Hamamatsu has completed its acquisition of NKT Photonics A/S. Beginning June 1, NKT Photonics will be a subsidiary of Hamamatsu Photonics, adding its fiber lasers and photonic crystal fibers to Hamamatsu’s portfolio. NKT Photonics, Hamamatsu said, will continue its operating structure. At the deal’s close Hamamatsu paid a total of ~€247 million ($268 million), an increase of €42 million over the price expected when the acquisition was first announced in June 2022. The increase is owed to an increase in the net debt amount, Hamamatsu said in a filing. The acquisition gained regulatory approv ..read more

Fraunhofer IPMS, a research and development institute for miniature photonic systems, hosted German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and French President Emmanuel Macron during a three-day official French state visit to Germany. As a part of the visit, leadership from the French research institute CEA-Leti and Fraunhofer IPMS signed a memorandum of understanding for further collaboration between the two entities in the areas of microelectronics, quantum technologies, and solar and hydrogen technologies. French President Emmanuel Macron (left) and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier vis ..read more

The EU-funded Graphene-based All-Optical Technology Platform for Secure Internet of Things (GATEPOST) project has presented the first photonic integrated GATEPOST chip. Presented at a meeting of the project’s eight stakeholders at the EurA AG headquarters in Ellwangen, Germany, the chip is now being manufactured by in the experimental pilot plant at IHP GmbH at the Leibniz Institute for Innovative Microelectronics. The graphene-on-silicon nitride chip is designed initially with nine layers, said Leonardo Del Bino, co-founder of Akhetonics GmbH in his presentation. The chip, he said, can be t ..read more

Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS (Fraunhofer IWS) have demonstrated chipless joining of carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) component structures using a CO2 laser. According to Fraunhofer IWS, the automated process joined the upper and lower halves of the world’s largest CFRTP fuselage segment, measuring 8 × 4 m. The work was conducted by an international consortium led by Airbus under the EU program Clean Sky 2 in the project Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator. The researchers anticipate the development will lead to savings on time ..read more

The American Center for Optics Manufacturing (AmeriCOM) has partnered with New Hampshire's Keene State College, marking the workforce training initiative's first partnership with a postsecondary four-year institution and fifth partnership with an institution of higher learning. The aim of the Keene State collaboration is to increase capacity for work-ready technicians in optics manufacturing, as well as to expand opportunities for Keene State students, faculty, and regional employers in precision manufacturing. As an initiative of the U.S. Department of Defense, AmeriCOM aims to promote work ..read more

Nanophotonics startup Pixel Photonics has formed an advisory board. According to the company, the move comes as it moves through a series-seed financing round. The board is made up of chairman Antonio Mesquida Küsters, CEO of consulting firm Tech-Diligence; Wolfram Pernice, professor of experimental physics at the University of Heidelberg and University of Münster and co-founder of Pixel Photonics; Oliver Kahl, principal of MIG CAPITAL AG; Gernot Berger, Pixel Photonics investment manager at High-Tech Gründerfonds; and Jean-Gabriel Boinot-Tramoni, principal of venture capital firm Quantonatio ..read more

A research collaboration between the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Istituto Nazionale di Ottica (CNR-INO), the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) has built a prototype fiber optic gyroscope for high resolution, real-time monitoring of ground rotations caused by earthquakes in the active volcanic area of Campi Flegrei in Naples, Italy. The device is expected to provide greater insights into seismic activity in the region, which could provide opportunities for improved risk assessment and potentially for early warning systems. In th ..read more

The high sensitivity, rapid response, and label-free characteristics provided by whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonators enable many biochemical applications, such as early diagnostics and prognostics, food and water quality inspection, chemical threat sensing, and early detection of hazardous gases. The WGM microtoroid resonator has been shown to be one of the most sensitive biochemical sensors in existence, capable of detecting single molecules. The primary barrier to commercializing this sensor for field work is the tapered optical fiber used to evanescently couple light into the resonat ..read more

Using a laser ablation patterning technique, researchers from the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology and Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) fabricated deformable microsupercapacitors (MSCs) for storing energy in soft electronic devices. The work addresses the need for energy storage systems in emerging stretchable devices for health monitoring and other applications. MSCs offer customizable form factors, reliable performance, efficient use of space, and easy integration with electronic components, making them strong contenders for filling this need. However, the soli ..read more

In collaboration with partners CEA-Leti, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, VTT, CSSNT, and Tyndall Institute, imec will work with European and global equipment and material suppliers to establish the NanoIC pilot line. The pilot line seeks to develop beyond 2 nm systems-on-chip in support of European industry. The NanoIC line is to be constructed as an extension of existing imec pilot line facilities. The initiative is set to receive an investment of €2.5 billion ($2.7 billion) through a combination of public and private contributions. Rendering of the NanoIC pilot line that will be constructed as an ..read more