Latest Industry Analysis
Industry Analysis RSS feedMOPA-based fibre lasers offer processing options Sep 5, 2008
As the march of the fibre laser continues unabated, Bill O'Neill looks at a new generation of MOPA-based sources that are set to challenge DPSS Q-switched technologies.
Couder turns the tables at Bookham Aug 26, 2008
Despite burning its way through hundreds of millions of dollars over the past 20 years, InP and GaAs chip maker Bookham is still in business. Remarkably, it now looks like it will be generating cash by the end of 2008. Michael Hatcher asks CEO Alain Couder how he has turned around the company's fortunes.
Nanopositioning: how to make the right choices Aug 15, 2008
The range of nanopositioning solutions on the market is broader than ever before as applications continue to drive the technology. Stefan Vorndran of PI outlines the options.
Shrinking talent pool creates massive recruitment problems Aug 8, 2008 1 comment
The shortage of graduates with the right skills is a major problem for companies looking to recruit in large numbers. Dawn Ohlson of Thales UK talks to OLE about the extent and origin of the problem.
Berlin builds on the past to drive optics growth Aug 1, 2008
Berlin's optics and photonics industry is going from strength to strength. Tim Hayes visited Germany's capital city to find out more about the reasons that lie behind this success.
Solar market offers new opportunities for lasers Jul 18, 2008
Lasers are being exploited in the manufacture of both silicon and thin-film solar cells. Gaetan Rull of Yole Developpement sizes up the opportunity for laser makers.
Coherence control spans 12 orders of magnitude Jul 4, 2008
Gaps in the coherence spectrum of diode lasers have been known to hinder research. Anselm Deninger and Thomas Renner look at how these gaps are being filled and the applications that are benefiting from access to previously unachievable linewidths and coherence lengths.
Detecting UV poses fabrication challenges Jun 27, 2008
Matching the needs of your application with the numerous ultraviolet detectors on the market can be daunting. Tim Stokes of Hamamatsu Photonics offers his advice.
High-power CW OPO has narrow linewidth Jun 20, 2008
Continuous-wave optical parametric oscillators emitting multiple watts of output power in the near- to mid-infrared are now a commercial reality. Angus Henderson of Aculight discusses the technical advances that have resulted in a tunable source with a narrow linewidth.
Silicon carbide meets optical grade standards Jun 13, 2008
Silicon carbide boasts properties such as strength and stiffness. Marie Freebody speaks to Steve Hastings of optoSiC who believes that recent improvements in manufacturing techniques have enabled the material to be used as mirrors by the laser scanning industry.