Photonics & Imaging

Photonics/​Optics

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Explore the latest technical briefs and product breakthroughs in photonics and optics. Resources include breakthroughs in lasers, laser systems, fiber optics, optical components, and photonics.

INSIDER: Imaging
New Products: September 2021 Photonics & Imaging Insider
INSIDER: Photonics/Optics
Tiny Diamond Mirrors Could Smooth Out Already Revolutionary X-Ray Lasers
INSIDER: Materials
Pivotal Discovery of Nanomaterial for LEDs
Articles: Photonics/Optics
Creating High-Precision Glass for NIR Lasers
INSIDER: Photonics/Optics
Paving the Way to Electrically Pumped Lasers from Colloidal-Quantum-Dots
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Top Stories

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

Intelligent Robots Pick, Prune in the Peach Orchard

Blog: Aerospace

A 3D-Printed 'Fish Fin' Offers New Ideas for Morphing Aircraft

INSIDER: Lighting Technology

Pivotal Discovery of Nanomaterial for LEDs

Videos: Automotive

Charge Your Vehicle by Changing Lanes

Blog: Aerospace

Go for Launch: Scientists Explore Radiation Risks to Mars-Bound Astronauts

Briefs: Lighting

Rechargeable Cement-Based Batteries

Latest Briefs & News

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
How to Bake a Cake (with Lasers)
With the help of additive-manufacturing techniques and software-controlled lasers, Blutinger and his colleagues are digitizing the cooking process.
Briefs: Data Acquisition
Multiplexed Optical Antennas
These antennas dramatically increase the amount of information that can be simultaneously transmitted by a coherent light source.
Briefs: Energy
Centimeter-Long Snail Robot Powered with Light
The soft robot harvests energy from a laser beam and can crawl on horizontal surfaces and climb vertical walls and an upside-down glass ceiling.
Briefs: Materials
Say Goodbye to the Dots and Dashes to Enhance Optical Storage Media
To modernize optical storage, Purdue researchers are replacing Morse code with colored “digital characters.”
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Engineering the Flow of Light
A novel nanostructure produces uniquely shaped light.
Technology Leaders: Photonics/Optics
Optimizing 5G Fiber Optic Filament Production
Ball screws are helping manufacturers meet the growing demand for fiber optic cables generated by 5G communications.
Briefs: Nanotechnology
A Sharper Look at the Interior of Semiconductors
A new imaging method allows researchers to see inside complex semiconductors, without destroying them.
Technology Leaders: Imaging
Image Sticking — Cause, Test and Solutions
Learn how to fix one of the more annoying problems in display imaging.
Articles: Photonics/Optics
Spectroscopy Using an Optical Microscope
With an optical microscope, spectra can be acquired from a sample area smaller than a micron.
Application Briefs: Photonics/Optics
The Hidden Effects of Optical Coating Stress
For applications requiring high-energy material deposition coatings, you'll need to understand how stress can impact surface figure and system performance.
Briefs: Materials
New Electron Microscopy Technique Offers First Look at Previously Hidden Processes
Northwestern researchers have developed a new microscopy method that allows scientists to see the building blocks of “smart” materials.
Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Backside Illumination Gets Fast
A new high-speed sensor pushes the boundaries in light-starved conditions.
Application Briefs: AR/AI
Monitoring Additive Manufacturing with an Optical Microphone
Learn about a membrane-free, broadband microphone for the highest ultrasound frequencies.
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition
New Products: September 2021 Photonics & Imaging Technology
Automotive camera monitors, curved CMOS sensors, fiber lasers, and more.
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Standard Digital Camera and AI to Monitor Soil Moisture
Researchers are using a standard RGB digital camera to accurately monitor soil moisture.
Briefs: Wearables
Programmable Fiber Provides Power and Transmits Data
Designed for soldier uniforms, the fiber can sense, store, analyze, and infer activity when sewn into a piece of clothing.
Briefs: Aerospace
Method Produces Fine-Grained Targets
High-yield synthesis of carbon nanotubes is enabled via free electron laser ablation.
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Atom-Based Radio Communications
An atom-based sensor can determine the direction of an incoming radio signal.
Briefs: Materials
Sustainable 3D-Printed Magnets
An alternative, environmentally friendly production method creates permanent magnets.
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Cladding and Freeform Deposition for Coolant Channel Closeout
This method is a faster way to manufacture combustion chambers and nozzles for aerospace propulsion as well as heat exchangers in oil and gas applications.
Special Reports: Photonics/Optics
Medical Robotics - September 2021

Self-propelled nanobots that deliver drugs inside the human body...novel sensors that improve the safety and precision of industrial robots...a dynamic hydrogel material that makes building soft robotic...

Briefs: Wearables
Chemistry Approach for More Robust Soft Electronics
The approach could lead to more flexible health monitors, wearable devices, sensors, optical communication systems, and soft robotics.
Briefs: Imaging
Wearable Sensors Detect Gas Leaks
The ultra-compact, wearable hologram sensor immediately notifies the user of volatile gas detection.
On-Demand Webinars: Photonics/Optics
Advanced Components to Enhance Laser System Performance

Laser systems perform to the level of their weakest component. This 30-minute Webinar showcases the role that critical supporting components such as pump diodes, optical fiber, crystals, and other design choices will have on laser system performance. This Webinar offers practical...

Q&A: Photonics/Optics
Q&A: Switching Technology Improves Power Grid Efficiency
Kristin Sampayan from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory found a fast way to switch high voltages.
Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs
Flexible Organic Photovoltaics
These organic solar cells can be useful where constant, low power generation is sufficient.
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
“Flexoelectricity” in Soft Elastomers Could Improve Robot Movement
A connection between electricity and mechanical motion in soft, rubber-like materials could improve robot range.
Application Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Data Recorders Aid Earth Dust Mission
The Earth Imaging Spectrometer instrument is heading to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2022.
Briefs: Materials
Rolled 2D Heterostructures
The technology potentially enables a new generation of miniaturized electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Webcasts

On-Demand Webinars: Aerospace

Artemis: Back to the Moon

Upcoming Webinars: Automotive

Managing the Complexity of Sealing Battery Housings in Electric...

Upcoming Webinars: Automotive

Engineered Fillers for Vehicle Lightweighting: Doing More With...

Upcoming Webinars: Automotive

Getting ePowertrain NVH Right the First Time with Simulation-Led...

Webinars: Medical

Getting to Market Faster: How to Select Pumps for Clinical...

Upcoming Webinars: Automotive

Commercial Vehicle Electrification: Batteries or Fuel Cells?

Trending Stories

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Rechargeable Cement-Based Batteries

Briefs: Energy

Wearable Sensor Helps ALS Patients Communicate

INSIDER: Energy

More Efficient Electricity Distribution Thanks to New Insulation Material

Briefs: Physical Sciences

Phase-Conjugate Receiver for Gaussian-State Quantum Illumination

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Lightweighting in Aerospace Component and System Design

NASA Spinoff: Automotive

Nanotechnology Repairs Engine Damage in Cars

Videos