Photonics News: Week in Brief: 07/30/21

CHICAGO — AKHAN Semiconductor reported it has demonstrated the ability to manufacture 300-mm CMOS diamond wafers. The technology has the potential to enhance power handling, heat management, and the durability of electronics across industries with little change to fabricators’ existing manufacturing processes.

NEWARK, N.J. — New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Center for Solar Terrestrial Research’s Big Bear Solar Observatory will be the permanent home for the National Science Foundation’s Synoptic Optical Long-Term Investigations of the Sun (SOLIS) telescope. The telescope will be used for long-term and consistent monitoring of the “sun as a whole globe” over the full 11-year solar cycle. The telescope will be relocated from Ariz.

CORNING, N.Y. — Corning has partnered with Hyundai Mobis, which is using Corning’s curved mirror solutions as part of its new augmented reality head-up display system. The technology was debuted in the 2021 Ioniq 5 electric crossover utility vehicle. Compared with traditional technologies, Corning mirrors enable a larger total display area across the windshield with a projection distance that is five times greater.

CANBERRA, Australia — Two laser projects from Australia National University have received funding from the Australia Moon to Mars Demonstrator Feasibility Grants from the Australian Space Agency. The first project, which was awarded $200,000, will build a prototype deep space laser communications transmitter compatible with optical communication technology developed by NASA for missions including the optical to Orion demonstrational. The second project received more than $100,000. It is focused on developing laser measurement technology for the next generation of gravity sensing.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Energy’s Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration announced $9.35 million for 21 research projects in the High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas program. Selected projects will investigate the physics of magnetic reconnection that drives flares in the stars and accelerates particles in astrophysical jets. The projects will also advance the shaping of plasma by lasers to create high-energy densities that mimic the interior of planets, enable novel accelerators, and lead to innovative technologies that directly benefit society.

HORSHAM, Pa. — To support NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and ESA’s Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, Avo Photonics is producing more than 20 next-generation laser seed sources to demonstrate its design efficacy, manufacturing processes, and laser-system ruggedness. The LISA observations will be made while in orbit of the sun. Three satellites will form a triangular interferometer. The launch of the project is expected to take place in the mid-2030s.

MAINZ, Germany — Specialty glass manufacturer SCHOTT has begun construction on a state-of-the-art flat glass processing plant in Bolu, Turkey. The €9 million ($10.7 million) plant will increase production capacity in Bolu by 50%. The site is focused on flat glass for home appliance applications. Operation is expected to begin in 2022.

PITTSBURGH — Aerotech Inc. launched Peak Metrology, an Aerotech company focused on designing and building capital equipment for surface metrology processes. Co-located in Aerotech’s headquarters in Pittsburgh, Peak Metrology will leverage the motion control and automation company’s positioning expertise, facilities, and financial resources.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — NTT Research Inc. has entered into a joint research agreement with the University of Tokyo’s International Research Center for Neurointelligence (IRCN) to develop coherent ising machine (CIM)-related technologies. The project will last three and a half years and will be focused on developing new algorithms and a simulator for the CIM, an information processing platform based on photonic oscillator networks. NTT Research has established similar relationships with CalTech, Cornell University, MIT, Notre Dame University, Stanford University, Swinburne University of Technology, the University of Michigan, and the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

BELFAST, Northern Ireland — The UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Strength in Places Fund awarded £42.4 million to Smart Nano NI, a Northern Ireland nanotechnology consortium that plans to develop new technology for medical devices, communication, and data storage. The total project value (including leveraged funding from other sources) is £63.9 million ($89.21 million).