Photonics & Imaging

Photonics/Optics

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.

Stories

NASA Spinoff: Aerospace

LED Lighting Beyond Space

NASA’s lighting research gives people on Earth better rest and helps plants grow.

Q&A: Photonics/Optics

How to Measure High Voltage with No Physical Contact

Dr. Israel Owens and his team at Sandia National Laboratories have used a crystal smaller than a dime and a laser smaller than a shoebox to safely measure 20 million volts without making physical contact to the electrode.

Special Reports: Photonics/Optics

Medical Manufacturing & Outsourcing - February 2022

How virtual, cloud-based technologies are powering the next industrial revolution...transforming plastic parts into high-value products...designing optics for medical 3D printing. Read these...

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Multi-Shot Lensless Camera

The camera could have uses in faster disease diagnosis and thinner cellphones.

Briefs: Unmanned Systems

Light Helps Autonomous Vehicles Better Scan for Nearby Fast-Moving Objects

Mechanical control and modulation of light on a silicon chip could enhance LiDAR.

Briefs: Energy

Optical Coating Exhibits the Same Color in Reflection and Transmission

Fano Resonance Optical Coatings can both transmit and reflect the same color simultaneously.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Nanoscale LED Also Functions as a Laser

This new design overcomes a long-standing LED efficiency problem and can also transform it into a laser.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Sub-Pixel Spatial Resolution Interferometry

Applications include aircraft-mounted and space-based interferometers, electronics fabrication, and military optics.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Photonic Integrated Chip for Improved Light Control

This combination of technologies could enable developments for many optical applications.

Briefs: Materials

New Class of Nickel-Based Superalloys Withstands Extreme Heat

Parts remain crack-free and defect-resistant, making them conducive for use in metal-based 3D-printing applications.

Briefs: Materials

Fabrication Method for Large-Scale Production of Perovskite Solar Cells

The sulfolane-additive process yields easy fabrication, low cost, and long operating life.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Micro-Robots Propelled by Air Bubbles and Ultrasound

A remotely controlled microswimmer could navigate the human body and aid in drug delivery.

Briefs: Energy

Technique Merges Solar Cell and Liquid Battery

A highly efficient and long-lasting solar flow battery generates, stores, and redelivers renewable electricity from the Sun in one device.

Blog: Photonics/Optics

SPIE Photonics West 2022: Reality Versus Virtual Reality

There are some things you just can't do at a virtual trade show. Editor Bruce A. Bennett walks the floor at SPIE Photonics West.

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

SPIE Photonics West 2022 Returning to 'Normal'

Editor Bruce A. Bennett reports from SPIE Photonics West 2022 in San Francisco.

INSIDER: Photonics/Optics

The James Webb Space Telescope Successfuly Launches

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope successfully launched on December 25 on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, South America. A joint effort with ESA (European...

INSIDER: Test & Measurement

Fundamental Particles Modelled in Beam of Light

Scientists at the University of Birmingham have succeeded in creating an experimental model of an elusive kind of fundamental particle called a skyrmion in a beam of light. The breakthrough...

INSIDER: Photonics/Optics

New Products

Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) QVGA Camera Attollo Engineering (Camarillo, CA) has introduced a quarter-VGA format camera (320 x 256 resolution), based on indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) shortwave infrared technology. The miniature...

INSIDER: Unmanned Systems

Testing Sensors in Fog to Make Future Transportation Safer

Self-flying drones and autonomous taxis that can safely operate in fog may sound futuristic, but new research at Sandia National Laboratories’ fog facility is bringing the future...

Question of the Week: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Would You Use A.I-Driven Laser Cutters like SensiCut?

Laser cutters are a popular tool for today’s design engineers. Users, however, still face difficulties distinguishing among stockpiles of metals, woods, papers, and plastics.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Smart Laser Cutter System Detects Different Materials

SensiCut, a smart material-sensing platform for laser cutters, can differentiate among 30 materials commonly found in makerspaces.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Programmable Digital Fiber

The fiber contains memory, temperature sensors, and a trained neural network program for inferring physical activity.

Briefs: Imaging

Ultra-Thin Sensor for Smart Contact Lenses

Engineers have developed a sensor system and manufacturing process for smart contact lenses. The sensor system contains a photodetector for receiving optical information, a temperature sensor for...