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The popularity and demand for data-rich wireless communication is driving the deployment of radio-over-fibre technology and the success of the firms such as Zinwave, reports Nadya Anscombe.
Over the past ten years, Crystal Fiber, now part of NKT Photonics, has been busy commercializing photonic crystal fibre. Nadya Anscombe finds out about the evolution of the technology and its applications.
Oxford Photovoltaics is the newest contender in the race to commercialize dye-sensitized solar cells. Nadya Anscombe finds out what makes this company think it can succeed.
When AOptix Technologies was set up in 2000 to exploit adaptive optics in laser communications systems, its future looked bright. But, as Nadya Anscombe finds out, the company has had to adapt to changes in the market and find new applications for its technology.
The concentrator photovoltaics market is becoming increasingly crowded. Nadya Anscombe finds out what makes German company Concentrix Solar stand out from the crowd.
Developing new sensor technology requires knowledge from every area of science and engineering. Nadya Anscombe finds out how this is done at the National Centre for Sensor Research in Ireland.
The initial concept of the laser was pioneered at Bell Labs, as were many other technologies that are fundamental to the photonics industry. Nadya Anscombe finds out how the company has changed in recent years and what technologies are being researched at Bell Labs today.
Researchers in Germany have set up a company to manufacture custom-made optics for ultrafast applications. Nadya Anscombe finds out about the company's products and its plans for the future.
Start-up company Nanoscribe has developed table-top systems that can write intricate 3D structures not possible through other lithographic technologies. Nadya Anscombe finds out how the company was founded and what its plans are for the future.
From humble beginnings, the Belgian company Xenics has grown to become one of the world's leading suppliers of short-wave infrared cameras outside the US. Nadya Anscombe finds out how the company has survived the economic crisis by changing its business strategy and continually developing its products.
German company Novaled has built a business around a doping technology that increases the efficiency of organic LEDs. Its materials have broken many efficiency records and are being used in a wide range of applications, reports Nadya Anscombe.
Laser systems manufacturer Trumpf believes it can survive in the current economic climate with its strategy of diversification in both the laser technologies it is able to offer clients and the wide range of end-user applications that it serves. Nadya Anscombe finds out more.
German company M2K Laser was the first in the world to successfully commercialize tapered diode lasers, and is currently the only one making gallium antimonide devices. The company's managing director speaks to Nadya Anscombe about its strategy and future.
Light Up The World, a non-profit organization founded by optical engineer Dave Irvine-Halliday, is on a mission to bring safe, clean and affordable lighting to impoverished people. Nature Photonics finds out more.
What would you do if you owned the world's most powerful laser? The US government is hoping to use it to achieve the ignition of thermonuclear fusion in the lab for the first time. Nature Photonics spoke to Edward Moses of the National Ignition Facility to find out more.
An innovative approach to making silicon solar cells more cost-effective and robust has now entered mass production. Nature Photonics took a trip to Kyoto, Japan, to find out more.
The International Space Station will soon be using fibre-optic communication technology for the first time, and products from US start-up company Space Photonics are helping to make this possible. Nadya Anscombe spoke to the company's CEO, Chuck Chalfant, to find out more.
The idea behind quantum-dot lasers has been around for a long time, but only recently has the field made headway in developing robust commercial products. Nadya Anscombe spoke to German firm Innolume to find out why they believe the technology will take off.
For over 50 years, Teruo Hiruma, the president of the Japanese firm Hamamatsu Photonics, has been striving to make photonics a practical technology that can benefit society and industry. Oliver Graydon spoke to him about the challenges the firm faced in its early days and his opinions on the future.