UCF Opens BioPhotonics Lab: Week in Brief: 11/8/24

AllFocal Optics, a nanophotonic display company, has secured $5.3 million in seed funding. The funding will go towards commercialization of the company’s optics offerings. The company is a spinout of the University of Cambridge developing technologies for AR, VR, and MR applications.

A laser was used during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new biophotonics lab. Courtesy of UCF.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The University of Central Florida (UCF) has opened a new biophotonics lab at the College of Medicine’s Burnett Biomedical Sciences building in Lake Nona, Florida. The University said that it will provide opportunities for UCF undergraduate, graduate, medical students, residents, and fellows to conduct research. Projects such as using light and sound to improve the placement of epidurals during childbirth and developing fiberoptic sensors that can determine immediately if blood is clotting during heart surgery are already underway at the lab.

UNU rector Tshilidzi Marwala (left) and CCNY president Vince Boudreau signing the agreement for the R-SIRUS partnership. Courtesy of CCNY.

NEW YORK — The United Nations University (UNU) Institute for Water, Environment, and Health (UNU-INWEH) has entered into a partnership with the City College of New York (CCNY) to establish the UNU Hub on Remote-Sensing and Sustainable Innovations for Resilient Urban Systems (R-SIRUS). Located on CCNY’s campus, R-SIRUS will be focused on remote sensing and the sustainability problems of complex urban systems by enhancing the adaptability of cities worldwide to climate-related challenges. The UNU Hub will bring together interdisciplinary experts to work on solutions addressing extreme weather impacts, urban water and energy needs, and social inequalities affecting urban communities.

The Microtec Academy will be used as part of a project called Skilled workers for microelectronics: skills4chips, which aims to increase European semiconductor production. Courtesy of Ferdinand-Braun-Institut.

BERLIN — The Ferdinand-Braun-Institut will be coordinating an academy for microelectronics and microsystem technology as a part of a project funded by the German government’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research called Skilled workers for microelectronics: skills4chips. The Microtec Academy, which will receive €12 million (~$13 million) in funding over four years, aims to increase the quality and quantity of education and training in microelectronics on all levels, from career orientation, vocational training, and university studies to reskilling and upskilling. The project was developed in response to the E.U.’s aim to double the share of semiconductors produced in Europe from 10% to 20% by 2030.

LA DÉFENSE, France — Electronic Systems developer Thales has entered into a partnership with electronics manufacturer FEBUS Optics to co-develop solutions for monitoring and protecting critical undersea infrastructure. The partnership will combine FEBUS Optics’ distributed acoustic sensing interrogator technology with Thales’ sonar array design to propose an integrated solution that adds new functionality to the company’s BlueGuard surveillance system.

Members of the OptoSigma board and executive team at the new facility’s ribbon cutting ceremony. Courtesy of OptoSigma Corporation.

COSTA MESA, Calif. — OptoSigma Corporation, a developer of precision optical components and systems, has relocated its headquarters to a new facility in Costa Mesa, California. The company said the move will allow for an increase in production capacity and manufacturing capabilities to meet the demands of its customers, including a new 8000 sq ft clean room, system integration, optical design and assembly, optical coatings, and planar optics such as waveplates, wedges, and prisms.

GROß-UMSTADT, Germany — Addtech subsidiary Addtech Electrification has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares outstanding in Nanosystec GmbH, a developer of equipment primarily for manufacturing opto-electronics. The company said Nanosystec complements and strengthens Addtech's existing operations within its connectivity solutions business unit.

WILMINGTON, Mass. — Onto Innovation Inc., a provider of process control and packaging lithography solutions, has acquired Lumina Instruments, Inc., a supplier of optical inspection systems, as well as the lithography business from Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc, including 24 issued patents. The company will use the acquisitions to extend defect sensitivity from 750 nm down to below 100 nm at industry leading throughput in wafer and panel manufacturing and power semiconductors.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — End-market optics and photonics manufacturer Syntec Optics is planning to restart the manufacturing of components and assembly that supports the precision-guided munition program in March 2025. The guidance system, including a laser seeker, its optics, and mechanicals, is mounted on the munition, which is launched near the target and detects the direction of the laser energy from a marked target and adjusts the trajectory. Consistent demand is anticipated over the next five years, starting with the fulfillment of initial orders received by the OEM.

Aquark’s cold atom technology was tested on the Royal Navy’s ship the HMS Pursuer. Courtesy of Aquark Technologies.

SOUTHAMPTON, England — Aquark Technologies, a quantum technology company, has entered into a partnership with the Office of the CTO of the U.K. Royal Navy to demonstrate the capabilities of its cold atom technology on the Royal Navy’s HMS Pursuer vessel. The tests showed that the technology could be used in military applications such as covert monitoring that requires precise signals for accurate positioning, navigation, and timing. This comes after the company raised €5 million ($5.4 million) in seed financing led by the NATO Innovation Fund.

KFAR SAVA HASHARON, Israel — The MicroLED Industry Association has published its first soft-standard document. The document provides guidelines for microdisplay developers and device makers, identifying the different properties of microLED microdisplays and suggesting how to disclose display metrics and performance.