In February 2016, the European commission approved funding for the new PIX4life project as part of the EU's Photonics21 program. Laser maker Toptica Photonics (Graefelfing, Germany) is supporting the program, which is pledging €8.5 million (approx. $9.6 million) to a consortium of several partners from academia and industry.
PIX4life is a pilot line that focuses on the development of a compact and fully integrated photonics device to replace the bulky and expensive optical systems that are currently dominant in the life sciences sector. Toptica will provide the required semiconductor laser sources at 405, 445, 561, and 640 nm, and integrate the optical subcomponents into prototypes.
Based on newly developed production technology for CMOS-compatible silicon nitride (SiN) photonic integrated circuits (PIC), the new device will enable biophotonics techniques like optical coherence tomography (OCT) or multilaser engines on a chip for microscopy and cytometry.
The aim of the newly funded initiative is to develop an end-to-end supply chain, reaching from design to packaged and characterized chip components, including semiconductor laser sources. This combination of technologies will enable compact and low-cost biophotonics-based solutions for use in clinical environments.
For more information, please visit http://pix4life.eu.