Features about 'TECHNOLOGY'

November 2012

High productivity, high efficiency, mass manufacture

Rob Coppinger uncovers how German researchers intend to industrialise laser processes for solar cells to make them ubiquitous

October 2012

Beyond the line of sight

Since the dawn of photography the photographer has had to have their subject within sight, but as Rob Coppinger finds US researchers have turned a corner for the ultimate imaging technology.

August/September 2012

Crystal power

Historically viewed as having power and symbolism, Rob Coppinger digs for the solutions to the rare earth condundrum the crystal growing industry faces

August/September 2012

Guiding light

Greg Blackman on photonic crystal fibre, newer optical fibre designs where light can be guided in air rather than the conventional silica.

August/September 2012

Solar wind of change

Light harvesting is set to reap the rewards of many years of research and Rob Coppinger talks to the scientists about the new dawn for our energy future

August/September 2012

Quick as a flash

If striking fear into the hearts of your enemy is not enough, Rob Coppinger seeks to shed light on the US military's intention to launch lightning bolts

July 2012

A smooth coat

Rob Coppinger tackles the rough and the smooth of the latest challenging thin film production techniques

July 2012

The sensing properties of the humble optical fibre lends its use to measuring strain and temperature variations along structures like oil pipelines stretching hundreds of kilometers, as Greg Blackman finds out

July 2012

Nutrition is only skin deep

Medical staff will now be able to check whether patients are following healthy diets by scanning their skin, Rob Coppinger uncovers

June 2012

Design radiance

Greg Blackman on the intricacies of optimising imaging and illumination systems with optical software

June 2012

Illuminating the future

Rob Coppinger probes the difficulties of super laser operation and the technology that will overcome the challenges

June 2012

A clean sheet

The paperless office has never been realised but laser technology, Rob Coppinger explains, could mean offices with less paper and less toner consumption

December 2011/January 2012

Splitting headache solved with notch

Rob Coppinger talks to the University of Oxford about its simple mirror-coated notch for optical fibre

November 2011

Visible improvement

Yves Hernandez of Mulitel explains an EU-funded project focused on lasers emitting visible light for spectroscopy and microscopy applications

June 2011

Winner takes all

Greg Blackman speaks to Phil Alibrandi of Gigaphoton, about the recent buyout of the company and what that means for the EUV lithography community

March 2011

Providing optical biopsies

Karsten König, head of the department of biophotonics and laser technology at the Saarland University and CEO of Jenlab, explains the Prism Award-winning medical femtosecond laser tomography

February 2011

Solar breakthrough

Dieter Wandt, IMPROV project coordinator at Laser Zentrum Hannover (LZH), explains a novel mid-infrared short-pulse laser system for structuring organic photovoltaic devices

December 2010/January 2011

The future is OPSL

In the first of our new Technology Focus columns highlighting a new technology development in photonics, Matthias Schulze, director of marketing for Coherent, explains why his company believes in the future of optically-pumped semiconductor lasers

December 2008/January 2009