Image-sensor spinout Singular Photonics has announced a strategic collaboration with Renishaw, a global leader in microscopy, metrology and analytical instrumentation.
The companies have been co-developing next-generation spectroscopy capabilities powered by Singular’s new suite of single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) image sensors.
Renishaw revealed the launch of its latest breakthrough in Raman spectroscopy: the addition of Time-Resolved Raman Spectroscopy (TRRS) to its inVia™ confocal Raman microscope.
At the core of this innovation is Singular’s Sirona SPAD sensor, enabling researchers and engineers to overcome one of Raman spectroscopy’s most persistent challenges – capturing Raman signals obscured by intense fluorescence backgrounds.
Dr Tim Batten, Director and General Manager of the Spectroscopy Products Division at Renishaw, said:
We are always on the lookout for new, innovative technology to maintain our lead in this market, and we believe we have achieved this with our partnership with Singular Photonics.”
Built on advanced CMOS SPAD architecture, Singular’s Sirona is a 512-pixel SPAD-based line sensor integrating on-chip time-resolved processing and histogramming functionality. This allows simultaneous acquisition of both fluorescence and Raman signals with high temporal precision, unlocking new measurement modalities for scientific and industrial applications.
Singular Photonics was co-founded by Professor of Electronic Engineering at the University of Edinburgh, Robert Henderson, who is now Scientific Advisor to the company; Dr Aravind Venugopalan, a PhD graduate of the University’s School of Engineering and previous Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Fellow, now Chief Technical Officer; Dr Neil Finlayson, former research fellow at the School of Engineering, and Shahida Imani, Chief Executive Officer.. The team received company formation support from Edinburgh Innovations, including investment from Old College Capital, the University of Edinburgh’s in-house venture investment fund.
CEO Shahida Imani, CEO of Singular Photonics, said:
By integrating the Sirona sensor into their new TRRS system, Renishaw has created a spectrometer that showcases the clear performance advantages of our SPAD technology.
We’ve built a strong relationship with the Renishaw team since before our spin out from the University of Edinburgh, fostering trust and deep technical collaboration. This partnership opens a significant opportunity to expand our market reach, especially in high-precision scientific and industrial sectors. ”
Katharine Fox, Head of Investment at Old College Capital, said:
This latest excellent collaboration will enable Renishaw customers to innovate their products and processes using Singular’s advanced SPAD sensors.
Singular Photonics exemplifies the kind of pioneering deep tech emerging from the University ecosystem, and we’re proud to continue to support their journey.”
