FEATURE PHOTONICS WEST 2024 ROUND-UP
SPIE spotlights innovations in the laser, biomedical, quantum, AR/VR/MR, sensors, and imaging areas at its Prism Awards
We’re always excited to showcase the wealth of innovative optics- and photonics-based technologies, said SPIE CEO Kent Rochford during the award ceremony, held on 31 January. “By creating products
Doctoral students working in the University of Manchester’s Photon Science Institute lab
University of Manchester and SPIE launch $1m photonics
scholarship fund
The University of Manchester, UK, and SPIE have established a $1 million postgraduate scholarship fund in photonics. Announced during Photonics West, the programme will be 50% funded by SPIE and 50% by the university. The SPIE- Manchester Postgraduate Scholarship will particularly focus on funding individuals returning to research following a career break or time in industry, and those pursuing unconventional career pathways or part-time study (situations often necessitated by caring responsibilities, for example. The endowment will support students at the university’s Photon Science Institute, in partnership with the Royce Institute, the UK’s national institute for advanced materials research and innovation. The scholarship programme will have an optional final-year placement of up to 12 months, during which students can develop industry-relevant skills with optics and photonics firms.
Diversity in education Dr Patrick Parkinson, department head of Research
12 Electro Optics March 2024
for Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester, said: “The SPIE-Manchester Postgraduate Scholarship in Photonics is a testament to our shared values within skills training, fostering diversity in education and the vital role of photonics. This announcement holds special significance as it coincides with the university’s bicentenary year. We take great pride in using this generous donation to not only advance research and education, but also to solidify our existing partnerships and forge new industrial collaborations to deliver a doctoral training program that will ensure a sustainable workforce for the North West of England.” SPIE CEO Kent Rochford
said: “Our expanding field needs researchers and engineers, although for some who might be interested in a photonics career, traditional educational paths are barriers to their success. The SPIE- Manchester Postgraduate Scholarship in Photonics aims to remove those barriers and provide exciting opportunities for early-career researchers and those who may be pursuing unconventional career paths. Working internally at the university’s Photon Science Institute with the option of an industry-focused placement, promises to benefit young researchers as well as our
future diverse workforce.” This is the 11th major SPIE gift to universities and institutes as part of its ongoing programme to support the expansion of optical engineering teaching and research. The SPIE Endowment Matching Programme was established in 2019 and has so far provided more than $4 million in matching gifts, resulting in more than $11 million in
dedicated funds. Scanlab
Redefining motion control in laser materials processing For Scanlab, a developer of high-precision scanning solutions for laser materials processing, Photonics West proved the perfect platform to inform the photonics industry of the many capabilities of its new SCANmotionControl software. Designed for use with all the scan heads of Scanlab’s
excelliSCAN- and intelliSCAN IV series, SCANmotionControl calculates optimum trajectories from specified machining patterns and process parameters while taking into account the physical limits of the scan head. For example, the tolerable rounding of corners can be defined or a constant process speed can be specified. The software enables laser jobs to be simulated ahead of time to identify the best parameters, meaning application engineers no longer have to repeatedly return to the lab to conduct trial- and-error testing in order to calibrate their scan systems. The result is optimal processing with minimum laser-off times and zero time-consuming optimisation loops. Therefore, in addition to improving processing speeds, the software also dramatically reduces application set-up times, increasing productivity across the entire laser operation.
www.scanlab.de
www.electrooptics.com
powered by photonics and bringing those products to market, all these companies – the finalists as well as tonight’s winners – are impacting our lives in truly transformative ways,” he said at the Prism Awards at the show.
Nine category winners were: AR/VR/MR winner: Porotech’s DynamicPixelTuning technology Porotech’s DynamicPixelTuning (DPT) technology offers an “entirely new approach” to full colour microLED displays, the company says. Its MicroLEDs use inorganic PoroGaN material, which emits light directly without reflection, has high stability and ultra-high brightness, solving the low visibility of traditional LEDs
SPIE
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