News & Comment

Microdisplays based on liquid-crystal-on-silicon technology may soon gain wider recognition as they penetrate an increasing number of markets, ranging from electronic viewfinders to miniature data projectors and head-up displays.

There is plenty to be gained by bringing researchers from photonics and chemistry closer together.

A regenerator capable of simultaneously removing both phase and amplitude noise from an optical data stream may be a critical component of future optical networks. Radan Slavík explained to Nature Photonics how he and his co-workers realized such a device.

Using high-frequency sound waves to make tunable optical filters, modulators and Q-switches is a well-established and convenient technological solution for many applications, reports Neil Savage.

A scheme for the remote sensing of terahertz waves over distances of tens of metres could have important applications in security and biology. Xi-Cheng Zhang from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute spoke toNature Photonicsabout his group's latest work in this field.

Given that an article can't be published until any artwork issues are resolved, it makes sense to get it right first time and avoid delays.

Belgian research institute imec is uniquely capable of manufacturing both polymer and small-molecule organic photovoltaic technology.Nadya Anscombetalks to Tom Aernouts, team leader of the organic photovoltaic division at imec, about these competing technologies.

The concentrator photovoltaics market is becoming increasingly crowded. Nadya Anscombe finds out what makes German company Concentrix Solar stand out from the crowd.

Quantum-dot-based solar cells promise to deliver efficiencies approaching those of crystalline solar cells but with the manufacturing simplicity of organics.

Sphelar solar-cell technology uses an array of tiny spheres of silicon within a transparent matrix to generate power, promising new opportunities for the use of solar cells in power-generating windows and portable, foldable power supplies.

Silicon integrated optical chips that can generate, modulate, process and detect light signals offer the tantalizing prospect of cost-effectively meeting the ever-increasing demands on data speed and bandwidth.

Ingenious techniques are needed to extend group IV photonics from near-infrared to mid-infrared wavelengths. If achieved, the reward could be on-chip CMOS optoelectronic systems for use in spectroscopy, chemical and biological sensing, and free-space communications.

The development of efficient and convenient mid-infrared sources based on quantum cascade lasers and nonlinear optics is creating possibilities for spectroscopy and sensing, reports The Scott Partnership.