Issues

Browse our previous issues below, or browse and search for specific features or analysis & opinion.

All our articles, news, product announcements and more are available from the navigation at the top of the site (accessible via the menu button for smartphone or tablet).

Access is free when subscribed and logged in.

Medical microscopes get closer to patients

12 January 2021

Algorithms let developers shrink microscopes, enabling innovation by building on existing technology, discovers Andy Extance

Smaller, more versatile optical filters on the horizon

6 January 2021

Researchers could spur the development of smaller, more versatile optical filters that are especially adept at playing a trick of the light

Feature

Lidar erupts into new applications

16 December 2020

Now smaller, cheaper and more robust, light detection and ranging instruments are being used in new ways, finds Jessica Rowbury

Analysis and opinion

How inefficient is my laser system and why is it important?

16 December 2020

Nicholas Goffin, research associate at Loughborough University, investigates where energy savings can be made in laser processing

Analysis and opinion

Entrepreneur interview: Eclipsing your dreams

16 December 2020

Carlos Lee talks to Lars Rymell, CEO and founder of Swedish consultancy Eclipse Optics

Analysis and opinion

Filling technical positions is difficult any time, but the pandemic poses further challenges. Jessica Rowbury reports on a panel discussion where experts gave tips to organisations recruiting during this period

November 2020

^{Classification of nuts as good or bad using Specim’s FX17 camera}

Feature

Spectral cameras gain ground through optical design

13 November 2020

Optical design is crucial in enabling wider adoption of hyperspectral imaging, finds Andy Extance

Feature

Bright future for solar energy

13 November 2020

Optical coatings are helping to improve the efficiency of solar cells, finds David Stuart

Analysis and opinion

Winning investment in 2020

13 November 2020

Following the Inpho Venture Summit in October, Blumorpho CEO, Géraldine Andrieux, discusses how startups should approach pitching for venture capital funding in these uncertain economic times

Analysis and opinion

Leading by example

12 November 2020

Chromacity CEO Shahida Imani discusses adapting to a new industry and her approach to management

Analysis and opinion

Optimism for UK photonics

5 November 2020

David Stuart reports from a panel discussion that saw members of the UK photonics industry discuss opportunities and growth after the pandemic is over

Analysis and opinion

From Russia with light

5 November 2020

Carlos Lee talks with Alexey Zarenbin, general director and founder of Forc-Photonics, about his entrepreneurial journey

October 2020

A schematic of Coherent's adjustable ring mode fibre and the five basic power patterns possible within the focused laser spot (Image: Coherent)

Feature

Custom delivery

14 October 2020

Greg Blackman discovers how emerging lasers with adjustable beam quality are improving quality and flexibility in cutting and welding

Feature

Optical modelling boosts medical device design

12 October 2020

Keely Portway takes a look at the latest developments in optical software for the biomedical industry

Analysis and opinion

Entrepreneur interview: 'Problems are challenges, the more problems you have, the happier you should be'

30 September 2020

From starting an ice cream company as a child to founding an ultrashort pulse fibre laser business, Nikolajus Gavrilinas has always demonstrated an entrepreneurial spirit. Here, he discusses the development of Integrated Fiber Optics with EPIC director general Carlos Lee

Richardson during a lab training session with researcher Chanelle Arias

Analysis and opinion

Making materials science work for all

30 September 2020

Kathleen Richardson, Pegasus Professor at the University of Central Florida, discusses her career developing next-gen materials and her mentorship roles within this

EOoct20-pp28-shutterstock_1710642847.jpg

Product focus

Thinner crystals, smaller chips

28 September 2020

Researchers have devised a new way of generating thin 3D photonic crystals that show promise for miniaturising photonic integrated circuits

Analysis and opinion

Covid-19: To travel or not to travel?

16 September 2020

There is no replacement for in-person events, says Carlos Lee, but there are many reasons to be cautious

^{Some of Luminate's third cohort of startups. Credit: Luminate}

Analysis and opinion

Startup class of 2020 continues to innovate during Covid pandemic

4 September 2020

Photonics start-ups from Luminate’s business accelerator presented at The Optical Society’s virtual conference. Greg Blackman asks Luminate MD Sujatha Ramanujan how these young firms are coping during the pandemic

August/September 2020

^{Fibre lasers channel the and amplify the light through a fibre optic cable}

Feature

Design for life

16 September 2020

Keely Portway takes a look at some of the latest developments in optical fibre design for fibre lasers

In deflectometry, a camera images fringe patterns that have reflected off a surface under test, so that a system can deduce a map of the surface slopes from the deviation of the projected fringes, and from that determine the surface shape. Credit: Mahr

Feature

Getting the measure of aspheric and freeform lenses

4 September 2020

Lens features have been getting too small to properly characterise – but metrology providers are catching up, finds Andy Extance

Analysis and opinion

Tech time-bomb: the growing, critical need for optics technicians

26 August 2020

The photonics cluster in Rochester, New York, alone requires 550 more optics technicians every year. Professor Alexis Vogt discusses initiatives to help meet this demand, and suggests other ways to tackle the global optics skills shortage

Analysis and opinion

Challenges and opportunities for photonics in Brazil

26 August 2020

Manuel Steidle discusses the potential for collaboration between Brazilian and international photonics organisations

Analysis and opinion

Sealing success: Developing a photonics packaging company

26 August 2020

Carlos Lee, EPIC’s director general, speaks with Ville Hevonkorpi, CEO at Schott Primoceler

UniversityLab.png

Product focus

Shaping up on laser safety

26 August 2020

Matthew Dale learns how the safety knowledge of the laser community is not yet fully up to scratch

July 2020

Feature

Every grain counts

31 July 2020

How will the world feed 10 billion people by 2050 with no new land for agriculture? Greg Blackman speaks to machine builder Bühler about how optical sensing can maximise yield in grain processing

SPIE’s career and diversity specialist Meg All, left, facilitated an Equity in Industry panel during SPIE Photonics West earlier this year. Joining All, from left to right, are Openwater’s Mary Lou Jepsen; Double Helix’s Leslie Kimerling; and Chromacity’s Shahida Imani

Analysis and opinion

Equity, diversity, and inclusion: SPIE's collaborative effort

23 July 2020

Daneet Steffens from SPIE details some of the initiatives currently in place aimed at improving diversity in photonics

Investment is making lidar more accessible and cost-effective for the autonomous driving sector

Feature

The driving force behind autonomous vehicles

23 July 2020

Keely Portway delves into some of the latest lidar developments for self-driving vehicles, and how these are proving beneficial in other applications

Analysis and opinion

A determination to succeed

23 July 2020

Photonics engineering student Troy Rzeznikiewicz applied to hundreds of openings prior to starting as an optical design engineer intern at Lumentum. Here he describes the application process and discusses how technical students can be supported to succeed in industry

Ramanujan,right, facilitating the-Investing in Photonics Panel at 2020 SPIE Photonics West

Analysis and opinion

Good business optics: Critical steps to healthy startups

23 July 2020

Sujatha Ramanujan, managing director of the Luminate Accelerator Programme in Rochester, New York, offers four key questions to consider before launching an optics start-up

Carlos Lee (right) with Israel Grossinger

Analysis and opinion

A passion for product development

23 July 2020

Carlos Lee talks with Israel Grossinger, CEO and founder of Holo/Or, a developer of diffractive optics for laser systems

Feature

Forensic spectroscopy looks deeper

23 July 2020

New methods and instruments are building on impressive investigative capabilities, finds Andy Extance

June 2020

Feature

Making a quantum leap into commercial fibre networks

16 June 2020

Progress is being made on entanglement methods that can work in mainstream telecom wavelengths, in conventional networks, finds Andy Extance

Feature

Developing extra sensitive environmental detectors

16 June 2020

Andy Extance finds out how the SPEXS project is looking to extend single photon counting further into the infrared

Analysis and opinion

Sustainable networking: The kindness of advance preparation

8 June 2020

In the second installment of a two-part series, Christina C C Willis gives practical advice on how to create and maintain a lasting network successfully

Analysis and opinion

‘If you're good enough to solve complicated technical problems, you are bright enough to become an entrepreneur’

8 June 2020

Carlos Lee talks to Thierry Georges, CEO of Oxxius, a developer of continuous-wave laser modules

Analysis and opinion

Connecting climate with photomasks: Using skills for good

8 June 2020

Emily Gallagher, imec, says we can all choose to apply our skills – in her case, within photomask-related semiconductor development – to help minimise the effects of climate change

shutterstock_1519793876 Cropped.jpg

Product focus

Power from the dark side

4 June 2020

US researchers have proposed a photovoltaic cell that could generate power throughout the night

May 2020

Analysis and opinion

‘Why we need to encourage confidence and perseverance’

12 May 2020

Katarina Svanberg, professor at Sweden’s Lund University and South China Normal University, discusses her career developing optical cancer treatments, and notes why it’s important to support early-career researchers

L to R: Marc Canales, Roger Artigas, EPIC’s Ana González & Carlos Lee

Analysis and opinion

Made to measure

12 May 2020

Jose Pozo, CTO at EPIC, talks with Roger Artigas, co-founder, president and CTO of Sensofar Metrology – a designer and manufacturer of 3D surface metrology instruments

Feature

Diagnosis on a chip

12 May 2020

Keely Portway discusses advances in photonic integrated circuit biosensors for the detection of viruses such as covid-19

Feature

Cut above for coronavirus testing

11 May 2020

Greg Blackman on the filters used in point of care devices for testing for Covid-19

Feature

How super-resolution microscopy can reveal the coronavirus

11 May 2020

Having helped virologists understand their subject better, optical techniques are readying for their biggest test yet, finds Andy Extance

Analysis and opinion

Sustainable networking: your network’s success is your success

6 May 2020

In this first installment of a two-part series, Christina Willis discusses the importance of creating a network sustainably to enable better scientific and career outcomes – even during the Covid-19 pandemic

Left to right: Dr Weber, Dr Neugebauer, Dr Popp

Analysis and opinion

Coronavirus shines a light on potential of optical techniques

6 May 2020

Dr Karina Weber, Dr Ute Neugebauer, and Dr Juergen Popp, of Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz-IPHT) Jena, spoke to Electro Optics about the advantages of optical methods in tackling global health challenges, and what we can learn from the Covid-19 crisis to advance clinical translation

April 2020

Feature

Waveguides seek to welcome consumer AR

14 April 2020

Fabricating novel light-guiding structures from glass and plastic will prove instrumental in whether augmented reality becomes an everyday technology, finds Andy Extance

^{Cubert's Ultris 20 hyperspectral snapshot camera provides a more reliable alternative for aerial surveillance than conventional line scan cameras}

Feature

Spectral snapping

14 April 2020

Matthew Dale explores the emerging alternatives to push broom hyperspectral imaging

Analysis and opinion

Phase transitions: A laser scientist in a policy world

2 April 2020

Christina Willis says that learning to communicate science to non-experts is a crucial part of her role in politics - a skill that all scientists should develop

EOapr20-pp30-A1-MIT-Dark-Mirror-Frankel-PRESS Cropped.jpg

Product focus

Dark-field microscopy gets a boost from Bragg mirrors

30 March 2020

MIT researchers have developed a multi-layered chip that could dramatically reduce the cost of dark-field microscopes

March 2020

Analysis and opinion

Getting an industry job with no industry experience

4 March 2020

David Giltner, founder of TurningScience, gives tips on how postgraduates and early-career scientists can make themselves more attractive to commercial organisations

EOmar20-pp26-Osram-1.jpg

Product focus

Lighting enables new car functions

2 March 2020

Matthew Dale discovers how high-resolution LED matrices and blue lasers are set to increase the functionality of automotive lighting

Feature

Adaptive optics drive ground-based space discoveries

27 February 2020

Keely Portway looks at how adaptive optics have allowed ground-based telescopes to observe new phenomena, including finer details of the Sun

Feature

Graphene dreams

27 February 2020

Graphene could transform networks if its remarkable properties can sustain a viable supply chain, finds Andy Extance

Analysis and opinion

Communication in optics systems generation

27 February 2020

Oliver Fähnle, of Fisba, says progress in light tool optimisation relies on communities in the supply chain talking to one another

February 2020

Leonardo da Vinci's Virgin of the Rocks. Copyright: The National Gallery, London

Analysis and opinion

Spectral imaging sheds light on Leonardo masterpiece

31 January 2020

Giorgia Marucci from Pro-Lite Technology visits the National Gallery in London to find out how hyperspectral imaging was used to reveal the history behind Leonardo da Vinci’s The Virgin of the Rocks