NEWS EDITOR’S CHOICE
MAJOR GROWTH EXPECTED FOR PHOTONICS MARKET A
ccording to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research, the photonics market was valued at USD 509.75 billion in 2013, which is expected to reach USD 765.89 million by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 5.8% from 2014 to 2020. All the applications of light across the light spectrum, ranging from ultraviolet to visible light are covered under the scope of photonics. It finds applications across consumer electronics, displays, safety and defense technology, communication, metrology and sensing among others. In addition, the various products of photonics including waveguides, optical modulators,
optical interconnects, LED, wavelength division multiplexer filters, photo detectors, lasers, amplifiers and spectroscopes among others are also gaining wide acceptance. The prices of photonics based instruments being on the lower side compared to conventional devices is one of the major factors fuelling the demand for photonics based instruments globally. Furthermore, the application of photonics based instruments in medical and healthcare segment is also boosting the demand for photonics based instruments. The demand for fast and early diagnosis and minimally invasive surgery are boosting the photonics
based instruments globally. Wavelength division multiplexer
filter is one of the major product segments for photonics based instruments. Increasing demand for high speed communication is the major factor boosting the demand for wavelength division multiplexers. In addition, medical and
healthcare is one of the fastest growing application segments for photonics based instruments. Aging population is driving the demand for photonics based instruments globally in the medical and healthcare segment.
www.transparencymarket research. com
FOR MOBILE AND WEARABLE DEVICES
Tronics Microsystems has expands its business model to high volumes markets with the licensing of its unique Magelan and M&NEMS technologies. The products manufactured on these breakthrough platforms offer key differentiators, from inertial sensors enhancement to the combination of all measurement types on a single chip, paving the way for new fields of application, in particular for the mobile and wearable devices market. The company offers a process technology
LARGE-SCALE FIRST-PRINCIPLES SIMULATION METHOD
Matter is composed of large numbers of atoms, and its physical properties are determined by the nature of the complex forces between atoms and electrons. Theoreticians use quantum mechanics to calculate the forces between atoms and the behaviour of electrons in atoms. Specifically, the so-called first-principles simulation based on quantum mechanics is a powerful technique widely used to elucidate diverse properties of matter and materials on the atomic scale. However, the size of the systems modelled with conventional first-principles simulations is limited to those of only a few hundred atoms in most cases because the complexity and scale of simulations increases as the number of atoms becomes larger. Now, a research team led by Tsuyoshi Miyazaki at the NIMS-International Center for Materials
Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) and David Bowler, University College London, London Centre for Nanotechnology, has successfully developed a highly efficient, large-scale first-principles simulation method for simulating very large systems containing a 100-fold larger number of atoms compared with conventional methods. This method provides the means of performing atomic and electron scale simulation of biological molecules and complex matter including nanostructured materials for which conventional methods cannot not be utilised. The research team has been pursuing the development of a calculation method capable of performing
highly efficient large-scale simulations. Here, by introducing a new technique to enable extremely precise numerical calculations and utilising supercomputers, namely the “K computer” and FX10 installed at RIKEN and the University of Tokyo, respectively, the team successfully performed first-principles simulation of giant systems comprising of more than 30,000 atoms, which is 100-fold larger compared with the conventional methods. Their success will pave the way for simulation of very large systems including up to millions of atoms/electrons.
MANA
www.nims.go.jp/mana
platform: state of the art capacitive technology for 6 axis monolithic chips, designed for miniaturised high performance inertial sensors (accelerometers and gyros), with has a proven track record in high volume applications.
www.tronicsgroup.com
The EPSRC Centre in Ultra Precision are recruiting postgraduate research scientists and engineers for its four year MRes/PhD in Ultra Precision Engineering at Cranfield University. There is fully funded studentships available with a tax free stipend of up to £20,000 per annum commencing October 2015. Applicants are welcome from any field of science or engineering who have obtained a first or upper second class honours degree. Funding is available for UK students and EU students who have studied for three years full time in the UK.
www.ultraprecision.org BIG INVESTMENT INTO FOUR CHAMBER ETCH MACHINE
Precision Micro has purchased a new four chamber etch machine. The new machine built to Precision Micro’s specification — comes with comprehensive data logging functionality allowing for full machine control, and energy monitors that optimise supply assisting in Precision Micro’s continued focus on environmentally conscious manufacturing. Business Director Marcus Heather explains the
place etching has in industry today. “Photo- etching is precisely suited to applications where the requirement is for small, precise, complex, feature-rich parts with no burrs, and no stress- related changes in the metal, which can occur using alternative metal forming technologies”.
/ ELECTRONICS
“Traditional processes tend to struggle when applied to the working of thin metals, stamping and punching being inappropriate in many instances, and laser and water cutting causing disproportionate and unacceptable degrees of heat distortion and material shredding respectively.” “The new machine will enable Precision Micro to produce larger volumes, making it even more competitive with stamping, and to work with thicker materials. In addition, it will allow for enhanced process control than the machine it is replacing, which in turn will provide for increased reliability and enable a wider offering of etched components for the company’s customers”. Precision Micro
www.precisionmicro.co.uk
MICROMATTERS | SPRING 2015 5
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