AIST researchers directly observed flux quanta generated when a superconductor absorbs photons and demonstrated a detection principle that identifies photon numbers based on their count. The method reads quantized voltage signals produced by the Josephson effect as flux quanta cross the superconductor, without waiting for a thermal response, promising high-speed photon counting. The results were published in Physical Review Applied, DOI 10.1103/n295-rfl8.
Why we recommend it: The study shifts photon counting readout from thermal response to superconducting phase dynamics, offering a new comparative perspective on the trade-off between photon number resolution and detection speed.
Oct 23Fri
Friday
Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) · Research UpdatesOptics industryPicksAI score6969
The Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) established a theoretical model for spherical-wave lateral shearing interferometry and used a photon-sieve central-obscuration zone plate to match a large-aperture beam to a small-area detector. The team measured window glass with 5-inch and 9-inch zone plates. The transmitted wavefront PV of the 4-inch sample was 0.0738λ and 0.0735λ, against a Zygo reference result of 0.073λ at 632.8 nm. The 8-inch sample yielded a measured PV of 0.2288λ, versus a reference result of 0.222λ at 632.8 nm. The results were published in Optics and Laser Technology.
Why we recommend it: The study uses a central-obscuration zone plate and an analytical spherical-wave model to match a large-aperture beam to a small-area detector, providing a practical engineering method for large-aperture laser wavefront measurement.
Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) · Research UpdatesOptics industryPicksAI score7272
SIOM, together with the Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and ShanghaiTech University, proposed a molecular-isomerism-driven halide-exchange route and achieved violet-blue perovskite lasing at 423 nm. The team used SOCl₂ as the chlorine source to prepare the gain medium. The thin film showed amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) threshold of 1.4 μJ·cm⁻² and a random lasing threshold of 2.6 μJ·cm⁻². Unencapsulated and pumped at 25 times the threshold, the ASE output reached a T95 lifetime of 7×10⁷ pulses and 19.5 hours of continuous operation. The results were published in ACS Nano.
Why we recommend it: The study uses molecular conformational isomerism to control halide-ion exchange, lowering the threshold of violet-blue perovskite lasers while improving stability, and offering a preparation route for short-wavelength gain media.
Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) · Research UpdatesOptics industryPicksAI score6363
The team led by Shanglu Yang at SIOM achieved one-step direct laser filler-wire welding of 1500 MPa-class Al-Si-coated hot-forming steel through a special filler wire and precipitation-phase control in the weld. Ni and Al in the wire form a short-range-ordered B2 strengthening structure, with B2 nanoprecipitates contributing about 166 MPa of strengthening. Joint elongation improved, and the fracture location shifted from the weld to the base material. The results were published in Materials Science & Engineering A.
Why we recommend it: The study converts coating aluminum into a strengthening structure through filler-wire composition design, shifting Al-Si-coated steel from two-step processing to one-step laser filler-wire welding and offering a method for controlling joint microstructure.
Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) · Research UpdatesOptics industryPicksAI score7171
An SIOM team combined molecularly designed sol-gel chemistry with DLP 3D printing to achieve low-temperature fabrication of rare-earth-doped active glass and complex 3D shaping. The study produced transparent amorphous glass at a sintering temperature of 900 °C and extended the approach to neodymium-, erbium- and ytterbium-doped systems. The results were published in Additive Manufacturing. An erbium/ytterbium co-doped glass waveguide achieved a maximum on-off gain of 2.57 dB/mm at 1551 nm under 976 nm pumping.
Why we recommend it: The study combines molecular-level sol-gel design with 3D printing, retaining rare-earth luminescence and optical amplification in complex shapes and providing a fabrication method for active glass devices.
Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) · Research UpdatesOptics industryPicksAI score6666
An SIOM team designed a Cr/ZnS bilayer metasurface film label enabling independent coding in visible and long-wave infrared channels, with results published in Materials Today Physics. The label's total functional thickness is below 300 nm and requires only mask-assisted thermal evaporation, with no lithography or laser processing. It remains stable at incidence angles up to 70° and is insensitive to TM/TE polarization. After 1,000 bending cycles, the visible appearance and dual-band optical response of the sample were largely preserved.
Why we recommend it: The study uses a metal-film thickness window to separate visible and long-wave infrared responses, providing a design method for dual-channel anti-counterfeiting labels that combines simplified fabrication with mechanical durability.
Oct 22Thu
Thursday
OFweek Laser Network · NewsOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score6363
Han's CNC posted revenue of RMB 7.841 billion in the first three quarters of 2026, up 100.90% year over year, with net profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company of RMB 1.544 billion, up 214.03%. The company said demand for high-end AI PCBs is driving order growth, and processing and testing products for 800G/1.6T optical module substrates have passed validation with leading downstream customers and entered volume delivery. Its cold laser drilling solution can reliably process dense 50 μm microvias, while its high-precision microprobe tester can test 1.6T optical module BGA with pitch ≤150 μm.
Why we recommend it: Customer validation and volume shipments of processing equipment for optical module substrates provide a concrete case for understanding how AI compute demand flows through to laser drilling and precision test equipment.
A perovskite laser structure demonstrated by a Vilnius University research team maintained stable performance after more than 400 million pulses. The team prepared a material in which part of the lead is replaced by zinc using spin coating in a nitrogen atmosphere, analyzed its properties with confocal luminescence measurements, and then formed a DFB grating by interference laser ablation. The research was published in Advanced Optical Materials, and the samples combine good stability with narrow emission lines.
Why we recommend it: By linking material preparation, confocal luminescence measurements and grating fabrication, this study offers a concrete experimental path for understanding the stability of perovskite laser structures.
LITILIT's new femtosecond laser plant in Vilnius opened on October 16, 2026, with annual capacity of up to 3,000 units at full production. The plant represents a total investment of EUR 6 million and covers more than 4,000 square meters, with plans to produce about 1,000 units in the first year. The first products will be delivered in November 2026, mainly for export to Europe, North America and Asia.
Why we recommend it: The new plant advances femtosecond laser mass production through modular design and automated assembly, with its first-year plan and full-capacity target providing concrete benchmarks for scaled delivery.
Oct 20Tue
Tuesday
OFweek Optics Network · NewsOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score6363
Conant Optics supplies 23 lens SKUs each for the Qwen AI Glasses N1 and N1 Pro, and serves as a core supplier of plano and myopia prescription lenses. It is the exclusive supplier of 1.74 high-index lenses, high-value colorful lenses and smart photochromic lenses. In the first half of 2026, the company's XR business revenue reached about 50.5 million yuan, up about 15-fold year on year, with gross margin rising to 42.9 percent. Its Shanghai base plans to add four dedicated production lines for lens lamination and complete-unit packaging.
Why we recommend it: Looking at the lens packages, exclusive supply categories and changes in Conant's XR business revenue for the Qwen glasses shows how smart glasses mass production flows through to optics suppliers.
OFweek Optics Network · NewsOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score6868
Silicon carbide AR waveguides are moving toward wafer-level manufacturing and small-volume production, but low-cost, high-volume consumer shipments remain some way off. A recent preprint from the Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of 3D Micro/Nano Fabrication and Characterization, the Institute of Optoelectronics at Westlake University, and the Mude Micro-Nano team presents a full-color silicon carbide diffractive waveguide measuring 0.35 mm thick and weighing 1.98 g, with patterning of four pairs of lenses demonstrated on an 8-inch SiC wafer. The high refractive index helps widen the field of view and enable monolithic full color, but manufacturing challenges remain, including consistency of optical-grade substrates, micro- and nanofabrication of hard and brittle materials, and light leakage at packaging interfaces.
Why we recommend it: Starting from the field-of-view and monolithic full-color advantages of high refractive index, this article reviews the mass-production constraints of silicon carbide waveguides across substrates, micro- and nanofabrication, and packaging.
Oct 19Mon
Monday
OFweek Optics Network · NewsOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score6868
SRG diffractive optical waveguides use four complementary pathways - nanoimprint, DUV lithography etching, SiC substrates and single-layer full color - to improve mass production, precision, field of view and image quality respectively. The article cites AAC Technologies' single-layer full-color SRG mass production yield of over 80%, a 52-degree FOV for the SiC solution, and the commissioning of Goertek Optics' 12-inch DUV lithography etching production line. Plans for million-unit-level capacity and ramp-up do not mean the industry as a whole has achieved stable million-unit-scale delivery; cost, yield and whole-device integration remain the next hurdles.
Why we recommend it: Discussing nanoimprint, DUV etching, SiC substrates and single-layer full color separately helps distinguish the constraints on waveguide mass production, precision, field of view and image quality.
A research team at KTH Royal Institute of Technology has demonstrated a programmable photonic chip that can emulate dissipative systems and detect and measure their topological properties. The work uses a mathematical method to simulate loss without actually losing the signal, then compares the light with a reference beam to distinguish topological scenarios from ordinary ones and detect exceptional points. The results were published in Physical Review Letters, and the same chip can be reprogrammed to test different scenarios.
Why we recommend it: The study reads out topological information in dissipative systems through reference-beam interference and tests different scenarios on the same programmable chip, providing a method for investigating robust properties under loss conditions.
Oct 14Wed
Wednesday
optics.org (SPIE Industry News)Optics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score7474
ASML said its existing 2027 and 2028 supply plans cannot fully meet customer demand and that it is studying a further expansion of 2028 capacity beyond the previously planned 30% increase. Quarterly sales through September 27 were EUR 11.7 billion, up more than 50% year over year. The NXE:3800F EUV lithography system slated for introduction next year will raise productivity from 230 to 260 wafers per hour.
Why we recommend it: Capacity expansion and productivity upgrades are proceeding in parallel, offering concrete industry clues on how AI demand translates into EUV lithography equipment supply constraints.
Oct 12Mon
Monday
OFweek Optics Network · NewsOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score6565
Kunyou Optoelectronics announced the completion of a C+ round exceeding 1 billion yuan, with investors undisclosed. The company's 12-inch wafer-level optics production line in Lingang, Shanghai, built with an investment of 2 billion yuan, is expected to be completed and come online in 2027, targeting AR, fiber optics, optical communications, automotive optics and optical computing markets. This follows its C round in January 2026 and a C+ round of nearly 400 million yuan in April.
Why we recommend it: The article lists three funding rounds this year and progress on the 12-inch wafer-level optics line, helping understand capital and capacity deployment in wafer-level optics
Sep 24Thu
Thursday
Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) · Research UpdatesOptics industryPicksAI score6363
A team from the Department of High-Power Laser Component Technology and Engineering at the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) used nanoimprint lithography to fabricate large-area, double-sided fused-silica nanopillar metasurfaces, achieving broadband, wide-angle antireflection from the visible to near-infrared, along with good high-temperature stability and laser damage tolerance.
Why we recommend it: The original article provides a scalable nanoimprint process and laser damage tolerance, offering practical value for high-power laser optics
Sep 15Tue
Tuesday
Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) · Research UpdatesOptics industryPicksAI score6969
The Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics and Harbin Institute of Technology have used a photon sieve to achieve the first absolute wavefront measurement of an EUV light source, solving the challenge of absolute wavefront measurement for extreme-ultraviolet and soft X-ray sources.
A team led by Professor Luo Sida at Beihang University has developed a fabrication method for laser-induced graphene smart honeycombs with designable structures, allowing control of cell size, shape and graphene clusters. The process combines graphene paper, polyurethane film lamination and resin impregnation and curing, producing structures of about 150×100×10 mm3 and honeycombs with cell sizes from 2 mm to 5 mm. The team also explored applications of a wing-section model in anti-icing and de-icing, pressure sensing and electromagnetic shielding.
Why we recommend it: Linking laser processing parameters, honeycomb geometry and resin content to performance control offers a process approach for transferring 2D material processing to customizable 3D structures.
Focuslight addresses Mini and Micro LED process challenges through laser mass transfer, mass welding and chip repair, with key factors being spot control, energy uniformity and closed-loop temperature control. The Flux H system for mass welding uses a 4000-10000W, 976nm light source, with spot length and width adjustable in segments from 2 mm to 200 mm and energy uniformity above 97%. The Flux H system for chip repair uses a 30-150W, 976nm light source, with a 365um×105um spot and energy uniformity above 90%.
Why we recommend it: Mapping mass transfer, welding and repair to spot and thermal management requirements provides a concrete method for working backward from display manufacturing bottlenecks to laser system design parameters.
Jul 7Fri
Friday
Guangdian Hui · TrendsOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score6161
Suda Weige announced the successful delivery of an independently developed large direct-write lithography system for lithographic manufacturing of materials used in photonic chips, optical communications and optical chips. The system supports real-time 3D navigation autofocus on large-area substrates, proximity effect compensation during exposure and other functions. Several more large lithography system contracts are awaiting delivery. The company also plans to transfer 100% of Huarisheng for 550 million yuan, concentrating resources on micro- and nano-optics equipment and materials.
Why we recommend it: The equipment delivery and the planned exit from the reflective materials business together show a path of concentrating resources in micro- and nano-manufacturing, useful for understanding Suda Weige's technology portfolio and commercialization direction.