JOEL WILLIAMS, ASSOCIATE EDITOR [email protected]A light sensor developed by the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) and the University of Virginia is able to amplify weak signals from far away with greater accuracy than current technology, giving autonomous vehicles a fuller picture of what’s happening on the road. The detector is able to amplify weak signals by drastically reducing noise associated with the detection process. Excessive noise causes systems to miss signals, which in the case of autonomous vehicle applications, can put passengers at risk. “Autonomous vehicles send out laser signals that bounce...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaArticlesIntegrated Photonic Quantum Sensing Takes Aim at Climate ResearchA NASA-funded collaboration will focus on advancing quantum sensing technology to enable new understanding of Earth and the effects of climate change. Led by the University of Texas at Austin (UT),...Photonics.com 3/28/2023Hesai Group Charges Forward with IPO Pricing: Week in Brief: 02/10/23Lidar technology company Hesai Group announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 10 million American Depositary Shares (ADS), at $19 per ADS, for a total offering size of $190 million....Photonics.com 2/10/2023TAU Systems Upgrades University of Texas Tabletop Laser to 40 TWTAU Systems has upgraded the existing University of Texas Tabletop Terawatt Laser (UT3) to facilitate the powering of a compact particle accelerator. The upgraded UT3 driver laser now produces...Photonics Spectra November 2023 IssueNovel Photodiode Cuts Excess Noise, Enhances Detection EfficiencyResearchers at the University of Sheffield designed and developed an avalanche photodiode (APD) with significant potential for low photon detection. The highly sensitive gallium arsenide...Photonics Spectra May 2023 IssueProductsLidar Testing SystemThe E8717A Lidar Target Simulator (LTS) from Keysight Technologies Inc. is a compact, automated benchtop solution that allows automakers and sensor manufacturers to test and validate autonomous...Photonics.com 6/19/2023Automotive Lidar ChipsetThe Komodo lidar point cloud processor application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip from Cepton improves lidar performance and reduces cost for mass-market adoption. The integrated,...Photonics.com 5/8/2023Long-range LidarThe Vista®-X90 Plus lidar from Cepton Inc. is designed to industrialize automotive series production with high performance, power efficiency, and software definability in a compact package. ...Photonics Spectra July 2023 IssueMid- & Long-Range Lidar SensorsThe M2 and M3 from RoboSense are mid- and long-range lidar sensors, respectively, for automotive applications. The M2 uses 2D scanning and MEMS chips that allow for a range of 200 m at 10%...Photonics.com 2/9/2024Photonics Handbook ArticlesSelecting a Photodetector: Using WITS$ as a Rough GuideLight is a versatile tool for investigating physical and chemical processes in nature. Any specific system being analyzed may, through the light it emits or reflects, communicate information about...Photonics HandbookAspheric Lenses: Design ConsiderationsAspheric 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 HandbookLaser Measurement Systems: Best PracticesGiven the pace at which technology advances, there always seems to be a learning curve. With the abundance of consumer electronics available, there typically is no right or wrong way to use these...Photonics HandbookLaser Safety: Important ConsiderationsWhen purchasing an industrial laser system, the astute buyer will look for a Class 1 laser product — a system where the laser beam hazard is completely enclosed and there is no potential laser...Photonics HandbookWhite PapersHDR Imaging for Automotive Sensing Applications Featuring the Triton™ HDR Camera with AltaView™ Tone MappingThis white paper compares current sensing technologies for automotive applications. It outlines the challenges faced by LiDAR, Radar, Sonar, and traditional HDR cameras, and addresses the benefits of...Photonics.com 1/18/2024Unveiling Insights: Remote Sensing Mapping Laser SolutionsExplore Lumispot Tech's advanced remote sensing mapping laser solutions, enhancing geospatial technology and insights. Delve into our capabilities in satellite imagery, aerial mapping, and spatial...Photonics.com 10/13/2023Improving the Efficiency of Monte Carlo Raytracing using Importance SamplingMonte Carlo raytracing algorithms have long been used in optical design and analysis software. A limitation of the Monte Carlo method is that low probability events or ray paths may be undersampled....Photonics.com 9/29/2022Spectroscopy Trends in the Automotive IndustryAs the automotive industry continues to push the boundaries of innovation, the need for advanced technologies becomes increasingly paramount. Spectroscopy has been a game-changer in various domains...Photonics.com 6/21/2023WebinarsFMCW and TOF Flash Automotive Lidar: Challenges and ProspectsA vision of self-driving cars propels research and development for automotive lidar, vital hardware providing distance and velocity information about car surroundings. Among several lidar...Photonics.com 1/12/2022Building the Best Coherent or FMCW Lidar: 5 Criteria for Selecting the Right LaserBuilding a great lidar system requires a great laser. In this webinar, the presenters discuss the five most important criteria for choosing the right laser for your lidar systems, which are...Photonics.com 4/28/2021Avalanche 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 9/29/2020Trends in Emitters for LidarBranko Petrov explores individual trends in lidar emitters and how they are advancing the performance and adoption of automotive lidar systems. He explains how edge-emitter lasers remain the most...Photonics.com 1/12/2022Photonics Dictionary Termsmachine visionMachine vision, also known as computer vision or computer sight, refers to the technology that enables machines, typically computers, to interpret and understand visual information from the world,...Photonics DictionarylidarLidar, short for light detection and ranging, is a remote sensing technology that uses laser light to measure distances and generate precise, three-dimensional information about the shape and...Photonics Dictionaryexcess noise factorA factor, F, indicating the increase in shot noise in an avalanche photodiode as compared with the ideal multiplier, which is noiseless. The noise, which results from variations in avalanche gains,...Photonics DictionaryphotodetectorA photodetector, also known as a photosensor or photodiode, is a device that detects and converts light into an electrical signal. Photodetectors are widely used in various applications, ranging from...Photonics DictionaryMediaIntroduction to Photodetectors - Hamamatsu CorporationPhotodetectors—such as photodiodes (PDs), avalanche photodiodes (APDs), photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), and silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs)—are essential components in a vast array of modern...Photonics.com 7/28/2020Tabletop OPA & Silicon Photonics - LIGHT MATTERS 10.9.2013-Silicon Photonics -Optical Parametric Amplifier On this week’s show: better optical modulators boost silicon photonics, imaging cells through silicon improves visualization, and a tabletop OPA...Photonics.com 10/9/2013Photonics on the Showroom Floor and in the Lab - LIGHT MATTERS 02.2018On this month's episode of Light Matters, we take you on a brief tour of the Higgins Laboratories at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Quinsigamond Community College and WPI received a $4M grant...Photonics.com 2/21/2018Binding 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 11/17/2017Photonics Buyers' Guide CategoriesAPD DetectorsAn APD detector, or avalanche photodiode detector, is a type of photodetector used to detect light or optical signals by converting incoming photons into electrical current. It operates based on the...Large-Area APD DetectorsDeuterium Lamp Power SuppliesPhotomultiplier Tube HousingsCompaniesExcelitas Technologies Corp.Excelitas Technologies® Corp. is a leading industrial technology manufacturer focused on delivering innovative, market-driven photonic solutions to meet the illumination, optical, optronic,...Photonics Buyers' GuideCSRayzer Optical Technology Co. Ltd.CSRayzer Optical Technology is an ONE-STOP Optical devices supplier, offering Acousto-Optic Modulators, Optical Faraday Rotators & Isolators, Fiber Optic Components, MEMS, Laser Diode Modules,...Photonics Buyers' GuideLaser Components USA Inc.LASER COMPONENTS USA is a trusted sales organization providing cutting-edge photonic components to a wide variety of markets. We specialize in lasers, detectors, optical components, and modules...Photonics Buyers' GuideOhara CorporationOHARA manufactures more than 130 environmentally safe optical glass types, free of both lead and arsenic. More than 300 tons of optical glass are melted per month, available in the following forms of...Photonics Buyers' Guide