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• The new nano-structured glass image guides offer minimal distortion, excellent color fidelity, and accuracy.
• Ultra-high resolution well-suited for imaging applications in medical, industrial, and defense sectors.
• These waveguides enable next-gen solutions for advanced applications such as AR, VR, and space exploration.
Designed to address the increasing demand for ultra-high-resolution imaging, this innovative technology enhances optical waveguide performance, delivering unprecedented resolution, excellent color fidelity, and high accuracy for applications in medical diagnostics, industrial inspection, defense, and more. For the first time ever, glass-based nano waveguides are commercially available. SCHOTT will unveil its latest technological capability at Photonics West in San Francisco, booth 1340, from January 28 to 30, 2025.
TAL-based nano waveguides, also called TALOF (Transverse Anderson Localization Optical Fibers), surpass imaging solutions based on traditional micron-level fiber optics. TALOF provides viable solutions for extremely resolution-sensitive and ultra-high-performance imaging scenarios, enabling precise imaging of fine details, such as tissue microstructures in medical diagnostics. This reduces errors and supports early interventions. Additionally, the optimized optical materials in TALOF deliver superior contrast and accurate color reproduction, which is vital for detecting subtle variations in industrial inspections, surgeries, or diagnostic fields like cancer detection, where color accuracy influences outcomes. Furthermore, by confining light within sub-camera-pixel areas, TAL technology simplifies detector alignment and reduces production costs, accelerating scalability and prototyping for industries such as medical devices and defense manufacturing.
Glass-based materials outperform alternatives like polymers due to their high optical quality, as well as their high thermal and chemical stability. This ensures more precise imaging and consistent performance, even in harsh environments such as high-temperature or corrosive conditions in industrial and defense settings.
TAL technology has the potential to unlock innovations across diverse fields. In quantum imaging, precise light localization could enable advanced quantum-level modalities. Its resilience and resolution make it suitable for space exploration, including planetary analysis and satellite inspections. Nano waveguides could also enhance AR/VR devices by providing superior visual clarity, enabling immersive experiences in simulation. Additionally, in bio-photonics, TALOF may drive breakthroughs in studying cellular and molecular structures, particularly in live biological samples that require ultra-precise imaging.
“Thanks to our long-standing expertise in optics and fiber innovation, combined with our vertically integrated production capabilities, we are well-positioned as a leading partner for developing cutting-edge imaging technologies. We focus on collaboration and customization to support industries with tailored solutions that push technological boundaries”, says Dr. Andrea Ravagli, Development Scientist at SCHOTT North America’s Lighting and Imaging Technology Center.
How TAL-based nano waveguides work
This innovative technology leverages sophisticated optical designs and the wave-optical phenomenon of Transverse Anderson Localization. In the case of optical fibers (TALOF), SCHOTT creates rigid or flexible nano waveguides from at least two different advanced optical glass types, such as borosilicate or infrared glasses, as well as fused silica, which are composed as a disordered system. The effect is that light is precisely localized within submicron or nano levels, leading to such high clarity and precision.
About SCHOTT
International technology group SCHOTT (schott.com) produces high-quality components and advanced materials, including specialty glass, glass-ceramics, and polymers. Many SCHOTT products have high-tech applications that push technological boundaries, such as flexible glass in foldable smartphones, glass-ceramic mirror substrates in the world's largest telescopes, and laser glass in nuclear fusion. With their pioneering spirit, SCHOTT’s 17,100 employees in over 30 countries work as partners to industries such as healthcare, home appliances, consumer electronics, semiconductors, optics, astronomy, energy, and aerospace. In FY 2024, SCHOTT generated €2.8 billion in sales. In addition to innovation, one of its important corporate goals is sustainability, where it is pursuing climate neutral production by 2030. SCHOTT was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in Mainz, Germany. The company belongs to the Carl Zeiss Foundation, which uses its dividends to promote science. Further information at SCHOTT.com
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michael.müller[.]schott.com 
