This is the syndication feed for Photonics Spectra. https://www.photonics.com/ Thu, 02 Jul 2026 05:12:20 GMT Wed, 01 Jul 2026 13:54:00 GMT 1800
The history of acousto-optic (AO) devices is well documented. Early advancements began with Léon Brillouin’s 1922 prediction of light diffraction by acoustic waves, which Peter Debye and F.W. Sears confirmed experimentally in 1932. Early research, meanwhile, focused principally on iso- tropic media.

The field advanced significantly with the development of models by C.V. Raman and N.S.N. Nath in 1937. In the 1960s, early developments in strain optic effects in materials and traditional Bragg modulators and deflectors emerged from research at Bell Labs. Key researchers were R.W. Dixon and G.A. Coquin1, as well as a collection of their research colleagues. These innovations laid the foundation for modern AO devices,...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Tracking-the-Evolution-of-Acousto-Optic-Devices/p5/a72250 A72250 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 13:54:00 GMT
Grocery stores, kitchen pantries, and bakeries may be expanding into the electronics market. It is all thanks to researchers at Binghamton University, who used a laser to transform standard commercial parchment paper into a high-performance electronic circuit. The finding could advance disposable electronics.

The work stems from parchment paper’s water repellency, which it owes to a thin silicone coating on the paper’s surface. In their work, the researchers used a laser to remove the paper’s coating in specific patterns, exposing the water- absorbing cellulose fibers underneath. The generated channels act as microscopic highways that guide water-based conductive inks where they need to go — forming resistors,...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Your-grocer-is-now-selling-complex-circuits/p5/a72371 A72371 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:50:00 GMT
In May, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) announced its intent to provide more than $2 billion in federal incentives to nine companies pursuing innovations in quantum science. The high-dollar funding underscores a clear groundswell of belief among global powers in the need to advance quantum technologies in the interest of national security.

This is a distinctly multipronged victory for the U.S. quantum community. The government funding allocates capital that, according to the DOC, “will address the most consequential unresolved engineering problems in multiple quantum modalities.” The agency is speaking specifically about quantum computing here, and its use of this superlative, even if only to characterize the...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Tapping-into-the-quantum-revolution/p5/a72370 A72370 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:45:00 GMT
LED solid-state lighting has brightened our world for decades, and technology innovation is ongoing in both the R&D and industry sectors of the lighting and display fields. The miniaturization of screens and the development of smart lighting features characterize much of the present advancement. Meanwhile, innovation in phosphor materials, especially those needed to generate red emission for warm-white LEDs, has plateaued. This is due to a significant hurdle: the reliable generation of narrow-band red light with excellent color rendering and optimal efficiency.

On paper, trivalent europium (Eu3+) phosphor ions seem like the ideal candidates to overcome the bottleneck. These ions produce exceptionally narrow-band red emission lines...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Nanoengineering-Sparks-Innovation-in-Warm-White/p5/a72269 A72269 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 11:16:00 GMT
Zinc oxide (ZnO), an earth-abundant, nontoxic, sustainable material, can be designed to exhibit strong, highly sensitive mechanoluminescence within the near-infrared (NIR) region.

According to researchers at Tohoku University, who developed the mechanoluminescent ZnO with colleagues at the University of Tsukuba and Saga University, this is the first demonstration of mechanoluminescence in ZnO without the use of any rare-earth elements.

Mechanoluminescent materials convert mechanical energy such as stress, strain, and vibration directly into light, and are used for self-powered sensors that require no batteries or wiring. These materials have a wide range of potential applications, but they are typically made from expensive,...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Mechanoluminescent-Zinc-Oxide-A-Surprising/p5/a72364 A72364 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 07:00:00 GMT
Aeluma, a semiconductor company, appointed Brendan Moran vice president of engineering. Moran spent 18 years at Lumileds, serving most recently served as senior director of R&D and before that as senior director of product development. Moran also served as principal engineer at Allux Medical earlier in his career, developing a wearable LED phototherapy platform.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Wayne Tupuola, CEO of Laser Photonics Corp., is taking a temporary leave of absence that the company anticipates will last approximately three months. The company made the announcement in a regulatory filing. Laser Photonics Corp.'s board of directors appointed Ann Tewari, the company's executive vice president of global operations and strategy, as...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Pasqal-Appoints-CFO-People-in-the-News-7-1-2026/p5/a72377 A72377 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 05:38:00 GMT
Fusion Bionic, a Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS spinout company developing laser-based solutions for large-area and high-speed processing, has secured €8.2 million ($9.3M) in a seed financing round. The company is pioneering an approach to achieve functional surfaces that do not require additional coating or wet chemical processes. It plans to use the capital to accelerate its expansion from a technology provider to a provider of industrial machine solutions.

An additional €2.4 million will be allocated to two major industrial projects in which the bio-inspired laser technology will be translated into large-scale applications and machine solutions, the company said.

The Fusion Bionic team is...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Surface-Functionalization-Specialist-Fusion/p5/a72379 A72379 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 04:26:00 GMT
When C.V. Raman observed inelastic light scattering in 1928, he established the foundation for what has become one of the most versatile tools in molecular analysis. In India, the discovery holds particular cultural and scientific significance: February 28, the day Raman reported his findings, is celebrated nationwide as National Science Day. It is an enduring reminder of Raman’s profound influence on fundamental photonics research.


Courtesy of Lightnovo ApS.
At its core, Raman spectroscopy probes how light interacts with molecular vibrations. While most incident photons are scattered elastically (Rayleigh scattering), a small fraction undergoes inelastic scattering, exchanging energy with the sample. These energy shifts,...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/AI-Opens-Opportunities-to-Deploy-Raman/p5/a72270 A72270 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT
In the U.K., the combination of aging infrastructure and limited monitoring in the field is contributing to a significant increase in hospitalizations linked to waterborne diseases. Recent data shows a 60% increase since 20101. In the most severe cases, those hospitalized are being diagnosed with serious illnesses such as dysentery and leptospirosis.


Courtesy of ABB.
The situation in the U.K. highlights the consequences of sewage overflows and a lack of investment in legacy infrastructure. It is only one example of the challenges that regions around the world are facing in ensuring water security. In addition to public health risks posed by outdated infrastructure and insufficient monitoring, a growing number of environmental...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/In-Water-Monitoring-Multimodal-Architectures-Are/p5/a72238 A72238 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT
CMOS image sensors are entering a generation of development shaped less by incremental scaling and more by considerations for how to increase the light efficiency that can be engineered within increasingly complex optical stacks. Across a growing range of applications, photon efficiency, angular control, size, and more cost-effective manufacturability at scale are the core parameters that are defining performance. As a result, optical architecture has become a primary lever of differentiation for the electro-optic industry.


Courtesy of y_cgi_stock/stock.adobe.com. ___[---MARKETPLACECATS---]___ From a technical standpoint, three trends are converging to reshape CMOS image sensor design: the integration of optics at the wafer level,...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Converging-Innovations-Are-Driving-the-Next-Wave/p5/a72220 A72220 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT
Ultrafast lasers in the femto-regime have long been an essential tool for end users tasked with cutting and drilling materials. Processing metals, dielectrics, semiconductors, glasses, ceramics, and crystalline substrates with minimal melting and heat damage ensures that these materials are suitable for an expansive range of applications. Ultrafast lasers, delivering controlled bursts of photons that are so fast that their thermal effects are mitigated through their rapid absorption, are synonymous with consumer electronics manufacturing, medical device fabrication, solar cell patterning, and semiconductor device production.


Courtesy of Workshop of Photonics.
Today’s industrial end users are pushing the envelope, adopting...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Ultrafast-Laser-Makers-Balance-Performance-and/p5/a72289 A72289 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT
A newly demonstrated lidar system is poised to open possibilities for applications in robotics, autonomous driving, and remote sensing. The technology simultaneously measures the location, speed, and material properties of objects in a scene.

Conventional coherent lidar systems, which do not capture the full optical wavefield, cannot access an additional, rich source of scene information — that is, surface material properties encoded in the polarization state of backscattered light and in the statistical properties of coherent polarization speckle.

Researchers at the University of Toronto and Ciena Corporation designed a polarimetric, full-wavefield, coherent lidar system that can extract far more information than is...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Coherent-Lidar-Gauges-Distance-Speed-and/p5/a72365 A72365 Tue, 30 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMT
The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) and the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), the German research center for fundamental research, plan to collaborate on the development of advanced software, data, and computing technologies for photon science. Per a signed MOU between the centers, ESRF and DESY will use their expertise to build a sustainable European software ecosystem that can support synchrotron and photon science facilities.

(From left) Michael Krisch, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) director of research, Beate Heinemann, chairperson of the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) board of directors, Jean Daillant, ESRF director general, Britta Redlich, DESY director in charge of photon...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/ESRF-DESY-Collaborate-on-Photonics-Software/p5/a72376 A72376 Tue, 30 Jun 2026 05:36:00 GMT
The deal is expected to close in the second half of the year.

Luna's existing relationships with customers, vendors, suppliers and other business partners are expected to continue without disruption following the close of the deal. Its business operations will continue in its ordinary course during the period between signing and the closing of the transaction, upon which Luna will continue to operate its business as a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent.

The financial backing from TJC will enable Luna...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Private-Equity-Firm-to-Acquire-Luna-Innovations/p5/a72375 A72375 Mon, 29 Jun 2026 13:48:47 GMT
The Mesh Optical Technology team brings experience from SpaceX, Intel, and other advanced manufacturing environments. Company co-founders Travis Brashears, Cameron Ramos, and Serena Grown-Haeberli helped develop the optical communication links connecting SpaceX’s Starlink satellite mega-constellation, according to reports.

Mesh Optical would provide optical...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Elon-Musk-Secures-FTC-Approval-to-Acquire-Mesh/p5/a72374 A72374 Mon, 29 Jun 2026 12:03:28 GMT
Hamamatsu Photonics has provided an update into its involvement in a project that aims to detect faint flashes of light produced by neutrino interactions in Antarctic ice. The company's announcement, regarding the IceCube initiative upgrade at the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, is focused on newly installed sensor strings.

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a large-scale scientific facility embedded in approximately one cubic kilometer of exceptionally clear Antarctic ice. In detecting the faint flashes of light produced by neutrino interactions, it aims to help researchers investigate fundamental questions in astrophysics.
A multi-photomultiplier tube digital optical module (mDOM) is...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Hamamatsu-Updates-Progress-on-Antarctic-Neutrino/p5/a72366 A72366 Mon, 29 Jun 2026 06:01:00 GMT
LargePNet, a generic, large-view-aggregation, fluorescence image restoration network, overcomes the loss of global contextual information caused by conventional, patch-based training. Developed at Peking University, by a team led by professor Xi Peng, LargePNet collects large-view statistical information through a dedicated network...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Image-Restoration-Network-Aims-to-Augment/p5/a72363 A72363 Mon, 29 Jun 2026 05:00:00 GMT
A tunable metasurface, developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in collaboration with international institutions, could provide a path toward the miniaturization of mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy for practical, onsite use.

Though it is a valuable tool for analyzing the composition of chemical and biological samples, the use of MIR spectroscopy its use is typically restricted to large instruments in laboratory settings, limiting its accessibility. It also faces limitations in analytical sensitivity.

The researchers created dynamically tunable, free-standing, silicon membrane metasurfaces with high-quality-factor (high-Q) transmissive resonances in the MIR region. The metasurfaces function as on-demand, spectrally...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Proof-of-Concept-MIR-Sensor-Moves-Spectroscopy/p5/a72361 A72361 Mon, 29 Jun 2026 04:30:00 GMT
Researchers have developed a chip-based metasurface biosensor that can detect traumatic brain injury (TBI) biomarkers at extremely low levels. With further development, the technology could one day help doctors make a faster diagnosis after a head injury, helping to guide treatment and provide early warning when complications occur.

The research builds on the concept of coating a metasurface with antibodies that bind to specific target molecules allows it to detect those molecules using light. “Although several biomarkers have been validated as indicators of TBI, current methods for measuring them are time-consuming and require multiple complex laboratory steps,” said research team leader Guangyuan Li from the Beijing...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Chip-Based-Metasurface-Sensor-Detects-Low-Levels/p5/a72358 A72358 Fri, 26 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMT
Under the measure, QuantumDiamonds agreed to ensure broader impact with positive effects on the EU semiconductor value chain by ensuring the security of supply and increasing qualified workforce; strengthen collaborations with universities and research institutions; fulfil orders on a priority basis in case of a supply shortage; create opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by making part of the facility...]]> https://www.photonics.com/Articles/European-Commission-Approves-86M-for/p5/a72359 A72359 Fri, 26 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMT