SPIE Photonics West 2026
Why VCSEL Innovation Requires Tailored Solutions — and Why Standard Approaches Are Reaching Their Limits
News & Insightsveröffentlicht am 29/01/2026
San Francisco, packed exhibition halls, and an international audience from industry, research, and engineering: SPIE Photonics West 2026 once again highlighted how rapidly photonics is evolving — and how strongly the focus has shifted toward application-driven VCSEL solutions. Instead of standardized components, custom, integrated laser designs are increasingly at the center of technical discussions.
This is exactly where IMM Photonics positions itself: beyond standard components.
Together with our partner Electro Optical Components, Inc., we were at Booth #4828 to demonstrate how VCSEL technology can serve as a scalable platform for customized laser and system-level solutions.
In real-world applications, success is no longer determined solely by a standard VCSEL datasheet. Performance, reliability, and repeatability are achieved through the interplay of VCSEL design, optics, packaging, and system integration.
VCSEL Technology in Transition: From Standard Components to Application-Specific Solutions
Conversations across the show made one thing clear: VCSELs are increasingly engineered to be application-specific. Requirements from industrial manufacturing, medical technology, sensing, and emerging UV applications can only be addressed to a limited extent with “one-size-fits-all” approaches.
Across numerous technical discussions, five core topics emerged — themes we see frequently in current development programs and that drew particularly strong interest at Photonics West:
-
Customized VCSELs as the foundation for application-specific laser design
→ tailoring emission wavelength, aperture, divergence, mode structure, and power density -
Performance and reliability through design optimization
→ thermal management, epitaxial design, packaging, and long-term stability as key levers -
Fiber-coupled VCSEL solutions and precision fiber optics
→ critical for robust systems with high repeatability, e.g., in sensing or industrial metrology
-
UV and UVC VCSELs for new industrial use cases
→ growing relevance for analytics, biotechnology, materials processing, and disinfection -
Optics and beam shaping
→ defined beam profiles, uniform intensity distributions, and stable spot geometries under real operating conditions
These topics underscore a central point: VCSEL technology reaches its full potential only when it is engineered consistently for the target application.
Booth Talk: How VCSEL Design Creates Measurable Competitive Advantages
One highlight was our VCSEL Booth Talk with Dr. Karthik Suresh Iyer. The discussion focused on how application-driven VCSEL design and custom laser subsystems enable targeted improvements in system performance — instead of forcing compromises with standard components.
Key discussion points included:
-
How VCSEL design parameters can be aligned with system requirements early in the development process
-
The role of optical and fiber integration in efficiency, stability, and scalability
-
Why custom VCSEL solutions are often more cost-effective than seemingly low-cost standard components
The key takeaway:
Customized VCSELs are no longer niche — they are a critical enabler of functional differentiation and sustainable competitive advantage.
From Trade Show to Development: Conversations as a Starting Point
We’d like to thank everyone who visited our booth, engaged in technical discussions, shared concrete requirements, and brought new ideas to the table. Special thanks to Electro Optical Components, Inc. for a strong and successful joint presence at the show.
For us, one thing is clear:
The conversations in San Francisco are the beginning — not the end.
If you’re currently working on custom VCSEL or laser diode solutions, precision fiber coupling, optical integration, or application-specific laser design, we’d be happy to continue the conversation. Together, we develop solutions that go beyond standard approaches — technically and economically.
Explore more related content here: https://imm-photonics.de/en/standard-solutions/laser/singlemode-vcsel-850-nm/
A PERSONAL CONVERSATION Feel free to call us or send us an email via the following link Contact
