislava, Slovakia-based Photoneo is well known for its parallel structured light technology; the company's intelligent sensors are widely used in vision-guided robotics, for applications including bin-picking and...

An adaptation of OCT put into use at Northwestern University, visible OCT (vis-OCT), will be a key component in an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)-funded project that aims to conduct successful eye transplants in the next several years. The technology will be used to examine the structural integrity of eyes in donors, such as the health of retinal layers and the flow of blood as well as monitoring their continued viability throughout the process.

This work will be supported by over $50 million in ARPA-H funds to multiple institutions, earmarked for viability, imaging, surgical, immunomodulation, ocular preservation, and neuroregeneration strategies within the Transplantation of Human Eye Allografts (THEA)...

Consumer electronics company Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) has partnered with microLED technology developer Porotech to commercialize microLED microdisplays for AR applications as well as wearable and smart devices. The companies intend to establish a complete end-to-end, viable supply chain for the technology, the widespread rollout of which has been hindered by manufacturing challenges.

As part of the partnership, Foxconn will accelerate its strategic expansion in AR and microLED technologies. The company plans to establish a microLED wafer processing production line in Taichung, Taiwan, with mass production slated to begin by the end of next year. This will cater to the needs of future mainstream global clients.

The...

The year 2025 is only just now upon us, but it is already facing many concerns: Politics will change (America) or face instability (Europe), and the threat of various conflicts will alter supply chains. In industry, auto manufacturing is undergoing significant changes. At the same time, the outlook for the semiconductor industry is slightly positive. Nevertheless, some companies fear for their existence. I won’t dive into political discussions, but I would love to share a few trends that I find to be worth watching in 2025.
The industrial laser market, the prospects for profitability in laser fusion, and semiconductor manufacturing are among the trends to monitor in photonics heading into 2025.
State of affairs in the laser...

Using a terahertz (THz) laser, researchers at MIT initiated a long-lasting magnetic state of more than 2.5 milliseconds, in an antiferromagnetic material. Typically, light-induced phases of matter return to equilibrium on ultrafast timescales after the light is removed.

A timescale of milliseconds could provide enough time to probe the properties of the new phase state before the material settles back into antiferromagnetism, and offer insight into how to optimize the material.

Antiferromagnetic materials have the potential to store and process more data than existing magnetic-based storage technologies, while using less energy. However, a controllable way to switch material from one magnetic state to another has yet to be...

A research team from Stony Brook University, led by professor of physics Dominik Schneble, has uncovered a new regime, or set of conditions within a system, for cooperative radiative phenomena, casting new light on a 70-year-old problem in quantum optics.

Spontaneous emission is a phenomenon in which an excited atom falls to a lower-energy state and spontaneously emits a quantum of electromagnetic radiation in the form of a single photon. When a single excited atom decays and emits a photon, the probability of finding the atom in its excited state falls exponentially to zero as time progresses.

In 1954, Princeton physicist R. H. Dicke considered what happens when a second, unexcited, atom is put in its immediate vicinity. He...

Photronics, Inc., a photomask technologies and solutions company, has appointed David Garcia to its board of directors, expanding the board’s membership total to nine. Garcia is currently a strategic advisor and previously spent approximately 30 years practicing law, most recently at Holland & Hart.

SUGAR LAND, Texas — Provider of fiber-optic access network products Applied Optoelectronics Inc. has added Kevin Jones as vice president of sales for its broadband access division, Quantum Bandwidth. Prior to joining Applied Optoelectronics, Jones held sales leadership roles at Ciena, CommScope, Casa Systems, and Scientific-Atlanta.

A miniaturized, all-in-one optical fiber spectrometer from Jinan University can realize a parts-per-billion (ppb)-level detection limit for trace gas sensing, with no need for a resonant gas cell. The microscale, high-performance, all-in-one fiber photoacoustic spectrometer (FPAS) can analyze subnanoliter-sized samples with a response time in milliseconds (ms).

With its small footprint, high sensitivity, and low sample volume requirement, the FPAS is equipped to deliver laboratory-level precision in a microscale probe format. This could be beneficial for applications ranging from environmental monitoring and industrial process control to biomedical diagnostics.
The fiber photoacoustic spectrometer (FPAS) enables continuous...

Researchers from Xi’an Jiaotong University have developed a 3D-printed device that generates twisting light beams with orbital angular momentum (OAM), a form of rotational energy that can carry more data than regular beams. The efficient, compact and low-cost vortex beam generators could help enhance the capacity and reliability of future wireless systems.

“The growing demand for high-capacity, interference-resistant communication systems in applications like 5G/6G wireless networks requires innovative solutions,” said research team leader Jianxing Li from Xi’an Jiaotong University in China. “Although vortex beams carrying OAM can potentially enhance spectral efficiency and communication capacity,...

A hybrid material made from organic chromophores and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) can produce stable, fast, phosphorescent light emission for OLED displays. The new hybrid, developed by a team co-led by the University of Michigan (U-M), could replace the heavy metal components currently used to improve efficiency, brightness, and color range in OLED devices.

Organic materials with room-temperature phosphorescence are an appealing alternative to heavy metals because of their tunable luminescent properties, large design window, environmentally-friendly components, and economical production cost.

Phosphorescence is 3 times more energy-efficient than fluorescence, but happens more slowly. To keep pace with modern...

Researchers from Northwestern University have successfully demonstrated quantum teleportation over a fiber optic cable already carrying internet traffic. The work introduces the new possibility of combining quantum communication with existing internet cables — greatly simplifying the infrastructure required for advanced sensing technologies or quantum computing applications.

“This is incredibly exciting because nobody thought it was possible,” said Northwestern University professor Prem Kumar, who led the study. “Our work shows a path towards next-generation quantum and classical networks sharing a unified fiber optic infrastructure.”

Only limited by the speed of light, quantum teleportation...

Teledyne Space Imaging has been awarded the role of prime contractor for the Constellation Acquisition Sensor (CAS) instrument, which will contribute to the European Space Agency (ESA) Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission. The imaging sensor manufacturer will deliver six CIS220 detectors and the control electronics for the international space observation project. Teledyne will work in partnership with Thales Alenia Space in Switzerland, who will be responsible for the optical head.
Teledyne Space Imaging has been named the prime contractor for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission’s Constellation Acquisition Sensor instrument. The company will deliver six CIS220 detectors and the control electronics...

Civan Lasers, a fiber laser developer, has opened two advanced demonstration labs at welding manufacturer Amet’s Rexburg, Idaho, campus and automated systems developer Photon Automation’s Detroit campus. The company said that the facilities will offer hands-on demonstrations and tailored process development to its customers for its welding solutions.

Members of Civan Lasers and Amet at Civan’s Rexburg, Idaho, demonstration lab. Courtesy of Civan Lasers. BERNIN, France — Semiconductor materials designer and manufacturer Soitec has renewed its ongoing research collaboration with MIT’s Microsystems Technology Laboratories to diversify technological collaborations and anticipate the future needs of the...

Starris: Optimax Space Systems and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have partnered to commercialize LLNL’s monolithic telescope technology, accelerating rapid deployment of modular optical designs for high-resolution or high-sensitivity space imagery.

Starris has collaborated over the last decade with LLNL’s space program to develop the monolithic telescope technology and will manufacture — at scale and with customization options — the precision-fabricated optical lens that forms the image in the telescope. The collaboration with LLNL is now extended via a government-use license for commercializing the technology through LLNL’s Innovation and Partnerships Office.
The reflections of Brian...

Viavi Solutions has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Inertial Labs for initial consideration of $150 million at closing and up to $175 million of contingent consideration over four years. The acquisition expands Viavi’s portfolio and extends its reach into aerospace, defense, and industrial end markets.

Headquartered in Leesburg, Virginia, Inertial Labs is a leading developer, producer, and supplier of high-performance orientation, positioning, and navigation solutions for aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. The company offers inertial measurement units, inertial navigation systems, assured position navigation and timing, GNSS tracking, lidar scanning, alternative navigation, and visual navigation...

Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) used lasers and a supersonic sheet of gas to accelerate a high-quality beam of electrons to 10 billion electronvolts (eV) in just 30 cm. The energy and quality of the beam is a significant improvement compared to previous efforts.

The acceleration of a high-quality, 10-gigaelectronvolt (GeV) electron beam in less than one foot, using a petawatt (PW) laser, is a major step forward in laser-plasma acceleration. Laser-plasma accelerators could someday reduce the size and cost of the particle accelerators used in high-energy physics, medicine, and materials science.
Experts at the Berkeley Lab Laser Accelerator Center (BELLA) used dual laser beams focused onto a sheet...

The Netherlands has launched a four-year project that aims to boost the European semiconductor industry, offering support for workforce development and funding opportunities as well as facilitating intra- and inter-industry connections. The ChipNL Competence Centre focuses on connecting parts of the value chains with small and medium Dutch enterprises, start- and scale-ups in the semiconductor sector, and related application markets, with a focus on semiconductor manufacturing equipment, chip design, integrated photonics, and quantum and heterogeneous integration.

The center is a collaboration between Brainport Development, ChipTech Twente, High Tech NL, TNO, Joint European Platform for Photonic Integration Components and Circuits...

Thyroid diseases affect approximately 200 million people worldwide. In most thyroid pathologies, the vascularization — the number and structure of blood vessels — and hemodynamics are altered. A better understanding of both could help clinicians improve the diagnosis and plan for therapies and follow-up treatment response, but the monitoring techniques available in clinics are not sensitive enough or are impractical for large-scale use.

In an effort to subvert this, a team of researchers from the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) led by Turgut Durduran has investigated the use of NIR spectroscopy as a cost-effective and non-invasive tool to quantitatively study the properties of thyroid tissue. Through these efforts,...

Laser fusion company Focused Energy has partnered with Amplitude, a developer of ultrafast lasers, to advance two laser systems beyond the current state-of-the-art for inertial fusion energy, according to the companies. The technology around which the partnership centers will help develop and determine the laser parameters ultimately needed to commercialize Focused Energy’s direct drive laser fusion approach.

The beamlines established through the collaboration will be installed at Focused Energy’s planned $65 million Laser Development Facility in the San Francisco Bay Area, as announced in October.

Focused Energy's scientists and engineers plan to use the laser systems to test and optimize laser performance and...

Lumentum Holdings Inc., a designer and manufacturer of optical and photonic products, has appointed Paul Lundstrom to its board of directors, expanding the board to nine members. Lundstrom is currently CFO at Copeland, with previous experience as CFO of Flex Ltd. and Aerojet Rocketdyne.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Technology company Syntec Optics Holdings, Inc. has added Michael J. Ransford as site manager. Ransford has over 30 years of experience in engineering, operations, and business leadership, most recently acting as COO of Omega Optical Holdings.

Oreste Donzella. Courtesy of Sondrel. READING, England — Sondrel, a provider of custom chips, has appointed Oreste Donzella as a non-executive director of its board, effective...