Israeli Scientists Pioneer ‘Photonic Origami’ with Breakthrough in Glass Folding

A remarkable discovery by Israeli researchers at Tel Aviv University is poised to transform the future of optics, computing, and advanced sensing. Scientists have developed a novel technique to fold ultra-thin sheets of glass into microscopic three-dimensional shapes on a chip using nothing more than a focused laser. They’ve named this new frontier “photonic origami.”

The innovation came entirely by accident. While trying to identify where an invisible laser beam hit a glass surface, graduate student Manya Malhotra turned up the power as instructed by her professor, Tal Carmon. Rather than glowing as expected, the glass bent and folded with perfect precision.

This seemingly minor moment became the foundation for what is now hailed as a major leap in photonics.

“Existing 3D printers can’t make surfaces smooth enough for high-performance optics,” said Carmon, a professor at the School of Electrical Engineering. “But our method allows glass to fold into shapes with less than one nanometer of surface variation perfect for guiding light without distortion.”

Drawing inspiration from nature like the way pinecones open the researchers used controlled laser heating to briefly liquefy a specific region of the glass. Surface tension, stronger than gravity at this scale, pulls the molten region into a precisely curved fold. The result is astonishing: ultra-smooth, transparent, three-dimensional glass microstructures just 0.5 microns thick, about 200 times thinner than a human hair.

Among the structures successfully created were helices, spirals, and mirrors all formed in under a millisecond. Glass sheets moved at speeds of up to 2 meters per second, with acceleration surpassing 2,000 m/s², under the focused beam of a single carbon dioxide laser.

“This opens up new possibilities that were previously unattainable in integrated optics,” said Carmon. “We can now build micro-zoom lenses, ultra-compact mirrors, and optical circuits that work with light instead of electricity.”

The implications are immense. In smartphones, a single folded-glass zoom lens could replace multiple fixed-focus lenses, reducing hardware complexity while enhancing image quality. In computing, this technique may pave the way for microphotonic circuits tiny devices that use light to transmit and process data faster and more efficiently than traditional silicon-based electronics.

Medical diagnostics, environmental sensors, and industrial technologies also stand to benefit. Folded glass waveguides and mirrors can be embedded in chips for real-time, ultra-precise sensing in compact form factors.

One of the team’s most futuristic demonstrations involved a foldable glass table with a built-in concave mirror that could, in theory, be optically levitated to explore potential deviations from Newtonian gravity opening a path to experiments at the frontiers of physics.

This breakthrough underscores Israel’s continuing leadership in scientific and technological innovation, offering not only practical advancements but also inspiring glimpses into what the future may hold.

Israel continues to light the way with breakthroughs that change how the world sees, thinks, and communicates. Share this article or subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed and support Israeli innovation.