photonics

Biotechnology company PlaqueTec and the Babraham Institute’s Flow Cytometry Facility have begun a collaboration to develop cell phenotyping assay to detect cell subpopulations in human blood. The collaboration aims to use the assay to investigate the different cell types present in coronary artery samples collected from patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) participating in PlaqueTec’s ongoing BIOPATTERN trial.

The BIOPATTERN trial uses PlaqueTec’s Liquid Biopsy System to collect samples at multiple sites along a patient’s diseased coronary artery. The resulting data from the cell phenotyping analysis could uncover novel biological insights into the cell types accumulating at coronary disease sites, and...

A new software program can map the movements of multiple particles within cells simultaneously, providing insight into cellular functions that are difficult — and sometimes impossible — to investigate using single-cell tracking methods.

The software, developed by researchers at the University of Bonn and Wageningen University and Research, speeds the high-throughput process used to observe molecules in cells, enabling fivefold shorter measurement times than single-particle tracking, according to the researchers.

In single-particle tracking, the molecule is marked with fluorescent light, and hundreds of photos per second are taken using a high-resolution microscope. By looking at the gaps between molecules and the...

STEMMER IMAGING AG, a machine vision technology developer, has rebranded its INFAIMON subsidiaries in Spain, Brazil, Mexico, and Portugal as STEMMER IMAGING. According to the company, customers will continue to have the same contacts and will gain access to an expanded product portfolio following rebranding, which came into effect Feb. 1.

BRUSSELS — Semiconductor deep tech startup VoxelSensors has completed a seed round with an additional €3 million ($3.3 million) in tail investment. The funding, led by new investor Qbic Fund, will go toward the company’s international growth and customer engagement for its spatial and empathic computing solution for mobile and XR devices. The investment is an extension of the...

PowerLight Technologies, a developer of laser power beaming systems, will provide critical wireless power beaming expertise, solutions, and support for the development of lunar power infrastructure, as part of Blue Origin’s award under the DARPA Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) initiative. PowerLight Technologies is teamed with Blue Origin on the scalable surface power infrastructure solution that includes generation and transmission of megawatts of electricity using lunar-sourced materials and wireless power beaming.

Power beaming can provide the means for delivering power to remote devices in the early stages of lunar development and operations where efficiency of mass, deployment flexibility, and ease of implementation are...

SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, recognized the top innovations in new optics and photonics products at the 2024 Prism Awards held at Photonics West on Jan. 31. The gala event marked the Prism Awards’ 16th anniversary.

The annual ceremony honored a range of established and emerging companies applying groundbreaking and creative solutions to critical problems in areas such as augmented and virtual reality, sensors, lasers, quantum technology, and biomedical optics solutions.

Finalists and winners were selected by a panel of international judges who leveraged their knowledge and acumen from across the technology commercialization and funding sectors. The distinguished judges' roster included the...

I have never been one to leave a party early, much less when the band is just warming up. But this, sadly, will be my final editorial column for Photonics Spectra. Fortunately, my next professional endeavor will not carry me entirely beyond photonics, because all signs indicate that this industry has barely hit the dance floor.

Regular readers will have noticed that, though some photonics sectors have become almost commoditized, the overall industry still regularly sets the stage for Nobel-winning research as well as headline-making technological leaps.

Additionally, as this column has observed, photonics technology is itself undergoing a sea change. One general theme defining this change is that many large, complex systems are...

In the early 2000s, a husband-and-wife team, Hongxing Jiang and Jingyu Lin of Texas Tech University, first demonstrated the range of outstanding features provided by micro-LED displays. Since then, the technology has seen increasing adoption in the display screens of a growing number of popular electronic devices. Their applications range from large video walls to microdisplays for wearables and AR/VR devices. With additional advancements in deep-ultraviolet (DUV) laser manufacturing systems, experts predict micro-LEDs will further disrupt the display market and help to add new functionalities, such as cameras and sensors, to the screen.

Bright, robust, and compatible with integrated sensing, micro-LEDs are the next generation of...

Raman microscopy is a fantastic technique for analyzing the chemical composition of samples. It is a nondestructive technique that mitigates the need for material preparation and the use of stains or dyes.

Further, combining Raman spectroscopy with microscopy enables high spatial resolution to be obtained that can be applied to particles measuring a few micrometers in size.


A stereotypical Raman microscope showing the laser light’s journey through the main components. Lasers (red), microscope (green), optical path (purple), and spectrometer (blue). Courtesy of Edinburgh Instruments.
This versatility has prompted use of the technology in a wide range of applications and end markets, from semiconductors to bioscience,...

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 established 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.

Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in engineering technology with an electronics specialization, which includes elective studies on lasers and optics technology. The degree program focuses, in part, on the applied aspects of science and...

Moore’s law has been challenged many times during the past sixty years, but semiconductor engineers always found new tricks to continue doubling the density of transistors on a chip. In the meantime, the cost to do so has skyrocketed. Today, chip makers create structures on silicon chips that are as thin as a few atoms. It will not be long before physics prevents these structures from getting any smaller.

Decreasing the transistor size has always helped to increase the clock rate. There are other ways to enable higher processing speeds, such as cooling or using lower voltages. But most of these methods will also reach their physical limits in a few years, which will inhibit processors from getting faster.

At the same time,...

Many a researcher has probably shared, at one time or another, the wry sentiment, “Meetings: the practical alternative to work.” I would argue that serving on your institution’s laser safety committee (LSC) does not involve meetings that fall into that category. Whether you are starting, rekindling, or joining your organization’s laser safety program, a functional, engaged committee is vital to its practical success. In the interest of transparency, it is worth noting that no laser standards require such a committee.

The most recent edition of the ANSI Z136.1 standard, Safe Use of Lasers (2022), only suggests that a committee be formed under certain circumstances. In Appendix A, under Section A2, titled...

The decision to do business in China presents complex challenges for many companies in the European Union (EU) and the U.S.

China now leads in 37 out of the 44 technologies listed on the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Critical Technology Tracker1. Sectors in which China has a nominal lead include photonic sensors, photovoltaics, and advanced optical communications, among others. In addition, China offers significant market opportunities, manufacturing capabilities, cost-effective production, and supply chain efficiencies. Many photonics companies rely on Chinese suppliers for components, which makes it difficult for these companies to entirely sever ties with the country.

China’s role in the global economy...

There are many roadblocks that can arise on the roadway to scientific discovery. Money always seems to be a big factor. When the well runs dry, so does access to the lab. But besides the almighty dollar, the other major obstacle faced by researchers trying to make a name for themselves is time.

Although someone might get lucky once in a while and stumble on a discovery immediately, most researchers understand that they are in it for the long haul. Some work for decades before they make the breakthrough that they have been pursuing since they first applied for their doctorate. And this isn’t at all the fault of the researcher, especially if they are not equipped with the right tools or materials to get the job done. Often, it is...

A study conducted by Mass Eye and Ear, the Broad Institute at MIT, and Harvard Medical School has demonstrated links between the thinning of different retinal layers and an increased risk of disease. The work used OCT retinal images and genetic data from thousands of UK Biobank participants and could serve to advance the use of OCT to predict ocular disease and inspire further research on disease prediction beyond the eye.

The researchers analyzed data from more than 44,000 UK Biobank participants who underwent OCT retinal imaging and genotyping in 2010. The participants were subsequently followed for an average of 10 years.

The team performed a cross-phenotype analysis using OCT images from the UK Biobank and identified...

Quantum computing company IonQ reported that it has hit a target milestone of 35 algorithmic qubits a year ahead of schedule. IonQ’s systems are now capable of new tasks in quantum machine learning and quantum chemistry. The milestone was achieved on the trapped ion-based IonQ Forte platform through hardware and software improvements, including increased qubit count, improved optical detection hardware, and an optimized quantum program compiler.
A side view of an IonQ Forte evaporated glass ion trap chip. IonQ recently achieved its 35 algorithmic qubit benchmark a year ahead of schedule, the company said. Courtesy of IonQ.
The single number algorithmic qubit (#AQ) benchmark was derived from algorithmic benchmarking protocols...

During a ceremony yesterday at SPIE Photonics West, TRAQC was named as the winner of the $10,000 top prize at the 14th annual SPIE Startup Challenge. Their real-time inspection solution for the printed electronics industry uses terahertz radiation and metamaterial technology to ensure quality while reducing waste.
(From left) Jenoptik’s Ralf Kuschnereit, TRAQC's Benjamin Dringoli, and 2024 SPIE President Jennifer Barton. Courtesy of SPIE.
ClearVision, developer of a noninvasive alternative to permanent vision-correction surgeries based on corneal sculpting with femtosecond laser technology, received $5,000 for second place. UriMetrics came in third, winning $2,500 for their lens-free imaging solution for reducing the incidence...

Quantum computing technology developer ORCA Computing has acquired the Integrated Photonics Division of GXC, a provider of private cellular network solutions. The division has provided advanced photonics solutions to top U.S. commercial and governmental agencies. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The acquisition, ORCA said, bypasses years of investment and exploration of integrated photonics materials. Through the acquisition, ORCA will bring to market hybrid photonic materials, enhancing the performance of current PT Series products toward scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computing.

Following the sale, GXC will transfer its photonics-related assets to ORCA Computing, including intellectual property and existing technology....

Laser technology startup Femtum has closed a 5 million CAD ($3.7 million) seed round. The funding accelerates its commercialization of mid-IR fiber lasers tailored to semiconductor manufacturing processes. Femtum is a 2017 spinout of the University Laval’s Center for Optics, Photonics and Lasers, co-founded by CEO Louis-Rafaël Robichaud and CTO Simon Duval.
Femtum company founders Simon Duval, CTO (left) and Louis-Rafaël Robichaud, CEO (right). Courtesy of Sabina Kopica.
The funding was co-led by ELAS Technology Investment, a German high-tech fund specializing in photonics, and i4 Capital, a Canadian deep-tech fund. Additional contributors include Quantacet, Boreal Ventures, and Eureka, along with photonic technology...

IDS Imaging Development Systems has appointed Michael Berger as its managing director, replacing founder and shareholder Jürgen Hartmann who served on the management board for 27 years. Hartmann will act as chief innovation manager for the business. Berger most recently served as general manager of VARTA AG's lithium ion cell and solutions division. Additionally, the company named Jan Hartmann as head of finance, HR, IT, and Business Innovation & Ecosystem. Alexander Lewinsky will take over development in addition to his previous responsibilities in operations.
IDS Imaging managing director Michael Berger (pictured) has taken over management duties for company founder Jürgen Hartmann, who will serve as chief innovation...

SMART Photonics, a foundry for photonic integrated circuits, has scaled up its production of photonic chips by transferring its entire production capability from 3-inch to 4-inch wafer substrates. According to the company, SMART Photonics is among the first photonic integrated circuit foundries offering 4-inch indium phosphide wafer production.

In general, 4-inch wafers contain close to twice the number of chips as 3-inch wafers. The resulting increase in production rate will translate to a lower price-per-chip, the company said.
SMART Photonics has transferred its production capability from 3-inch wafers to 4-inch wafers. The larger wafers contain close to double the number of chips as 3-inch wafers. Courtesy of SMART Photonics....