photonics

Med-tech company Norlase, a 2014 spin-out of the Technical University of Denmark, has signed a €20 million ($20.7 million) venture debt financing with the European Investment Bank (EIB). The funding will support the expansion of Norlase’s innovative ophthalmic laser technology.
Norlase, a two-time PRISM Award winner and developer of ophthalmic laser technology, has secured funding to expand the commercialization of its portable ophthalmic lasers. Courtesy of Davy Denke.
On a technical level, the financing will support the development and market access of Norlase’s innovative portable ophthalmic lasers, designed to diagnose and treat causes of vision loss and blindness. The initiative focuses on advancing novel...

Superresolution microscopes, like the Nobel Prize-winning stimulated emission depletion (STED) and photo-activated localization/stochastic optical reconstruction (PALM/STORM) microscopes, provide resolutions of a fraction of the wavelength of light. But in order to image adjacent fluorescent molecules separately, they must be sequentially switched between a fluorescent (ON) and a nonfluorescent (OFF) state.

A team of scientists led by Stefan Hell has now increased the resolution by a factor of 30 for the first time without molecular ON/OFF switching. By using an illumination beam with a zero-intensity stripe (node) in the beam they were able to separate constantly emitting molecules down to distances of a few nanometers. The study...

GlobalFoundries (GF) has signed a master research agreement with MIT to jointly pursue advancements for enhancing the performance and efficiency of critical semiconductor technologies. The collaboration will be led by MIT’s Microsystems Technology Laboratories and GF’s research and development team, GF Labs. Initial research will focus on AI and other applications with the first projects expected to leverage GF’s differentiated silicon photonics technology and 22FDX® platform to realize power efficiencies for datacenters and deliver decreased power consumption for intelligent devices at the edge, respectively.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Industrial blue laser technology developer NUBURU, Inc. has entered into a...

Nu Quantum, a quantum computing company, has launched the Quantum Data Centre Alliance (QDA) in an effort to bring together leading companies representing different layers of the quantum computing stack and create a forum on data center-scale quantum computers.

Along with Nu Quantum, founding members of the alliance include Cisco, NTT Data, OQC, QphoX, Quantinuum, and QuEra Computing. According to the companies, the QDA presents an open community to discuss the opportunities and challenges on the road to building large, scalable, and robust quantum computing services.

The Nu Quantum launched Quantum Data Centre Alliance was created to help discuss and face challenges on the road to building robust quantum computing services....

In paper published in Nature, PsiQuantum has reported its development of a quantum photonic chipset purpose-built for utility-scale quantum computing. Called Omega, the chipset is designed and fabricated on full-size wafers at GlobalFoundries’ silicon photonics fab in N.Y. and contains all the advanced components required to build million-qubit-scale quantum computers, the company said.

Fabrication of the chips in a high-volume semiconductor fab, PsiQuantum said, represents a newly-reached level of technical maturity and scale in the field. The company said additionally that it plans to break ground this year on two datacenter-sized quantum compute centers, one each to be located in Brisbane, Australia and Chicago.
...

IonQ has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a controlling stake in ID Quantique (IDQ) in an all stock transaction. Alongside the deal for IDQ's team, product offerings, and quantum networking business, IonQ and South Korea-based telecommunications operator SK Telecom have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the future development of the AI and quantum industry. Per the agreement, SK Telecom and its investment arm, SK Square, will exchange their shares in IDQ for shares in IonQ. The move, SK Telecom, said, facilitates a closer business relationship with IonQ. SK Telecom purchased a stake in IDQ in 2018 via a $65 million investment.

“This strategic transaction and the expertise of ID Quantique...

Biotechnology company Eikon Therapeutics has closed a $350.7 million Series D funding round. The company's drug discovery technologies, based on superresolution microscopy, automation, and high performance computing, enable visualization and measurement of the real-time movement of proteins in living cells and aim to speed the development of medicine. The company’s clinical portfolio includes drugs targeting various cancers.

“With clinical studies now operating in 28 countries, across 5 continents, we are accelerating the development of much-needed therapies while continuing to expand our research and development capabilities,” said Roger Perlmutter, CEO and chairman of Eikon Therapeutics.

Superresolution...

A chip-based source for terahertz power could improve the efficiency of electronic devices and chip-based applications. But generating terahertz waves on a semiconductor chip is difficult.

To meet this challenge, a team at MIT created a chip-based, terahertz amplifier-multiplier system that achieves high radiating power within a streamlined design. The compact device for generating terahertz on a chip could be used to improve data transmission, medical imaging, high-resolution radar, environmental monitoring, and many other applications.

One approach to generating terahertz waves on a chip is to use a CMOS, chip-based amplifier-multiplier chain that increases the frequency of radio waves until the waves reach the terahertz...

Light can be a powerful tool for manipulating molecular events. It is noninvasive, relatively straightforward to use, and can provide excellent spatial and temporal control.

A light activation tool has been developed at the University of Geneva that can control both the activity and localization of various types of molecules in vivo. The tool could enable researchers to control a molecule at a specific location in a living organism without affecting the surrounding cells. It could be used for both research and medical treatments such as those for skin cancer.

The researchers initially set out to modify a well-characterized inhibitor of Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1). Their aim was to develop a way to control the activation and...

Nikon Metrology Europe NV has appointed Aiden Kenny president, effective immediately. Having started his career in the semiconductor industry, Kenny has held executive leadership roles in several global companies, including a nearly 20 year stint at Nikon Precision Europe GmbH in engineering and business management.

Aidan Kenny. Courtesy of Nikon Metrology Europe NV. MANCHESTER, N.H. — Power and sensing semiconductor solutions provider Allegro MicroSystems, Inc. has added Mike Doogue as president, CEO, and member of the board, succeeding Vineet Nargolwala. Doogue has spent the last 27 years at Allegro, originally as an engineer and business leader before his most recent roles as executive vice president and the company’s...

Using ultrafast spectroscopy, researchers at Michigan State University tracked the vibrational motions of single, unlabeled virus particles under ambient conditions across the megahertz to terahertz spectral range.

The team’s methodology, called BioSonic spectroscopy, promises to provide insight into viral dynamics without the need for labeling and could serve as a means for viral fingerprinting. In the future, BioSonic spectroscopy could help speed the development of antiviral drugs for combating viral infections.
Working with ultrafast spectroscopy, professor Elad Harel aims to reveal how microscopic phenomena impact large complex systems. Courtesy of Michigan State University.
To observe and study the...

ams Osram is set to receive €227 million ($237 million) in state aid from the Austrian Ministry of Economy and Labor to support the construction of an advanced manufacturing facility in Premstätten, Austria. The plant, expected to be operational in 2030, bolsters Europe’s semiconductor supply chain, particularly for automotive applications.

The facility will be based on a toolbox approach that combines CMOS technology for transistors with a through silicon via (TSV) technique. This allows for a vertical electrical connection of chips and/or optical filters, and thereby provides specific capabilities to the final chip. The advantage of such a tightly integrated process is the ability to produce Grade 0 automotive...

QDI Systems, a developer of quantum dot-based imaging technology, has received a €2.5 million ($2.6 million) grant from the European Innovation Council. Total funding available through the grant and accompanying equity financing is up to €7.5 million.

QDI Systems plans to use the funding to scale its nanomaterial quantum dot technology for SWIR and x-ray applications. The company, a 2019 spinoff of the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials at the University of Groningen, previously raised $5.4 in a Series A funding round last year. Since then, QDI Systems said it has increased its customer base tenfold.

The nanomaterial quantum dot technology provides higher-quality imaging and lower radiation doses for SWIR and...

Q.ANT, a developer of photonic processing for AI, has launched a dedicated production line for thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN)-based photonic chips at the Institute of Microelectronics Stuttgart (IMS CHIPS). The integration of Q.ANT’s photonic chip technology and the upcycling of the existing CMOS production facility at IMS CHIPS creates a blueprint for cost-effectively modernizing chip production worldwide, the partners said.

The line is expected to accelerate the production of energy-efficient, high-performance processors for AI applications by delivering faster, more energy-efficient processors to meet the growing computational demands of AI and high-performance computing (HPC). Q.ANT has invested €14 million ($14.7...

SWIR sensors deliver clear visual information even in low-light conditions and can detect IR light that is both reflected and directly emitted by objects.

IR sensors use semiconductors to detect light signals and convert them into electrical signals. SWIR sensors typically use compound semiconductor materials, which have significantly higher electron mobility than single-element silicon semiconductors. The enhanced mobility provided by compound semiconductors allows even faint light signals to be detected with superior energy efficiency.

To advance the use of SWIR sensors for a range of applications, researchers at the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) developed a high-quality compound semiconductor...

Norsk Elektro Optikk (NEO) has begun development of an advanced hyperspectral imaging system for satellite-based methane detection. The initiative is supported by the European Space Agency (ESA)’s InCubed program.

The camera, built from NEO’s existing SWIR-640 camera model, incorporates key advancements. These include optimized hyperspectral technology for improved detection capability, a refined optical system for higher imaging precisions, extended spectral range covering critical methane absorption bands, compact and lightweight design for satellite integration, and enhanced cooling mechanisms for stability in space. Key performance highlights include a ground sampling distance of 60 m, spectral sampling of less than...

Machine vision company Cognex has promoted Matthew Moschner to president and COO, effective immediately. Formerly senior vice president, Moschner will continue to report to CEO Robert Willett, who had also served as president of the company prior to Moschner’s appointment.

In this role, Moschner will oversee global engineering, products, sales, and operations. Moschner joined Cognex in 2017 and has held key roles across product and engineering teams. In 2022, he was promoted to vice president of ID Products & Platform Engineering to help grow the company’s barcode reading portfolio and to lead the company’s strategic technology and product planning process.

Moschner managed Cognex's integration of Moritex,...

STMicroelectronics has released its next generation of 300 mm silicon platform proprietary technologies based on its silicon phosphorous and BiCMOS technologies for higher-performing optical interconnects in datacenters and AI clusters. Developed in collaboration with Amazon Web Services, BiCMOS is a combination of bipolar resisters and CMOS technology based on silicon germanium. The products will include 800 Gbps and 1.6 Tbps optical modules. The company is also developing a roadmap with its partners across the value chain for higher energy efficiency pluggable optics.

STMicroelectronics’ 300 mm fabrication site in Crolles, France. Courtesy of STMicroelectronics. SAN JOSE, Calif. — Infinera Corporation, an open optical...

Lumotive, a developer of programmable optical semiconductor products, has closed a $45 million Series B funding round to accelerate sales growth of its Light Control Metasurface (LCM) technology. The company plans to use the funds to strengthen its international presence to provide responsive localized support and customized solutions for specific technical business needs.

Lumotive’s LCM chips guide photons by using the light-bending properties of metamaterial surfaces. Nanostructures smaller than the wavelength of light work together to both shape and steer optical energy in any direction within the field of view. The technology is manufactured using conventional silicon fabrication processes, which enables scalability.

...

Hyperlume has raised $12.5 million to support the commercialization of its high bandwidth, low latency, low power interconnects for data centers and high-performance computing systems. Founded in 2022, the company’s technology uses specialized, ultra-fast micro-LEDs and ultra-low power circuitry to achieve significant performance, cost, and energy-efficiency gains relative to the traditional copper interconnects.

Hyperlume plans to use the funds to accelerate development; expand its product, engineering, and R&D teams; and strengthen strategic partnerships with hyperscalers, chip manufacturers, and AI infrastructure providers as it prepares steps for production of its optical technology to meet demands for 800G and 1.6T...