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Historical Archive (January 2003 - June 2010)
The historic archive provides access to articles published prior to SPIE's acquisition of optics.org in July 2010.

October 2008

Intel Capital pumps $20m into Chinese solar 31 Oct 08

Investment in China's renewable energy sector represents the company's first clean-tech initiative in the country.

Optical textile tests MRI patients from afar 30 Oct 08

An elastic bandage incorporating plastic optical fibre can be worn around the chest and abdomen to monitor patient's breathing.

Carl Zeiss unveils cheaper TB-detection 29 Oct 08

A new fluorescence microscope could make tuberculosis detection more affordable for countries with high TB-burdens.

CW pump creates visible continuum 29 Oct 08

A visible supercontinuum created by a continuous-wave low-power fibre laser could be ideal for spectroscopy, microscopy and optical coherence tomography.

Bookham makes its first profit 28 Oct 08

Despite all the doom and gloom in the financial markets, Bookham reported its best-ever quarterly earnings.

Feathered photonic crystal takes off 28 Oct 08

Natural photonic crystals found within peacock feathers are being used to tune the optical emission of embedded ZnO nanoparticles.

Start-up spotlight: Molded Plastic Optics 28 Oct 08

Precision plastic optical components from a US start-up are used in medical, military and consumer applications.

Business briefs 27 Oct 08

Featuring news from Oerlikon, PerkinElmer, StockerYale, Qioptiq and more.

SiOnyx moves black silicon out of the lab 24 Oct 08

A new photonic material could have significant advantages for detection, imaging and power-generation applications.

New sensor lets cars see clearly 23 Oct 08

A CMOS sensor from STMicroelectronics could lead to more-efficient driver-assistance systems.

Blue LED detects pollutant gas 23 Oct 08

Chinese researchers are hoping to commercialize a technique that uses a blue LED to detect nitrogen dioxide cheaply and easily.

Chirped fibre delivers short pulses 23 Oct 08

A photonic crystal fibre has for the first time been engineered to transmit sub-100 fs pulses over extended distances.

Zygo and ESI merge for mutual benefit 22 Oct 08

Both parties welcome the union of their complementary technologies and predict a bright future in high-volume applications.

India launches first lunar mission 22 Oct 08

India has launched its first spacecraft to the Moon. It carries a suite of optical instruments designed to create the highest resolution 3D maps of the lunar surface.

QPC on the brink as crunch bites 21 Oct 08

Innovative semiconductor laser company QPC Lasers sheds employees as it searches frantically for new financing amid the global credit crunch.

CIP sets thermo-PV efficiency record 21 Oct 08

Energy conversion efficiency of 12% could see thermo-photovoltaic devices move into new markets and products.

Business briefs 20 Oct 08

Featuring news from Micronic, Samsung, Northrop Grumman, Signet Solar, Boeing and more.

Scanning microscopy builds digital embryo 20 Oct 08

A high-speed fluorescence imaging technique is building up a time-lapse picture of how the cells in an embryo develop during their first 24 hours.

Picosecond pulses spot proteins more clearly 16 Oct 08

An IR spectroscopy technique for identifying proteins is said to be the first new method developed in the field for 20 years.

Quantum dots pile into 3D photonic crystal 16 Oct 08

Researchers embedded quantum dots emitting at 1.5 microns into a 3D photonic crystal for the first time.

NASA aims for perfect landings 16 Oct 08

Two developments in LIDAR sensing are designed to help lunar landing craft make a safe touchdown.

LIDAR tracks Chinese spacecraft landing 14 Oct 08

A mobile Doppler LIDAR housed in a van has monitored the wind profile and predicted the landing site of China's historic Shenzhou 7 mission.

Quantum encryption sets speed record 13 Oct 08

Record bit rate heralds quantum security across communication networks.

Business briefs 13 Oct 08

Featuring news from Konarka, SPI Lasers, Philips, Sanyo, Sofradir and more.

External cavity quantum dots see yellow 13 Oct 08

Researchers in Germany fabricate quantum dot lasers that produce second harmonics in the yellow-red spectral range.

BAE display heads for commercial aircraft 10 Oct 08

The Q-HUD head-up display technology uses holographic waveguides to eliminate the need for projection systems.

Sound focuses liquid lens in an instant 09 Oct 08

A liquid lens that provides instant focusing could bring high quality imaging to hand held devices such as mobile phones.

Europe moves forward with laser-fusion plans 09 Oct 08

A €1bn project designed to show that laser-driven fusion can provide the world with energy in the future took its first steps this week.

Optical monitor checks heart rhythm 08 Oct 08

The developers of a product that takes just a few seconds to monitor how rhythmically a patient's heart is beating are looking for companies to commercialise their idea.

DILAS targets industrial laser sector 08 Oct 08

A new business unit will develop turnkey diode laser systems for applications in manufacturing.

Dual detection increases telescope precision 08 Oct 08

An imaging system that contains two interferometers could help astronomers in South America to see much fainter sources than ever before with unprecedented precision.

PhOREMOST maps out future of nanophotonics 07 Oct 08

An EU roadmap identifies how emerging nanophotonics technologies could develop over the next 5 to 15 years.

Business briefs 06 Oct 08

Featuring news from Fianium, Michelson Diagnostics, Avo Photonics, the Organic Electronics Association and more.

Arcing Airy light guides particles 06 Oct 08

Airy light is being used to move particles and cells for the first time thanks to its propensity to follow a curved trajectory.

Going beyond pass/fail optics characterization 03 Oct 08

The demand for higher quality images using small-diameter optics is fostering competition amongst manufacturers. Xavier Levecq of Imagine Optic tells OLE why its latest product allows industrial R&D teams to push new lens designs through to market more efficiently.

Practical Y-splitter channels plasmons 03 Oct 08

Miniaturized photonic circuits could benefit from a cleverly designed Y-splitter that steers surface plasmon polaritons.

Focused research keeps Europe at the forefront in photonics 03 Oct 08

The European Commission regularly invites proposals for photonics research intended to keep Europe competitive. John Magan, deputy head of the EC's Photonics Unit, outlines how the process works.

IPHOBAC pushes microwave photonic boundaries 03 Oct 08

A new class of photonic systems for fixed-frequency millimetre-wave applications could be used in radar, instrumentation and communications.

Glasses roll aspheres into the mainstream 02 Oct 08

Precision moulded glass aspheres have made the transition from being exclusively high-cost components to mainstream optics for a variety of imaging applications. Gregg Fales of Edmund Optics looks at the factors that have changed the asphere's fortune.

Innovation enriches high-power diode laser market 02 Oct 08

The high-power diode laser market is seeing new applications emerge thanks to higher output powers and new emission wavelengths. Jörg Neukum of DILAS looks at recent progress.

Ring-down spectroscopy breaks into new markets 02 Oct 08

Recent developments in cavity ring-down spectroscopy allow the technique to be used in a range of demanding applications. Lisa Bergson and Jerry Riddle bring Tim Hayes up to date.

Jenoptik looks to solar for future growth 02 Oct 08

Michael Mertin is the man responsible for Jenoptik's recent restructure and securing future growth. Jacqueline Hewett asks him how heavily photovoltaics features in these plans.

Optofluidic microscope shrinks to fit on a chip 02 Oct 08

An inexpensive and high-resolution microscope has for the first time been engineered to fit onto a single chip. Marie Freebody speaks to Changhuei Yang of Caltech, US, to find out how the device could benefit applications where portability and low cost are essential.

CPV solar simulator moves indoors 02 Oct 08

optics.org speaks to the developers of the first solar simulator for concentrator photovoltaic systems.

Food chains essential for European photonics 01 Oct 08

Have you ever stopped to think about the factors that have shaped the structure of the European photonics market? Nadya Anscombe asks Arnold Mayer and Alastair Wilson about how the sector can learn from its past mistakes and which markets will shape its future.

Terahertz success relies on research investment 01 Oct 08

Terahertz radiation holds great promise for enhanced security systems, industrial inspection and sophisticated spectroscopy. Marie Freebody speaks to Hartmut Roskos to find out about the progress that has been made so far and the key challenges that remain.

Nanowire grid boosts LCD performance 01 Oct 08

US researchers are working with an optoelectronics firm in Taiwan to bring brighter, thinner and cheaper LCDs to the market.

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