Developer of 5D Optical Device SPhotonix Expands Swiss Lab Team with Two New Appointments

SPhotonix, Inc., developer of 5D optical device business, has announced the appointment of 2 new Swiss lab team members, Alain Abou Khalil and Laura Loi. These moves expand the lab team based in Switzerland under the leadership of Sargis Hakobyan ahead of its opening later this year. SPhotonix, a deep tech start-up, is pioneering uses of FemtoEtch technology in fused quartz known as 5D Memory Crystals and Photonics.

Alain has taken up the position of senior laser materials processing engineer, arriving from ALPhANOV, an optics and laser technology center. While there, Alain specialized as an R&D engineer focused on femtosecond laser inscription and characterization of optical components in dielectric materials while also managing R&D projects. He has over ten years experience in the field of optics, lasers and laser-matter interaction. 

Commenting on his appointment, Alain said: “Joining SPhotonix at this point is really exciting. The opportunities for the technology that Prof. Peter Kazansky invented are huge, both for the long term data and archival storage needs and in the ever expanding and evolutionary photonics industry. I am eager to be part of the Swiss-based lab and contribute to advancing the future of data storage through my experience in femtosecond laser processing. There is a need to develop cleaner, and more sustainable solutions for data storage and archiving. I am looking forward to working closely with clients to understand their needs and deliver innovative answers.”

Laura joins the team as laser materials processing engineer, also hailing from ALPhANOV where she was an R&D engineer in laser processing. She specializes in ultrafast laser–matter interaction, with expertise in shaping femtosecond and picosecond pulses for advanced material processing. Her work includes functionalizing transparent materials through techniques such as Direct Laser Interference Patterning, developing laser welding methods, and fabricating and characterizing photonic components in glasses, including waveguide Bragg gratings for visible and near-infrared applications.

About joining the SPhotonix Swiss lab team, Laura said: “The world of photonics is really opening up with continual development and improvement of techniques and products. SPhotonix’s technology offers a strong, attractive alternative, and as an engineer, I’m really thrilled to be at the nucleus of our innovation and fully committed to exploiting it for developing innovative solutions that make a tangible impact.”

Sargis Hakobyan, Swiss Lab team leader, added: “Our swiss-based lab team is really taking shape as we gear up for full capacity this Autumn. The skills that Alain and Laura bring to SPhotonix enables us to be a leading R&D photonics company that will bring new ideas and will shape the future of advanced optics and data storage. I am very excited and happy that Alain and Laura have joined us and looking forward to having great results with them.”

5D Memory Crystal

Prof Kazansky, founder, Sphotonix, recently stored the human genome on a 5D Memory Crystal that can last billions of years. The technology developed for that purpose is now being applied to create these groundbreaking optical elements. It was recently featured in the latest Mission Impossible film and, last month, sent a 5D Memory Crystal containing the oldest and newest art forms into space.