Optical Components

High-Brightness Source of Coherent Light Spanning From the UV to THz

A novel technique for a high-brightness coherent and few-cycle duration source spans seven optical octaves.

Photonics West 2021 Preview

The virtual event offers a mix of live plenary talks, on-demand technical presentations and discussions, online networking and special events.

SoloHI Imager Captures Rare Shot of Venus, Earth, Mars, and Uranus

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) and NASA’s Solar Orbiter Heliospheric Imager (SoloHI) recently recorded an image showing three of the four inner rocky planets. The...

This LED Can Be Integrated Directly Into Computer Chips

Light-emitting diodes — LEDs — are important in many more applications than just illumination. These light sources are useful in microelectronics too. Smartphones, for example, can...

Compact Infrared Spectrometer

This device fits on a computer chip but can analyze infrared light in the same way as a conventional spectrometer.

A Near-Perfect Blackbody Calibration Target

This rapid and cost-effective technique yields a uniform etched surface with 99.5 percent emissivity.

Split-Ring Torque Sensor

This optical-based device measures position, velocity, and torque.

New Materials Boost Efficiency and Stability of Optical Rectennas

The improved rectennas could operate low-power devices such as temperature sensors.

Niobium Titanium Nitride Thin Film Coating

Applications include terahertz medical imaging and communications.

Sensitive Optical Receivers for Space

This concept could help break through the present-day data-return bottleneck in deep space missions.

New Products

Bandpass Filters MidOpt® (Palatine, IL) introduced the BP450 Indigo Bandpass and the BN450 Narrow Indigo Bandpass, two new filters designed for multi-application use. The BP450 enhances the viewing of subjects illuminated by a...

Large-Area Flexible Organic Photodiodes Can Compete with Silicon Devices

The performance of flexible large-area organic photodiodes has advanced to the point that they can now offer advantages over conventional silicon photodiode...

Cavity-Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy (CEAS) for Ozone Detection

This simple and inexpensive design achieves high-quality ozone measurements.

Platform for All-Optical Computing

Computations are done solely with beams of light.

How to Make Tomorrow’s Electronics Using Ink-Jet Printed Graphene

Researchers at the University of Nottingham have cracked the conundrum of how to use inks to 3D-print novel electronic devices with useful properties, such as an ability...

How to Choose an Optical Filter

Optical interference filters are critical to the overall performance of machine vision applications. So how do you select the right one?

Fine-Pointing Optical Communication System Using Laser Arrays

This technique for optical data transmission from satellites uses laser arrays to provide fine pointing capability.

Vortex Radiometer for Wireless Communications

Any high-performance communication systems operating in RF or optical frequencies may benefit from this system.

3D X-Ray Imager for 3D Object Retrieval

Applications include characterizing additively manufactured components and baggage screening.

Cascaded Offset Optical Modulator

This subsystem is used in free-space optical communications and fiber-optic communications.

2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Automotive/Transportation Category Winner — Low-Noise Laser for Lidar

Compact lasers now offer precise colors.

New Products

Spectrophotometer for a Microscope CRAIC Technologies (San Dimas, CA) has introduced the 508 PV™ UV-visible-NIR spectrophotometer for your microscope. The 508 Perfect Vision™ is designed to be added to an open photoport of a...

New Products

Multi-sensor imaging systems, eyesafe laser finders, machine vision algorithms, and more.

Material Advances for LED Quantum Dot Efficiency

Creating next-generation LEDs for novel efforts like COVID-19 decontamination requires LED manufacturers to reevaluate the materials that they’re using.

Overcoming Pitfalls When Measuring Thin, Parallel Optics

A "TPSI" process makes it possible to distinguish between the front and back of optical surfaces, and to characterize the quality of both in a single measurement.

Measuring Layer Thickness Using a Microscope

With Nikon's Layer Thickness software module, comprehensive information about a specimen is obtained more quickly than if an operator is making all the measurements by hand.

Printable Light Sensors Can See Colors

Printable organic photodiodes can distinguish wavelengths and enable data transmission by light.