Thinking outside of the vacuum chamber: finding disruptive solutions for the Swiss optical coating manufacturing community

The Innosuisse Photonics Booster Project Pracmatic offered a valuable innovation-oriented collaboration between a broad variety of research institutions and industrial companies.

The initiative allowed us to brainstorm ideas, discuss with peers, increase our networking structure and identify solutions to improve production vield of multifunctional optical coating processes.

In doing so, the project gave the necessary stimulus for setting up a science based innovation project between a consortium of industrial partners. We are very interested to contribute to a potential follow-up project if feasible.

Including the end-user perspective already at the beginning

XENLUX develops, produces and offers fiber optic components and systems for innovative applications. To this end, the company also exploits today's possibilities for integrating electronics and photonics in so-called system-in-package (SiP) components. These are an important key to the digitalization of the economy and society.

XENLUX tested an innovation idea in a project of the Innovation Booster Photonics with experts from its network and other partners as well as potential key users of such components. The Innovation Booster project allowed us to test and confirm the market acceptance of our innovation idea in an area that is new to us and to sharpen our understanding of the requirements of potential key users. In addition, we found partners who offered to test functional samples of our development.

XENLUX has used the momentum from the Innovation Booster project and is at the start of a larger innovation project funded by Innosuisse. The intensive exchange with key users in the project has helped to ensure that we are optimally prepared. The collaboration formed as a result and the funding from Innosuisse now greatly expands our possibilities as a small SME.

Innovative process technology thanks to an interdisciplinary team from research and industry

With our vision "Connecting - today and beyond", we at HUBER+SUHNER link the aspiration to serve the needs of society today and tomorrow with connectivity solutions, while at the same time helping to shape the future with innovative solutions. Every day, over 4,500 employees at 39 locations worldwide work to deliver on this promise. Together, we serve our three main markets of industry, communications and transportation with applications from three technologies: radio frequency, fiber optics and low frequency.

HUBER+SUHNER has identified a large market potential for a new process technology. Within the framework of an Innovation Booster Photonics (IB-P) project, HUBER+SUHNER would like to pursue and evaluate possible new approaches to solving a technological problem that has not yet been solved. The project will now start with a detailed technology scouting and then develop first concepts.

Thanks to the IB-P, it has been possible to establish a suitable network of research and industry. This has enabled a project team to be put together which, thanks to its interdisciplinarity, can work on various approaches with the necessary specialist expertise and methodology. The project benefited from the simple, fast and uncomplicated support provided by the IB-P.

The project could be started successfully and now the different phases technology scouting, ideation and development of the concepts are being worked on. If a successful approach can be evaluated, the project will be continued in a larger development project between HUBER+SUHNER and the project partners.

Innovative solution for the optimal treatment of premature infants

Feinwerkoptik Zünd develops imaging and non-imaging photonic systems and produces miniaturized optical components as well as optoelectromechanical assemblies for medicine and technical applications.

In the project “Frühling”, a miniaturized photonic device is being developed and produced. This device will accurately measure the palate of premature infants and suggest the optimal treatment method for the premature infant to the pediatrician, thus improving the life of the premature infant. This novel approach offers an intelligent alternative to the current analysis method, which is extremely uncomfortable and painful and therefore has limited use.

Through the support of Innovation Booster Photonics (IB-P), the technological implementation possibilities were examined and a simple demonstrator was built in order to find out the enthusiasm of the users, to clarify the readiness for investments and to launch an Innosuisse project. In identifying potential market entrants, the project benefits from the support and broad network of IB-P experts.

IB-P Microassembly Workshop brought together the right partners

The Innovation Booster Photonics (IB-P) Microassembly Workshop brought together exactly the right players from innovative photonics companies and solution providers for the microassembly of the necessary components. During the workshop, we were able to identify the most urgent needs regarding the robotic handling of micro-optical components. At No-Touch Robotics, we are looking forward to exploring novel automation concepts together with the application partners that we met during the workshop. This will be done within the scope of a potential IB-P project.