Every patient is unique. Hence, nothing is more natural than providing each patient with a unique implant. Thanks to laser-based additive manufacturing, this is already possible. Patient-specific titanium implants manufactured by laser sintering, for example, feature a tailored fit as well as an interconnected pore structure (Figure 1). Such patient-specific implants (PSIs) significantly improve the medical treatment of bone defects. While conventional implants need to be manually adapted

Chip-scale sensor integration has brought us to the edge of new market opportunities that are poised to transform business practices and consumer lifestyles. The ability to incorporate miniaturized sensors into small devices and broad networks means...

For solid-state lasers, more power, along with increasingly robust systems and a wider variety of wavelengths, mean new applications in cutting, welding, precision manufacturing, marking and elsewhere. Together with falling prices, such advances are...

For decades, many of the most impactful commercial technologies to hit the market have had their development either started or aided by the military. Among the most notable examples are personal computers, the internet and wireless network...

Micromachining of fine features has become an integral part of high-volume manufacturing in markets as diverse as consumer electronics, medical devices and automotive. Tiny holes, fine cuts and narrow scribes are created with precision drills, saws,...

It is no secret that CMOS image sensor technology has undergone a rapid transformation. Driven by the consumer cellphone market’s insatiable demand for fast, high-quality images, there has been substantial investment in CMOS sensor technology,...

The defense industry, with its high performance and rugged environmental requirements, has long driven development of state-of-the-art technology platforms that have trickled down into commercial and consumer applications. The commercialization of...

Photonics is rapidly transforming into an enabling space technology with potential to cross-fertilize multiple markets in the space domain. Among them: navigation, remote sensing and telecommunications, as well as ground-breaking scientific and...

The many forms of conventional or linear spectroscopy such as vibrational, electronic and terahertz all involve measuring light absorption or an emission signal as a function of wavelength to yield information about the structure of the sample being...

Ultrafast optics is currently a scientifically dominated area with a lot of dynamics in both research and development. Often, complex setups make it challenging to create compact devices that can be employed for applications outside of the...

The first computer link using optical fibers was commissioned four decades ago to safeguard communications at the Cheyenne Mountain strategic command center1. We have since seen broad adoption of photonic communications in an unfolding trend of...

The telescope has been used for more than 400 years. Although there have been many designs created for looking at distant objects, there is a fundamental weakness with the lens system. By necessity, telescopes use curved lenses — which are...

Intelligent robotics is one of the technological disruptions that will fundamentally alter society — both from an industrial and a social perspective. And “smart perception” is a key concept that will drive this evolution toward...

Food fraud and adulteration is a serious and increasing problem with significant health and economic impacts. Although robust and sophisticated laboratory methods have been developed to detect fraud, the question of how that experience can be...

The scientific endeavors of our university systems are a vital part of the industrial R&D process that produces many of today’s leading-edge designs and manufacturing processes. Much of that development involves lasers of all sizes and...

Today, infrared optics are mainly used in relatively high-priced technical devices. Thermal imaging cameras, for instance, help builders and surveyors identify leaks and thermal bridges in buildings, while night vision systems are used by police and...

Time delay integration (TDI) sensors have been around for almost 40 years now. The concept originated from the days of film cameras, when the idea of opening the shutter and rolling the film at the same speed as the moving target recorded a...

Even though thick plate cutting has a subsidiary market share in laser material processing, it is still a necessary feature for state-of-the-art machines. In recent years, research has concentrated on various quality issues, especially dross...

The first advances in color displays date to the mid ’50s with the development of the cathode ray tube1, the primary display technology until liquid crystal displays (LCDs) emerged a decade ago. For a brief period, plasma technology showed...

Laser World of Photonics provides a spotlight for promising newcomers, industry veterans and innovative companies. And with tens of thousands of people from countries around the globe attending the show, that spotlight is huge. In 2015, the biennial...

Laser World of Photonics provides a spotlight for promising newcomers, industry veterans and innovative companies. And with tens of thousands of people from countries around the globe attending the show, that spotlight is huge. In 2015, the biennial...