Valerie C. Coffey, stellaredit@gmail.comResearchers are on the threshold of building feasible quantum computers, with a few architectures inching ahead. Will we soon see a quantum leap in their progress? For more than two decades, one of the holy grails of physics has been to build a quantum computer that can process certain types...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESTunable Nanoparticle Layer Switches Between ‘Mirror,’ ‘Window’Researchers have made a reversible electrotunable filter that can change between a reflective ‘mirror’ and a transmissive ‘window’. This discovery could help scientists create...EuroPhotonics December 2017 IssueShrinking FT-NIR Spectrometers Empower Consumers, BusinessesChip-scale sensor integration has brought us to the edge of new market opportunities that are poised to transform business practices and consumer lifestyles. The ability to incorporate miniaturized...Photonics Spectra October 2017 IssueVia Photonics, Secure CommunicationsMuch of the world’s communications travel by light. So, data carried on photons moving through free space or over fiber must be made as secure as possible. Quantum key distribution helps do...Photonics Spectra August 2017 IssueFor Quantum Computing, New Hardware Platform Based on 2D MaterialsTo harness the capability of quantum computing, hardware must be developed that can access, measure, and manipulate individual quantum states. In response to this need, researchers at the University...Photonics Spectra May 2019 IssuePRODUCTSTriple Bandpass FiltersTriple Bandpass Filters from Midwest Optical Systems Inc. are designed for crop health assessment in real time, including information on plant growth, water usage, soil type and topography. The...BioPhotonics September 2017 IssueIR Cut Off FiltersUQG Optics IR cut off filters block the IR transmission while passing the visible. They produce true colour appearance and avoiding colour deviation, they keep the primary colours display natural and...Photonics Buyers' Guide January 2018 IssueHoya Colour Glass FiltersUQG manufacture Hoya Optical Glass Filters covering the (UV) ultraviolet to (IR) infrared regions. Our Hoya filters are mainly supplied to scientific and imaging companies. UQG Optics complete of...Photonics Buyers' Guide January 2018 IssueParabolic MirrorsThe Techspec 100Å Off-Axis Parabolic Mirrors from Edmund Optics are used in broadband UV, visible and IR applications. Each precision-manufactured, interferometer-tested mirror features a...Photonics Spectra January 2018 IssueMEDIAOptics 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 10/26/2017Light Matters Extra: Optifab 2017 - 10.2017In this month's Light Matters Extra, we give you an in-depth look at North America's largest optical fabrication exhibition and show – Optifab 2017. 188 companies filled the showroom floor of the...Photonics.com 10/26/2017Light 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 9/28/2017Binding Light in Optics and Photonics - LIGHT MATTERS 11.2017Tune into this month's edition of Light Matters for 'Part 1' of an exclusive interview with SPIE CEO, Eugene Arthurs, as he speaks about his upcoming retirement. We’ll also take you to Rochester,...Photonics.com 11/17/2017WHITEPAPERSA New Spectral Analysis System Designed to Measure High-Performance Thin-Film Optical FiltersThe HELIX Spectral Analysis System was designed to address the limitations of most commercially available spectrophotometers when measuring high-performance thin-film optical filters. The system’s...Photonics.com 7/1/2017Effects 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 2/25/2019Accelerating Photonic Simulations with the Effective Index Method in RSoft ToolsThe Effective Index Method (EIM) can be used in Synopsys RSoft™ photonic design software to greatly reduce the computation time and memory requirements of a simulation by converting a 3D structure...Photonics.com 3/1/2018How to Design a Detector Noise Limited Instrument with PbSe DetectorsPyrometers, NDIR gas analyzers, and flame monitoring systems, often make use of MWIR photoconductive PbSe detectors. Particularly, when high sensitivity and quick response time at an affordable cost...Photonics.com 2/7/2018WEBINARSImaging Applications in Quantum ResearchQuantum technology, an exciting and evolving field combining physics and engineering, applies the properties of quantum mechanics to next-generation computing applications. It has the potential to...Photonics.com 9/26/2018Large-Scale, Deep-Tissue Neuronal ImagingLingjie Kong, Ph.D., will speak on advances in large-scale deep tissue imaging of biological dynamics, focusing on applications in neuroscience. Kong received his Ph.D. in Optical Engineering...Photonics.com 4/20/2017Optimizing Machine Vision Systems to Maximize Product Quality and YieldNelson Bridwell, president of Machine Vision Engineering LLC and an AIA Certified Vision Professional, will discuss how to apply statistical control to optimize reliability and yield of machine...Photonics.com 5/19/2016A Bird’s-Eye View of AR Coatings, from Concept Through ProductionThe most common optical thin-film coating produced today (and for more than 80 years!) is the antireflection (AR) coating. This webinar will present the concepts and design principles of AR coatings,...Photonics.com 3/12/2019PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSthin filmA thin layer of a substance deposited on an insulating base in a vacuum by a microelectronic process. Thin films are most commonly used for antireflection, achromatic beamsplitters, color filters,...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009integrated opticsA thin-film device containing miniature optical components connected via optical waveguides on a transparent dielectric substrate, whose lenses, detectors, filters, couplers and so forth perform...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009multispectral photographyThe use of narrow bandpass filters and special photographic emulsions to discern features of a surface that would not be easily recognizable with regular black-and-white or color photographic methods.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009covered grooveA technique used in integrated optics where a groove is cut on a substrate surface and covered by a thin film to facilitate the construction of filters, resonators, beamsplitters and grating couplers...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009PHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESThin-Film Coatings: A Buyers' Guide: The vast majority of optics used in precision scientific, industrial, biomedical, and military applications incorporate thin-film coatings on their surfaces. Therefore, it’s useful for almost anyone involved in the specification and purchase of optical components to have some familiarity with the typical performance characteristics, trade-offs and limitations of various coating types, as well as some knowledge of the capabilities of common thin-film production technologies. This article provides an objective overview of both these topics.What are thin-film coatings? The purpose of any optical thin-film coating is to modify the transmittance and reflectance properties of the substrate material to which they are applied. Most coatings...Photonics HandbookFlat Optics: Considerations When Buying: To simplify the process when purchasing flat optics, we will discuss the top six factors from a manufacturer’s perspective, all of which affect the three major areas of the purchasing decision: quality, delivery and cost.Flat optics generally perform three main functions: They transmit light (windows), reflect light (mirrors) and fold light (prisms). While most optical manufacturers make spherical and flat optics, a...Photonics HandbookNano-Optics Technology: Optical Alchemy: Transforming ordinary materials into extraordinary optics holds the key to progress.Optics today needs alchemy, and the forces that motivate microchip technology are a key reason why. Today, light can transmit and process digital information as well as electricity can — in...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 HandbookPHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESLaser OpticsOptical AssembliesUltraviolet Transmitting FiltersUltraviolet Absorbing FiltersAn ultraviolet absorbing filter is a filter that is opaque from 200 to 400 nm.COMPANIESII-VI Optical SystemsHIGH ENERGY LASER SOLUTIONS - II-VI Optical Systems provides collaborative support through all project phases, including consulting services at the project requirements definition phase, conceptual...Photonics Buyers' GuideMLD Technologies LLCExperts In Thin-film Coating Design We practice a design-before-quote approach to help customers refine specifications and minimize technical risk. We understand how coated optical elements...Photonics Buyers' GuideLaCroix Precision OpticsOptics that Defend, Build, Cure and Discover The LaCroix name is synonymous with quality precision optics. Since 1947, three generations of family leadership have placed LaCroix Precision Optics...Photonics Buyers' GuideGlass Fab Inc.A History of Quality Since 1974 Glass Fab Inc. has met customers' stringent specifications by providing fabricated parts made of optical glass, filter glass, fused quartz and fused silica, low...Photonics Buyers' Guide