Sensores

Researchers from Seoul National University have developed a folded lens system using metasurfaces to dramatically reduce the volume of cameras. By arranging metasurfaces on a glass substrate so that light can be reflected and moved around in the substrate in a folded manner, the team realized a lens system with a thickness of 0.7 mm.

Traditional cameras are designed to stack multiple glass lenses to refract light when capturing images. While this structure has provided excellent high-quality images, the thickness of each lens and the wide spacing between lenses increases the overall bulk of the camera, making it difficult to apply to devices that require ultra-compact cameras, such as VR and AR devices, smartphones, endoscopes,...

Electro Optic Systems (EOS), a developer of remote weapon systems, has entered into a binding agreement to divest its naval satellite communications subsidiary, EM Solutions, to Cohort plc, a defense technology group, for an implied enterprise value of AUD $144 million ($93.6 million). EM Solutions has operated predominantly as a standalone business since being acquired in 2019 to support the SpaceLink operations, which EOS has since exited. According to EOS, the proposed transaction aligns with its transformation strategy to focus on its core product offerings in the areas of remote weapon systems, high energy laser weapons, and space control.

A satellite communications system produced by EM Solutions. Courtesy of EOS. ORLANDO, Fla....

The durability of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has led to their widespread use in medical, industrial, and commercial settings throughout the world. These “forever chemicals” are made of inorganic materials that break down very slowly. They are difficult to dispose of, and over time, have become part of the natural environment. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), exposure to PFAS in the water, air, and soil can lead to cancer, reproductive issues, and other health problems in humans.

A photocatalyst system based on LED light, developed by researchers at Colorado State University (CSU), shows promise in breaking down the carbon-fluorine (C-F) bonds that are especially challenging to...

Funded under a European Union HORIZON grant, the Lasers4MaaS (Laser-as-a-Service) project is set to commence next month. The project targets the integration of advanced laser welding technologies with digital platforms to enable flexible, scalable, and sustainable production solutions. Its over-arching goal is to increase the technological readiness level (TRL) from TRL 4 to TRL 6.

Lasers4MaaS aims to address the pressing need for sustainable and efficient manufacturing solutions. Key innovations include the deployment of dynamic beam shaping, AI-driven manufacturing, digital manufacturing platforms, and sustainable and decentralized manufacturing, which offer benefits like enhanced flexibility and precision, seamless data...

Citing 3D printing's ongoing transition from a niche innovation to a high-volume manufacturing method, TRUMPF, Renishaw, Ansys, EOS, and Nikon SLM are among the founding members of a consortium seeking to address manufacturer's challenges in the adoption and scaling of 3D printing technology for industrial use. Joined by HP, Materialise, and Stratasys, the Leading Minds consortium has identified its first initiative as the development of a common language framework for 3D printing.

According to the consortium members, the collective effort is not just about enhancing 3D printing, but about taking practical, actionable steps to reshape the manufacturing landscape to be more innovative, sustainable, and capable of meeting the evolving...

Eikon Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company, has appointed Michael A. Klobuchar as COO. He joins Eikon from Merck & Co. Inc. where he most recently served as executive vice president and chief strategy officer.

Michael A. Klobuchar. Courtesy of Eikon Therapeutics. FREMONT, Calif. — Members of the OIF forum have elected Mike Klempa as the physical and link layer interoperability working group chair and Jeffery Maki as the physical layer user group working group chair. Klempa currently serves as a staff product marketing manager for Alphawave Semi and Maki has been distinguished engineer II for Juniper Networks since 2007.

Markus Fischer. Courtesy of Rohde & Schwarz. COLUMBIA, Md. — Test and measurement...

In people who experience photosensitive epilepsy, seizures can be triggered by visual stimuli, like video games, that are displayed at certain wavelengths. Lenses made with cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC), a material that is sensitive to changes in temperature as well as the electrical field, could help block these harmful wavelengths through thermal control.

The CLC lenses are the result of a collaboration between the University of Glasgow and the University of Birmingham. “The project shows how collaboration between different disciplines such as engineering, neuroscience, and mathematics can bring about potential discoveries that could transform the lives of patients affected by various diseases,” professor Rami...

An international research team is working to develop a technology that directly converts sunlight into laser beams in order to enable the transmission of power over vast distances. The approach, inspired by photosynthesis, could allow power to be transmitted between satellites, from satellites to lunar bases, or even back to Earth.

The APACE project brings together researchers from the U.K., Italy, Germany, and Poland to develop the laser under laboratory conditions before testing and refining its suitability for deployment into space environments.

“Sustainable generation of power in space, without relying on perishable components sent from Earth represents a big challenge. Yet, living organisms are experts at being...

Global optics manufacturer and solutions provider Optimax has named Joseph Spilman CEO. Spilman will take over from outgoing CEO Rick Plympton, who is retiring.

In a corresponding move, the company named Peter Kupinski president, taking over from Spilman
Joe Spilman. Courtesy of Optimax.
Spilman has worked in the optics and photonics industry for 20 years. His previous roles include director of sales and marketing at Optimax, serving on the executive team at ArmorLine Corp., and roles supporting NIR and IR laser optics applications for II-VI Inc. (Coherent). Spilman was appointed to serve on Photonics Spectra’s Editorial Advisory Board this year.
Peter Kupinski. Courtesy of Optimax.
Kupinski has served as...

A theory posited by University of Birmingham researchers explores the nature of photons in unprecedented detail to show how they are emitted by atoms or molecules and shaped by their environment. The theory explains how light and matter interact at the quantum level and allows researchers to define the precise shape of a single photon.

The nature of this interaction leads to infinite possibilities for light to exist and propagate through its surrounding environment. However, this limitless possibility makes the interactions exceptionally difficult to model. This is a challenge that quantum physicists have been working on for decades.

By grouping these possibilities into distinct sets, the researchers were able to create a model...

Researchers from three University of California (UC) campuses collaborated on an optogenetics-based approach to controlling abnormal neural activity in humans. Their findings could someday provide an alternative to surgery for patients who have seizures that cannot be managed with medication.

A team comprising scientists from UC San Francisco, UC Santa Cruz, and UC Berkeley delivered genes for light-sensitive proteins to human hippocampal slices that had been removed from epilepsy patients as part of their treatment. A virus that is widely used in gene therapy conveyed the light-activated proteins to select neurons in the hippocampal tissue.

The researchers arranged the tissue on a bed of tiny electrodes spaced 17 μm apart....

Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS), in collaboration with HOLOEYE Photonics AG, have developed a compact liquid crystal-on-silicon (LCOS) microdisplay with high refresh rates that enables improved optical modulation.

LCOS microdisplays are characterized by their low power consumption, small size, and lightweight design. They are used in switchable adaptive optics, particularly as phase modulators, and as projection displays in AR and VR. Phase modulators, also known as spatial light modulators (SLMs), are used in biological imaging and microscopy, among other applications, for wavefront correction and beam shaping. The goal is to improve image resolution, minimize distortions caused by...

The U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries up to $1.5 billion in direct funding through the CHIPS and Science Act to expand its essential chip manufacturing and technology development in the U.S. The funding will support the expansion of GlobalFoundries’ Malta, N.Y., fabrication site; the modernization of its fabrication site in Essex Junction, Vt.; and the construction of a new fabrication site on its Malta Campus. The New York State Green CHIPS Program will contribute an additional $550 million to these projects. In parallel with the award, the company has also partnered with chip developer Lightmatter to mass produce its Passage 3D photonics engine.

DUBLIN — The Innovative...

Lightsynq, a startup developing optical interconnect technology, has raised approximately $18 million in a Series A funding round. Founded by former Harvard quantum networking experts and research leads from Amazon Web Services Center for Quantum Networking, LightSynq is developing optical quantum interconnects that enable hardware providers to link quantum processors.

Lightsynq plans to use the funds to build prototypes of its quantum interconnects which it plans to use to help leading quantum computing companies scale to multimodule systems. Lightsynq’s quantum interconnect technology is based on color centers in diamond photonics devices, combining a leading quantum networking platform with scalable photonic fabrication. The...

LioniX International and the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) will work with Lockheed Martin to develop a novel microwave photonic solution supporting space and defense missions. The collaboration takes place under the REMBRANDT project which develops foundational technologies supporting next-generation communication and sensing through international collaboration.

NLR, LioniX, and Lockheed Martin will work to develop microwave photonic integrated circuit technology to provide significant advantages with respect to bandwidth and reconfigurability compared with traditional microwave technology.
A hybrid PIC assembly which operates as a 4×1 single beam true-time delay receiver at 17-21 GHz. The assembled functional...

As the demand for data storage grows, better ways to encode large amounts of data for rapid transmission are required. One method of transmitting data is to encode the data in laser light and send it through optical fibers.

A new design method from Aalto University provides a way to create light vortices for transmitting data in fiber optic telecommunications with quasicrystals. In theory, this method supports the creation of any type of light vortex.

Previous research has connected vortex type with the symmetry of the structure used to produce the vortex. For example, nanoparticles arranged in a square were found to produce light with a single vortex, while nanoparticles arranged in a hexagon generated a double vortex. More...

Researchers at the University of Ottawa have demonstrated that under certain conditions, a laser beam can act like an opaque object and cast a visible shadow. The finding challenges the traditional understanding of shadows and opens possibilities for technologies that could use a laser beam to control another laser beam.

The team's experimental setup involved shining a green laser beam through a ruby crystal while illuminating it from the side with blue light. This arrangement created a shadow on a surface, visible to the naked eye. The effect occurs due to a phenomenon called reverse saturation of absorption in the ruby crystal, which allows the green laser to block the passage of blue light, resulting in a dark region that follows...

Scintil Photonics, a photonic integrated circuit developer, has appointed Matt Crowley as CEO, replacing company founder Sylvie Menezo who has been appointed CTO. Crowley joins Scintil following his recent role as senior director of business development at Qualcomm. Crowley was also appointed senior strategic advisor of Sheba Microsystems in June.

FARMINGTON, Conn. — TRUMPF Inc. has promoted Claudio Santopietro to head of Smart Factory consulting and automation, Kevin Cuseo to head of software sales, Julian Schorpp to product manager for automated bend products, and Adam Simons to head of additive manufacturing in North America. Previously, Santopietro served as a software sales engineer and software solutions sales manager,...

UAV designer and manufacturer AeroVironment (AV) will acquire fellow U.S.-based defense technology company BlueHalo in an all-stock transaction valued at $4.1 billion. The deal, expected to close in the first half of 2025, brings together complementary capabilities and expands AV’s global footprint, the company said.

With BlueHalo’s portfolio, AV said it will enter into segments that will significantly increase the company’s total addressable market, including counter-uncrewed aircraft systems, directed energy, electronic warfare, and cyber and space technologies. The combined company will benefit from greater resources, enabling faster innovation and more efficient deployment of critical defense systems.

...

Exosens has entered into exclusive negotiations to acquire Noxant, a developer of high-performance cooled infrared cameras, with an acquisition expected to be finalized in the coming months. The acquisition would add advanced cooled IR camera cores for OEM partners to Exosens' portfolio, particularly in the MWIR range. Noxant's offering support IR applications in surveillance, scientific research, and industrial testing as well as gas detection.

The proposed acquisition follows Exosens’ recent deals to acquire Night Vision Laser Spain (NVLS) and LR Tech as well as the company’s acquisition of Centronic earlier this year. The company’s prior acquisitions of Telops, Proxivision, El-mul, and Xenics came while Exosens...