LONDON, England, Sept. 7, 2006 -- British government Industry and Regions Minister Margaret Hodge today announced a multimillion pound project in the West Midlands to unleash the commercial potential of cutting-edge micro and nanotechnology. The project, Materials Solutions, has been set up with a £5 million grant from the Department of Trade and Industry and a further £2 million from the Advantage West Midlands regional development agency. It will start in January on the University of Birmingham campus and will be a national center of nanotechnology expertise providing prototypes and research which will help businesses...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESNanostructured Glass Is Based on Butterfly WingGlass for displays, tablets, laptops, smartphones, and solar cells needs to allow light to pass through, but could benefit from a surface that repels water, oil, and other liquids. Researchers from...Photonics.com 7/16/2019Cost-Effective Coatings for Smart Windows Rival Industry-Standard PerformanceAn inexpensive, ultrathin spray-on window coating for blocking heat and conducting electricity could further reduce energy costs for smart windows and heat-repelling glass, making smart window...Photonics Spectra October 2020 IssueAtomic-Scale Imaging Reveals Strength Capabilities of Thin FilmResearchers at the University of Minnesota have used high-resolution TEM microscopy to image the atomic structure of ultrathin zeolite nanosheets, which are used by industries as specialized...Photonics.com 3/18/2020NIST Proposes New Definition for Optical WattResearchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) seek to develop a more precise definition for the standard unit of light power, the optical watt. Instead of the current...Photonics Spectra March 2020 IssuePRODUCTSEmbedded PLC on a ChipThe second-generation P10 PLC on a Chip™ from Divelbiss Corp. is an embedded, single-chip programmable logic controller. The smaller-footprint device is housed in a LQFP144 package....Photonics Spectra August 2020 IssueXRF AnalyzerThe Vanta Element Handheld X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Analyzer from Olympus Corp. provides fast material and alloy-grade identification. The 2.9-lb analyzer offers speed and ease of use in a...Photonics.com 9/25/2019Vision Inspection SoftwareThe Vision Inspection Pack (VIP™) Software License from Radiant Vision Systems LLC enables the simultaneous evaluation of light, color, and defects in backlit symbols. Designed for...Vision Spectra Autumn 2020 IssueIris Scanning SystemThe IDentity-1 Iris Scanning System from Videology Imaging Solutions Inc. is a 5-MP USB 3.0 acquisition solution delivering ISO/IEC 19794-6 iris compliant images to a host PC for iris enrollment and...Photonics Spectra June 2020 IssuePHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESCommon Infrared Optical Materials and Coatings: A Guide to Properties, Performance, and Applications: The purpose of this guide is to identify the most common infrared-transmitting materials, pointing out key properties and their typical manufacturing and optical coating options. The information provided within this article is for reference purposes only.The optical materials selected for an optical system depend upon the application, the required system performance and the environment in which the system is to perform; thus the materials’...Photonics HandbookOptical Components: Finding Your Way Through the Maze: Optical components fall into two basic groups: transmissives and reflectives. Transmissives include lenses, filters, windows, optical flats, prisms, polarizers, beamsplitters, wave plates, and fiber optics; reflectives include mirrors and retroreflectors. The performance of all may be enhanced with certain substrates and thin film coatings.Lenses come in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials. They can be made of a single piece of glass or have multiple elements; their surfaces can be spherical, aspheric or cylindrical; they can be...Photonics HandbookDetectors: The Charge Injection Alternative: Charge-injection device (CID) technology provides a means to convert optical signals from 185 nm to 1100 nm to electronic charges that can be read out as a video signal or processed via computer. The CID imagers also are capable of directly (or indirectly) converting particle photons including electrons, ions, x-rays and other forms of ionizing radiation to measurable levels of electronic charge.Charged-injection device imagers are metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) detectors that can be fabricated using PMOS, NMOS and CMOS integrated circuit technology, and may be configured as a...Photonics HandbookLasers: Understanding the Basics: Although lasers range from quantum-dot to football-field size and utilize materials from free electrons to solids, the underlying operating principles are always the same. This article provides the basic information about how and why lasers work.Almost 60 years have passed since the first demonstration of a laser in 1960. After the initial spark of interest, lasers were for a while categorized as “a solution waiting for a...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSMulti-line Lasers Simplify Biomedical ImagingThe introduction of multi-line lasers to fluorescence instrumentation provides a compact, easy-to-use, and service-free solution for integrating up to four laser wavelengths with reliable, stable...Photonics.com 11/13/2019Ruggedized Lens MetrologyThe Ruggedized Lens Metrology Whitepaper discusses what the term Stability Ruggedized means and to what extent lenses that have been ruggedized can eliminate detrimental effects such as pixel shift...Photonics.com 10/15/2019Colored Glass as a Versatile and Economical Means for Optical FilteringColored glass filters find many uses in optical systems including imaging, laser, and industrial equipment. We describe design and fabrication techniques for implementing low cost optical filters...Photonics.com 1/31/2020LASERSMART™ Laboratories: A Safety PrimerThe intent of this paper is to provide a narrative checklist of considerations when setting up a laser laboratory. Our goal is to guide you away from the most common pitfalls we have found during our...Photonics.com 9/9/2019WEBINARSThe Future of OpticsTwo perspectives on the Future of Optics Dr. Adam Wax, Theodore Kennedy Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University’s Fitzpatrick Institute for Photonics and Director...Photonics.com 10/20/2011Avalanche Photodiodes – Design and ApplicationsThe high-gain properties in avalanche photodiodes (APDs) make these devices an ideal choice for low-light-level detection in optical communications, spectroscopy, range finding and many other...Photonics.com 9/29/2020Multiphoton Autofluorescence Imaging of T-Cell FunctionImmune cells, including T cells, have a range of functions depending on activation state and subtype. However, current methods to assess immune cell function use exogenous labels that are limiting...Photonics.com 11/10/2020Optical-Based Surface Metrology for CMP Optimization and Die Flatness ControlIntegrated circuit (IC) manufacturing already requires the use of advanced technology nodes down to 5 nm, and has roadmap plans requiring 2 nm for production within the next couple of years. The...Photonics.com 11/17/2020PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSnanotechnologyThe use of atoms, molecules and molecular-scale structures to enhance existing technology and develop new materials and devices. The goal of this technology is to manipulate atomic and molecular...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009scanning probe microscopeSee atomic force microscope; magnetic force microscope; near-field scanning optical microscope; scanning tunneling microscope.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009microcircuit manufacturingThe formation of transistors, diodes, capacitors, resistors and other electronic elements directly on a flake of silicon by etching and selective absorption of doping elements. A circuit diagram...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009cardioid condenserAn oil immersion condenser used to permit only light that has been diffracted or dispersed by a microscope specimen to enter the microscope. It is used in dark-field microscopy.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009MEDIALight Matters Extra: Optics & Photonics Technology Program, STCC - 09.2017In this month’s Light Matters Extra, we take you to the Springfield Technical Community College campus and introduce you to Professor Nick Massa, who has been teaching Optics and Photonics there for...Photonics.com 9/28/2017Fundamentally Different Photonics - LIGHT MATTERS 03.2018On this month's episode of Light Matters, we take you to the South by Southwest (SXSW) Trade Show in Austin, Texas, as new photonics innovations hit the show floor of the Austin Convention Center....Photonics.com 3/29/2018Optics and Photonics at the Hub of the Industry - LIGHT MATTERS 10.2017Tune into this month's edition of Light Matters for some of the highlights from Optifab 2017, as distributors and buyers from all over the world met in the photonics industry hub of Rochester, New...Photonics.com 10/26/2017Capasso Group Revolutionizes Flat LensesResearchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed a single flat lens that can focus the entire visible spectrum of light in the same spot and in...Photonics.com 7/5/2018PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESNanotechnology Imaging SystemsNanopositioning EquipmentNanotechnology SoftwareNanotechnology Consulting ServicesCOMPANIESOZ Optics LimitedEstablished in 1985, OZ Optics is a leading worldwide supplier of fiber optic components, test equipment and sensors. OZ Optics manufactures its products in three locations, Ottawa (Canada),...Photonics Buyers' GuideDiverse Optics Inc.Diverse Optics transforms optical systems from expensive, heavy, and complicated to commercially viable, lightweight, and simple. We manufacture custom precision polymer optic components and...Photonics Buyers' GuideIsuzu Glass Inc.Manufacturer of two main glass products: Molded Glass Lenses and Colored Glass Filters. Manufacturer of custom integrated lens arrays, microlens arrays, aspheric lenses and condenser lenses by...Photonics Buyers' GuideAllied Vision Technologies GmbHABOUT US For 30 years, Allied Vision has helped people see the bigger picture to achieve their goals. We believe knowledge is power and always strive to deliver valuable insight with our...Photonics Buyers' Guide