A research team from the University of Jena and the University of Regensburg used nonlinear circular dichroism to measure a Berry curvature of 6.2 ± 1.4 Ų in a thin tungsten diselenide layer. The experiment used pump and probe laser pulses to measure the intensity difference between left and right circularly polarized second harmonics, and the results agreed with two theoretical models. The circular dichroism lasted about 300 femtoseconds, and the researchers believe the method could be used for ultrafast all-optical valleytronic devices.
Why we recommend it: The study links the intensity difference between left and right circularly polarized second harmonics to Berry curvature, providing a concrete method for measuring local quantum geometry in crystals through all-optical experiments.
A Monash University research team used first-principles calculations to predict that magnon-phonon polaritons can optically switch both the magnetic order and electronic topology of atomically thin MnBi2Te4. In the calculations, a terahertz pulse of 0.6 picoseconds and about 2 MV/cm drives lattice vibrations, changing the interlayer coupling from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic; the effect requires temperatures below about 20 to 25 kelvin. The results were published in ACS Nano, and the team next plans low-temperature terahertz pulse experiments.
Why we recommend it: The study links nanoscale optical field confinement to switching of magnetic order and topological states, offering a concrete computational case for understanding light-matter coupling in a single material.
ORIST, together with Osaka University and Tohoku University, etched micro helical springs into silicon to create a material that is bendable, stretchable and mechanically tunable in its terahertz response. The team formed spring arms about 10 µm wide in a 200 µm thick silicon sheet; the structure is self-supporting and requires no polymer or metal backing. Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy showed that at 12.6% stretch, the effective refractive index for polarization perpendicular and parallel to the stretching direction decreased by about 6% and 8%, respectively. The results were published in Optica.
Why we recommend it: The study achieves flexibility through helical springs formed in the silicon structure itself and quantifies the effect of stretching on the refractive index for two polarizations, providing design guidance for mechanically tunable terahertz devices.
A POSTECH team has developed a dual-focus metalens photoacoustic microscopy system that switches between two imaging depths by tuning the liquid crystal polarization state with voltage, without mechanically moving optical elements. Switching takes about 0.25 seconds, the overall axial imaging range is about 1.2 mm, and the lateral resolutions at the two foci are about 3.1 μm and 3.7 μm, respectively. In the eyes of mice with chemically induced corneal injury, the system visualized corneal neovascularization and vessels near the iris about 2.2 mm below the surface. The results were published in Light: Science & Applications.
Why we recommend it: Combining liquid crystal polarization control with a dual-focus metalens offers a device-integration approach for multi-depth photoacoustic imaging without mechanical motion, and reports mouse eye vascular imaging results.
Research teams from Germany, Switzerland and Japan used a single reflective zone plate on the P04 beamline at DESY's PETRA III light source to achieve soft X-ray imaging and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) mapping. Imaging spatial resolution was about 14-24 μm, and line-scanning speed for circular objects was about 27 times that of point-by-point 2D scanning under equivalent spatial sampling conditions.
Why we recommend it: Integrating reflection, focusing, imaging and dispersion into a single reflective zone plate offers a design idea, backed by measurements, for reducing optical components and alignment steps in soft X-ray instruments.
The Singapore University of Technology and Design and collaborating teams observed and controlled the intrinsic chirality of Smith-Purcell radiation by rotating a silicon grating or offsetting the electron beam. At a rotation of 30 degrees, the measured chirality index was 0.726; reducing the grating period from 120 to 100 nanometers raised it to 0.87, while the simulated value for the offset electron beam scheme reached a maximum of 0.98.
Why we recommend it: By rotating the grating or moving the electron beam, the study exposes the radiation chirality, offering a way to design free-electron light sources based on the symmetry of electron-structure interactions.
Oct 21Wed
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OFweek Optics Network · NewsOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score6969
TDK's AR display solution uses a 150 nm thick meta-optic reflector in place of a conventional curved mirror, forming images through direct retinal projection (DRP). The reflective film has a visible-light transmittance of about 80%, and the current demonstration is still a monochrome prototype. Full-color demonstrations and mass production remain several years away, while consumer-level costs and processing yields are also key hurdles.
Why we recommend it: By comparing the optical paths of direct retinal projection with those of waveguides and BirdBath, this explains the role of TDK's planar meta-reflector and the constraints on full-color implementation and cost.
Oct 20Tue
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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.
Researchers have developed and demonstrated a GaP-on-diamond hybrid nanophotonic platform enabling controlled interaction between photons and silicon-vacancy (SiV) centers in diamond. Using stamp transfer, the team fabricated more than 600 nanophotonic cavities on a diamond substrate with a yield of 99.5%, achieving cooperativity above 1 and a spin relaxation time exceeding 0.4 milliseconds, enabling single-shot readout of SiV electron spins. Next steps include connecting multiple devices on the same chip and demonstrating entanglement.
Why we recommend it: A transfer process that avoids etching the diamond balances device yield with spin-photon coupling, offering a concrete example of how quantum network interfaces could move toward scalable manufacturing.
A review article in Light: Science & Applications describes sliding metasurfaces developed by H. Shi, W. Zhu, G. Hu and colleagues. Relative lateral displacement of two complementary metasurface layers generates an effective phase gradient, enabling passive beam steering while retaining frequency-selective filtering. The authors argue that this geometry-driven passive approach is simpler and more scalable than tunable metasurfaces that depend on active components, and could extend to terahertz and optical bands.
Why we recommend it: The article contrasts tunable metasurfaces that rely on active components such as PIN diodes, explaining the idea of replacing per-unit cell control with interlayer translation.
Researchers integrated gallium phosphide (GaP) nanophotonic cavities onto a diamond substrate using a stamp transfer process, enhancing quantum optical interaction with diamond color centers. The devices are first fabricated by electron-beam lithography in a GaP thin film on a carrier, screened by spectroscopic testing, and then transferred. Experiments achieved cooperativity above 1. The platform can serve as a light-matter interface in quantum networks.
Why we recommend it: The source details the heterogeneous integration process and the screening-and-transfer workflow, offering useful reference for fabrication routes for diamond color center quantum photonic devices.
Oct 14Wed
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OFweek Optics Network · NewsOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score6565
TDK showcased at CEATEC an ultrathin meta-optics reflector designed for retinal projection smart glasses. The prototype is monochrome green with 750p resolution and a 45-degree diagonal field of view. The reflector is only 150 nanometers thick and achieves 80% visible-light transmittance. TDK plans to launch the green version by the end of 2026, a full-color version in May 2027, and mass production within a few years.
Why we recommend it: The source article gives thickness, transmittance, field of view and mass-production timeline, enabling comparison with waveguide approaches to understand retinal projection
Oct 12Mon
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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
Xi'an Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (XIOPM) · Research ProgressOptics industryPicksAI score5959
A team led by researcher Wang Quan at the Biomedical Spectroscopy Laboratory of the Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics used upconversion nanoparticles to achieve wireless near-infrared optogenetic pain relief. The research was recently highlighted in a special commentary in Nature Photonics. Optogenetics received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on October 5, 2026.
Why we recommend it: The article applies upconversion nanoparticles to near-infrared wireless optogenetics, offering reference value for biophotonics applications
Ziwei Yang and colleagues at the ARC Centre for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems at the Australian National University demonstrated a method of controlling nonlinear optical metasurface functionality with light, changing the traditional situation in which nonlinear metasurface functions are fixed after fabrication.
Why we recommend it: The article explains the approach of dynamically switching metasurface functions with light, offering reference value for reconfigurable meta-optics
Shuo Sun and colleagues used fishbone photonic crystal cavities to combine diamond nanobeams with titanium dioxide integrated optical circuits, achieving heterogeneous integration.
Why we recommend it: The original paper presents a new structure coupling diamond color centers to integrated optical circuits, relevant to quantum photonic chips
Sep 24Thu
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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
Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) · Research UpdatesOptics industryPicksAI score5959
A team at the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) proposed and validated a lithography-free Cr/a-GST/Bi planar metal-insulator-metal absorber based on an ultrahigh-refractive-index material. With a total thickness of only 550nm, it achieves high absorption and thermal emission control across the 8-14μm long-wave infrared band.
Why we recommend it: The original article presents a lithography-free, ultra-thin long-wave infrared absorber, relevant to infrared stealth and thermal management devices
Sep 18Fri
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OFweek Optics Network · NewsOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score6161
An article by VR Tuoluo notes that metalenses had a noticeably stronger presence at CIOE 2026, with NIL Technology showcasing metaEye for AR/VR eye tracking. The article maps out the application paths for metalenses in eye tracking, ToF and AI glasses.
Why we recommend it: The source text lists specific applications of metalenses in XR, helping to gauge the progress of metasurfaces from the lab to products
Researchers from Switzerland, China and Russia have fabricated a 1 cm² chip wafer containing 49 silicon metasurfaces for high-speed modulation of mid-infrared lasers.