Long thought of as a technology of the future, holographic displays are now making their way to the commercial market. In this episode, Avalon Holographics CEO Wally Haas explains how the technology works, and where his company’s NOVAC display is finding use. The conversation also offers a look to the future, where these displays can be produced at lower cost and find much broader use. "All Things Photonics"® is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. Sponsored by: Hamamatsu ...
Jul 08, 2025•27 min•Ep. 102
Reza Chaji, CEO of VueReal, discusses current challenges in micro-LED display technologies, and the potential of VueReal’s MicroSolid Printing platform to address them, as well as to push the technology further. Our conversation covers manufacturing, sensor integration, and the applications in mobile devices, augmented reality, medical diagnostics, and safety technologies. "All Things Photonics"® is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. Sponsored by: Hamamatsu – www.Hamamat...
Jun 24, 2025•28 min•Ep. 101
Laser World of Photonics is one of the top trade shows for the laser and photonics industry. Tens of thousands of visitors from around the world will travel to Munich to take part in this year’s event. Anke Odouli is the exhibition director for the trade show. She says they’re expecting record attendance this year with nearly 1,400 exhibitors filling the halls. Odouli tells us what else we can expect to see in this year’s show, in our spotlight conversation. Spotlight from "All Things Photonics"...
Jun 23, 2025•17 min•Ep. 100
Aldas Juronis, CEO of EKSPLA, discusses key parameters in the design and manufacture of industrial laser systems in this final episode before the start of Laser World of Photonics 2025. EKSPLA’s direct refrigerant cooling system highlights the company’s capabilities in delivering highly repeatable systems while pushing the bounds of performance and innovation. Additional talking points include emerging applications, application drivers, designing for OEMs, and Lithuania’s dynamic laser ecosystem...
Jun 10, 2025•31 min•Ep. 99
A group of bipartisan lawmakers formed the Optics and Photonics Caucus back in 2020. At that time, the U.S., along with the rest of the world, was grappling with the pandemic and the disruptions to the supply chain it created. The legislators on that committee hoped to use this new platform to address America’s reliance on Eastern nations and boost the domestic production of photonic goods. Democratic Rep. Joe Morelle of New York is the co-chair of the Optics and Photonics Caucus. In this Spotli...
Jun 09, 2025•37 min•Ep. 98
Time travel is not just theoretical, it’s proven. But that doesn’t mean we are anywhere close to a functioning time machine just yet. Professor Ron Mallett has been fascinated with the idea of time travel since he was a little boy. A year after his father passed away, he discovered a Classics Illustrated edition of H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine.” That comic sparked the imagination of 10-year-old Mallett, convincing him to pursue a career in science and to learn more about controlling the clocks....
May 27, 2025•52 min•Ep. 96
Free space optical communication could offer high speed connectivity without the need of optical fibers. That's where groups like Attochron come in. They are actively working to develop the next generation of light waves for free space optical communications. Using short coherence length optical sources, including ultrashort pulsed lasers, they believe they have found a way to overcome the hurdles holding these systems back from hitting the mainstream. On this episode, we are joined by Tom Chaff...
May 13, 2025•47 min•Ep. 96
No one can be sure how this current trade war between the U.S. and China will end. But we’re feeling its impacts every day. While no person or business can escape the effects of this volatile market, semiconductor manufacturers have a unique challenge to deal with. Not only must they handle rising costs and taxes, but they also must figure out how to advance forward facing export restrictions from China. Rare earths vital in the production of semiconductors come primarily from China, but new con...
May 12, 2025•35 min•Ep. 95
Additive manufacturing garners considerable attention — but the methods and underlying technology often take a back seat to the remarkable designs and properties of finished works. Lukas Hoppe, R&D director at Meltio, offers insights into the current laser-based additive manufacturing ecosystem. Hoppe discusses Meltio’s blue laser innovations as well as wire-laser metal 3D printing methodology. "All Things Photonics"® is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. Sponsored b...
Apr 29, 2025•24 min•Ep. 94
Graphene’s recent and ongoing ascent into commercial applications and consumer devices is the focus of our conversation with Andy MacInnes, chief development officer at Paragraf. The Cambridge, England-based developer of graphene-enabled sensors offers custom foundry services, placing it in a distinct location on the semiconductor manufacturing value chain. "All Things Photonics"® is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. Sponsored by: Hamamatsu – www.Hamamatsu.com LightPath...
Apr 15, 2025•30 min•Ep. 93
Dr. Frank Winkler, at Heidelberg University focuses on the emerging field of cancer neuroscience, and the way brain cancers proceed. Winkler has used two-photon imaging to confirm that glioma cells link through microtubes, similar to typical neurons in the brain. His groundbreaking work has earned him the 2025 Brain Prize by the Lundbeck Foundation, alongside Dr. Michelle Monje. And in this spotlight conversation, Winkler discusses the journey he and Dr. Monje took to arrive at their conclusions...
Apr 14, 2025•39 min•Ep. 92
Martin Richardson, director of the University of Central Florida’s Center for Directed Energy, joins us to discuss the progression of directed energy technology, from historic uses to its emergence in today’s battlefields, and where we might see it in the future. The conversation covers the multidisciplinary nature of the technology, its challenges, and potential use cases beyond the battlefield, and beyond the planet. "All Things Photonics"® is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on ...
Apr 01, 2025•31 min•Ep. 91
Iñigo Artundo, CEO of photonic test and design house VLC Photonics, breaks down the function of test as it relates to PICs and integrated photonics. How developers advance chip and wafer architectures through the design stage and toward productization cannot happen without adequate testing. But the sophistication of current and future designs does not always align with established test protocols. This episode explores that dynamic and discusses how the gap can be bridged. "All Things Photonics"®...
Mar 18, 2025•23 min•Ep. 90
John Ballato is a professor of materials science and engineering at Clemson University. He knows the importance of glass in the photonics industry, even if some downplay its importance. Across his more than 200 published papers, his research focuses on new optical materials and structures for photonic and optoelectronic applications. In this spotlight conversation, he shares his thoughts on what’s driving a resurgence in glass, and its future in our industry. "All Things Photonics"® is produced ...
Mar 17, 2025•36 min•Ep. 89
For this episode, we are joined by Brad Booth, CEO of NLM Photonics, the developer of a hybrid electro-optic technology combining high-performance organic materials with semiconductor photonics platforms. The conversation covers some recent research advances, the part played by materials in optical networking, and a look at what the future may hold for NLM Photonics. "All Things Photonics"® is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. Sponsored by: Hamamatsu – www.Hamamatsu.com...
Mar 04, 2025•18 min•Ep. 88
Lightmatter is pushing the envelope of AI interconnect and networking standards. It’s all in an effort to bring AI infrastructure into a photonic era. MIT graduate Nick Harris founded Lightmatter in 2017. In this Spotlight conversation, he offers a look into the formation, and the future of his company, as well as the breakthroughs driving the photonic supercomputing group today. Spotlight from "All Things Photonics"® is a special series of intimate sit-down conversations with preeminent figures...
Mar 03, 2025•18 min•Ep. 87
Discussions around packaging — the art, the challenge, and the roadmap — have ramped up over the last 18 months. A bona fide industry trend, packaging is commanding the focus of leading companies and individuals. Abdul Rahim, ecosystem manager at PhotonDelta, joins the "All Things Photonics" podcast to discuss microelectronics packaging and how the concept applies in and for photonics. Also in this episode, Carlos Lee, director general of the European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC), checks...
Feb 18, 2025•29 min•Ep. 86
The photonics industry is booming. Technological advancements and increasing demand are driving this growth. But in America, the workforce needed to drive this boom is struggling to keep up. In this Spotlight conversation with Tara Fortier of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), we discuss the need to attract more bright young minds to this field to build the next generation of photonics professionals. Along with discussing ways to expose students to this field, we also tal...
Feb 10, 2025•29 min•Ep. 85
In the premiere episode of Spotlight, from "All Things Photonics," Dr. Andrew Brown with SPIE joins us to preview this year's Global Business Forum at Photonics West in San Francisco. Brown predicts that it will once again be a packed house for the forum. As we approach the biggest event in the photonics industry, hear Brown give us some insights on the biggest names set to speak, and some of the trending topics he expects to take center stage.
Jan 20, 2025•14 min•Ep. 84
In season ten’s finale, "All Things Photonics" speaks with its first knighted guest: Sir David Payne, Director of the Optoelectronics Research Centre at the University of Southampton. Sir David is recognized as a pioneer in fiber laser research, having broken the kilowatt output barrier, and in fiber optics research, where he contributed to the development of the erbium-doped fiber amplifier. Later, we speak with Tara Fortier, project leader at the Time and Frequency Division at the National Ins...
Dec 17, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 10Ep. 8
Lightwave Logic CEO Michael Lebby discusses his company’s electro-optic polymer technology, what it means for the data center and artificial intelligence industries, and his company’s path to commercial success. Stephen Milton, Vice President of Accelerator Science at TAU Systems provides a look at his company’s miniaturized particle accelerators, their expected uses, and what they could mean for the future of research. "All Things Photonics"® is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on...
Dec 10, 2024•51 min•Season 10Ep. 7
David Shelton, President and CEO of AmeriCOM, discusses ongoing efforts to strengthen the United States’ optical manufacturing industry and how they relate to defense and national security. Andrea Alù, Einstein Professor of Physics at The City University of New York, provides a primer on metamaterials, including ongoing research efforts and hot topics, and a look to the future. "All Things Photonics"® is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. Sponsored by: PolyScience – www....
Dec 03, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Season 10Ep. 6
Ji-Xin Cheng, professor at Boston University, discusses the future of biophotonics and the challenges it still faces. Cheng shares more on what drives him to continue his research in medical photonics. Ronnen Lovinger, CEO of silicon photonics optical interconnects technology developer DustPhotonics, offers expert insights into the growth of the technology sector, as well as into inflection points at which the technology is arriving. "All Things Photonics"® is produced by Photonics Media and air...
Nov 19, 2024•45 min•Season 10Ep. 5
Lieven Penninc, founder of planar optics modeling software developer PlanOpSim, offers perspective on the meta-optics technology boom. Sam Rubin, CEO of LightPath Technologies, picks up the conversation from our previous episode on chalcogenide glasses, alternate optical materials, and applications — especially those in the infrared. "All Things Photonics"® is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. Sponsored by: PolyScience – www.PolyScience.com Thorlabs Inc. – www.Thorlabs....
Nov 12, 2024•51 min•Season 10Ep. 3
Senior editor Joe Kuczynski speaks with Javier Elizalde, COO of Wooptix, about the company’s wavefront phase imaging technology. Following that, EPIC’s Antonio Castelo catches up with Tim Kunze, CEO of Fusion Bionic, a startup specialized in the creation of advanced surface features via laser patterning. Closing out the episode, Jake Saltzman has a conversation with Kathleen Richardson of the University of Central Florida’s College of Optics and Photonics about her work with chalcogenide glass. ...
Oct 29, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 10Ep. 3
Terry Thorn, vice president commercial operations at optical interconnect solutions developer Ayar Labs, discusses the ever-evolving road to overcoming AI system bottlenecks, and how optical solutions are poised to provide answers. Industry-specific challenges, plus Ayar’s own innovations, are spotlighted in this exclusive interview. "All Things Photonics"® is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on Tuesdays. Sponsored by: PolyScience – www.PolyScience.com Thorlabs Inc. – www.Thorlabs....
Oct 15, 2024•31 min•Season 10Ep. 2
In the inaugural episode of Season 10, we discuss GlobalFoundries’ Fotonix project and the potential of silicon photonics with Anthony Yu, Vice President of GlobalFoundries’ Computer and Wired Infrastructure Business Unit. Later, we speak with John Jost, co-founder of Enlightra, a Swiss startup creating chip-scale optical frequency combs. Jost speaks to the applications of these miniaturized devices as they relate to telecommunications, and perhaps in the future, scaled-down optical clocks. "All...
Oct 01, 2024•38 min•Season 10Ep. 1
The episode begins with on-site interviews from EPIC’s Technology Meeting for Photonics in XR, held in Helsinki, Finland. Guests include Stefan Steiner, CEO of LightTrans International; Erhan Ercan, head of global business development at Morphotonics; and Bharath Rajagopalan, director of strategic marketing at STMicroelectronics. EPIC’s Jérémy Picot-Clémente leads these chats. In our feature interview, news editor Joel Williams speaks with Jason Sorger, senior field service and applications engi...
Jun 04, 2024•39 min•Season 9Ep. 8
Optics and photonics luminary Paul McManamon is our guest for a discussion on advanced ranging and detection capabilities across environments and applications areas. McManamon, a past president of SPIE, is current president and CTO of Exciting Technology, and a fellow of the Directed Energy Professional Society. Also in this episode, a discussion with Alasdair Pentland and Andy Bell of terahertz solutions firm TeraView. "All Things Photonics"® is produced by Photonics Media and airs biweekly, on...
May 21, 2024•57 min•Season 9Ep. 7
Photonics Media comes to you from onsite at the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC). The episode features fireside chats with Elizabeth Illy and Beate Sauter, head of marketing at HÜBNER Photonics and CEO of diode laser components manufacturer Lumics, respectively. EPIC’s Carlos Lee hosts. Later, our Joel Williams discusses all things lasers for cinema with the acclaimed and award-winning Gregory Niven. "All Things Photonics"® is produced by Photonics...
May 07, 2024•57 min•Season 9Ep. 6
