November 2004

Applying high hydrostatic pressures to a 2.4 micron laser diode tunes its emission to 1.7 microns.

A look back at some of the optical innovations unveiled this month.

Including news from Nichia, VISX, OptoLum, Sherwood Technology, Micronic and more.

Scientists in the US discover that a simple waveguide made from a metal wire can efficiently transport terahertz pulses.

The pick of this week's applications including a scanning laser microscope which includes a wavefront sensor.

The International Laser Display Association presents its annual awards for technical and artistic excellence.

UK researchers make strides in developing the world's most precise time reference.

Thinking of buying an infrared camera for generating thermal images? Don't forget that its optics and software are just as important as its sensor chip, says Christiaan Maras.

CMOS sensor technology is making 3D imaging more affordable and is stimulating a range of new applications such as intelligent car airbags. James Tyrrell talks to two European firms planning to launch products in 2005.

From web-cams to high-end digital cameras, CMOS image sensors are now strongly challenging CCD technology. Oliver Graydon spoke to the Californian firm Omnivision Technologies, a pioneer in the field that has just released a 5 Megapixel CMOS sensor.

Including news from Rofin-Sinar, Jenoptik, Thorlabs, Nichia and more.

The pick of this week's patent applications including a photonic crystal laser for chemical detection.

All six modules of the giant COIL laser are turned on in unison for the first time.

Scientists in the Netherlands have developed a fast optical memory element based on coupled micro-ring lasers.

Israeli doctors use a CO2 laser to ablate the tonsils of patients suffering from severe halitosis.

Including news from Raytheon, StockerYale, BTG, FLIR Systems, EXFO and more.

The pick of this week's patent applications including a fiber-laser based EUV lithography source.

An Irish start-up unveils a machine vision system that traces optical discs back to the machine where they were pressed.

Remote material analysis that exploits a mobile terawatt laser could have a range of up to 1 kilometer.

The latest financial results from GSI Lumonics, Coherent, Newport and more.

NASA and the US Geological survey use LIDAR to monitor the changes in the Mount St Helens volcano.

Including news from Corning, Lumileds, Philips, Cree and more.

Researchers from Spain and Mexico use a fiber laser's buildup time to measure hydrogen concentration.

The pick of this week's applications including a tunable VCSEL and a way to measure the thickness of thin films.

The latest financial results from companies including JDS Uniphase, Zygo, Corning and more.

French scientists have developed a low-cost method for growing an efficient microlens at the end of optical fibre. James Tyrrell reports on the road to commercialization.

A UK venture launches a "plug and play" quantum cascade laser.

The need to align optical equipment and samples to within a nanometre is now crucial in many industries. Stefan Vorndran describes the technology that makes it possible.

Jacqueline Hewett visited the headquarters of the Gooch & Housego group to find out about its history, its range of acousto-optic products and its plans for the future.

A laser-driven atomic clock the size of grain of rice may soon be improving the precision of GPS receivers and replacing the quartz crystal oscillator found in computers and watches. Oliver Graydon reports.