Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast

In this episode, we’re highlighting some of the interesting and exciting things that have been happening in the business realm. Check it out... it’s a sector that helps keep the photonics industry moving.

The need to boost the photonics and optics workforce remains critical. But attracting technicians and engineers remains a challenge. In this episode, Host Justine Murphy examines the increasing number of technician training programs around the country, and talks with a few of those who remain motivated to help alleviate the industrywide struggle.

This episode features an interesting discussion with Jerome Paye, CEO of laser-powered particle accelerator developer TAU Systems. He has over 20 years of industry leadership and research experience, including as a contributor to the early design of France’s Laser Megajoule facility. He talked with Host Justine Murphy about his different experiences, what he’s learned along the way, and his thoughts on the future.

Here is some Light News: quantum edition, which features a quick roundup of some of the coolest, most exciting news impacting the quantum sector of the photonics industry.

This episode kicks off a monthly series that will examine specific topics via the perspectives of industry experts. This installment focuses on the emerging relationship between photonics and AI. Host Justine Murphy chatted recently with two experts to get their thoughts: Oriole CEO James Regan and Vickram Vathulya, CEO of Sivers Semiconductors.

Host Justine Murphy talked recently with Maurice Steinman, senior VP and general manager of the U.S. division of optical computing specialist Lightelligence. Here, he offers his perspectives on ever-advancing technologies and his thoughts on the future, and shares some lessons he’s learned throughout his storied career.

Here's a roundup of some of the most interesting and exciting things happening in the photonics industry!

In this episode, Host Justine Murphy talks with Dr. Talya Vaknin, head of research at LightSolver, a company specializing in laser-based computer processing. They discussed her work and experiences in the industry, as well as her passion for enriching the world via technological advancements.

FAMES Pilot Line is the leading initiative under the European Chips Act, and it's helping advance Europe's semiconductor technologies. In this episode of Following the Photons, FAMES coordinator Dominique Noguet talks with Host Justine Murphy about the initiative and related educational training programs, as well as its role in Europe’s ever-advancing semiconductor industry.

This second of a two-part series featuring Giacomo Vacca, founder/president/CEO of Kinetic River, takes a closer look at the company, its history, and many innovations. Giacomo also offers an update on current happenings, what the future holds, and Kinetic River’s place in it.

This first of a two-part series features Giacomo Vacca, founder, president, and CEO of Kinetic River. In this episode, he and Host Justine Murphy delve into his background and many notable technology developments and accomplishments, and they take a look back at the experiences he says have helped shape his career.

In this episode, Host Justine Murphy talks with Félicie Albert, director of the Jupiter Laser Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Her years of expertise include work with high-intensity lasers, as well as involvement in LaserNetUS, a network of high-power lasers in North America.

Host Justine Murphy talked recently with Sebastian Bauer, CEO and co-founder of Ubicept. With a background in engineering, he says he's always thrived at the intersection of cutting-edge research and real-world innovation.

There is a lot of growth happening throughout the financial sector of the industry! In this episode, Host Justine Murphy takes a deeper look at some of that growth and its place in the advancement of photonics technologies.

This edition features Yvain Thonnart, a chief scientist in the digital ICs and systems division of the French research institute CEA-List, where he focuses on areas including networks-on-chip and integrating emerging photonics technologies. He talked recently with Host Justine Murphy about his work at CEA, and his team’s potentially game-changing development of the first dynamically channeled electro-optical router for photonic interposers.

In this episode, Erin Howard, a research scientist currently working at the University of Washington on the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, talks with Host Justine Murphy about their passion for exploring the universe through data, and the excitement in contributing to cutting-edge scientific discoveries.

This episode features Dr. Aleksandra Kaszubowska, an assistant professor of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Trinity College Dublin and an assistant professor and research fellow at the CONNECT Research Center. She talked with Host Justine Murphy about the exciting work her team is doing, as well as her vast research experience and the remarkable path that led to where she is today.

This edition features Host Justine Murphy's chat with Dr. Brian Monacelli, a professor and director of Laser Technology at Pasadena City College in California. They recently discussed things like the importance of training technicians in hands-on laboratory skills, and he also offered some perspectives on the future of optics and the crucial role technicians will play.

This episode features a technical conversation about co-packaged optics, the rapid rise of interest in this technology, and why active alignment is a major manufacturing bottleneck in photonics. The discussion, sponsored by Aerotech, focuses on the company’s new PICAlign approach, developed in collaboration with SENKO and Santec, which aims to improve throughput, quality, and efficiency in optical device assembly. Talking with Host Justine Murphy, Aerotech Business Development Manager Justin Bressi explains how monitoring multiple optical channels at once and searching in all six degrees of freedom can improve alignment outcomes and reduce scrap. The conversation also touches on the broader data center and semiconductor ecosystem, where demand for faster, more efficient photonic systems is driving new investment and partnerships.

Here's a roundup of some of the most interesting and exciting things happening in the photonics industry!