PhotonicsViews 6/2022

Cover Picture: PhotonicsViews 6/2022

Editorial

“Quantum is the new language to learn”

The emerging field of quantum technology continues to boom, although the known talent shortage will become more critical than ever

Dr Araceli Venegas-Gomez (Qureca)

Contents: PhotonicsViews 6/2022

  • Pages: 2-3
  • First Published: 27 November 2022

News: PhotonicsViews 6/2022

  • Pages: 4-10
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Products: PhotonicsViews 6/2022

  • Pages: 11
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Communications: PhotonicsViews 6/2022

  • Pages: 12-14
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Organizations & Initiatives: PhotonicsViews 6/2022

  • Pages: 15-18
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Portrait

“Focus on getting MVPs out onto the market”

EPIC CTO interview with Mostafa Afgani

EPIC‘s photonics technology manager Ivan Nikitskiy talks to Mostafa Afgani, CTO and co-founder at PureLiFi, a developer and innovator of Li-Fi technology.

Technology Feature

Quantum computers: sensitive in their young days

Roland Wengenmayr

Shrouded in myths, powerful and sensitive: Prof Jens Eisert, physicist at the Freie Universität Berlin, explains how quantum computers work and how far their development has progressed.

Interview

Exciting times in quantum technologies: Industry and academia stand side-by-side, like Prof Immanuel Bloch and Toptica‘s Thomas Renner

  • Pages: 24-26
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Communications: PhotonicsViews 6/2022

  • Pages: 27-34
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Optoelectronics

Quantum computing – the photonic approach: A pure photonics approach to quantum computing needs no cooling and makes use of semiconductor technology

Michael Förtsch, Tobias M. Wintermantel (both: Qant)

More than thirty billion dollars has gone into funding quantum technologies, and much of this money has been allocated to quantum computing projects. Accordingly, a large number of different realizations for quantum computing are being developed. The photonic approach is one of the most promising of these ideas because it is based on well-known materials, established production processes, and operation at room temperature.

Optical Sensing

How the hidden quantum realm reveals the invisible: Tunable quantum dots offer a sought-after breakthrough in SWIR sensing and imaging

Stuart Stubbs (Quantum Science)

Current infrared (IR) sensing and imaging technology is at its practical limit. Siliconbased CMOS solutions are cost-effective but spectrally limited, while InGaAs sensors offer excellent photon conversion efficiency, but are too complex and costly. As the world experiences both a second quantum revolution and an increasing proliferation of machine sensing technology, using quantum dots to gather detailed IR data is the next frontier for sensing and imaging technology

Laser Sources

Ultrastable, ultraprecise, portable: How commercial ultrastable laser systems enable high-end optical clock applications

Patrizia Krok, Malcolm Simpson (both: Menlo Systems)

In quantum applications such as optical clocks ultrastable laser sources address extremely narrow atomic transitions without introducing noise to the system. This level of stability and precision has historically only been achieved under controlled laboratory conditions. Novel commercial solutions combined with new approaches are now meeting the high demands for field applications of emerging quantum technologies.

Laser Materials Processing

Laser technology for precise material machining applications: “A trenchant edge” for processing of brittle and hard materials – solid-state picosecond laser technology

Nan Zhang, Lynn Li, Alexus Yu (all: Shenzhen JPT Opto-electronics)

In recent years, driven by the need for energy conservation and pollution reduction to develop a sustainable society, the building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), centralized photovoltaic power stations and new energy vehicle markets have grown significantly and with that increased the demand for glass that requires more precise micromachining methods.

Radiation Safety

Understanding laser protective eyewear requirements: Meeting user and regulatory needs for a safe work environment

Donald Tibbitt (Epolin)

Regardless of the type of laser, all can produce biological effects on the human body if protective eyewear is not used. Many lasers produce a beam of light in the UV or infrared spectrum that our eyes are not able to detect. To qualify as laser-protective eyewear, independent laboratory tests validate and certify the protective capabilities and optical density (OD) against the standard, using the actual laser, including performing destructive testing. This certification is required to meet standards like European norm CE EN207 and American National Standard for Safe Use of Lasers ANSI Z136.

  • Pages: 77-79
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Cooling Systems

Chillers get quieter, greener, and smaller: Miniature compressors enable compact, low-noise integrated cooling solutions without hydrofluorocarbons

Konrad Laufs (AMS Technologies)

Diode lasers, even those of low to medium power, need to be cooled – not only to avoid thermal damage, but also to keep their temperature-dependent output wavelength as constant as possible. Compressor-based cooling systems are well suited for medium to high-power lasers, but they are usually large, loud, and generate vibrations. However, there are also compact, quiet, and low-vibration solutions.

Filter Systems

Smoke and dust-free laser use: Werba Plast relies on the Teka FilterCube in a trio

  • Pages: 84-85
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Positioning Systems

Motion control: from component to system supplier: How a provider of automation systems transformed itself to offer holistic support for high-precision and industry-specific automation processes

  • Pages: 86-88
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Simple, fast, accurate, and flexible control in laser materials processing: Linking laser control to speed and position – the challenges of controlling multiple axes

Cliff Jolliffe (Physik Instrumente)

Until recently, controlling the motion path of lasers across multiple axes has come with certain limitations in performance, speed, practicalities and, on top, higher complexity and costs. With the development of new modular controllers, flexible solutions that enable a laser to be combined with multiaxis positioning are making it easier for system integrators to design and build advanced systems for a new era of laser applications.

  • Pages: 89-95
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Previews

Case study: power supply units: Fine-tunable switching power supplies as laser drivers

  • Pages: 96
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Resource-efficient generation of large-area micro and nanostructures: High-quality, large area diffraction gratings originated by diode laser-driven interference lithography

  • Pages: 96
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Calendar

  • Pages: 97
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Meetings: PhotonicsViews 6/2022

  • Pages: 98-100
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Buyers' Guide

  • Pages: 101-103
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Index & Masthead

Company Index

  • Pages: 105
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Digital tools or software can ease your life as a photonics professional by either helping you with your system design or during the manufacturing process or when purchasing components. Check out our compilation:

Proceed to our dossier

Digital tools or software can ease your life as a photonics professional by either helping you with your system design or during the manufacturing process or when purchasing components. Check out our compilation:

Proceed to our dossier