A lens-free microscope has been developed that can be used to detect the presence of cancer or other cell-level abnormalities with the same level of accuracy as larger and more expensive optical microscopes.

The lens-free device, created by researchers from the University of California in the USA, could lead to less expensive and more portable technology for performing common examinations of tissue, blood and other biomedical specimens.

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, which will enable semiconductor fabs to pattern ever smaller feature sizes on silicon chips, is on the cusp of moving to high volume manufacturing, if reports from ASML and the industry at large are anything to go by. The lithography system provider, ASML, has sold two of its fourth generation EUV systems, the NXE:3350B, to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), a contract manufacturer of silicon chips.

In December last year, Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura were awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics for the invention of the blue light emitting diode. The blue LED, which in turn is the basis for white LEDs, led to a transformation of lighting technology, as white light sources that were brighter, more energy efficient and longer-lasting were able to replace older, inefficient lamps.

At this year’s Photonics West in San Francisco, the French competitiveness cluster Route des Lasers will represent a number of photonics companies situated in the Bordeaux region. While not exhibiting at the show, the latest startup to join the cluster is Poietis, a 3D printing company. However, rather than printing inanimate objects, its technology uses a laser to print live cells.

Dr Eugene Arthurs, CEO of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics and organiser of Photonics West

Where will be the main growth areas in photonics over the next five or 10 years?