Optics.org News and Analysis

Teledyne hopeful of imaging rebound
Company sees strong bookings in the closing quarter of 2020, as both X-ray and optical imaging sectors recover.
Simpler laser cooling offers route to chip-scale cold atom devices
NIST project employs metasurface beam shaping and planar optics.
Amplitude Laser to supply 60 TW laser to German ATHENA sites
French developer to install 60TW Pulsars first at DESY, Hamburg, then at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
Bloodline project to develop diode lasers for 3D metal printing
Led by University of Glasgow spinout Vector Photonics; based around proprietary PCSEL sources.
‘Hair-thin’ optical fibers promise performance innovations
University of Bonn team makes fine fibres simply, predicts applications in quantum, sensors, and gas detection.
Ellex acquisition pushes Lumibird sales
French photonics firm still feeling the impact of lower research lab spending, but lidar business grows and CILAS could be next acquisition.
Lasers bring technology to artisan watch crystal engraving
EPFL project creates 3D structures within sapphire glass materials.
Fraunhofer ILT and Cronimet Ferroleg develop laser scrap metal sorter
German Government-funded “PLUS” project yields sensor that boosts efficiency of metal recycling.
Covid update: 21 January 2021
A round up of this week's coronavirus-related news and countermeasures from the photonics industry.
3D imaging with LEDs and smartphone points to simpler machine vision
University of Strathclyde project creates images without complex synchronizing of camera and lighting.
Denso joins forces with Aeva for auto lidar commercialization
Major automotive component supplier sees frequency modulation approach as ‘missing link’ for future autonomous vehicles.
ASML smashes sales record after shipping 100th EUV system
Lithography giant expects further growth this year, as chip makers invest in production capacity.
Orbital Systems project aims to boost optical space comms
French partners Cailabs, Onera, and CNES to develop, evaluate atmospheric turbulence compensation module.
UK partners developing optical magnetometers to test electric vehicle batteries
CPI and Kelvin Nanotech in £5.4M project for quantum sensors to detect magnetic field given off by healthy lithium cells.
Lumentum and Coherent merger to create photonics industry giant
Two of the most recognized names in the photonics sector set to join forces in $5.7BN deal.
Raman spectroscopy offers improved diagnosis of oral cancer
Hamburg project develops platform able to distinguish malignant from non-malignant tissue.
Danish group launches €3 million quantum communication project
CryptQ consortium to develop fiber laser-based secure optical networking system over the next three years.
ORC-Zepler: Si-photonics showcase reports ‘dramatic advances’
£6 million program, led by Graham Reed, has overcome significant R&D challenges for industry-compatible technology.
Researchers refine laser method to 3-D print delicate glass parts
Fresnel Institute process avoids layering limitations by using laser to polymerize precursor into solid glass.
Merger back on as Cisco and Acacia agree higher price
Networking giant will now pay $4.5BN for the silicon photonics company, up from the $2.6BN agreed in 2019.