ZemaxThe flagship edition, engineered for a wide variety of both optical and illumination design applications with dynamic CAD control, all Zemax data libraries, part designer, illumination maps, LightingTrace™, and more.See full productRelated content from Photonics MediaPRODUCTSPromoted Content June 2024 IssueDesign Illumination Optics FasterLightTools 2024.03 illumination design software delivers features ranging from global system optimization to sequence ray tracing — an innovative simulation mode for faster analysis of stray...BioPhotonics.com September 2024 IssueSolar SimulatorThe LumiSun-50™ from Innovations in Optics is a benchtop LED solar simulator for research applications such as PV cell testing and material degradation studies. The simulator uses...Promoted Content March 2024 IssueCODE V Optical Design SoftwareThe CODE V 2024.03 release offers improved design workflow, faster image simulation, and enhanced learning capabilities. New features like Multi-Environment Coupling, an expanded Example Model...Promoted Content December 2024 IssueImSym – Imaging System SimulatorImSym – Imaging System Simulator is an industry-first virtual prototyping platform for imaging systems, encompassing lenses, sensors, and image signal processors (ISPs). By integrating...ARTICLESPhotonics Spectra April 2025 IssueSilicone Surface Mount Optics Promise Performance Gains in Commercial IlluminationSurface mount optics (SMOs) are the optical version of surface mount technology (SMT) components such as resistors and capacitors that are ubiquitous in electronics. Like their electronic...Vision Spectra Winter 2024 IssueSmart Vision Lights CEO Dave Spaulding to RetireSmart Vision Lights has named Steve VanderZwaag, currently vice president of engineering, to succeed Dave Spaulding as president and CEO. Spaulding will retire at the end of 2024, with VanderZwaag...Photonics Spectra March 2024 IssueQuantum-Inspired Method Reveals Details Hidden in NoiseResearchers at the University of Warsaw's Faculty of Physics with colleagues from Stanford University and Oklahoma State University have introduced a quantum-inspired phase-imaging method based on...Photonics Spectra September 2023 IssueLaser Measurement Adds Precision to Engine Core TechnologiesPartners from aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney and Virginia Tech have developed an optical technology to calculate engine thrust to allow high-fidelity measurements of gas turbine engine...PHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESPhotonics HandbookOptical Design Software: Fundamentals and PotentialOptical design software allows the user to develop a configuration of optical elements that manipulate the trajectory of light for the purposes of creating an image, illuminating a target, coupling...Photonics HandbookIllumination Design and Analysis Software: A Vital Tool in the Designer’s KitIllumination design has developed rapidly to include not only automotive headlamps and street lamps, but also backlit displays, fluorescent panel lighting, light-emitting diode or laser sources, and...Photonics HandbookOptical System Optimization: Analyzing the Effects of Stray LightElectrical engineers are very familiar with the effects of shot noise, thermal noise, flicker noise and crosstalk, and recognize how these effects can reduce the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in their...Photonics HandbookImaging Colorimetry: Accuracy in Display and Light Source MetrologyThe market for flat panel displays (FPDs) has undergone tremendous growth, driven mostly by increased demand for televisions, cell phones, computers, digital cameras and MP3 players. Similarly,...WHITEPAPERSPhotonics.com 9/29/2023Accuracy in Optical DesignAnswering some common questions new users of optical design and analysis software have are “How accurate are the results?” or “Can I trust the results I get?” and discussing the importance of...Photonics.com 1/10/2024Spectral, Spatial and Temporal Optimization of Solid-State Light Engine OutputSpecifications for illumination systems for biomedical imaging and industrial metrology generally converge on spectral, spatial and temporal light output characteristics. This article describes some...Photonics.com 8/1/2023Deposition Sciences Inc. Bandpass DatasheetWideband or narrowband filters from the VIS to MWIR.Photonics.com 9/16/2024Antireflection Coatings for Space ApplicationsSpace can be a harsh environment for optical coatings. Optimax has successfully provided antireflection (AR) coatings for a wide range of space applications. This paper outlines the results of...WEBINARSPhotonics.com 3/28/2019Going the Extra Mile with Contrast Optimization: A Practical Comparison of Micro-Imaging System OptimizationDesigning micro-imaging systems commonly used in robotic surgery and precision small-scale imaging used in the defense, industrial, and commercial industries requires calculation of the modulation...Photonics.com 1/19/2022Next-Generation Optics Software: Trends in TechnologyPhysical optics calculation software typically provides a single solving program for Maxwell’s equations. Field solvers such as finite difference time domain (FDTD) or the finite element method...Photonics.com 10/21/2020Lightguides for Mixed Reality Glasses: Design Techniques and ChallengesThe use of lightguides with diffraction gratings has become of great interest in the development of augmented reality and mixed reality glasses. The propagation of light through such lightguides...Photonics.com 10/3/2018Green Light on Lidar: Developing Low-Cost Systems for Autonomous VehiclesFor driverless cars to see mainstream adoption, engineers must solve critical lidar design challenges — including improving the detection range and field of view, ensuring adaptability to...PHOTONICS DICTIONARY+ TERMSPhotonics Dictionaryoptical design softwareOptical design software refers to specialized computer programs used by optical engineers, physicists, and designers to simulate, model, analyze, and optimize the performance of optical systems and...Photonics Dictionaryray tracingRay tracing is a rendering technique used in computer graphics to simulate the way light interacts with objects in a scene. It involves tracing the path of rays of light as they travel through a...Photonics DictionaryMatrix opticsThe linear relationship between input and output optical fields for a given optical system or application that allows the use of a matrix and matrix algebra to define an optical system, or series of...Photonics Dictionaryvirtual imageAn image that is formed when rays emerging from an optical system are diverging from the optical axis. The virtual image is formed where the bundle of diverging rays appear to intersect each other...VIDEOSPhotonics.com 4/5/2023VirtualLab Fusion 2023 - The Detector Revolution - LightTrans International GmbHThe physical optics software VirtualLab Fusion propagates electromagnetic fields through the optical system to the detectors. The fields provide all information about light. Thus, detectors can...Photonics.com 1/9/2024VOLTA Scanner: An Optical High-Throughput Plate Reader for Transmembrane Ion-Channel AnalysesSay goodbye to the limitations of manual patch clamp and outdated electrophysiological investigations. With the emergence of automated patch clamping (APC) nearly two decades ago, higher throughput...Photonics.com 1/9/2024CELESTA Light Engine - Customer Success StorySolving MERFISH challenges for Spatial TranscriptomicsPhotonics.com 8/23/2023Optical Design from AvantierOur optical design team employs DFM principles to ensure optimal performance, cost-efficiency, and timely production of our solutions. Our state-of-the-art metrology ensures thorough testing of each...PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESOptical Design SoftwareOptical design software refers to specialized computer programs used by optical engineers, physicists, and designers to simulate, model, analyze, and optimize the performance of optical systems and...Lens ArraysLow-Light-Level OpticsOptical Design and Engineering ServicesOptical design and engineering services involve the development, customization, and optimization of optical systems and components to meet specific performance requirements and application needs....COMPANIESPhotonics Buyers' GuideLambda Research CorporationLambda sets itself apart as single-source solution for optical and illumination design. Products include: TracePro optomechanical software known for its ease of use, CAD interface and accuracy in...Photonics Buyers' GuideLightTrans International GmbHWe develop and offer fast physical-optics software for optical systems which comprise macro-, micro-, and nano-structured components. By connecting a variety of propagation techniques, LightTrans...Photonics Buyers' GuideFOCtek Photonics Inc.FOCtek provides customers with all types of custom manufactured lenses, Precision Optical Components, Polarizing Optics, Prisms, Filters, Coatings, Optical Systems, Crystals, Nonlinear Crystals,...Photonics Buyers' GuideLaCroix Precision OpticsThe LaCroix name is synonymous with quality precision optics. Since 1947, three generations of family leadership have guided LaCroix Precision Optics to become the premier precision optics...