All Things Photonics

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 controls will limit American companies’ access to those materials. In this Spotlight, we talk with TECHCET CEO and Founder, Lita Shon-Roy, to learn more about the origins of this trade war, how it impacts the semiconductor industry, and what it will take to bring this chapter of turmoil to a close.

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.

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.

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, and how the shape of cancer research, particularly under the umbrella of neuroscience, is changing.

Spotlight from "All Things Photonics"® is a special series of intimate sit-down conversations with preeminent figures in our industry.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 in with Joost van Kerkhof, COO of PHIX Photonics Assembly, and Michal Nejbauer, CEO of Fluence.

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