photonics

BluGlass Limited, a semiconductor developer, has received $4.3 million in commitments from institutional and sophisticated investors. The funds will be used to scale and speed production and delivery of BluGlass’ visible lasers to fulfil new and existing contracts. The funds will also support the acquisition of additional fabrication equipment, working capital, and development of products to increase market competitiveness and sales.

Amazec Photonics' €1.5 million seed round will go to developing cardiovascular monitoring tools. Courtesy of PhotonDelta. OUDKARSPEL, The Netherlands — Medtech company Amazec Photonics has secured a €1.5 million ($1.6 million) seed round to develop its minimally invasive diagnosis...

Researchers from ICFO have introduced a type of polaritonic cavity which redefines the limits of light confinement. The work demonstrates an unconventional way of confining photons, overcoming traditional limits in nanophotonics.

Confining photons to increasingly small volumes has long been an area of interest for physicists. The natural length scale of the photon is the wavelength and when a photon is forced into a cavity much smaller than the wavelength, it effectively becomes more “concentrated.” This concentration enhances interactions with electrons, amplifying quantum processes within the cavity.
Researchers have developed nanocavities that enable deep subwavelength volume and extended lifetime using an...

Multiverse Computing, a developer of value-based quantum computing solutions, and Single Quantum, a provider of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors, launched an industrial materials science R&D project under a $1.4 million contract with the German Aerospace Center (DLR)’s Quantum Computing Initiative (DLR QCI).

Under the contract, Multiverse Computing and Single Quantum will use quantum simulation to improve the superconducting film that allows the hardware to detect photons. The quantum companies won funding through a competitive bidding process to use quantum simulation to improve the transmission capabilities of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors. These detectors are essential for quantum...

A new, spiral-shaped lens could make consistently clear vision possible for people with lens implants or age-related farsightedness. The spiral diopter works similarly to progressive lenses used for vision correction, while foregoing the often-found distortions. Its spiral shape creates many separate points of focus, allowing the user to see clearly at different distances and in various light conditions.

In addition to advancing contact lens technologies and intraocular implants for cataracts, the spiral diopter lens could be used to miniaturize imaging systems while maintaining their optical quality.

According to the researchers, the spiral diopter lenses are superior to conventional trifocal lenses at larger apertures for...

Organic-based optoelectronics have the potential to provide an energy-efficient way to operate low-power indoor devices and wireless IoT sensors. Organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) and organic photodetectors (OPDs) show exceptional promise for powering indoor electronic devices sustainably. However, the manufacturing processes for standalone OPVs and OPDs can be complex and costly, resulting in high production costs and limited scalability.

OPVs can absorb energy and generate electricity, even under very low light conditions, while OPDs are able to acquire images. So far, the independent development paths for OPVs and OPDs have kept them from achieving the level of efficiency necessary for practical use in next-generation,...

Sivers Semiconductors AB, an integrated chips company, has nominated Bami Bastani to become chairman of its board of directors. Bastani was also appointed as executive chairman of Sivers’ U.S. subsidiary, Sivers Semiconductors Inc. He previously served as strategic advisor to the company's board and management team and, held president, CEO, and board member positions at Meru Networks, Trident Microsystems, and ANADIGICS.

WASHINGTON D.C. — Hyperspectral satellite company Kuva Space appointed Jerry Welsh to the board of its newly established U.S. subsidiary, Kuva Space US. Welsh is the former CEO of ICEYE US and served as a mentor for space and aerospace startups participating in the Techstars accelerator program.
Jerry...

Teledyne Technologies Inc. has entered into an agreement to acquire Adimec Holding B.V. and its subsidiaries. Adimec, headquartered in Eindhoven, Netherlands, develops customized high-performance industrial and scientific cameras. The move, Teledyne said, adds products, technology, and customers in healthcare, defense, and semiconductor and electronics inspection from Adimec that are complementary to its existing portfolio.

Adimec has offices in Boston, Japan, and Shanghai and Shenzhen, China. The company spearheaded the development and adoption of the CoaXPress standard, forming the CoaXPress Consortium in 2009. The work earned a 2009 Vision Award for CoaXPress, and the format became a global standard in 2011 following endorsement...

An imaging system developed by researchers from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) captures the photoluminescence lifetimes of rare-earth doped nanoparticles in the micro- to millisecond range. The high-precision shortwave infrared (SWIR) imaging technique paves the way for application in biomedical and information security where accuracy and dependability are essential.

Rare-earth doped nanoparticles (RENPs) possess unusual light-emitting properties that researchers find useful, like the ability to emit in the UV, visible, and SWIR ranges. The photoluminescence lifetime of RENPs has the advantage of being minimally affected by external conditions. As a result, measuring it through imaging provides data from...

Innovation Hub Lithuania (InnoHub Lithuania), a Silicon Valley site designed to serve as an economic bridge between high-tech Lithuanian companies, and research institutes, with American counterparts and customers, is the latest development set to boost Lithuania's optics and photonics sector. The hub, which launched earlier this month concurrent with Photonics West in San Francisco, will provide support to Lithuanian companies looking to establish partnerships by providing insight on legal and cultural differences for establishing contracts and marketing strategies, and market insights.

Neringa Morozaite-Rasmussen, Lithuania’s vice-minister of economy and innovation said that particularly for smaller companies, who may have...

The development of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) is an expensive and time-consuming process. Nanofabrication facilities cost millions of dollars to construct and are well beyond the reach of many colleges, universities, and research labs.

For those who can access a nanofabrication facility, at least a day must be reserved for the exacting and time-consuming lithographic process used to make these microchips. On top of that, if an error is made in design, or if the chip does not work properly for some other reason, the faulty circuit must be discarded, the design adjusted, and a new chip fabricated. This often results in days or even weeks spent in the cleanroom.

Researchers led by the University of Washington (UW) have...

Biofilms, slimy layers formed when bacteria stick together on a surface, allow bacteria to shield themselves from extreme environments. As sources of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, biofilms can cause serious issues in healthcare and other industries. Conversely, biofilms of harmless bacteria can be used to develop new biomaterials. The power to optically control biofilm formation could allow scientists to harness these microbial layers to develop and enhance bioengineering applications.

Researchers at California State University Northridge investigated the use of optical trapping to regulate bacterial aggregation and biofilm development. In the work, the team used lasers of varying wavelengths and determined which wavelengths support...

Representatives from the New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering, and Science (NY CREATES) visited the Fraunhofer Institute in Dresden, Germany to set concrete dates for a joint exchange in 2024. The meeting follows last year's signing of a memorandum of understanding between NY CREATES and the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems to collaborate on joint research projects, symposia, and workshops as well as promoting scientific exchanges.

From top: Lumicore’s production base in Nanjing, China and the company’s 1.32-in. micro-OLED. Courtesy of Lumicore. SHANGHAI — Micro-OLED display manufacturer Lumicore has closed a Series A funding round worth $100 million to help raise...

Seven quantum hardware companies have been awarded contracts to build a diverse range of quantum computing testbeds at the National Quantum Computing Centre facilities in Oxfordshire, England by March 2025.

The Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition, delivered by Innovate UK, is providing £30 million ($37.8 million) funded through the UKRI Technology Missions Fund and the NQCC to accelerate the development of scalable quantum computing.

The winners are University of Sheffield spinout Aegiq; Infleqtion; ORCA Computing; Oxford Ionics; Quantum Motion; QuEra Computing; and Rigetti.
The National Quantum Computing Centre will be host to a range of quantum technology testbeds developed by quantum computing...

A new imaging technique could improve survival rates for pancreatic cancer by enabling physicians to detect the full extent of the disease for surgical intervention. The technique pairs a contrast agent with multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) to identify pancreatic cancer cells at the microscopic level, at approximately 10 times more magnitude than what is currently possible.

A research project led by Lacey McNally and Ajay Jain, MD, professors of surgery at the University of Oklahoma’s OU College of Medicine will investigate the technique's efficacy in evaluating the spread of pancreatic cancer. McNally and Jain received a $3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health to...

Two research hubs in Southampton and Bristol, England have received £11 million ($13.9 million) each to help bring new chip technologies to market. The newly established Innovation and Knowledge Centres (IKC) will support research and initiatives, provide access to state-of-the-art prototyping technology, and will work closely with early-stage companies.

At the University of Southampton, the Cornerstone Information and Knowledge Centre will build on the university’s expertise in silicon photonics and work to improve the development and commercialization of silicon photonics technologies. The site will be led by professor Graham Reed, director of the Optoelectronics Research Centre.
U.K.’s Minister for Tech and...

In separate transactions, Bruker has acquired preclinical in-vivo optical imaging systems company Spectral Instruments Imaging (SII), and Nanophoton Corporation, a provider of advanced research Raman microscopy systems. Financial terms of the transactions were not disclosed.

With the deals, Bruker has made five acquisitions since the start of 2024.
Bruker has acquired Nanophoton Corporation, developer of the RAMANtouch high-speed Raman microscope (shown). The company also acquired Spectral Instruments Imaging (SII), a provider of preclinical in-vivo optical imaging systems. Courtesy of Bruker via Business Wire. Established in 2009 in Tucson, Ariz., SII’s technology supports co-registered bioluminescence, fluorescence, and...

Optica has appointed Judith M. Dawes as the editor-in-chief of Optics Continuum, effective March 1. Dawes takes over for Takashige Omatsu, who led the journal as the founding editor since 2018. Dawes is a professor of physics at Macquarie University in Sydney with research interests in laser physics, nanophotonics, and laser applications in medicine and communications. She has made significant contributions to research on Yb:YAB crystals and the invention of a laser-cured protein solder for laser microsurgery. She is a fellow of SPIE, the Royal Society of New South Wales, and Optica, as well as its director-at-large. Judith M. Dawes. Courtesy of Optica.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sir Peter L. Knight has been named an Optica Honorary...

The Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik (FBH) has partnered with TRUMPF, LayTec, and Finetech to develop high-power diode laser stacks with high duty cycle and optical power, and low fabrication cost. The work is to take place under the HOTSTACK project, coordinated by TRUMPF. The initiative addresses the need for stacked arrays of diode lasers to pump the new generation of pulsed solid-state lasers of the highest energy class.

Diode lasers are needed in high volumes for these systems, but manufacturing processes, such as epitaxial growth, III-V wafer structuring, and etching processes are complex. Meanwhile, reliable process control is essential for understanding and controlling the...

NASA will collaborate with the European Space Agency (ESA) on a space-based observatory designed to detect gravitational waves. The ESA formally adopted the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) to its mission lineup, with launch slated for 2035.

The construction of the instruments and spacecraft will begin in 2025 once a European industrial contractor has been selected, the ESA said.

Gravitational waves were first detected in 2015 by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) following the merger of two black holes. Along with other ground-based facilities, LIGO has since observed dozens of these mergers, as well as other gravitational-wave producing phenomena.
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna...

A new, 3D-printable material that is a highly efficient emitter could lead to cheaper, more sustainable manufacturing processes for OLED devices. The material, called supramolecular ink, demonstrated the ability to convert nearly all absorbed light into visible light during the emission process.

Although OLEDs are lighter, thinner, and more energy-efficient than other flat-panel technologies and provide a higher-quality image, they often contain rare, expensive metals such as iridium. Supramolecular ink, which is made of inexpensive, Earth-abundant elements instead of costly, scarce metals, could enable more affordable, environmentally sustainable OLED displays and electronic devices.
These 2-cm-high 3D-printed objects were...