What do the world’s smallest FTIR spectrometer, a lidar system for autonomous vehicles, and a smartphone add-on sensor for noncontact bioimaging have in common? The 2018 Prism Awards for Photonics Innovation. These products are among 30 finalists for the awards that recognize the industry’s top innovations and groundbreaking technologies.
Co-sponsored annually by SPIE and Photonics Media, the “Oscars of the Photonics Industry” marks its 10th year in 2018. Winners will be announced during the awards gala on Jan. 31, 2018, in San Francisco.
Daylight Solutions Inc. (California, U.S.)
A compact, intelligent spectrometer powered by tunable QCLs, the Chem-Detect Mid-IR Liquid Analyzer is designed to measure low concentrations of analytes in HPLC-compatible liquid columns. ChemDetect brings together a fast-scanning, broadly tunable QCL with uncooled, balanced detection to quickly detect multiple targets in mixed or separated flows with sample volumes on the scale of 1 μL. This is the first mid-IR spectroscopy system to allow high-sensitivity absorption spectroscopy in more than 125 μm of water. Specifically, this enables detection of glucose in water with linearity over multiple decades of concentration.
Illumination and Light Sources
Lumileds (California, U.S.)
The high-efficiency 3-V mid-power LUXEON 3535L HE Plus offers specific correlated color temperature and color rendering combinations. It features a typical LED efficiency of >160 lm/W at 2700 K and 90 CRI. It touts 5 to 15 percent conversion efficiency improvement compared to existing commercial phosphor LEDs at correlated color temperatures. Making this device unique is the application of quantum dots on an LED chip, which allows for higher efficiency, reliability and improved quality of light.
OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH (Munich)
The SFH 4735 is the first broadband infrared LED. It is well suited for near-IR spectroscopy and is able to assess the quality of food or medicine. It features the first converter for IR emitters with a homogeneous spectral distribution in the IR range. The SFH 4735 can be used to measure freshness and quality of water, fat, carbohydrate, sugar and a food’s protein content using a smartphone.
SoraaLaser (California, U.S.)
Touted as the world’s first white light, high-luminance, remotely delivered white laser light module, the LaserLight Fiber Module features the highest luminance light source available. It’s safe, high-efficiency fiber delivery of light from a blue laser diode to a remote phosphor module produces high-luminance, incoherent, broad spectrum white light. This device enables lighting effects such as long-range, highly collimated beam output, as well as compact ultrashort throw, high-angle illumination and glare-free pattern generation with sharp light gradients. It also includes active light level sensors for precise control.
Imaging and Cameras
Daylight Solutions Inc. (California, U.S.)
A second-generation mid-IR quantum cascade laser-based, wide-field, spectroscopic imaging microscope, the Spero-QT is 20× faster than its predecessor that was launched in 2014. The new device is nearly 1000× faster than traditional IR spectroscopic imaging systems. It offers high spectral and spatial resolution; laser-based, label-free imaging; and requires no cryogenic cooling. The Spero-QT is also distinct with its video rate (30 Hz) wide field-of-view spectral imaging capability.
Luminar Technologies Inc. (Florida, U.S.)
Addressing unmet needs for the autonomous mobility industry, the Model-G 3D LiDAR system delivers a million data points at full-range specification per second. Each point is able to detect less than 10 percent reflective targets at more than 200 m away. It simultaneously achieves 38× greater spatial resolution and 6× farther range than most existing systems. The new architecture features a single laser and detector pair to rapidly collect information from the environment while remaining eye safe. Its sensor operates at 1550 nm, which requires InGaAs. A new Si-InGaAs hybrid ASIC is involved, with an order-of-magnitude-higher performance and lower cost than other InGaAs receivers. The Model-G 3D LiDAR is the first dynamically configurable system operating at 1550 nm.
neaspec GmbH (Martinsried, Germany)
A cryogenic optical atomic force microscope mounted on a tailored closed-cycle dry-cryostathe, the Cryo-neaSNOM is a first-of-its-kind nanoanalytics tool that enables ultrahigh-resolution optical near-field microscopy <20 nm. Specifically, the new device allows optical imaging and spectroscopy on single nanocrystals, nanodomains and nanostructures in the visible, IR and THz spectral range at cryogenic temperatures. It can perform nanoscale optical near-field measurements at ultracold temperatures (<10 to 300 Kelvin). Its closed-cycle, dry-cryostat technology enables push-button cryogenic near-field experiments without the need for a liquid helium supply.
Quantumcyte (California, U.S.)
The Q1 ArraySeQ is a single-cell analysis platform for phenotypic profiling. Capable of individually assessing thousands of cells simultaneously, the system correlates that information to the genetic data collected from each cell. The unique capability of linking phenotypic to genotypic data allows for the development of personalized treatment options for cancer and other genetic diseases.
Tomocube (Daejeon, South Korea)
The HT-2 is the first optical microscope that enables the visualization and simultaneous measurement of 3D refractive index tomography and 3D fluorescence imaging of live cells and tissues. Simultaneous 3D fluorescence imaging provides molecular-specific information about target samples and provides correlative analysis. The new microscope helps scientists and researchers to investigate live cells and analyze
the morphological, biophysical and biomechanical properties of those cells.
Materials Processing and Additive Manufacturing
Han’s Laser Technology (Shenzhen, China)
Designed specifically for PVD ablation processing in the manufacturing of new-generation smartphones, the Multi-axis, High-Precision UV-Laser System comprises a sub-nanosecond UV-laser with up to 10 W output power, a four-axis motion control system, a precise 2D scanner, and a high-resolution CCD vision system. It is a highly integrated, highly accurate, cost-effective micromachining system that features auto-calibration and auto-compensation for laser power and vision positioning for stable and accurate manufacturing.
LIMO GmbH (Dortmund, Germany)
The Activation Line UV-L750 is an optical beam delivery and beam-shaping system designed for UV laser lift-off (LLO) of flexible OLED displays. Its optical beam transformation technology enables 10× larger depth-of-field for high-end lift-off processes in mass production tools for flexible OLEDs. It can combine up to 12 laser sources into one single line beam profile, and can also be used for LLO and solid-state laser annealing.
AdlOptica Optical Systems GmbH (Berlin)
The foXXus multifocus optics technology allows simultaneous multilayer material processing for effective depth-of-field and controlled propagation of a processed zone such as cracks in glass and other brittle materials. With refractive design and lenses with polished optical surfaces, it is used in conjunction with lasers to redistribute energy along the optical axis (polarization energy splitting). FoXXus offers high resistance to CW and ultrashort pulse lasers, providing up to eight separate foci.
Optotune Switzerland AG (Dietikon, Switzerland)
The MR-15-30 is a compact dual-axis vector scan mirror that features tilt in two dimensions with a range of +/−25° mechanical half angle around a single point of rotation. This provides an optical field of view of 100 degrees. It has a built-in position feedback system that ensures high-precision position control. It offers resolution better than 5 μrad and reduces thermal drift to only 20 μrad/Kelvin. The MR-15-30 — suitable for automotive, biometric, vision and medical applications — is the only mirror of its kind currently on the market.
Spectrolight Inc. (California, U.S.)
Utilizing coordinated rotation of two precision bandpass filters and a compensation plate, the Flexible Wavelength Selector (FWS) combines the precision wavelength tuning and adjustable bandwidth of a monochromator with the large uniform circular transmission aperture. It is able to perform spectral imaging directly and with unprecedented flexibility. The FWS is the first optomechanical device that can detect every pixel (similar to an array camera in imaging applications) while at the same time acting as a monochromator to smoothly scan or step bandwidth and wavelength (such as in spectroscopy applications).
Test and Measurement
Gamma Scientific (California, U.S.)
The GS-1290-NED is a measurement system that offers high spatial resolution color and contrast measurements for near-eye displays such as those used in virtual reality and augmented reality. It incorporates compact imaging optics that feed an integrated camera viewing system and a low-noise, high-accuracy spectroradiometer. The system features a telescope with small entrance pupil to mimic the human eye and an integrated 2D image sensor, combined with the spectroradiometer measurement. This allows quick mapping, as well as accurate color and luminance uniformity.
Si-Ware Systems (Cairo)
The world’s smallest FTIR spectrometer that covers the widest spectral range at the higher end of NIR (1350 to 2500 nm), the NeoSpectra Micro provides better identification of materials and more accurate quantitative analysis. It is a platform that enables deployment at different stages of product development for material analysis applications. The NeoSpectra Micro has surpassed its past Prism-award-winning predecessor (NeoSpectra), as it is 60 times smaller, 100 times less expensive and can be scaled to larger volumes.
Spheryx Inc. (New York, U.S.)
The xSight accurately detects, counts and characterizes particle size and refractive index in the subvisible range (500 nm to 10 μm). It is the first instrument that can quickly provide quantitative measurement of size and composition in complex samples, in their native environments and in real time. In addition, the xSight can simultaneously identify and characterize similarly sized particles, and it measures them directly. The device’s high-speed analysis algorithm increases the rate of manufacturing process control.