Photonics/Optics

Optics

Advanced optics technologies are essential to design engineers developing systems in manufacturing. Here are the latest technical briefs, products, and applications for design engineers working with optics technology.

Stories

Application Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Beyond LPW: Debunking the Myth that More is Better

There’s been a race to the top among industrial LED lighting manufacturers as they scramble to squeeze the maximum possible lumens per watt (LPW) out of their products.

Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs

Quantum Computing at Room Temperature

Quantum computer circuits that will no longer need extremely cold temperatures to function could become a reality.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Soft Prosthetic Hand Feels Surroundings via Stretchable Optical Waveguides

Sensors in the hand can actually detect forces being transmitted through the thickness of the robot.

Special Reports: Photonics/Optics

Advances in Optics - June 2020

From Automotive LiDAR to Cubesats & space communications to smart cameras for robots, optics technology is enabling exciting new applications across a range of industries. Read all about it in this Special...

Briefs: Materials

Optically Reconfigurable Charge-Transfer Liquid Crystals

These re-writeable materials have applications in data storage and encryption, energy transducers, and optical display technologies.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Device Modulates Light and Amplifies Tiny Signals

This system can amplify a faint signal from a neighboring system even when that signal’s amplitude is as small as ten trillionths of a meter.

News: Imaging

Optical Imaging Technology for Treating Tumors

A new tool for medical professionals may help shed light on tumors.

INSIDER: Photonics/Optics

Layered Solar Cell Technology Boosts Efficiency and Affordability

The future’s getting brighter for solar power. Researchers from CU Boulder have created a low-cost solar cell with one of the highest power-conversion efficiencies to date...

Application Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Hydrophobic & Oleophobic Coating Technologies for Polymer Optics

With the recent boom in touch-based, polymer display substrates must be fingerprint-resistant.

Products: Test & Measurement

New Products

Photodetectors, ultrafast lasers, energy sensors, and more.

Application Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Properly Designing and Specifying Aspheric Lenses

Aspheric lenses greatly improve the performance and efficiency of a wide range of optical applications.

Briefs: Materials

Polymer Twists and Bends in the Presence of Light

A liquid crystal elastomer can be programmed to exhibit controllable, dynamic behavior without the need for complex electronic components.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Low-Cost Detection of Thin Film Stress During Fabrication

This method uses fiber optic probes for measurement of semiconductors, optical coatings, magnetic read/write heads, and precision machines.

Briefs: Data Acquisition

High-Efficiency Laser for Silicon Chips

Applications include optical data transfer, infrared and night-vision systems, environmental sensors, and breath analysis for medical diagnosis.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Defects Enable High-Performance Infrared Photodetectors

A highly sensitive, CMOS-compatible, broadband photodetector was created by tailoring material defects.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Moving Precision Communication, Metrology, Quantum Applications from Lab to Chip

A team is exploring new materials for telecommunications and LIDAR applications.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

New Graphene-Based Metasurface Capable of Independent Amplitude and Phase Control of Light

Researchers described a new strategy of designing metamolecules.

Technology Leaders: Photonics/Optics

Tackling Aircraft Laser Strikes from the Ground

To reduce the increasing frequency of attacks, the ground-based Laser Aircraft Strike Suppression Optical System (LASSOS) has been developed by researchers from the MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

Technology Leaders: Materials

The Configurable Laser — A Universal Manufacturing Tool

Laser technology will remain at the forefront of tomorrow’s digital manufacturing processes.

Articles: Motion Control

Resolution, Accuracy, and Precision of Encoders

Here's what you'll need to know when you’re choosing an encoder for a motion control system.

Products: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

New Products

Motor drivers, position sensors, offset couplings, and more.

Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs

Cryogenic Near-Field Optical Microscope Images Dynamics of Graphene

This imaging technique could impact optical communications and signal processing.

Products: Test & Measurement

New Products

Perovskites Goodfellow (Coraopolis, PA) recently announced a new range of perovskites, a group of materials that demonstrate great potential for optoelectronic applications. Perovskites have a unique and versatile crystal...