Long life, stability and ease of integration make LEDs the preferred light source. Combining them with state-of-the-art microelectronics and optics enables new applications.KAVITA ASWANI, TARA MAGGIANO AND JAMES CLEMENTS, EXCELITASEndoscopy is a minimally invasive medical procedure used to view or image inside the human body for surgical and diagnostic applications (Figure 1). This method was first used in the 19th century and has expanded to a wider use today, with applications ranging from external organs such as the ear,...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESWearable Sensors Challenge Traditional Medical TechnologyFrom Apple to Fitbit to Garmin to Google, in the U.S. alone, dozens of companies are producing wearable sensors that record our movements as well as basic health information. Many of these devices...Photonics Spectra August 2019 IssueSmartphone Spectroscopy Takes the Lab to the PeopleBy 2020, the number of smartphone users in the world is expected to reach almost 2.9 billion — nearly doubling in six years from about 1.6 billion in 2014. Technology companies and researchers...BioPhotonics October 2018 IssuePDT, Customized Protocols Team Up for Enhanced Clinical TranslationPhotodynamic therapy is a powerful technique in the local, selective treatment of cancer and infectious diseases, but customized optical device protocols must be added to the mix for major clinical...BioPhotonics January 2019 IssueThe McCree Curve DemystifiedUrban and periurban agriculture is rapidly becoming part of local economies. It is supported by increased consumer demand and preference for high-quality, locally produced foods. Socially, it is...BioPhotonics May/Jun 2018 IssuePRODUCTSBrilliance Across the SpectrumX-Cite® XYLIS is a true arc lamp replacement for routine and advanced fluorescence imaging applications. It has the broadest spectrum available in a white light LED for fluorescence microscopy...Promoted Content May 2018 IssueModular LED Light SourceBlueBox Optics has announced the niji modular LED light source for fluorescence microscopy. With up to seven LED channels, the niji delivers powerful, multiwavelength excitation from UV to...BioPhotonics September 2018 IssueSurface-Mount LEDsThe LSM0603 series of surface-mount (SMD) LEDs from Visual Communications Co. provide a small footprint of 1.6 × 0.8 × 0.55 mm. OEMs can choose from SMD chip LEDs in red, white,...BioPhotonics October 2018 IssueLED Light Source ModuleThe RGB LED light source module from the Berliner Glas Group provides a high degree of light with small light guides. Up to 40 lm can be emitted from one fiber with a diameter of 0.7 mm. By...BioPhotonics April 2018 IssuePHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESMicroscopy Illumination: Considering Nonlaser Light Sources: Metal halide and LED light sources are changing the illumination landscape in microscopy. Brighter, easier to use and growing in application, they are driving new options in fluorescence, conventional bright-field and other contrast techniques.As recently as five years ago, shopping for a microscope light source was fairly straightforward. For routine applications, it was tungsten halogen, typically 100 W, while for fluorescence, it was an...Photonics HandbookLight-Emitting Diodes: A Primer: Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are semiconductors that convert electrical energy into light energy. The color of the emitted light depends on the semiconductor material and composition, with LEDs generally classified into three wavelengths: ultraviolet, visible, and infrared.The wavelength range of commercially available LEDs with single-element output power of at least 5 mW is 360 to 950 nm. Each wavelength range is made from a specific semiconductor material family,...Photonics HandbookFluorescence Lifetime Imaging: Choosing the Best Approach: Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), which measures the spatial distribution of the fluorescence decay, can be achieved either in the time or in the frequency domain. Each approach exhibits advantages and disadvantages, depending on the type of light detector and acquisition method employed.The term fluorescence is often applied as a synonym for photoluminescence, although luminescence actually covers fluorescence and phosphorescence. Both of these terms describe the process of...Photonics HandbookAspheric Lenses: Design Considerations: This first of two articles will cover design and manufacturing options for aspheres; the second will include more detail on manufacturing and testing processes. These articles will provide the tools optics designers need to tailor their designs to the appropriate manufacturing process and to optimize the cost of component fabrication.Aspheric surfaces are powerful tools that combine the optical corrections of multiple lenses into a single element (Figure 1) and affect performance in ways that spherical optics cannot. For example,...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSA Short Introduction to Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) ImagingSWIR imaging significantly extends the possibilities for industrial machine vision applications beyond the visible range. But while broadband light sources are adequate to illuminate some SWIR...Photonics.com 12/1/2019Tolerance Analysis Tools Take the Guesswork out of a Colorful Illumination Design ProblemTolerance analysis has largely been out of reach for illumination designers because of the time needed to perform the thousands of simulations required to get a meaningful statistical tolerance...Photonics.com 5/31/2019Effects of Sterilization Methods on Key Properties of Specialty Optical Fibers Used in Medical DevicesOptical fibers with different types of polymer coatings were exposed to three sterilization conditions: multiple autoclaving, treatment with ethylene oxide and treatment with gamma rays. Effects of...Photonics.com 2/25/2019Active Shims / Advances in Linear Motors for Machine BuildersNovel programmable ceramic shims allow the alignment of components in precision machine tools, laser processing equipment, and optical apparatus in locations that are hard to access. These innovative...Photonics.com 10/1/2018WEBINARSTime-Lapse Imaging with Lamp and LED – Stability vs RepeatabilityJoin us for a FREE webinar: Wednesday, November 5, 2014, 2pm EST Fluorescence microscopy is a standard technique used in most laboratories around the world. With the invention of fluorescence...Photonics.com 11/5/2014OLED Foldable Displays: The Future of the Display IndustryFlexible displays are here and are being exploited by companies like Samsung, Motorola (Lenovo), Xiaomi, LG, and (by Q4 2017) Apple. These displays, which are lightweight, thin, curved at the edges...Photonics.com 6/1/2017The Future of Imaging: Three PerspectivesPresenters: Professor Stephen Boppart The Future of Healthcare With Optical Biomedical Imaging A medical doctor and professor at the University of Illinois, Boppart's...Photonics.com 12/14/2011Biophotonic Imaging for Medicine: A Digital ConferenceResearchers from around the world presented their latest work at “Biophotonic Imaging for Medicine: A Digital Conference.” Presentations focused on a range of light-based imaging and...Photonics.com 6/11/2015PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSgallium nitride (GaN)A semiconductor compound used in photonic devices such as lasers and LEDs.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009optogeneticsA discipline that combines optics and genetics to enable the use of light to stimulate and control cells in living tissue, typically neurons, which have been genetically modified to respond to light....EDU.photonics.com 3/5/2018photobiomodulationA light therapy that utilizes nonionizing light sources, including lasers, LEDs, and broadband light, in the visible and infrared spectrum. It is a nonthermal process involving endogenous...EDU.photonics.com 6/15/2018CMOS quantitative polymerase chain reaction systemThis type of miniaturized system, referred to as CMOS qPCR, combines microfluidic technology with an ultralow-light CMOS bio-optical sensor with LEDs as the optical excitation source to achieve...EDU.photonics.com 11/14/2016MEDIAEdinburgh Instruments Product RangeEdinburgh Instruments is a world-leader in both single photon counting and time correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) based fluorescence spectrometers. Our product range includes: FLS1000...Photonics.com 6/19/2019Supporting the Photonics Industry from the Laboratory - LIGHT MATTERS 01.2018On this month's episode of Light Matters, we take you to central Massachusetts as Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Quinsigamond Community College take on a comprehensive joint photonics laboratory...Photonics.com 1/18/2018Sneak Preview: Photonics West: The Most Wonderful Time of the [Industry’s] YearThree conferences and two exhibitions make SPIE Photonics West the world’s largest annual event in the industry. From plenary presentations to networking opportunities, this show offers an expansive,...Photonics.com 1/5/2017Light Matters Extra: Taking Photonics Innovations from the Lab to the Operating Room - 01.2018In this month's Light Matters Extra, we give you an in-depth look at the relationship between researchers and scientists at the University of California Davis, and surgeons and clinicians at nearby...Photonics.com 1/18/2018PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESLight-Emitting Diode ChipsMedical Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs)Fiber Optic Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs)Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs)COMPANIESOpto Diode CorporationOpto Diode Corporation (Camarillo, CA - (www.optodiode.com), an ITW Company, delivers industry-leading sensors, photodiodes, IR detectors, photonic modules, assemblies, and LEDs. Available in...Photonics Buyers' GuideOptics Balzers AGSolutions from Optics Balzers Optics Balzers is the innovative and independent industry partner for the development and production of coated optical components and subassemblies. The company...Photonics Buyers' GuideCoolLED Ltd.CoolLED designs and manufactures cutting-edge LED illumination systems for researchers and clinicians using the latest LED technology. The company has specialized in fluorescence microscopy since it...Photonics Buyers' GuideBoston Electronics CorporationWe specialize in products related to photodetection, especially, including Detectors, Sources, and Signal Processing Electronics. Photodetectors for the IR, UV, THz, and visible Light...Photonics Buyers' Guide