Phaos Technology Launches Disruptive Microsphere‐Assisted Microscopy Technology in Collaboration with SIGMAKOKI

Singapore‐based advanced microscopy startup, Phaos Technology Pte. Ltd., has launched its first disruptive microsphere‐assisted microscopy technology, OptoNano200, together with SIGMAKOKI Co., Ltd. (Japan), a global leading optical component manufacturer at Photonics West 2020, the leading event for the worldwide photonics industry, on 4 February 2020, in San Franscisco, California, USA. The OptoNano product, which is ready to accept customer orders, uses microsphere to upgrade the magnification of microscopes by up to 4 times using miniature glass spheres, in a cost efficient way.

The unique OptoNano product has brought light upon the potential to revolutionize the microscopy industries by:

• Enabling a microscope to achieve nanoscale magnification and observation at a greatly reduced cost that no other existing technology products can match;
• Enabling non‐contact mode of observation of nanoscale object without the need of specimen treatment. Such a process would be an exceptional breakthrough for life science, biomedical and semiconductor applications.

For life science and biomedical observations, it is critical to keep specimen uncontaminated and intact to ensure reliable results. For semiconductor applications, with the greatly reduced cost and omitting treatment process of samples, the current specially equipped labonly observation method could be turned into production‐line applications.

• 

• 

On the launch of the new product, Mr. Yosuke Kondo, President & CEO of SIGMAKOKI Co., Ltd. shares “The OptoNano 200 is an accumulation of all the hard work and effort from the staff of Phaos Technology and SIGMAKOKI over the last 2 years. It is with great excitement that we are able to launch this revolutionary technology together with Phaos Technology. We see the disruptive potential of the technology and will continue to develop further on the technology together with Phaos Technology.”

Prof. Hong Minghui, co‐founder and director of Phaos Technology, and Professor from the National University of Singapore, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Optical Science and Engineering Centre, further added: “The OptoNano technology is able to allow microscopes to see smaller and better at an exceptionally cost effective way. With such a technology, we are able to make super‐resolution microscopy affordable to the masses. The world as we know is getting smaller. As such, our need to be able to see even smaller materials is growing. We believe such a technology will have a lasting effect on enabling the development of future technologies.” Prof Hong further added: “With the on‐going coronavirus outbreak, it becomes ever more critical to be able to identify and study viruses without contaminating the samples, which are around 60nm to 200nm in size. We hope that our OptoNano product line is able to enable the rapid discovery of future viruses and make an impact in the creation of next generation treatment of such viruses.”

The microsphere technology was developed by Prof. Hong Minghui and his team in the National University of Singapore (NUS). In 2010, Prof Hong conceived the idea of this novel optical microscope and in 2012, Prof Hong and his team obtained the Competitive Research Programme grant from National Research Foundation (NRF) Singapore to develop a microsphere‐assisted microscopy technology. The team spun off in 2017 to form Phaos Technology Pte. Ltd., which is an incubate at NUS Enterprise @ Singapore Science Park, and licensed the technology from NUS to commercialize it into a product. Phaos Technology and SigmaKoki have been working closely together over the last two years and signed a strategic collaboration on 4 October 2019 to co‐develop the OptoNano range of products.

Phaos Technology and SIGMAKOKI will continue to develop the OptoNano product range, and a new version of OptoNano100 with ability to see objects smaller than 100nm will be ready for market in early 2021.

About SIGMAKOKI Co., Ltd.

SIGMAKOKI Co., Ltd. is a listed company under the Tokyo JASDAQ. With over 40 years of experience in manufacturing optical components and opto‐mechanical components to scientific research and photonics industry, SIGMAKOKI provides advanced optical solutions to a wide range of industries including semiconductor and electronics, flat panel display, biomedical and medicine, aviation and space development, and defence industry.

About Phaos Technology Pte. Ltd.

Phaos Technology Pte. Ltd. is an advanced optics technology startup based in Singapore, and a technology spin‐off from the National University of Singapore. Phaos believes that optical related technology is the key to improving the future, hence we focus on commercializing research in advanced optical technology and make them accessible to the mass market.