Tiny integrated lasers and their application to industrial laser technologies: feature issue introduction

This issue of Optics Express features 12 papers, prepared primarily by authors who participated in the 11^th Tiny Integrated Laser and Laser Ignition Conference 2025 (TILA-LIC 2025), held on 23 - 25 April 2025 at Pacifico Yokohama, Japan, as part of the Optics & Photonics International Congress 2025. Contributions from other authors related to the topic of tiny integrated lasers were also welcomed. This review provides a summary of these articles, covering results in the field of integrated optics; solid-state lasers; nonlinear optics; instrumentation, measurement, and optical sensors; optical materials, nanomaterials and 2D materials; and laser machining and material processing. Innovations in photonics, often referred to as giant micro-photonics, have enabled the creation of ubiquitous lasers that can be operated under various conditions, opening the door for the advancement of humanity toward new applications and discoveries.