Credit: GlobalFoundries
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Silicon photonics is system‑defining for artificial intelligence (AI) data center technology—and the ability to align design, manufacturing, and supply into a repeatable global...
Credit: Bowen Li
Adam Shaw, Anna Soper, Danial Shadmany, and Da Yeon Koh in front of the cavity array microscope apparatus.
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Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast
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Credit: Chalker Lab
Flinders researchers Dr. Sam Tonkin and Dr. Harshal Patel demonstrate a long-wave IR thermal imaging camera operating with the Flinders polymer lens.
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Learning Resources

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Sponsored
Examine how a new Fabry–Pérot design supports broadband twisted‑light modes through an unrestricted OAM ladder. Join Dr. Yaraghi to discuss the physics and impact. Reserve your...
April 1, 2026
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Unlock the future of high-performance imaging as Dr. Ravagli reveals how breakthrough glass fiber optics and emerging nanowaveguide technologies are reshaping what’s possible ...
April 21, 2026
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Join us as Dr. Gretarsson reveals how advances in mirror design and laser technology are shaping the next generation of gravitational wave detectors—and what it will take to explore...
March 18, 2026
Courtesy of Avantier Inc
Case Study: Ultra-Lightweight Large-Aperture Mirrors
Introduction In the rapidly evolving sectors of Earth observation, astronomical research, and deep-space exploration, the demand for high-resolution imaging systems has reached...
Feb. 6, 2026

Podcast

Lasers/Sources

Credit: Sheetak
FIGURE 1. Operating principle of a thermoelectric cooler based on the Peltier effect: When current flows through the semiconductor elements between ceramic substrates, heat is absorbed at the cold side and rejected at the hot side to create a controlled temperature differential across the device.
Thermoelectric coolers provide precision temperature control for lasers, detectors, and integrated photonics—where addressing thermal drift at the device level is essential.
Feb. 25, 2026
Credit: Shaghayegh Yaraghi
FIGURE 1. Conventional vs. resonance-free Fabry-Pérot cavity concepts: (a) A conventional cavity with its spectral response and (b) “resonance-free” cavity with its possible spectral response.
A novel Fabry-Pérot cavity incorporating a holographic phase mask demonstrates resonance-free operation by driving an unrestricted orbital-angular-momentum ladder-up process, ...
Feb. 18, 2026
Credit: Scintil Photonics
Scintil’s LEAF Light addresses the fabric bottleneck in AI clusters by integrating multiple DWDM laser channels onto a single chip. Increasing bandwidth per fiber instead of fiber count enables higher edge bandwidth density and improved energy efficiency within copackaged optical architectures.
Scintil Photonics and Tower Semiconductor produce the world’s first heterogeneously integrated photonics dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) laser sources—moving DWDM...
Feb. 17, 2026
Photonics West 2026 PI
See the latest advances in active photonics alignment, fast steering mirrors for space communication/beam control, and nanopositioning systems, including U.S.-manufactured direct...
Feb. 11, 2026

Optics

© Endeavor Business Media
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Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast
This episode of Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast features Lewis Johnson, cofounder and CTO of NLM Photonics.
Feb. 24, 2026
Credit: Infinita Lab
Post-silicon validation.
The shift beyond silicon photonics is an expansion of the photonic materials toolkit. While silicon remains valuable for electronic-photonic integration and certain passive functions...
Feb. 24, 2026
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Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast
This episode of Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast features Dr. Patrick Heissler, CEO of SCRONA, a microfabrication technology provider.
Feb. 17, 2026
Credit: Optalysys
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Artificial intelligence comes at a cost in terms of energy, economics, and environmental impact. To sustain it, we need to rethink the physics of modern computing via photonics...
Feb. 17, 2026

Quantum

Credit: Osaka Metropolitan University
Spin size affects the way the system behaves. At spin-1/2, fully quantum spins pair up and cancel each other out (no magnetism). Spins >1/2 create magnetic order (magnetism).
Researchers discover a single quantum parameter—the size of its spin—acts as a switch that flips its magnetism. This discovery offers a new way to think about how quantum states...
Jan. 29, 2026
Credit: TOPTICA Photonics
FIGURE 1. Illustration of tunable diode lasers and adjacent technologies manufactured by TOPTICA Photonics for quantum applications, along with wavelength coverage and available output powers.
By leveraging tunable diode lasers and a synergetic combination of public and private investments and partnerships, the industry can speed development and adoption of photonic...
Jan. 28, 2026
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LFW’s editorial board shares their quick thoughts about the most intriguing things they saw happen within the optics/photonics/quantum realm in 2025, as well as emerging trends...
Dec. 26, 2025
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Here's a look back at the 10 most-popular articles we published in 2025.
Dec. 22, 2025

Test/Measurement

Photonics West MKS
The ring-core laser is used with high-power IR welding lasers for deep, spatter-free welds and in additive manufacturing. Analysis of key characteristics are vital, such as ring...
Feb. 11, 2026
Credit: Mortiz Gittinger
Daniel Timmer (front) and Moritz Gittinger in the lab working on the 2DES setup.
Researchers move a step closer to femtosecond switching of ‘light by light’ for photonic computing based on polaritons.
Feb. 2, 2026
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Laser Focus World announces the winners of its 2025 annual Innovators Awards program.
Dec. 17, 2025
Credit: University of Applied Sciences Biberach (https://p-inst.com/life-science)
Widefield microscope image of a DAPI-stained mouse head; sagittal plane: 4x, 0.2 NA.
Recent advances in photonics are revolutionizing life sciences by enabling unprecedented precision for imaging, surgical procedures, and diagnostics.
Dec. 17, 2025

Detectors/Imaging

Credit: Lingjie Kong
Diagram of CLAOP deciphering a functional column.
Cross-layer all-optical physiology provides an essential tool for directly probing functional connectivity and causal interactions within neuronal circuits—and achieves high-speed...
Feb. 12, 2026
Photonics West 2026 Appotronics Product Demo
Chen Menghao, General Manager of the Appotronics Innovation Center, introduces pioneering miniature optical engines for AR glasses: the Dragonfly G1 Mini, the Dragonfly C1, and...
Feb. 11, 2026
Photonics West 2026 Appotronics
At SPIE Photonics West, Appotronics founder, chairman, and CEO Li Yi shares the company's unique offering: a single optical engine to enable binocular display for AR glasses. ...
Feb. 11, 2026
Credit: POSTECH
The team's lab setup.
Inspired by diffractive deep neural networks, researchers create a metasurface hologram ‘optical lock’ that reveals its image/message only under the correct physical setup.
Feb. 11, 2026