Photonics West 2025: Innovation, Collaboration, and Exciting Updates

| 日期 21 February 2025

In January, the Swabian Instruments team had the incredible opportunity to attend BIOS and Photonics West 2025 in San Francisco—the premier photonics and optics conference in North America. The event brought together leading innovators, researchers, and industry experts in the fields of life sciences, quantum optics, biomedical technology, and biophotonics.

As exhibitors, poster presenters, and passionate attendees, we were thrilled to showcase our latest innovations, engage with the community, and learn from groundbreaking research shaping the future of photonics and life science.

Conference Highlights

Our booth was buzzing with activity! Attendees showed strong interest in topics like:

• Lifetime & correlation applications
• Remote synchronization
• Multi-pixel acquisition
• Our red button pressing game! (A hit among quick-reflex scientists!)

Major Announcements: 90 Mtags/s Data Transfer Rate!

One of our biggest reveals at Photonics West 2025 was our latest Time Tagger X and Time Tagger Ultra software update — now capable of supporting a data transfer rate of 90 Mtags/s! This enhancement was met with enthusiasm by our customers, reinforcing our commitment to continuous innovation and performance improvements.

DLScat - a Unique Light Scattering Solution for Researchers

One of our most exciting moments at BIOS 2025 was showcasing DLScat, our next-generation Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) system designed to enhance accuracy, reliability, and efficiency in nanoparticle sizing.

• DLScat overcomes traditional DLS limitations: Standard DLS systems are highly sensitive to large scattering events caused by contaminants and agglomerates, leading to overestimated particle sizes. DLScat’s intelligent intensity spike filtering eliminates these anomalies, preserving the integrity of the correlation function.
• Multi-angle simultaneous DLS for superior accuracy: Unlike conventional DLS systems that require multiple sequential measurements, DLScat simultaneously measures up to six scattering angles—expediting research timelines and ensuring real-time data consistency checks.
• A scalable, flexible DLS solution: Researchers are increasingly looking for versatile DLS systems with greater control over data acquisition and analysis. DLScat delivers unmatched precision and flexibility by separating electronics from the optical setup. Whether you’re working with dangerous chemicals, extreme temperatures, microfluidics, SAXS & SANS, glove box, or maybe magnetic fields, the DLScat adapts to your requirements.

Cutting-Edge Research

We were excited to present our latest application note, which we developed in collaboration with our partners. This note highlights cutting-edge advancements and real-world applications, demonstrating how our technologies are driving innovation across various fields:

• Swabian Instruments & Zurich Instruments. Exploring color centers for next-generation quantum applications.

It was a pleasure to share this insight with researchers and industry leaders.

Poster with Quantum Opus

We showcased the advantages of single-pixel photon-number resolving (PNR) detectors and discussed our ongoing collaboration to push technological limits further.

(Some) Talks That Inspired Us

• Kayvan Samimi on ROI-Summed Analysis for Improved FLIM. Kayvan Samimi presented their innovative approach to fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), optimizing data analysis by aggregating decay data instead of analyzing individual pixels (with our Time Tagger!)—leading to improved accuracy, precision, and faster integration times.

• Daniel Scarbrough on Quantum & Classical Information Fusion for Super-Resolution Imaging. Daniel Scarbrough presented on how Spatial Frequency Modulation Imaging (SPIFI) can surpass classical resolution limits, particularly in two-photon excitation fluorescence (TPEF) imaging. The talk highlighted photon-counting SPIFI as a breakthrough for quantum-enhanced imaging, showcasing our Time Tagger X and its applications related to Photon Number Resolution (PMR) with non-SNSPD detectors!

• Jennifer Dionne (Stanford) & Sergey Polyakov (NIST) on Global Collaboration in Quantum & Photonics Research. There was a fascinating panel discussion on international partnerships in Quantum Science and Advanced Photonics, with insights from the Research Council of Finland (RCF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) on expanding research collaboration beyond national borders.

Looking Ahead

Photonics West and BIOS 2025 were amazing experiences filled with learning, collaboration, and innovation. From presenting our 90 Mtags/s update to engaging with the global photonics and life science community, we left San Francisco energized and ready to keep pushing the boundaries of technology.

We can’t wait for next year—see you at Photonics West and BIOS 2026!

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