REDONDO BEACH, Calif., May 7 -- The US Air Force has awarded contracts to three companies for the first phase of a three-year program to develop the strategic illuminator laser, or SILL -- a four-kilowatt-class, solid-state pulsed laser. The Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency is providing the funding under a contract managed by the Air Force. Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Space Technology sector, in Redondo Beach, received $499,606; Textron Systems Corp., of Wilmington Mass., $482,982; and General Atomics, of San Diego, $486,026. Under the four-month, Phase I contracts, the companies...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaArticlesTower Semiconductor, InnoLight Pair for Silicon Photonic Optical Transceivers: Week in Brief: 09/08/23Tower Semiconductor and data center optics company InnoLight Technology will develop multigeneration high-speed optical transceivers based on Tower’s silicon photonics process platform. The...Photonics.com 9/8/2023Fiber Lasers Scale Up Output Powers and End MarketsHigh-power fiber lasers are a versatile and powerful tool for a wide range of industrial applications, from cutting and welding to defense and beyond. Advancements in laser head design, beam...Photonics Spectra June 2023 IssueTeledyne FLIR Contracted for Long-Range Imaging Tech: Week in Brief: 10/28/22Intel Foundry Services launched a strategic addition to its design ecosystem accelerator program. The new USMAG (United States Military, Aerospace, and Government) Alliance aims to bring together a...Photonics.com 10/28/2022iThera Medical Closes $15.6M Funding Round: Week in Brief: 12/23/22Medical technology company iThera Medical closed a £13 million ($15.6 million) funding round led by TRUMPF Venture. The funding will drive the company’s commercialization and development...Photonics.com 12/23/2022ProductsGreen Picosecond LaserThe 532-nm HyperRapid NXT from Coherent is a picosecond industrial green laser for the manufacturing of thin-film solar cells. Based on the already established HyperRapid NXT platform, the laser...Photonics Spectra April 2024 IssueCompact Beam ExpandersThe A1 series of compact beam expanders from Optical Surfaces Ltd. delivers ×30 magnification from 2-mm aperture high-power laser beam lines. Delivering artifact-free high magnification,...Photonics Spectra October 2022 IssueUltrashort Pulse Laser PlatformThe LXR® platform from Luxinar is an ultrashort pulse laser source for applications in industrial laser processing such as micromachining. With high dynamic range of pulse repetition frequencies...Photonics.com 6/19/2024Particle Image Velocimetry SystemA Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system has been announced by Microvec Pte. Ltd., designed for measurements in air and water with velocities of up to 200 m/s. The fully functional system...BioPhotonics Nov/Dec 2022 IssuePhotonics Handbook ArticlesExcimer Lasers: Photonic Stamps with Micron ResolutionExcimers are pulsed gas lasers that deliver high output power and pulse energies in the ultraviolet and deep-ultraviolet wavelengths. This enables them to power applications that cannot be supported...Photonics HandbookSolid-State Lasers: Lower Noise Means Higher PerformanceMany linear materials proceseqsing applications call for lasers with continuous-wave (CW) output. For example, early stereolithography systems were based on CW lasers such as argon-ion or HeCd. To...Photonics HandbookLaser Measurement Systems: Best PracticesGiven the pace at which technology advances, there always seems to be a learning curve. With the abundance of consumer electronics available, there typically is no right or wrong way to use these...Photonics HandbookLaser Beam Measurement: Slit-Based Profilers for Pulsed BeamsMeasuring pulsed-beam lasers has generally required the use of a CCD array profiler. This is a reasonable solution for low-power lasers in the UV and visible wavelength range, but these require...Photonics HandbookWhite PapersPG&O'S Finished IR Optics Start with the Best MaterialsOptical products, traditionally used for visible light tasks, are moving aside to make room for more specialized optical components that are being manufactured for use in ultraviolet (UV) and...Photonics.com 6/20/2024Determining The Exact Laser Module For Machine Vision ApplicationsThis article outlines laser specifications in deploying a standard laser module or choosing a custom laser module solution. The reader will gain insight into the key factors to consider when...Photonics.com 5/12/2023HWK1411 Image Sensor Product BriefPhotonics.com 9/30/2022Photoluminescence Spectroscopy of Carbon DotsCarbon dots (C-dots) are nanoparticles composed of carbon with diameters below 10 nm. They were accidentally discovered in 2004 by Xu, et al1 when researching methods to purify carbon nanotubes....Photonics.com 8/17/2022WebinarsFused Silica in Radiation EnvironmentsAn increasingly wide range of applications need to be able to function in harsh environments, not only on space missions but also here on Earth, in particle detectors, for example. It is important to...Photonics.com 12/13/2022A Proposed US Standard for Laser Damage PerformanceAccurate, precise, and repeatable measurements are seminal to technological advancement and commerce. Since the dawn of the laser, laser-induced damage in optics and coatings has placed a limit on...Photonics.com 1/20/2021Stabilizing the Line of Sight: LOS Dynamics and ControlThis webinar, presented by the author of Stabilizing the Line of Sight (Photonics Media Press, 2018), will provide an overview of the issues and topics that must be addressed to successfully...Photonics.com 6/6/2019Optics Manufacturing: An Engine for Advancement in AstronomyAstronomy is a science driven by observation. Advancements in observation are driven by technology. Since the inception of telescopic observation of the universe, the root of this technology has been...Photonics.com 4/27/2021Photonics Dictionary Termsvolume Bragg gratingsVolume Bragg gratings (VBGs) are specialized optical elements that consist of periodic variations in refractive index throughout the volume of a transparent material, typically a photosensitive glass...Photonics Dictionaryquantum cascade laserA quantum cascade laser (QCL) is a type of semiconductor laser that operates based on the principles of quantum mechanics. It is a versatile and powerful device used for emitting coherent light in...Photonics Dictionarylaser parametersLaser parameters are the characteristics that define the behavior and performance of a laser. These parameters can be categorized into several groups: spatial, temporal, spectral, and operational. ...Photonics Dictionaryrepetitively pulsed laserA pulsed laser that emits a recurring pulsed output. Frequency of the pulses emitted is known as pulsed recurrence frequency (PRF). When the PRF or duty cycle is very high, repetitively pulsed lasers...Photonics DictionaryMediaOmicron-Laser - High-quality Laser & LED Light Sources, 36 Months Warranty, Biotech & MoreAs a leader in the laser system and LED light sources business, Omicron-Laser has been developing, manufacturing, and distributing innovative laser and LED light sources since 1989. Omicron offers CW...Photonics.com 11/3/2022LASOS LDM Laser SeriesPhotonics.com 7/30/2024Laser S.O.S. Ltd. Company VideoPhotonics.com 7/30/2024BWT - Shenzhen International Laser and Intelligent Equipment, Optoelectronic Technology Expo (LFSZ 2021)At the exhibition, BWT exhibited more than 20 types of diode lasers, fiber lasers, and ultrafast lasers.Photonics.com 10/14/2021Photonics Buyers' Guide CategoriesNanosecond LasersNitrogen LasersHigh-Energy LasersUltrafast Pulsed LasersAn ultrafast pulsed laser is a type of laser that emits extremely short pulses of light with durations typically on the order of femtoseconds (10^-15 s) or picoseconds (10^-15 s). These lasers are...CompaniesFOCtek Photonics Inc.FOCtek provides customers with all types of custom manufactured lenses, Precision Optical Components, Polarizing Optics, Prisms, Filters, Coatings, Optical Systems, Crystals, Nonlinear Crystals,...Photonics Buyers' GuideOZ Optics LimitedEstablished in 1985, OZ Optics is a leading worldwide supplier of fiber optic components, test equipment and sensors. OZ Optics manufactures its products in three locations, Ottawa (Canada),...Photonics Buyers' GuideOhara CorporationOHARA manufactures more than 130 environmentally safe optical glass types, free of both lead and arsenic. More than 300 tons of optical glass are melted per month, available in the following forms of...Photonics Buyers' GuideLaservision USALASER SAFETY • Eyewear • Barriers • Windows • Training laservision USA designs and manufactures a comprehensive assortment of custom-made laser safety eyewear that attenuates...Photonics Buyers' Guide