METROLOGY TINY ATOMIC CLOCK TARGETS PORTABLE …iopp.fileburst.com/old/old_02_122.pdf ·...

INTERVIEW

Gooch & Housegosets its sights onEuropean growth

Micromirror chipsfind success in thedisplays industry

ANALYSIS

Tiny polymer tipsboost optical fibrecoupling efficiency

OPTICAL FIBRE

The European magazine for photonics professionals

November 2004 Issue 122

TINY ATOMIC CLOCKTARGETS PORTABLEELECTRONICS

METROLOGY

http://www.optics.org

1.520.721.0500 Worldwide

Breault.com Breault Research Organization

Physical OpticsIllumination Systems

Imaging Systems

ASAP™ 8.0 Optical Engineering Software:Design | Model | Analyze

Engineering | Software | Training

800.882.5085 USA|Canada

Advanced Charting CapabilityCIE Numerical/Graphical AnalysisXML-based CAD File ExchangeSpreadsheet-based TolerancingDrag and Drop from LibrariesBuilder Debug ToolbarTear-off Builder MenusObject Visualization in BuilderNew Glass CatalogsOptically Active Media ModelingRandomization of ArraysMore Optical PropertiesASAP/PRO User File Size IncreaseAnd Many More Enhancements

––––––––––––––

Breault Research has raisedoptical engineering to an artform. ASAP 8.0’s powerfulfeatures and intuitive workingenvironment let you take yourproduct from creative vision toworking prototype. Only ASAP8.0 offers the flexibility andaccuracy to cut weeks off thedevelopment process. ASAP–theworld’s most powerful opticaldesign program–offers physicistsand optical engineers the powerto create without compromise.

OpticsValley

TucsonArizona

ISO Certified

Software for Physicistsand Optical Engineers

http://www.breault.com

EDITORIALEditor Oliver GraydonTel: +44 (0)117 930 1015 [email protected]

Technology editor Jacqueline HewettTel: +44 (0)117 930 [email protected]

Reporter James TyrrellTel: +44 (0)117 930 [email protected]

Production editors Lucy Farrar, Clare SturgesTechnical illustrator Alison Tovey

EUROPE/ROW SALESAdvertising sales manager Rob FisherTel: +44 (0)117 930 1260 [email protected]

Senior sales executive Simon AllardiceTel: +44 (0)117 930 1284 [email protected]

Key accounts manager Adrian ChanceTel: +44 (0)117 930 1193 [email protected]

Sales executive Cadi JonesTel: +44 (0) 117 930 [email protected]

US SALES OFFICEIOP Publishing Inc, Suite 929, 150 SouthIndependence Mall West, Philadelphia PA 19106, USATel: +1 215 627 0880 Fax: +1 215 627 0879

ADVERTISING PRODUCTIONAdvertising production supervisor Rachel SermonTel: +44 (0)117 930 1277 [email protected]

Advertising production editor Joanne Derrick

CIRCULATION AND MARKETINGProduct manager Angela PeckTel: +44 (0)117 930 1025 [email protected]

ART DIRECTORAndrew Giaquinto

PUBLISHERGeraldine Pounsford Tel: +44 (0)117 930 1022 [email protected]

PUBLISHING DIRECTORRichard Roe

OPTO & LASER EUROPEDirac House,Temple Back, Bristol BS1 6BE, UK. Tel: +44 (0)117 929 7481 Editorial fax: +44 (0)117 925 1942 Advertising fax: +44 (0)117 930 1178 Internet: optics.org/oleISSN 0966-9809 CODEN OL EEEV

SUBSCRIPTIONSComplimentary copies are sent to qualifyingindividuals (for more details see optics.org/ole/subscribe). For readers outside registration requirements: £111/€160 ($170 US and Canada)per year. Single issue £11/€16 ($15 US, Canadaand Mexico). CONTACT: IOPP Magazines, WDIS Ltd,Units 12 & 13, Cranleigh Gardens Industrial Estate,Southall, Middlesex UB1 2DB, UK.Tel: +44 (0)208 606 7518. Fax: +44 (0)208 606 7303.E-mail: opto&[email protected]

© 2004 IOP Publishing Ltd. The contents of OLE donot represent the views or policies of the Institute ofPhysics, its council or its officers unless so identified. This magazine incorporates Opto & Laser Products.Printed by Warners (Midlands) plc, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH, UK.

I ssue 122 November 2004 Contents

Philips closes its GermanLCoS display facility p5

Fujitsu unveils a 10 Gb/squantum-dot laser p15

Gooch & Housego showsoff its crystal expertise p17

French start-up brings fibre tips to market p29

INTERVIEW

Gooch & Housegosets its sights onEuropean growth

Micromirror chipsfind success in thedisplay industry

ANALYSIS

Tiny polymer tipsboost optical fibrecoupling efficiency

OPTICAL FIBRE

The European magazine for photonics professionals

November 2004 Issue 122

TINY ATOMIC CLOCKTARGETS PORTABLEELECTRONICS

METROLOGY

For the latest news on optics and photonics don’t forget to visit optics.org

Cover (NIST) VCSEL-basedatomic clock is the size of agrain of rice. p22

NEWS5 This month Microdisplay market in state of flux

8 Business Blu-ray gains industry acceptance • Cree looks to backlighting • NIST funds high-risk ventures

10 Analysis Has MEMS a place in displays?

TECHNOLOGY11 Applications Lightweight eye-tracker suits sport •

Antireflection coating aids solar cell market

13 R&D UV LEDs emit shortest wavelength • Cryogenics boosts Yb:YAG laser output • Glass interferometer set for space

15 Patents AOI buys external-cavity diode laser patent

FEATURES17 Q-switch expert eyes up European market

Jacqueline Hewett visited the headquarters of the Gooch & Housego group to find out about its history, its range ofacousto-optic products and its plans for the future.

22 Miniature atomic clock makes its debutA laser-driven atomic clock the size of grain of rice may soon be improving the precision of global positioning system receivers and replacing the quartz crystal oscillator found in computers and watches. Oliver Graydon reports.

25 Nanopositioning: fighting the mythsThe need to align optical equipment and samples to within a nanometre is now crucial in many industries. Stefan Vorndran describes the technology that makes it possible.

29 Tiny polymer tips boost fibre coupling efficiencyFrench scientists have developed a low-cost method for growing an efficient microlens at the end of an optical fibre. James Tyrrellreports on the road to commercialization.

PRODUCTS33 Broadband spectrometer • Integrating spheres • Beam profiler

REGUL ARS18 Search Engine/Free Literature41 Recruitment42 Calendar


http://www.northropgrumman.com

Microdisplay market in state of flux

NEWSTHIS MONTH 5 BUSINESS 6 ANALYSIS 9

5OLE • November 2004 • optics.org

DISPLAYS

By Oliver GraydonIt’s been a fascinating few weeks inthe market for liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCOS) microdisplays, apromising technology for makinglarge high-definition televisions(HDTVs). While two major house-hold names in the electronics busi-ness have cancelled or delayedtheir plans in this sector, smallerEuropean firms have been settingup and getting the green light fromventure capitalists.

LCOS technology uses a liquid-crystal microdisplay about 1 inchin size to generate an image whichis then projected onto a screen – atechnique called rear-projectiontelevision (RPTV). Already compa-nies such as Sanyo and Kolin areoffering large (50 inch or more),high-definition RPTVs based onLCOS engines.

In view of this, the displays com-munity was stunned in Octoberwhen Philips, the Dutch electron-ics giant, announced that it is clos-ing its LCOS display business. Thedecision comes just 12 monthsafter Philips had invested € 20 m ina new production facility inBöblingen, Germany.

According to Insight Media, amarket analyst firm in the displayssector, the thinking behind the clo-sure was that Philips has too smalla share of the RPTV market tomerit any further investment.Insight says that around 200 jobswill be affected at Philips’ opera-

tions in Belgium (Brussels), Ger-many (Böblingen), the US (Briar-cliff Manor) and Austria (Vienna).

At the heart of the problem wereconcerns regarding the yield ofmicrodisplays and disappointingsales of the RPTVs containingthem. “Sources say that yields onthe large, 1.18 inch microdisplayhave been low for some time,undoubtedly leading to an unprof-itable manufacturing operation,”revealed Insight in its 8 Octobernewsletter. “Further, the sets[RPTVs] were apparently not sell-ing well in retail stores, despitebeing offered by major chains.”

But why did Philips decide to pullthe plug on the operation, ratherthan trying to refine its offering? “It

was probably just burning throughso much cash that they decided itwasn’t worth pursuing, which isvery unfortunate,” commented asource from a microdisplay manu-facturer who did not wish to benamed. “This is not the ‘nail in thecoffin’ of LCOS – it just shows howdifficult it is to productionize, ifsomeone the size of Philips can’t doit. However, those that understandthe technology can succeed.”

The Philips news came shortlyafter Intel announced that itintends to delay its entry into theLCOS market while it goes back tothe lab to develop a higher-resolu-tion microdisplay that is bettersuited to HDTV.

However, it’s not all doom and

gloom in the industry. While the bignames are delaying their plans orbacking off from LCOS altogether,venture capitalists are busy pump-ing money into small Europeanfirms that are active in the area.Two venture capital firms,Amadeus Capital and DoughtyHanson, have just purchased UKmicrodisplay maker CRL Opto fromScipher and formed a new firmcalled CRLO Displays Limited. Thecompany has been given $19 m(€ 15m) to help fund its productionfacility in Scotland and launchmicrodisplays for the RPTV market.

Meanwhile, a Belgian spin-offfirm called Gemidis has just openedfor business. The company is aninitiative from Ghent Universityand IMEC, Belgium’s nationalmicroelectronics centre. It is target-ing the RPTV market and claimsthat it will have an LCOS microdis-play with a resolution of 1080iready by spring 2005, and will beable to offer a production volume of5000 engines per month. It hasfinancial backing from GIMV,Fagus and Baekeland-fonds.

Gemidis currently has a staff ofseven people and an office in Ghentbut says that it will be producing itsdevices at a facility in the Far East.One thing is for sure: the void cre-ated by the withdrawal of Philipsand Intel gives European SMEs likeCRLO and Gemidis a golden oppor-tunity to gain a valuable head-start in the marketplace.

The future of television? LCOS microdisplays, such as this example made by CRLODisplays (inset), can be used to produce large high-definition television sets. Sanyohas already launched a 50-inch TV based on LCOS technology (main image).

Mai

n im

age:

OLE

. In

set:

CRL

O D

ispl

ays

Sony says that it has just com-menced mass-production of full-colour organic light-emittingdiode (OLED) displays for mobiledevices. The Japanese electronicsgiant plans to use the 3.8 inch480 ×320 pixel screens to deliverhigh-quality content such as tele-vision programs and digital stillimages to users on the move.

“The OLED display is self-lumi-nous and does not require a back-light. It offers a high contrast ratio,quick response time and wide view-ing angle – all in a package slimmerthan current LCD modules,” saidSony. “To enhance this display,Sony has employed its Super TopEmission technology for outstand-ing brightness and greater colour

gamut. These translate into animage quality and clarity thatcould be previously viewed only oncathode-ray tube displays.”

The Super Top structure sand-wiches organic material betweenan anode and a semi-transparentcathode to create a cavity. Sonysays that it has optimized the thick-ness of the organic layer for each of

the RGB colour components. Thecavity uses multiple reflections tochannel light emission to thescreen’s surface.

The RGB display is 2.14 mmthick and is said to have a responsetime of 0.01 ms and a brightnessof 150 cd/m2. It will make its mar-ket debut in the company’s CLIEPEG-VZ90 handheld device.

Sony commences production of organic displaysDISPLAYS


Blu-ray gains industry acceptance

NEWSBUSINESS

DATA STORAGE

6 OLE • November 2004 • optics.org

The future of Blu-ray Disc (BD), adata-storage format that uses405 nm blue lasers to store up to27 Gbyte per layer on 12 cm-diam-eter DVD-style discs, looks morecertain following a spate of activityin the past few weeks.

Firstly, Sony has announcedthat starting from next month itwill be supplying samples of com-ponents for building Blu-ray play-ers and recorders. The partsavailable include a Blu-ray record-able pick-up head, photodetectorchips, laser diode drivers and asso-ciated signal processing electron-ics. Prices range from just £15(€ 21.6) for the laser driver IC to£500 for the pick-up head.

A Sony spokesperson said ofthe move: “By making available tothe industry the key componentsand technologies of the Blu-rayDisc recorder, drive and otherBD-related products, we expectthe market to expand, and thusour consumers will [be able to]enjoy, record and experience highdefinition content.”

Sony launched the world’s firstBD player in April 2003 and

recently announced that its forth-coming Playstation 3 will supportthe format. However, Sony is notthe only company that is intent onusing the technology.

The Blu-ray Disc Association(BDA), an organization founded inMay 2002 to support and promotethe format, now has more than 70company members. These includesuch well known names as Dell,

Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, Pana-sonic, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharpand Sony. Last month two otherbig players – JVC, the Japanesemaker of electronic goods, andTwentieth Century Fox, the filmdistributor – joined as members.

“We believe that the BDA’sgrowth from 13 to 73 [member]companies over the last threemonths reflects the depth of indus-

try acceptance and support for theBlu-ray Disc as the next-genera-tion optical disc format,” said Mau-reen Weber, general manager ofHP’s optical storage business unit.“We are thrilled to welcome newpartners who will help us exceedour goals and demonstrate leader-ship through the superior technol-ogy and capabilities that theBlu-ray Disc offers consumers andthe content community.”

Meanwhile, companies support-ing a rival blue-laser format calledHD-DVD have also been active. Atthe CEATEC show held in Japan lastmonth, both Sanyo and Toshibawere showing off prototypeHD-DVD players. What’s more, atthe same show NEC, one of the pio-neers of HD-DVD, announced ablue laser diode that offers a record-breaking output power of 300mW.The enhanced output power willenable faster writing speeds.

Like Blu-ray, HD-DVD uses bluelaser technology and 12 cm discs.The key differences are that it isbackwards-compatible with cur-rent DVDs and has a lower datacapacity of 15 GByte per disc layer.

Gaining acceptance: JVC is latest household name that has joined the Blu-ray DiscAssociation, which was founded in May 2002 and now boasts more than 70 members.

OmniVision Technologies, the USdeveloper of CMOS image sensors,has launched a 5 Mpixel sensorchip that it says will slash the costof high-performance digital cam-eras and camcorders to just a fewhundred dollars. Production vol-umes are expected to be availablethis month, with the first camerascontaining the chip entering theshops in December.

Unveiled on the first day of thePhotokina exhibition in Cologne,Germany, OmniVision’s OV5610CMOS chip represents a new mile-stone for CMOS imaging. It packs a2592×1944 array of pixels with a10-bit analogue-to-digital con-verter in a 1–1.8 inch sized pack-

age, which is small enough forportable electronics.

Currently, most top-end digitalimaging equipment with a resolu-tion of 5 or 6 Mpixel relies on rivalCCD image chip technology. Owingto their origin in scientific imaging,CCD chips provide good picturequality but are expensive to manu-facture as they rely on specializedfabrication processes.

By contrast, CMOS image chipsare potentially much easier andcheaper to make, but until nowtheir limited specifications haveconfined them to low-end appli-cations such as camera phones andcheap digital still cameras (DSCs).

“OmniVision’s new proprietary

pixel structure diminishes dark cur-rent to unnoticeable levels – a keyfactor in bringing CMOS imagequality to CCD levels,” said JasonLiu from OmniVision. “In addition,our OmniPixel technology signifi-cantly improves the light-sensitivityof the sensor, resulting in a highersignal-to-noise ratio – meaning thecamera will perform better in lowlight situations. All this adds up tobetter performance at lower cost.”

According to OmniVision, theOV5610 can perform continuousdigital zoom and in VGA resolutionis capable of operating at 30frames per second. The firm saysthis makes it the ideal candidate forlow-cost digital camcorders and

hybrid cameras which take bothdigital video and still images.

“OmniVision is currently work-ing with several key customers inthe US and Taiwan to incorporatethe OV5610 into new products,”said Liu. He added: “The OV5610comes at the right time because by2005 the largest segment of con-sumer DSCs [digital still cameras]is expected to be in the 5 Mpixelcategory, accounting for approxi-mately 35% of the market.”

According to a market reportfrom Techno Systems Researchfrom Japan, worldwide sales of dig-ital still cameras will reach 64 mil-lion units this year and surpass 76million units in 2005.

CMOS chips challenge CCD market monopolyIMAGING


Cree looks to backlighting

NEWSBUSINESS

FINANCIAL RESULTS


US-based light-emitting diode(LED) and substrate maker Creehas reported record revenue andearnings figures for its first quarterof fiscal 2005. And as if thatwasn’t enough, the firm has alsoadded two high-brightness LEDs toits product portfolio.

Cree’s revenue for quarter onecame in at $95.9 m (€ 75.8 m), anincrease of $5 m from the previousthree-month period and a massive45% rise compared with the$66.2 m reported in quarter one offiscal 2004. LED product sales rep-resented 82% of the company’srevenue in the first quarter.

Net income for the periodalmost tripled to $24.4 m com-pared with $8.8 m for the firstquarter of fiscal 2004. Gross mar-gin for the quarter was 56%, up4% from the previous quarter.

“Our factory continues toimprove its efficiency, and althoughwe have started the 3 inch conver-sion for LEDs, we really haven’tseen the benefit yet,” said Cree’spresident Chuck Swoboda. “Weexpect the 3 inch migration to be amore important cost driver over thenext several quarters that shouldenable us to continue to aggres-sively pursue new business.”

One such new application couldbe LCD backlighting. Just two daysbefore announcing its financialresults, Cree unveiled its XT-24and XT-27, two high-brightnesswhite LEDs. Forming part of theXThin product family, the deviceswill be targeted at LCD backlight-ing applications for mobile appli-

ances and large-format displays,says the company.

“We are releasing one of thebrightest LEDs in the industry,”said Mike Dunn, Cree’s vice-presi-dent for optoelectronics. “Webelieve this increase in brightnessopens up new market opportuni-ties for customers and gives them acompetitive alternative to today’scold-cathode fluorescent lamp.”

The XT-24 and XT-27 emit aminimum radiant flux of 24 mWand 27 mW respectively and adominant wavelength of 460 nm.Cree says that this wavelengthmaximizes the conversion effi-

ciency of commercially-availablephosphors, which convert bluelight into white light.

According to Cree, both versionsof the chip have a low-profiledesign with a typical height of115 µm and a forward voltage of3.2 V. The company says that thesefeatures are desirable for the latestgeneration of ultra-miniaturizedhigh-brightness white surface-mount LEDs favoured by designersof LCD backlights.

The XT-24 LED is currentlyavailable in production volumes,while the XT-27 can be supplied insample quantities.

Cree is targeting its two latest high-brightness LEDs, the XT-24 and the XT-27, atLCD backlighting applications in both mobile devices and large-format displays.

NASA award fundsadvanced opticaldesign software

SOFTWARE

Optical Research Associates (ORA),the firm behind the CODE V andLightTools optical design software,has received funding from NASA todevelop tools to help the US spaceagency optimize the design of itsimaging instruments.

The California-based softwaredeveloper will use the Small Busi-ness Innovation Research phase IIgrant to develop software foranalysing beam propagation to anew level of performance.

“Specifically, ORA will createoptical modelling and design toolsto analyse and support beam prop-agation results at a contrast level of1 ×10–11,” explained ORA in astatement. It added: “This is a per-formance improvement in thisarea of several orders of magni-tude over current commerciallyavailable optical design softwarewith related features.”

ORA says that achieving suchan enormous improvement in pre-cision will require the developmentof entirely new ways of modellingbeam propagation that do not relyon the fast Fourier transform calcu-lations that are usually employed.

Potential applications for thenew software include supportingNASA’s Terrestrial Planet Finderproject, which is likely to use a spe-cialized telescope system to sepa-rate the dim light reflected from thesurface of planets from surround-ing bright starlight.

ORA, which employs more than500 engineers, did not disclose thevalue of the NASA award.

Mot

orol

a

http://www.global-lasertech.co.uk


NEWSBUSINESS


NIST funds high-risk venturesFUNDING

The US National Institute of Stan-dards and Technology (NIST) isploughing $80.1m (€ 64.2m) into32 high-risk projects as part of its2004 Advanced Technology Pro-gram (ATP). NIST judges proposalson “the basis of difficulty, technicalinnovation and the potential forbenefits to the nation’s economy”.

Technology areas receivingNIST’s financial backing this yearinclude everything from fuel cellsand carbon nanotubes to stem cellresearch. Here are some projectsinvolving photonics:● US firms Cree and NanocrystalLighting have been given $3.4 mto help them develop white LEDsfor solid-state lighting. The firmsare aiming to demonstrate “integ-rated white LED lamps that morethan quadruple the brightnessand double the efficiency of exist-ing LED lamps, plus significantlyreduce their cost per lumen”.

Cree and Nanocrystal will com-bine high-efficiency blue LEDs withphosphor nanomaterials that con-vert the emission into broadbandwhite light. The partners said theirwork could accelerate the develop-ment of affordable, solid-statewhite lighting by up to three years.● Nanospectra Biosciences, US,will receive $2.5 m to producenear-infrared (NIR) absorbing par-ticles called nanoshells, whichhave applications in cancer ther-apy. The nanoshells preferentiallyaccumulate in tumours onceinjected into the bloodstream.After this, NIR light can pinpointthe location of the tumour.

Additional NIR light can then be

pumped into the nanoshells caus-ing them to heat up and destroythe tumour cells. Although widelyapplicable to many solid tumours,Nanospectra says its initial plan isto develop a diagnostic and thera-peutic product for breast cancer.● OFS Fitel of the US will use its$2 m award to build high-powerpulsed fibre lasers. Difficultieswith energy storage in the gainmedium and nonlinear opticaleffects in the fibre currently hin-der fibre lasers in applications likematerials processing.

“The key is to increase the effec-tive area of the laser-amplifyingportion of the fibre while suppress-ing energy losses to unwanted fre-quencies that normally increase asarea increases,” said the company.It plans to work on new glass-fibrefabrication and processing tech-niques to overcome these hurdles.● wTe Corporation is using its

$2 m award to produce an instru-ment that measures the chemicalcomposition of molten pools ofmetals and alloy in realtime. Theinstrument will combine the spec-tral analysis techniques ofenergy-dispersive X-ray fluor-escence and laser-induced break-down spectroscopy.

wTe said the system could helpUS producers make better use oflow-grade scrap metal, which hasan unpredictable composition.Liquid-metal composition is cur-rently analysed offline in an itera-tive process as alloys are added andthe metal reanalysed to meet afinal chemical composition.

“An online sensing system wouldprovide liquid-metal chemistries inseconds, allowing rapid adjust-ments to the melt mix,” said wTe.“The technology is aimed atincreasing production capacity insome sectors by as much as 15%.”

CO N S U LTA N C Y S E RV I C E S

A new spin-off firm that specializesin providing consultancy services tothe laser and optics community hasbeen founded by a researcher fromthe Swiss Federal Institute ofTechnology in Zurich. RP Photonics Consulting provides awide range of services includingproduct design and modelling, saidfounder Rüdiger Paschotta.

OLEDS

Aixtron and RWTH Aachen ofGermany and Philips of theNetherlands have teamed up todevelop large-area white organiclight-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Theproject plans to develop OLEDs forlighting applications and establishnew manufacturing processes usingAixtron’s organic vapour phasedeposition technology.

TE L E C O M M U N I CAT I O N S

Bookham Technology, the maker ofoptical components andsubsystems, has completed itschange of corporate domicile fromthe UK to the US.

AC Q U I S I T I O N S

Finisar will pay less than originallyexpected for Infineon Technologies’fibre-optic business unit. In April,Finisar stated that it would acquirethe German chip maker’s subsidiaryfor 135 million Finisar shares worth$263 m (€ 210 m). However, afterthe Infineon unit reporteddisappointing operating results,Finisar downgraded the deal to110 million shares. This will giveInfineon a 33% equity in Finisar.

TE L E C O M M U N I CAT I O N S

EXFO of Canada – thetelecommunications test andmeasurement specialist – isconsolidating its photonics and lifescience division. Operations at thefirm’s Victor/Fishers site in NewYork State will be transferred toToronto. EXFO will recordrestructuring charges of $2.7 m, butsaid the move will yield annualsavings of $1.5 m.

IN BRIEF

Past beneficiaries of ATP funding include California-based Accuwave, a specialist inholographic technology for fibre-optic communications.

Sharp of Japan claims it hasdeveloped the world’s largest colourLCD television. Measuring 65 inchesacross its diagonal, the panel has aresolution of 1920 ×1080 pixelsand is driven by a TFT active matrix.

The firm is now consideringreleasing LCD televisions of50 inches and larger in fiscal 2005.“The 45-inch digital high-definition

LCD TV released in August 2004 hasproved even more popular thanexpected,” said Sharp. “It showsthere is a big market for LCD TVs withscreens of 50 inches and larger.”

The giant 65-inch screen wasmanufactured at Sharp’s Kameyamaplant, an integrated LCD televisionfacility for complete build from panelfabrication to final assembly.

DISPLAYS

Accu

wav

e/N

IST


Has MEMS a place in displays?

NEWSANALYSIS

DISPLAYS


By Robert ThomasGiven the widely increasing popu-larity of liquid-crystal displays(LCDs) and the excitement sur-rounding organic light-emittingdiodes (OLEDs), it could be assumedthat there is no role for MEMS-based displays to play as a succes-sor to the cathode-ray tube (CRT).

The prospects for one microma-chined architecture – field-emis-sion displays (FEDs) – now appeardim following the demise of twopioneers in the field. In June, Can-descent Technologies, the Californ-ian developer of a thin alternativeto the CRT, finally filed for Chapter11 bankruptcy protection.

Candescent had been in troublefor some time prior to its finalmove. Having been developing itsThinCRT technology since 1990,the company left creditors withsignificant losses of $358 m(€ 291 m), excepting the sale ofpatent rights to Canon for $11 m.

Like its competitors, the com-pany had been struggling to com-mercialize a new technology thatreplaced the bulky CRT with a flat,compact array of electron-emittingmicromachined tips. In 2002, Pix-Tech of France – which some wouldsay was the furthest advanced interms of bringing FED to market –also filed for bankruptcy protection.

The demise of this method ofmaking displays has chiefly beendue to yield problems, difficultieswith low-voltage phosphors, andcompetition from other emergingdisplay technologies.

Success storyFrom a revenue and business-impact perspective, the projection-display technology from US-basedTexas Instruments (TI) has beenthe undoubted success story ofMEMS-based displays. The firm’sdigital light processing (DLP)engine uses a large array of hingedmicromirrors to project red, greenand blue light pixels onto a screen.

TI took more than 10 years to

develop the technology, winning abattle against criticism that thedesign would suffer from stuck mir-rors and poor mean-time to failure.TI shipped its first DLP subsystemto nView Corporation in 1996 andlast year the company announcedthat it had delivered two milliondevices since production started.The implication is that TI is produc-ing 500 000–600 000 systems perannum, worth an estimated yearlyrevenue of $150 m (assuming avalue of $250 per DLP).

Two applications dominate TI’sDLP business: projectors for busi-

ness (computer-based presenta-tions) and home cinema, wherethe screen size can be up to a fewmetres. By combining multiplelight sources with a separate DLPsystem, TI has produced higher-power projection displays for com-mercial cinemas. The MotionPicture Academy of Arts and Sci-ences has used DLP products toproject film clips during the Acad-emy Awards ceremony every yearsince 1997.

TI’s hinged micromirrors arenot the only successful applicationof MEMS technology in the display

sector. In 1994, Silicon LightMachines (SLM) was established toset about commercializing its grat-ing light valve (GLV).

Based on technology developedat Stanford University, US, the GLVconsists of a series of silicon ribbon-like elements spaced a few tens ofmicrometres apart. By using elec-trostatics to control their separa-tion, the ribbons act as a switchablediffraction grating that reflectslight in the desired direction.

Licensing Sony SLM began with the intention oftargeting the displays sector, butthen granted Sony an exclusivelicence for this application area.Instead, the firm moved into thebooming telecoms market of thelate 1990s. SLM had the idea ofusing its technology to build opti-cal switches, but stumbled whenthe market evaporated. In 2000,the firm was acquired by the semi-conductor specialist Cypress.

Sony’s progress in producing aprojection display using its exclu-sive GLV licence has been slow.Although it has already announcedprojection-display prototypes, thefirm has not yet produced a com-mercial display. Faced with the suc-cess of projection displays based onDLP, LCDs, and emerging liquid-crystal-on-silicon, Sony seems to beaiming the technology at larger-screen applications.

Earlier this year, Sony’s chair-man, Nobuyuki Idei, announcedthat the company would demon-strate a prototype that can generatea 10 ×50 m image at the 2005World Exposition. For this display,Sony will use a series of GLVs tomodulate light from separate red,green and blue lasers to form acolour image. A scanning mirrorwill then project the 2D display ontoa screen. In this configuration, theprojection display looks similar tothe scanning-mirror-based displaysoriginally developed by SchniederLaser Display Technologie.

Texas Instruments’ digital micromirror technology is now a booming business andby far the most successful application of MEMS in the world of displays.

All

imag

es::

TI


NEWSANALYSIS


As is clear from developments atboth TI and SLM, there are twoapproaches to making a projectiondisplay. The TI route creates a com-plete image within the DLP engineand projects it onto a screen. Thetechnique that Sony is developinguses a fast spatial light modulator(the GLV) and a scanning mirror toraster-scan the image onto ascreen, line by line. The latter is asequential process, rather than aparallel one, but it happens soquickly that the eye cannot detect itand sees a single image.

Microvision microscannerArguably, the company that hasdone the most to develop the MEMSscanning approach is a US firmcalled Microvision. The company’svirtual retinal display technologycomprises red, green and blue LEDsand a two-dimensional microscan-ner that projects the image directlyinto the eye. Microvision’s initialapplication has been a small heads-

up display called Nomad designedfor military applications.

The company has also been con-sidering other applications – in par-ticular, an aid for engineers.Microvision has signed a letter ofintent to supply 3800 Nomadvision systems to the Japanese carmaker Honda. According toHonda, the Nomad vision systemprovides engineers with wirelessaccess to service and test informa-tion and, during in-house tests, itincreased efficiency by 39%.

Microvision has also increasedthe field of view of its Nomad sys-tem to suit consumer applications,notably personal cinema and gam-ing. The firm recently announcedthe development of a microdisplayprototype with 7.6 million pixels,that creates an image with a 30°horizontal field of view. In October2003, Microvision signed an agree-ment with Canon to supply it withpre-commercial microdisplays forpotential applications in popular

consumer products like digital andvideo cameras.

Although Microvision is bestknown for its projection microdis-play, the company has a separateimaging business called “Flic” thatmakes bar-code scanning prod-ucts. The technology is similar toits display system, except that ituses a laser and microscanner toraster-scan a one-dimensional ortwo-dimensional bar code, and aseries of photodiodes to pick up thereflected image and convert thebar code into data.

Microvision claims that thescanning technique is cheaper,smaller and offers higher resolu-tion than conventional bar-codescanners that utilize a laser andCMOS imager. The firm launchedthe Flic bar-code scanner in late2002 and has had several ordersin the 1000-unit category.

To put these developments into acommercial context, SLM had rev-enue for the year ending 2003 of

$6.9 m, whereas Microvision’srevenue for the same period was$14.7 m. TI’s DLP technology con-tinues to dominate MEMS displays,with DLP projector revenues fore-cast at the billion-dollar level.

Despite TI’s growing success,MEMS-based technologies have notmade the breakthrough in displaysthat some thought possible at thestart of the 1990s. The reality isthat the flat-panel display market,which is worth $40 bn per year, isstill dominated by LCDs. Other tech-nologies such as MEMS and OLEDsare finding it hard to compete. How-ever, MEMS-based microscanningor microprojection is sure tobecome a core element of manyfuture optical systems.

Robert Thomas is a principal at SRIConsulting Business Intelligence, astrategic business and technologyresearch consultancy spin-off fromStanford Research Institute. Seewww.sric-bi.com.

The No.1 Source for Optoelectronic Components, Fibre Optics and Imaging Devices

NEW cameras from Pacer Components

New PerkinElmer Linescan CameraLine Scan cameras include:● Tri linear colour camera up to 6144 pixels.● Analogue and digital monochromatic cameras.

Linear arrays are available in two formats:● Linear photo diode array to up to 2048 pixels.● CMOS spectroscopy array up to 1024 pixels.

▼ ▼

www.pacer.co.uk

▼

Tel: 0118 9845280 • Fax: 0118 9845425 • email: [email protected]

website

Hanvision HVDUO-5M ● HanVision HVDUO- 5M 4.5 Megapixel Digital

Colour Camera.● Incorporates Foveon X3 â direct imaging sensor.● 1420x1064x3 pixels of 5microns ● Superior sharpness, colour and resistance to artefacts.● Initially available with CameraLink interface, USB2.0

and others to follow.● A 40MHZ clock gives 8.8 fps at full resolution.

SVS Vistek 4 Mega Pixel, SVS 4020 CameraSVS Vistek high quality, compact and low cost4 mega pixel camera. Features include.

● Progressive Scan.● 10 bit CameraLink Output.● Kodak 2048x2048 Pixel Array.● 16 full fps in dual tap mode or 8 fps single tap.● Free running and synchronised modes.● 12v dc power supply.● M42 lens mount.● Mono and Colour options.● Gain, offset and exposure control with full

software support.

http://www.pacer.co.uk


http://www.sric-bi.com

TECHNOLOGY


US eye-tracking specialist AppliedScience Laboratories (ASL) hasreleased a portable headset deviceabout the same size and weight asa pair of sunglasses. The MobileEye uses a belt-mounted recordingdevice to store data on the moveand is as much at home on the golfcourse as in a flight simulator.

The technology relies on a low-power infrared light source and apair of miniature cameras to seewhere the user is looking. “Thepupil acts as a light sink, andbecomes the darkest spot on the[output] screen, making it easy todiscriminate from other parts ofthe eye,” ASL engineer Kim Ham-mel told OLE. “Corneal reflectionsare generated by a series of threesmall LEDs located [on the head-set] just above the eye.” By moni-

toring the pupil’s location relativeto the position of these cornealreflections, the unit can determine

the wearer’s point of gaze.According to Hammel, the

Mobile Eye’s compact size is mainlydue to the availability of smalllightweight cameras. The unit fea-tures two cameras: one showingan image of the eye and the othershowing the field of view. The out-put field of view is superimposedwith cross hairs showing the pointof gaze, indicating exactly wherethe user is looking.

The head unit weighs just 80 gand supports full motion of thehead, which makes it useful forsports analysis and coaching situa-tions such as teeing off in golf, freethrows in basketball or takingpenalties in football. “You canrecord an expert’s eye movementsand then teach them to a beginner,”said Hammel. “Marketing people

are also interested to see how peopleinteract with websites.”

ASL, based in Massachusetts,has been developing eye-trackingsystems for 30 years and has cus-tomers across market sectors suchas medicine, cognitive science, bio-mechanics, training and simula-tion. NASA and Boeing have beenusing ASL’s eye-tracking systemsfor a number of years to examinethe way in which people acquireand react to visual information.

Mobile Eye saves its interleavedeye and scene data on a 75 minDVCR tape recorder powered by arechargeable battery. The com-pleted tape is transferred to a PC togenerate the scene video with cur-sor overlay. Supplied with all nec-essary accessories the Mobile Eyesystem costs $20 000 (€16 180).

Angular pits boost DVD storage

Lightweight eye-tracker suits sports

APPLICATIONS 11 R&D 13 PATENTS 15

11

DATA STORAGE

SPORT SCIENCE

By James TyrrellAn optical storage method thatmay be able to squeeze 1 Tbyte(1000 Gbyte) of data onto a DVD-sized disk is being developed byresearchers in Switzerland, Greeceand the UK. The angular multi-plexing technology is back-com-patible with existing DVDs andCDs, and could potentially fit all 10series of the US TV sitcom Friendsonto a single disk.

DVDs store information in theform of simple, steep-sided pits inthe surface of the disk, each holding1 bit of data. Although the storagecapacity can be increased by writ-ing the pits into different layers ofthe disk, it is still currently limited toaround 4.7 Gbyte per layer.

Imperial College (UK) scientistPeter Török and his colleagueshave given the concept of opticaldata storage a new twist. Törökrealized that by giving the pits anangular substructure, they couldhold at least 10 times more data.

For the idea to take off, the team

had to find a way of reading theangle rapidly, so as not to compro-mise the optical drive’s data rate.The solution turned out to be acombination of polarized light, aquadrant detector and some cleverlight-scattering analysis.

Working with Martin Salt at theUniversity of Neuchâtel’s Instituteof Microtechnology (Switzerland)and scientists from the AristotleUniversity of Thessaloniki, theteam has built a prototype using a405 nm laser. The scheme, dubbed

“multiplexed optical data storage”(MODS), is now being patented.

Although based initially onstraight-edge features, it turns outthat the system also works withother pit geometries. “They do nothave to be steps as long as theyhave a suitable asymmetry,” Töröktold OLE. “The orientation isbetween 0 and 180°, but we canresolve 330 different orientationswithin the 0–180 angular range.”

Török believes that if his teamcan attract further funding, thefirst MODS disks, with a storagepotential of around 250 Gbyte perlayer, could be on the shelvesbetween 2010 and 2015.

Despite having only one-tenth ofthe storage capacity of MODStechnology, Sony’s Blu-ray will bethe first to challenge DVD’s domi-nation of the audiovisual opticaldisk market. Blu-ray disks storing25 Gbyte per layer – five times thecapacity of current DVDs – areexpected to be released towards theend of 2005 for the home market.

Conventional CDs use tracks of recessed pits to represent information. Inset: bygiving the pits an angular substructure, each one can hold 10 times more data.

Inse

t im

age:

Uni

vers

ity o

f N

euch

âtel

ASL

Eye spy: the Mobile Eye can teachbeginners to mimic the eye movementsof sporting professionals and experts.


Antireflection coatingaids solar cell market

Fluorescencereveals onsetof diabetes

TECHNOLOGYAPPLICATIONS

SOLAR CELLS MEDICINE


L E N S T E S T I N G S Y S T E M SMTF - EFL - Distortion - Field Curvature

www.image-science.co.uk

Australian researchers are busycommercializing a hard, low-cost,permanent antireflection surfacecoating that is set to boost the col-lection efficiency of solar cells byup to 8%. Dubbed “XeroCoat”, itsanti-fog properties may also bene-fit spectacles and car windscreens.

Most solar cells contain a glassplate protecting the photovoltaicmaterial from the environment.Antireflection coatings help toboost the transmission of incom-ing light by reducing reflections atthe plate’s air–glass interfaces.

Michael Harvey, the inventor ofXeroCoat, founded a start-up com-pany by the same name earlier thisyear. He told OLE, “Cost has beenpreventing this. Vacuum-depositedantireflection coatings are tooexpensive for all but the most high-end applications, like aerospace anddefence.” Being low-cost, the teambelieves XeroCoat is the perfectsolution for coating large areas likesolar collector surfaces.

XeroCoat is mesoporous silica –a thin layer of glass riddled withtiny holes. This gives the coating alarge surface area (greater than300 m2/g) and a refractive index

that can be as low as 1.28.“The coating process is remark-

ably simple and quite inexpensive,”said Harvey. “It is a liquid processthat we believe could be added intocurrent manufacturing lines withrelative ease.” The process is carriedout at room temperature and pres-sure, avoiding the use of vacuum orpressure vessels.

“We are currently constructinga demonstration coating plant toproduce sample solar cells for test-ing,” revealed Harvey. “This

should be ready by the end of2004 and we should be testing ourfirst cells by March 2005.” Xero-Coat also has anti-fog propertieswhich benefit products such asswim- and ski-goggles.

“The anti-fogging effect isachieved by water being drawn intothe pores as it condenses on thecoated surface,” explained Harvey.“It [water] is prevented from form-ing droplets, so the condensedwater does not scatter light andthere is no fogging of the surface.”

Analysis of fluorescence from skinmay provide a new convenientway of detecting the onset of dia-betes. That’s the conclusion of ateam from Albuquerque-basedfirm InLight Solutions and the Uni-versity of South Carolina (OpticsExpress 12 4496).

The team’s in vitro study usingsamples of pig skin found a corre-lation between the amount of vis-ible fluorescence from the skin’scollagen and the concentration ofa family of chemicals calledadvanced glycation endproducts(AGEs). The result is importantbecause AGEs are known to buildup more rapidly in the tissue ofpeople suffering from diabetes.

“We believe that this non-inva-sive technique will be able to detectearly AGE accumulation duringthe phase of the disease oftendenoted as pre-diabetes,” WoodyEdiger from InLight told OLE. “Inaddition, these results suggest thatthe technique may be applicable toAGE quantification in vivo andthus be useful for detection anddiagnosis of type II diabetes.”

The team is now refining itsequipment and is keen to start tri-als with human skin to evaluateAGE measurement accuracy.

Seeing through the fog: XeroCoat can be applied to a range of substrates such asglass, plastics, metals, ceramics and semiconductor materials.

Uni

vers

ity o

f Q

ueen

slan

d, A

ustr

alia

http://www.image-science.co.uk


By cooling a Yb:YAG crystal withliquid nitrogen, scientists from MITLincoln Laboratory in the US haveeliminated the troublesomethermo-optic effects that hinder the

power scaling of solid-state lasers.The result is a highly efficient con-tinuous-wave laser that emits up to165W in a near-diffraction-limitedbeam (M2 of 1.02) when pumpedwith 215 W from two laser diodes(Optics Letters 29 2154).

The MIT laser has a slope effi-ciency of 85% and a full-power

optical-to-optical efficiency of 76%.The design consists of a 15 mm-

long, antireflection-coated Yb:YAGcrystal that has a 4 × 4 mm squaremetallized cross-section. Indiumsolder is used to bond the rod to aheat-sink which is placed in a liquidnitrogen cryostat at a temperatureof 77 K. The rod is end-pumped by

two 940 nm laser diodes, eachcapable of providing up to 110 W.

“The pump power at whichthermo-optic distortions and ther-mal birefringence become signifi-cant is estimated to be 75 and 40times higher [respectively] than forroom-temperature Nd:YAG lasers,”reports the team in its paper.

Cryogenics boostsYb:YAG laser output

UV LEDs emit shortest wavelength

TECHNOLOGYR&D

UV LEDS

SOURCES


www.pi.ws/olebPhysik Instrumente (PI) GmbH & Co. KG

HEXAPOD

6 Degree-of-FreedomAlignment Systems■ Ultra-Precise ■ Vacuum Versions & High-Force Piezo Motors

Researchers at the US University ofSouth Carolina have fabricatedultraviolet LEDs emitting 0.57 mWat 255 nm, and 0.16 mW at250 nm. Currently unpackaged,the team expects these power levelsto increase by a factor of three tofive with flip-chip bonding (AppliedPhysics Letters 85 2175).

“This is one of the first demon-strations of devices emitting at250–260 nm,” group leader AsifKhan told OLE. “We are nowaggressively focusing on improvingthe performance and device relia-bility of the [250–260 nm] LEDs.”

Ultradeep ultraviolet (UDUV)sources emitting between 250 nmand 260 nm may have many uses,including a replacement for mer-cury lamps emitting at 253.7 nmand as an excitation source in bio-logical and chemical sensors.

Khan and his colleagues havegrown high-quality AlGaN layers

containing up to 72% aluminium.Using these layers as cladding inLED structures allows the team toproduce its UDUV devices.

Khan’s team grows its LEDs on asapphire substrate. The first layer

to be deposited is an AlN bufferlayer followed by a 10-periodAlN/AlGaN superlattice. TheAl0.72Ga0.28N cladding layer fol-lows next, which also serves as then-type contact layer.

“The Al composition of 72%was chosen to provide trans-parency at 250 nm since ourdevices emit through the sub-strate. This layer is critical fordetermining device performance,”said Khan. “We reduced the thick-ness of the AlGaN cladding layer to1.4 µm to mitigate cracking.”

The active region consists ofthree quantum wells, in which thepercentage aluminium composi-tion tunes the emission wave-length from 250 to 255 nm.

The team tested a 200 µmsquare device emitting at 255 nmand a 150 µm square device emit-ting at 250 nm. To avoid self-heating, both LEDs were measuredunder pulsed biased conditions.

Peak output powers were mea-sured for pump currents of1000 mA and 300 mA for the255 nm and 250 nm devicesrespectively.

Deep into the blue: US researchers fabricate LEDs emitting at 250 nm and 260 nm.

Uni

vers

ity o

f So

uth

Caro

lina

http://www.pi.ws/oleb


Glass interferometer set for space

TECHNOLOGYR&D

SPACE OPTICS

Singlemode fibres tackle mid-infraredOPTICAL FIBRE


By exploiting a new bonding tech-nique, a team of UK researchershas built a monolithic glass inter-ferometer that is ultrastable androbust enough for space-flight. Theprototype instrument was fabri-cated by scientists from RutherfordAppleton Laboratory (RAL) andthe University of Glasgow.

If all goes well, a final versionwill be launched into space in2008 as an integral part of a Euro-pean Space Agency (ESA) missioncalled Laser Interferometer SpaceAntenna (LISA) Pathfinder todemonstrate technology for thedetection of gravitational waves inspace. For LISA Pathfinder to havea chance of success, it is importantthat the interferometer’s parts arestable to the picometre level androbust enough to survive the vib-rations of the launch.

RAL’s project manager MartinCaldwell says that these require-ments have now been met: “Theinterferometer is at the heart of anexperiment that recently demon-strated picometre stability, andwhat ESA calls ‘technology readi-ness’. We are soon to start work onthe actual flight instrument.”

The 20 ×20 ×7 cm-sized glass

“bench” actually consists of fourseparate Mach–Zehnder interfer-ometers made from a total of 20glass mirrors and beamsplitters. Atechnology called silicate bonding,pioneered by Stanford Universityand optimized by the Glasgowteam, is used to permanently“lock” the parts to a glass base-plate, without the use of any non-glass material. This gives the

required long-term positional sta-bility of better than 10 picometresover 20 minutes.

“Essentially it works like chemi-cal welding,” explained Caldwell.“You put a little drop of silicatehydroxide between the surfaces tobe joined and it cross-links thebonds of the glass to create a verypermanent and stable bond.”

To build the instrument, the

team used a template to define theposition of the parts on the base-plate and then applied the piecesone by one. The team has less than1 min to align a part before thebond becomes permanent.

In order to prevent small changesin temperature from destroying thestability of the interferometer, theglass baseplate and the parts to bemounted are made from low ther-mal expansion glass. The result iseffectively a monolithic structurethat is immune to thermal effects.

“We can’t use normal opticalfabrication methods,” said Cald-well, “because the use of metallicor epoxy materials, even in smallamounts, would produce thermalexpansion effects preventing apicometre level of performance.”

The development of the instru-ment was funded by ESA and led byEADS Astrium – a German makerof space equipment. The stabilitytests took place at TNO, Nether-lands, in a high thermal-isolationchamber. Tesat and Innolight (bothGermany), Contraves (Switzerland)and the University of Hannover(Germany) provided the high-sta-bility laser, modulator and read-outelectronics that were needed.

All-glass answer: all of the interferometer’s glass parts are “chemically welded” toa glass baseplate to create a monolithic design that is stable to the pm level.

European scientists claim to havefabricated the first singlemode opti-cal fibres for guiding mid-infraredlight. The fibres have an attenua-tion of less than 1.5 dB/m (>70%transmission per metre) between 5and 17 µm with a minimum loss ofabout 0.5dB/m (89% transmissionper metre) at 10.6 µm, the wave-length of a CO2 laser.

The polycrystalline infrared(PIR) fibres have been developed bya collaboration between ART Pho-tonics, the Technical University ofVienna and EADS Astrium. ART isnow supplying lengths of up to20 m in a wide range of fibre diam-

eters including square cross-sec-tions for making tightly packed fibrebundles. “PIR fibres are non-toxic,very flexible, transparent across abroad spectral region of 4–18 µmand capable of operating over awide temperature range of –270°Cto 140 °C,” Viacheslav Artyu-shenko from ART Photonics toldOLE. “Our hot news is the first sin-glemode PIR fibre fabrication. Up tonow, only multimode core/cladfibres have been fabricated.”

The PIR fibres are made fromAgCl:AgBr solid solution crystalswhich have a refractive index of2.2 and, unlike silica fibres, cannot

be drawn like molten glass. Instead,they are fabricated using a vacuumextrusion method before being pro-tected by a polymer jacket.

Applications for the fibres includeeverything from flexible delivery ofCO2 laser beams and infrared spec-troscopy, to infrared imaging sys-tems and remote pyrometry in the100–600 K range.

The fibres were developed for theEuropean Space Agency (ESA)DARWIN program, which issearching for extraterrestrial lifeand Earth-like planets. The idea ofDARWIN is to use satellites to col-lect mid-infrared radiation from

space that corresponds to anEarth-like temperature of around300 K and to analyse it for thepresence of atmospheric gases.

For the project to be feasible,strong starlight corresponding to amuch higher temperature of6000 K must be filtered out. Theanswer is to equip the satellite withan interferometer featuring anoptical wavefront filter.

“The singlemode fibre is the bestway to do this [create a filter] butfor a long time no such fibre wasavailable in the wavelength rangeof 4–20 µm,” explained ReinholdFlatscher of EADS Astrium.

RAL


TECHNOLOGYR&D/PATENTS


ACQUISITION AND ISSUANCEApplied Optoelectronics buysexternal-cavity diode laser patentApplied Optoelectronics (AOI), a maker of laserdiodes, has acquired US patent number6 263 002 from fellow US firm Micron Optics. Thepatent covers external-cavity diode lasertechnology and will allow AOI to form a source witha cavity mirror on the end of an optical fibre. AOIhas granted Micron access to some of its VCSELpatents as part of the deal.

AOI has also just been granted four other USpatents relating to tunable laser designs. Of the29 patents under AOI’s belt, the latest awardbrings the number in the tunable laser field to 10.“The patents are a significant part of a broadportfolio of technologies developed to addressshortcomings in existing diode laser technology,”said Wen-Yen Hwang, the company’svice-president of engineering.

AOI expects to offer commercial products basedon the extensive intellectual property that it nowowns “in the next few quarters”.

APPLICATIONSAustralian researchers simplifycompact pulsed gas lasersScientists at Australia’s Macquarie University saythey have simplified the design of pulsed gaslasers. In patent application WO 2004/070875,the inventors claim that capacitively coupleddischarge excitation combined with a slowswitching waveform overcomes the need for fasthigh-voltage switching components to generatefast excitation pulses.

The design uses a discharge vessel made from adielectric material. This holds the gaseousmedium, two reflectors which form the cavity andtwo electrodes. One electrode is coupled to avoltage pulse generator, which produces anexcitation voltage of greater than 20 µs and causesa population inversion in the gas.

Dow Corning’s OLED can befabricated on flexible substratesThe organic light-emitting diode (OLED) unveiled inapplication number WO 2004/079781 is said to

have very low permeability to both water vapourand oxygen. In addition, the applicants from DowCorning say their invention, which uses two barriercoatings, exhibits good resistance to abrasion andorganic solvents. “Displays containing the OLEDhave numerous advantages including thin form,low power consumption, wide viewing angle, lightweight and minimal size,” said the applicants.“The displays can be fabricated on a wide varietyof flexible substrates, ranging from optically clearplastic films to reflective metal foils.”

Diode-pumped fibre laser cutsmetal stents with high precisionDirect laser cutting of metal stents is the subject ofapplication WO 2004/073916. The technique,developed by Advanced Cardiovascular Systemsof the US, uses a diode-pumped fibre laser. Anexternal pulse generator ensures that the laser’spulses are between 0.02 and 0.50 ms atrepetition rates of 100–3000 Hz. A jet of oxygengas is also fired at the metal. “The oxygen reacts toassist in the cutting process,” said the authors.

PATENTS

To search for recently published applications, visit http://pctgazette.wipo.int and http://ep.espacenet.com

Researchers from Fujitsu and theUniversity of Tokyo, Japan, claimto have developed an uncooled10 Gb/s quantum-dot (QD) laser.Emitting at 1.3 µm, it is said that noadjustments to the device’s electri-cal current are needed to maintainstable high-speed operation tem-perature between 20 and 70 °C.

The team is now extending thetemperature range for adjustment-free operation and is aiming forpractical commercial applicationsby 2007. “This breakthroughtechnology will pave the way forcompact, low-cost and low-power-consumption optical transmitterstargeting optical metro-access andhigh-speed optical LAN,” said theteam led by Yasuhiko Arakawafrom the Nanoelectronics Collabo-rative Research Center at Tokyo.

The key to the laser’s stability isthe structure of its active layer,comprising 10 layers of indiumarsenide quantum dots which are

doped with a p-type impurity. TheQD wafers used were grown byNL Nanosemiconductor of Dort-mund, Germany.

“The benefits are significant –by not requiring thermo-electric

coolers or having to adjust thebias and modulation currentsusing complex external circuitry,these lasers will open the way forhigher-performance and lower-cost transceivers,” commented

Alexey Kovsh, NL NanoSemicon-ductor’s chief technology officer.

He added that in addition totemperature stability, the reducedoptical feedback sensitivity of theQD lasers eliminates the need foran expensive optical isolator.

In testing, the QD laser was pit-ted against a quantum well (QW)laser with a 10-layer compres-sively-strained indium galliumarsenide phosphide active region.Running both devices at 10 Gb/s inthe 20–70 °C range, the team saysthe output-power deviation of theQD laser was small and it main-tained an extinction ratio of morethan 7 dB. The QW device, how-ever, was sensitive to operatingtemperature and its output powerdeviated by –1.5 dB at 70 °C.

“The performance of QDs is farsuperior to that of conventionalQW lasers,” said Arakawa. “Theyhave outstanding temperatureinsensitivity at high speeds.”

Quantum dot laser reaches 10Gb/sOPTICAL COMMUNICATION

The 10 Gb/s quantum-dot laser uses wafers from NL Nanosemiconductor, a firmspun out of the Abraham Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute in St Petersburg, Russia.

NL

Nan

osem

icon

duct

or

http://pctgazette.wipo.int

http://ep.espacenet.com


As two companies, our developments shaped the industry.Together we’re announcing our biggest development yet.

You’re dedicated to advancing technology. And, since the 1960s, Newport and

Spectra-Physics have been dedicated to producing precision photonics instruments,

components and lasers—tools you need to succeed. Which is precisely why we’ve

joined forces—to offer you more innovative products, more solutions and more

expertise than ever before—now from a single source.

Together our global team will assist you at every level and we will provide the

largest selection of innovative products, with the right specs, when you need them.

No other company has the combined experience, service resources, expertise and

breadth of technology. And no one else can integrate all your needs from a single

source. For more information on how we’ll be able to serve you better than before,

visit www.newport.com/ero80 to find the European sales representative nearest you.

©2004 Newport Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.newport.com

Jacqueline Hewett visited the headquarters of the Gooch & Housego group to find outabout its history, its range of acousto-optic products and its plans for the future.

Q-switch expert eyes up European market

COMPANY PROFILE


A market town in the middle of the Englishcountryside is the last place you wouldexpect to find one of the world’s leading mak-ers of precision optics and acousto-opticdevices. But that’s exactly where you’llencounter Gooch & Housego – a companyfounded just after the Second World War thatnow claims to supply over 90% of theacousto-optic Q-switches used worldwide.

The company’s track record in precisionoptics is equally impressive. It has justsecured a $700 000 (€559 200) contractfor quartz crystal waveplates from the USNational Ignition Facility and G&H’s broadcustomer base ranges from renowned lasermakers such as Rofin-Sinar and Spectra-Physics to car makers such as Lotus.

Having made four key acquisitions (seep20), bringing its workforce to 266, the G&Hgroup has recorded a turnover of £8.86 m(€12.75 m) for the first half of 2004 – up21% from £7.31 m in the same period of2003. Its next moves include relocating tolarger premises in the UK, extending its product range and targeting new markets.

Such goals are a world away from those ofthe firm’s beginnings. As Gareth Jones, thegroup’s chief executive officer explains, it allstarted when quartz crystals were used dur-ing the war for radio communications,including bombing raids. “The radio’s trans-mit and receive frequency was changed foreach raid and this was controlled by quartzcrystals,” he said. “Quartz crystal frequencycontrol was being used seriously for the firsttime in a real application and they used peo-ple who had optical skills.”

Individuals working on this technology,including Archie Gooch and Les Housego,were evacuated to Ilminster – a small markettown in Somerset – during the Blitz to escapethe bombing. After the war, the pair decidedto stay in Ilminster and formed a businessmaking high-value, high-quality precisionoptics in low volumes.

G&H’s involvement in quartz crystals con-tinued through to the early 1970s whenthey were used as ultrasonic delay lines intelevisions to sharpen images. “The technol-ogy was the precursor for acousto-optics,”

said Jones. “We started making acousto-optic devices in 1982. That grew to providearound half of our turnover by the early1990s. It effectively doubled the size of thecompany. Today acousto-optics is two-thirdsof our turnover in the UK and it’s more thanhalf of the actual group turnover.”

On the basis of this meteoric growth, G&Hstarted thinking about acquisitions and aflotation. The company’s first move was toacquire Optronic Laboratories, US, in 1995.“At that time, we were looking for a footholdin the US,” Jones told OLE. “Optronic gave usthe higher added-value systems that we hadnever had in G&H. It extended the companyfrom being a components business to onethat also has instrumentation capabilities.”

G&H filed for an IPO in 1997. At that time,the company had 131 employees and anannual turnover of approximately £6.7 m.

Next in line for acquisition was US-basedCleveland Crystals in 1999. “We identified

that [Cleveland’s] electro-optics and non-linear crystals were complimentary to the UKtechnology set,” said Jones. “It would havetaken us 10–20 years and a lot of money todevelop those technologies. Acquisition wasa quicker way to develop strength.”

NEOS Technologies was the one instancein which G&H acquired a direct competitorin the acousto-optics field. Jones says that thesenior employees in the firm were looking toretire and exit the business. When G&H gotwind of this, it started talking to NEOS andsnapped up the business in 2000.

In July this year, G&H made its fourth andmost recent key acquisition: Landwehr Elec-tronics of Germany – a specialist in radio-frequency (RF) microelectronics. “Thistakeover was not designed just to consolidateour acousto-optic position and strengthen RFtechnology within the group,” said Jones. “Italso offered us a foothold and springboard inmainland Europe.”

Gooch & Housego owes its success to precision optical components such as quartz waveplates (top left),large high-quality KDP crystals (right) and products such as acousto-optic Q-switches (bottom left).

Imag

es t

his

page

: G

ooch

& H

ouse

go G

roup

▲▲


Lambda Research Optics

Pacer Components

Optikos

Optima Research

FREE LITERATUREZEMAX Optical System Design Software

Optima Research is the European distributor of theZEMAX optical design software. ZEMAX gives youeverything you need to design, optimize, andtolerance your optical system, including laser beampropagation, stray light analysis and mechanicalCAD import/export. It is now used by thousands ofprofessional optical designers worldwide.

For more information on ZEMAX, and on our currentjob opportunities, please contact:

E-mail: [email protected]: +44 (0)1279 810911Fax: +44 (0)1279 810912

Laser Optics and Coatings

Lambda Research Optics is a leading manufacturerof precision laser optics for ultraviolet, visible andinfrared applications. We specialize in high damagethreshold coatings and industrial CO2 laser optics.Our catalogue has an extensive array of standardoptics, and we also manufacture highly customizedoptical components and systems. Withmanufacturing facilities in the US and Asia, Lambdaprovides optics to leading companies worldwide.

Web: www.lambda.cc

Peak photo detection efficiency at 650nm

The SPCM-AQ4C is a four-channel photon countingcard capable of detecting single photons of lightover the wavelength range 400–1060nm. Eachchannel is independent from the others. The SPCM-AQ4C utilizes a unique silicon avalanche photodiode(SliK™) with a circular active area whose peakphoton detection efficiency exceeds 60% at650mm. Each photodiode is both thermoelectricallycooled and temperature-controlled, ensuringstabilized performance despite changes in theambient temperature. Typical applications for theSPCM-AQ4C include single molecule detection, highthroughput DNA sequencing, LIDAR, opticalrangefinding and adaptive optics.

Pacer ComponentsTel: +44 (0)118 984 5280Fax: +44 (0)118 984 5425E-mail: [email protected]

OpTest Lens Test Systems

Optikos offers complete solutions to visible andinfrared lens manufacturers for validating imagequality. The OpTest product line is a precisioninstrument designed to measure optical transferfunction. These systems can test MTF, effective focallength, distortion, astigmatism, field curvature andmany other parameters. Contact us to discuss youroptical test requirements.

For more information please contact:Optikos Corporation, 286 Cardinal Medeiros Ave.Cambridge, MA 02141, USAInternet: www.optikos.com Tel: +1 617 354 7557Fax: +1 617 354 5946

FREE LITERATURE

www.pacer.co.uk

mailto:[email protected]


http://www.lambda.cc

http://www.optikos.com

http://www.spectrogon.com

http://www.hcphotonics.com

With three firms based in the US, it’s nothard to see why Jones is keen to make themost of Landwehr. The figures also speak forthemselves. In the six-month period to March2003, 60% of the group’s sales (£4.5m) wereto the US, while the UK came in at 16% andthe rest of Europe at 10%.

The group’s biggest customer is also in theUS: NIF – the inertial confinement fusion(ICF) facility being built at Lawrence Liver-more National Laboratories in California.Having developed the ability to grow andprocess crystals for ICF applications, Jonessays that Cleveland will be supplying compo-nents to NIF until at least 2008.

An important point to note is that thegroup is not reliant on one particular sector.It splits its principal markets as follows: 50%commercial, 28% research, 16% defenceand 6% medical. Consequently, the grouphas a vast customer base and its products arefound in broad-ranging applications.

An interesting example is the car makerLotus. G&H supplies optical components forengines which are used to analyse combus-tion technology, fuel efficiency and fuel injec-tion technology. Pistons or cylinder headswith glass windows are used to see exactlywhat is going on inside the engine.

“The cylinder could also be made of glass

so that you could use laser velocimetry tomeasure parameters such as the swirl andcombustion rate,” said Jones. “The world’sleading automotive companies such as BMW,Audi and automotive research organizationslike AVL use this technology to improve fuelefficiency and performance.”

The group’s most important product is theQ-switch – a component that is used inside acavity to change the laser’s output from acontinuous beam to a pulsed one. Thegroup’s Q-switches are found in industriallasers used for materials-processing appli-

cations such as marking, welding, cuttingand drilling, and in medical lasers for oph-thalmic surgery and photocoagulation.

According to Jones, the group has seen amajor increase in demand for Q-switchesand acousto-optic products in the last12 months, with NEOS in particular seeing a25% increase. “I think demand mirrors theupturn in the semiconductor market. It’scertainly a significant driver,” said Jones.

To cope with this demand, NEOS hasrecently moved in to a new 20 000 ft2 facilityin Florida, US, which effectively doubles its

COMPANY PROFILE


● 1948 Gooch & Housego is founded in Ilminster, UK

● 1953 Gooch & Housego becomes a limited company

● 1995 Optronic Laboratories, US, acquired● 1997 Gooch & Housego initial public

offering● 1999 Cleveland Crystals of the US

is acquired● 2000 NEOS Technologies of the US is

acquired● 2004 Landwehr of Germany is acquired

Company timeline

Gareth Jones aims to increase G&H’s EU sales.

▲▲


http://www.limo.de

COMPANY PROFILE

floor space. G&H also has plans to relocate toa purpose-built facility.

As well as keeping up with demand, Jonesis keen to see the group extend its productrange and move into new territory. “Forexample, G&H’s products are predominantlyfor the visible and near-infrared,” he said.“We want to develop our business in the UVand further into the infrared.”

One broad sector that Jones is keen toexploit is imaging. While he was reluctant togo into further detail, a specific area G&H isconsidering is hyperspectral imaging.

“We produce spectroscopic instrumenta-tion at Optronic Laboratories, but we don’tcurrently produce spectroscopic imaginginstruments,” said Jones. “Acousto-optictunable filters give you spectroscopic imag-ing capabilities. Put these two together andenter into the medical field, and there couldbe an interesting future.”

The European market is clearly on thisagenda and in the group’s sights. “We sellacousto-optic Q-switches to all the majorGerman laser companies, but we don’t sell alot of our other products,” explained Jones.“We need to actively pursue selling compo-nents, nonlinear materials and electro-optics. I’d like to see our group Europeansales double over the next three years.” ■■

Gooch & Housego (G&H)G&H is the group’s UK parent company. Basedin Ilminster, UK, the firm employs 109 peopleand has expertise in designing and makingacousto-optic devices such as Q-switches,modulators, tunable filters, frequency shifters,deflectors and a range of precision opticalcomponents and assemblies. It also hasknowledge of processing both soft and hardcrystals such as sapphire.

Cleveland Crystals Cleveland Crystals is based in Ohio, US, andhas 56 employees. It is one of the leaders inthe growth and fabrication of large-apertureKDP and KD*P crystals for inertial confinementfusion applications. Cleveland also boasts twoclaims to fame: it can grow the largest KDPboules in the world and it was the firstcommercial producer of BBO in the US. Othercapabilities include production of electro-opticQ-switches and infrared waveplates.

Optronic Laboratories (OLI)OLI is based in Florida, US, and has 38employees. It specializes in products such as

photometers, spectroradiometers, and test andmeasurement systems for LEDs and displays.Its high-end kit provides repeatable research-grade measurements in the UV-VIS-NIR-IRwavelength ranges for research, academia,industry and the military. OLI also offerscalibration services.

NEOS TechnologiesNEOS is based 60 miles away from OLI inMelbourne, Florida, and has 46 employees. Itsrange of acousto-optic products includesmodulators, deflectors, Bragg cells,multichannel A-O systems, Q-switch systemsand mode lockers with RF drivers as completeturnkey systems or OEM modules.

Landwehr ElectronicsLandwehr is based in a suburb of Hamburg andhas 17 employees. Its main activities aredeveloping high-frequency micro-electronics forlaser control systems using acousto-opticdevices. Typical products include high-power,high-speed switching Q-switch drivers, acousto-optic modulators, acousto-optic frequency-shifters and acousto-optic tunable filters.

The Gooch & Housego group


a monthly circulation* of

24,610

an average of over

66,400Unique Visitors every month

**

44,810subscribers to the weekly NewsAlert

**

Contact the sales team to connect with your customers:Tel. +44(0)117 930 1260 Fax 117 9301178 Email [email protected]

*BPA June 2004 audit **Publisher’s own data

You do the mathsGet the right result with targeted web,magazine and email campaigns

+

+


A laser-driven atomic clock the size of grain of rice maysoon be improving the precision of GPS receivers andreplacing the quartz crystal oscillator found in computersand watches. Oliver Graydon reports.

Miniature atomic cloMETROLOGY


Scientists in the US have made the world’ssmallest atomic clock by combining micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and ver-tical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL)technology. The development means that theprecision of atomic clock timekeeping couldsoon be available in handheld devices such asmobile phones, Global Positioning System(GPS) receivers and even wristwatches.

Measuring about the same size as a grainof rice, the inner workings of the clock areabout 100 times smaller than those of cur-rent designs, and consume just 73 mW ofelectrical power. The prototype, built byresearchers at the National Institute of Stan-dards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Col-orado, provides timekeeping that is accurateto one part in 1010 – equivalent to 1 s in300 years. This long-term stability is about1000 times better than that of temperature-compensated quartz crystal oscillators.

“The real power of our technique is thatwe’re able to run the clock on so little electri-cal power that it could be battery-operated,and that it’s small enough to be easily incor-porated into a cell phone or some other kindof handheld device,” said John Kitching, aphysicist from NIST. “And nothing else like itcomes close as far as being mass-producible.”

Inner workingsEach clock contains a 4 mm high, 1.5 mmwide vertical stack of miniature optical com-ponents surrounding a tiny cell containingcaesium atoms. From the base up, the layersof the stack comprise: a raw unpackaged852 nm VCSEL; a glass lens; a neutral den-sity filter; a polarizing waveplate; a cell con-taining caesium atoms; and a siliconphotodetector.

The cell is made by etching a square holewith 0.9 mm sides into a 1 mm-thick siliconwafer. Two glass wafers are then bonded tothe wafer to create a tiny hollow cavity. Thecavity is filled with caesium atoms before theglass bonding takes place. The glass is alsocoated with 30 nm-thick layer of indium tinoxide to create two transparent heaters thatcan precisely control the cell’s temperature.

“One of the things we have made sure thatour design accounts for is the possibility of

wafer-scale fabrication,” Kitching told OLE.“We can take a wafer of lasers, a wafer ofoptics and a wafer of cells, and stack them allup and dice them to create the package.”

The ability to mass-produce tiny atomicclocks could transform the applications ofthe technology. For more than 50 yearsatomic clocks have set the gold standard fortime and frequency measurement, but theiruses have been limited by their complexity,size and cost. Current cigarette-packet sizeddesigns are hand-assembled, cost around$1000 (€800) and are limited to use inlaboratories, GPS satellites and mobile-phone network equipment. So what makestheir smaller counterparts more suitable formass-production?

“A critical difference is the way in whichthe cell is made,” explained Kitching. “In thecurrent generation of clocks the cells con-taining the caesium atoms are made usingglass-blowing techniques. It’s a very longprocess, so that really adds to the expense –and no two cells are identical. With ourdevices, because everything is lithographi-cally defined, every cell is identical. So interms of assembling the devices it is mucheasier, and much quicker and cheaper thanconventional designs.”

The method of timekeeping used in the lat-est NIST design is similar to that in the largeratomic clocks installed at standards insti-tutes all over the world, such as NPL in theUK, PTB in Germany and NIST itself. Thesestate-of-the-art clocks rely on a very smallbut well-defined gap between two energy lev-els in a caesium 133 gas atom to calibrate amicrowave frequency source.

This gap, known as the D2 hyperfine split,corresponds to a frequency of 9.2 GHz (to beprecise, 9 192 631 770 Hz) and is used todefine the length of one second.

In NIST’s chip clock the VCSEL’s drive cur-rent is modulated to create optical sidebandsthat are used to probe the caesium atoms.The frequency of the modulation is thencarefully tuned until it exactly matches thehyperfine split. When the alignment is cor-rect there is a small dip (about 1%) in theabsorbed optical power, which is detected bythe photodetector at the top of the stack.

For the measurement to be accurate thecell needs to be kept at a stable temperature of85 °C, which is achieved by built-in thin-filmheaters. It is the need for heating thataccounts for the majority of the clock’spower consumption of 73 mW. However, theNIST team is confident that it can halve theclock’s power consumption and increase itsstability by a factor of ten. Calculations sug-gest that a refined design could consume lessthan 30 mW and offer a stability of one partin 1011, which would allow timing precisionat the microsecond level over one day.

However, this level of accuracy is still along way from that achieved by large atomic

Left: NIST physicist John Kitching holding the world’s smallest atowide and 4 mm high. Right: a schematic of the microfabricated c

“Nothing else likeit comes close tobeing so easy tomass produce.”John Kitching


clocks. For example, NIST’s F1 clock boasts astability of one part in 1015, equivalent to 1 sin 30 million years. “The device that we havedemonstrated is the first microfabricatedclock and we were simply aiming to get itworking and demonstrate that it is possible tomake it,” said Kitching. “The long-terminstabilities that we are seeing have beenstudied over the last 50 years in larger clocks,and we are confident that we can apply thetechniques that have been used to improvetheir stability to our small clocks.”

Sugar-cube solutionAlthough to date NIST has focused purely ondeveloping the clock’s components, Kitchingsays that it shouldn’t be too difficult to integ-rate these with the necessary supportingelectronics to create a complete clock that isvery compact. For example, much of thecontrol circuitry could be integrated into acustom-designed silicon chip. In addition,either SiC nano-resonators or thin-film AlNbulk acoustic wave resonators could act asminiature local oscillators for modulatingthe laser current.

The result of this could be a time referencethat is about the size of a sugar cube, costs afew hundred dollars and yet still offers theaccuracy of the cigarette-packet-sized ver-sions. GPS receivers are the application mostlikely to benefit from having precise onboardclocks. The speed and accuracy of the loc-ation fix they provide is largely limited to thetiming error of their on-board clock, whichmust measure how long it takes for signalssent from four satellites to reach the receiver.While software and algorithms can help,having a very accurate on-board clockwould improve the process further and meanthat line-of-sight would only be requiredwith three satellites rather than four.

“This could be very useful for global posi-tioning in urban environments, where youhave buildings and other obstructions thatessentially block the view of one of the satel-lites,” said Kitching. “Having a very stableclock on your receiver, especially for militaryapplications, is also important in improvingjamming resistance.”

The potential applications are almost end-less. If the clocks can be made cheaply

enough they could start to replace the quartzcrystal oscillators found in computers, radiosand watches. In addition, the technologycould be adapted to construct millimetre-sized atomic magnetic-field sensors andmodules for spectroscopy calibration.

“I think this is such a general technology,and timing is such a ubiquitous need, thatright now we can’t even predict what its mostimportant applications are going to be,” con-cluded Kitching.

As for commercializing the design, NISTplans to license the intellectual property tocompanies that are interested in bringing itto market. “We’re a government lab so we arenot actually going to make devices, but weare going to push these developments as faras we can and then hand over to a company,”said Kitching. “There’s definitely a lot of pullfrom the private sector to get this stuff com-mercialized and I’m guessing from where weare now that we will see commercial deviceson the market in 2–3 years.” ■■

For more informationNIST boulder.nist.gov/timefreq/ofm/smallclock


ock makes its debut

omic clock. Centre: the physics package at the core of the clock squeezes a laser, a stack of micro-optics and a cell of caesium vapour, into a package that is just 1.5 mmlock showing the different layers of the physics package. These are: (a) VCSEL; (b, h, j, m) glass; (c, f) ND filters; (d) spacer/lens; (e) quartz; (g, k) ITO heaters; (i, l) silicon.

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

i

j

k

l

m

NIS

T


http://www.boulder.nist.gov/timefreq/ofm/smallclock

SR850 Lock-In AmplifierOur flagship model with CRT display and built-indata analysis

• 1 mHz to 100 kHz range• 64,000 point data buffer• Chart recording, numeric displays, polar plots• Smoothing, curve fitting and statistics• Direct printing and plotting, & 3.5” disk drive• 0.001 degree phase resolution• $8250 (Int’l list)

SR844 RF Lock-In AmplifierFor high frequency applications - no other lock-ingoes to 200 MHz

• 25 kHz to 200 MHz range• 80 dB dynamic reserve (5 ppm stability)• Auto gain, phase, reserve and offset• Time constants from 100 µs to 30 ks

(up to 24 dB/oct rolloff)• No Time Constant mode (10 to 20 µs update rate)• $8745 (Int’l list)

The power of DSP Lock-In AmplifiersSRS lock-in amplifiers use digital signal processing (DSP) to bring the highest performance possible tosynchronous detection experiments. Each instrument comes with GPIB and RS-232 interfaces, multi-purpose analog I/O ports and a synthesized reference source. Features include harmonic detection, ratio measurement and auto setup functions. Contact us for details on our full line of lock-in amplifiers starting at $2745.

Stanford Research Systems1290-D Reamwood Ave. Sunnyvale, CA 94089 · email: [email protected] (408) 744-9040 · Fax (408) 744-9049 · www.thinkSRS.com

SR830 Lock-In Amplifier The industry standard providing exceptional value

• 1 mHz to 100 kHz range• 256 kHz front-end sampling rate• 100 dB dynamic reserve (5 ppm stability)• Auto gain, phase, reserve and offset• Time constants from 10 µs to 30 ks

(up to 24 dB/oct rolloff)• $4345 (Int’l list)

http://www.thinksrs.com

The need to align optical equipment and samples to within a nanometre is now crucial inmany industries. Stefan Vorndran describes the technology that makes it possible.

Nanopositioning:fighting the myths

BUYER’S GUIDE


Nanopositioning – the means of controllingmotion on the nanometre scale – is now a keyenabling technology in high-tech fields suchas semiconductor test and measurement,photonics alignment, scanning microscopyand microlithography.

However, selecting the most appropriatenanopositioning stage doesn’t only involvefinding one with the required level of resolu-tion and accuracy. A potential buyer mustalso consider factors such as stage timeresponse (dynamics), size, cost, and compat-ibility with the application environment.

Unfortunately, the term nanopositioningis often misused. It is not uncommon to findmicropositioning stages, which by definitionoperate on the micrometre scale, re-labelledas nanopositioning stages in an attempt tomake them sound more impressive. Forexample, the simplest approaches involvebolting a micro-stepped motor and a reduc-tion gearbox to a lead-screw mechanism,while the more sophisticated methods addposition feedback in the form of an encoderand interpolator circuit.

Specification sheets for the above examplesoften quote impressive figures in the nano-metre realm and below, but a buyer needs toconsider more than just these numbers. Atrue nanopositioning system that performswell consists of a lot more than a motor, anencoder and interpolator circuit.

A device should only be referred to as ananopositioning stage if it is capable ofrepeatedly producing motion in incrementsas small as 1 nm or below.

Drive technologyThe fundamental difference between ananopositioning stage and a microposition-ing stage lies in the way they deal with friction.Common drive mechanisms found in micro-positioning equipment (such as leadscrewsand ballscrews) rely on mechanical actuationto control motion and this produces friction.When friction is present, it is not possible toachieve repeatable motion at the nanometre

level. A true nanopositioning stage should beequipped with frictionless drives.

Appropriate drive technologies includeelectromagnetic linear motors, voice-coildrives and solid-state piezo actuators (PZTs).The first two are preferred for larger dis-tances. The drawback is that they producemagnetic fields and heat, which some appli-cations cannot tolerate. They provide mod-erate stiffness, resulting in a relatively lowbandwidth (time response).

PZT drive technology is limited to smallerdistances, but achieves much higher band-widths in the kilohertz range, enabling it torespond to commands rapidly. In addition, itdoes not produce magnetic fields. Other bene-fits of the latest ceramic-encapsulated actua-tors are: fast response on a microsecondtimescale; maintenance-free, solid-state con-struction; high efficiency; and vacuum-com-patibility with zero outgassing.

For a positioning stage to perform well it isvital that motion is guided in the desired

direction. Friction rules out all devices withconventional roller or sliding bearings(which also lack the guiding precisionrequired in nanopositioning), so only twotypes of bearings have found common use innanopositioning systems: air bearings andflexures. Air bearings are the only option forlong travel ranges, but are larger than flex-ures and can be expensive to operate as theyneed a clean air supply. Also, they don’t workin a vacuum, where many of today’snanopositioning applications happen.

For these reasons, the highest precisionnanopositioning systems are generallyguided by flexures (see figure 1). A flexure isa frictionless, stictionless device that reliesupon the elastic deformation (flexing) of asolid material. Flexures, if designed properly,are very stiff, lightweight and provide trajec-tory control with nanometre straightnessand flatness. They exhibit no wear and suitmulti-axis arrangements, but their travelrange is limited to a few millimetres.

Take your pick: nanopositioning stages and controllers come in a wide range of sizes and specifications.

▲▲

PI


BUYER’S GUIDE


Sensors and feedbackTo ensure that positioning is both precise andrepeatable, good nanopositioning systemsare equipped with highly accurate feedbacksensors. The best systems use direct motionmetrology, in which sensors make directmeasurements to determine the stage’s posi-tion. Examples of high-resolution directmetrology sensors are capacitive sensors,laser interferometers and non-contact opti-cal incremental encoders. Laser interferom-eters are capable of accurately measuringlong distances, although bulky optics mustbe mounted onto the moving parts of themotion system for it to function.

Optical encoders are more compact andrely on diffraction between a moving reticuleand a scale composed of finely pitched lines.However, the period of the lines is usually verycoarse, ranging from tens of micrometres tojust a few. Position is determined by countingfringes and interpolating between individualpeaks. While scales with several hundreds ofmillimetres are available, the signal-to-noiselevel limits the practical resolution to severalnanometres, with cyclic linearity errors oftypically 10–100 nm. Interferometers andlinear encoders are relative position sensorsthat must be initialized at a reference position.The stability of this reference position also

influences the overall precision.For travel ranges of less than 1 mm, capac-

itive sensors have emerged as the defaultchoice. They are compact, high-bandwidthand absolute measuring devices that providesub-nanometre resolution.

DynamicsIn today’s industrial production and testingprocesses, dynamics and throughput areoften paramount. For example, in appli-cations such as disk head testing, sub-nano-metre steps need to be executed in a matter ofmilliseconds. For these applications, PZT-dri-ven, flexure-guided systems provide the onlyfeasible solution. PZT drives can provideacceleration up to 10 000 g and flexure-

guided stages can respond to an input signalin less than 0.1 ms.

For nanopositioning applications where afast response and high-speed scanning ortracking motion are required, the specifi-cations that manufacturers usually quoteare of little use. This is because they are typic-ally referring to performance that can beachieved under the best possible conditions,such as a single slow command rather than aseries of rapidly executed movements.

At high scanning speeds – as are desirablein scanning microscopy applications – it isinevitable that the scan lines will not be per-fectly straight. The deviation is caused bynonlinearities of the components in thescanning system (drive, sensors, amplifier,

0.0015

80

0.0010

0.0005

0.0000

–0.00050 100604020

movement x/µm

active trajectory control on

active trajectory control off

unwa

nted

out

-of-p

lane

mot

ion

δz/µ

m

Fig. 2: Run-out of a flexure-guided nanopositioningsystem with and without active trajectory control.

Fig. 1: A flexure-guided nanopositioning stageequipped with capacitive position sensors.

PI


http://www.pi.ws/nano

servo) and their limited bandwidths. The dif-ference between the desired position andactual position data is called tracking error.

In systems with conventional PID servocontroller designs, the tracking error canreach double-digit percentage values for evenmoderate scanning frequencies. Recentadvances in digital controller design have leadto adaptive digital linearization methods thatreduce dynamic errors from the micrometrerealm to almost indiscernible levels.

Multiaxis designsIn high-speed nanopositioning applications,such as image stabilization or photonic align-ment, motion in more than one dimension isrequired. Conventional multiaxis designs aremade by stacking a number of single-axissubassemblies (serial kinematics). In thesedesigns, each axis moves the mass of all thestages (and cables) that are mounted above.

New designs with only one moving plat-form are known as monolithic parallel-kinematics stages (the six-axis Hexapod isone example). The advantage of thesedesigns is that they significantly reduce inertia and size, and offer improved dynam-ics. They also allow easy integration ofnumerous capacitive sensors. This enablessimultaneous measurements of a platform’s

co-ordinates, which a controller can use toautomatically compensate for run-out ofeach axis. This technique is called active tra-jectory control (figure 2).

When selecting a supplier, it is alwaysworth asking how the product’s specifi-cations will be measured. When the specifi-cations sound too good to be true, they

usually are. Remember, the laws of physicsalso apply to nanopositioning. ■■

Stefan Vorndran is director of marketingcommunications at Physik Instrumente, aGerman-based manufacturer of a wide range ofpositioning equipment. For more informationplease visit www.pi.ws.

BUYER’S GUIDE


Specs versus real-world performanceThe highest-performing system for anapplication is not necessarily the one with thebest spec sheet. The following questions canhelp to find the right system:● Is the application static or dynamic? ● What minimum incremental motion isrequired for the application?● What linearity must be met? ● What load needs to be moved?● Will the load on the stage change frequently?If so, a digital controller with optimization toolsfor the servo parameters is recommended.● What effect will imperfections in the guidingmechanism have on the application?● What are the environmental conditions(vacuum, humidity, temperature)?

● Is heat generation a problem?

For dynamic (tracking) applications● What frequency and waveforms arerequired?● What deviation of the actual motion profilefrom the ideal profile is acceptable? Controlalgorithms like dynamic digital linearization canreduce tracking errors by several orders ofmagnitude. ● What is the maximum acceptable settlingtime after a step?● How stiff is the payload? In high-speed stepand settling applications, the resonantfrequency of the payload is a limiting factor thatcan be addressed by complex controlalgorithms such as InputShaping®.

The questions to ask

http://www.pi.ws


http://www.dynamic-structures.com

http://www.madcitylabs.com

PCBs to packaging, automotive to aerospace, medical to metalworking - these days, Synrad CO2 lasers can be found in any industry -

in marking and engraving systems, as alternatives to mechanical tools, or as part of high-speed cutting systems.

Different applications place different demands on the laser source, and we recognize that no single technology can meet the exacting

needs of all our customers’ applications. By developing a range of CO2 laser technologies, we can provide lasers that precisely match

the requirements of specific applications, ensuring the optimum performance of each system.

With over 60,000 lasers currently in use - many for as long as 15 years - Synrad is the world’s leading supplier of sealed CO2 lasers to

industry. In fact, we manufacture only CO2 lasers - each designed to meet the rugged demands of industrial environments. To find out if

this low-cost, versatile technology will work for you, visit us online at www.synrad.com or call 1.425.349.3500.

powerful, flexible, rugged -industrial CO2 lasers from 10 to 400W

Synrad, Inc., 4600 Campus Place Mukilteo, WA 98275 USAtel 1.425.349.3500 • fax 1.425.349.3667 • e-mail [email protected] • www.synrad.com

An Excel Technology Company

®

the future of sealed CO2 lasers is bright

...bright yellow, that is

Synrad’s firestar series f100(l) & f400(r)100W & 400W lasers

http://www.synrad.com

French scientists have developed a low-cost method for growing an efficient microlens atthe end of optical fibre. James Tyrrell reports on the road to commercialization.

Tiny polymer tips boostfibre coupling efficiency

MICRO-OPTICS


Researchers in France have come up with alow-cost way of fabricating custom-shapedpolymer tips to enhance the light-gatheringcapability of optical fibre. Triggered by low-power laser light, the small tip grows inside adrop of photosensitive liquid deposited at theend of an optical fibre. The tip, whichbehaves like a microlens, can dramaticallyboost the fibre’s coupling efficiency to opticalcomponents such as laser diodes, or act as alow-loss microscope probe.

Research director Pascal Royer and his col-league Renaud Bachelot, based at the Laboratoire de Nanotechnologie et d’Instru-mentation Optique (Université de Technolo-gie de Troyes, France), hit upon the ideawhile working with a team of CentreNational de la Recherche Scientifique(CNRS) photo-chemists based in Mulhouse,France. The research has led to the formationof a company – LovaLite – which opened forbusiness in October.

Tip growth processBachelot and his colleagues follow a simpleprocess to produce their tips. Firstly, theycleave the fibre, wash it in acetone (to removeany dust and organic waste) and then checkits optical properties. Next, using a pipette,they deposit a drop of photosensitive liquidformulation at the end of the fibre.

This photosensitive formulation contains,among other things, a sensitizer dye (eosin)and an acrylate monomer. When the eosinabsorbs laser light it promotes the release ofradicals which initiate polymerization of themonomer. The system is particularly sensi-tive to visible light in the 450–550 nm range,which means that the process can be drivenby an argon laser (514 nm) or the green line(542 nm) of a He-Ne laser.

The shape of the drop and the tip can becontrolled by adjusting the composition andviscosity of the formulation. The scientistsare able to manipulate the drop’s radius ofcurvature simply by raising or lowering thetemperature to change the viscosity.

Exposing the formulation to a pulse ofgreen laser light that is guided along the coreto the end of the fibre (typically 2 s in dur-

ation) initiates photopolymerization and cre-ates a robust polymer tip within the drop.

Sometimes the team can actually see thetip growing. “It is very beautiful, we can visu-alize the growth of the tip by observing theyellow fluorescence from the eosin,” Bache-lot told OLE. “For example, in the case of higheosin concentrations, this speed is quite slowand we can see the tip growing in real time.Sometimes we can guess if a tip will be goodor not simply by observing the fluorescence.”

The final stage in the process is to wash thedrop with methanol to remove any unpoly-merized material from the tip. The team typi-cally grows tips that measure between 15 and150 µm in length and have a radius of curva-ture from around 0.2 to 2 µm. They offertransmission greater than 80% and a polari-zation dependent loss of less than 0.1 dB.

Encouraged by their first results, Bachelotand his colleagues went on to study the

process in detail. “The first point is that tipgrowth relies on the growth of a waveguide,”explained Bachelot. “As the light propagatesin the drop of formulation, the refractiveindex is increased [from 1.48 to 1.52] byphotopolymerization.”

The team noticed that instead of diverg-ing, the tip was tending to converge. Hopingto illustrate the effect more clearly, theydipped the end of a singlemode fibre into athick layer of formulation. They discoveredthat sending a long pulse of laser light downthe fibre produced a thin probe-like tip500 µm in length. Light was being self-guided through the solution.

Another key player in the process turnedout to be oxygen. Photopolymerization beginsonly when absorbed energy is greater than athreshold value – Eth – which increases in thepresence of oxygen. This means that photo-polymerization at the boundary between

Straight to the point: the French team’s polymer tips have been shown to dramatically improve thecoupling efficiency of optical fibre to components such as laser diodes. Measuring between 15 and150 µm in length, the tips can also function as powerful scanning optical microscope probes.

▲▲

All

imag

es:

Lova

Lite


MICRO-OPTICS

Hall 12 • NEC • Birmingham • UK • February 16 & 17 • 2005

and

To find out more call Marlene Carr on +44 (0)1822 614671, email: [email protected] or visit the website at:

www.ipot.comsupported by and alongside

The UK’s leading Optical,Photonics and Vision events

ElectronicInformation Displays

and automation


the air and the drop of photosensitive formu-lation is very selective. For short exposuretimes, only the centre of the laser’s Gaussianbeam is able to trigger the polymerization,which produces a sharp tip. Flatter tips with aradius corresponding to the geometry of thedrop require a longer dose of light.

The French team is currently applying itstechnology in three areas, two of whichinvolve using the tip as a probe for opticalscanning microscopy. If operated in the far-field domain, the tip acts as a microlens forilluminating or collecting light from the sam-ple surface. Using their tips, Bachelot and hiscolleagues have demonstrated an imagingresolution of around λ/2.

For near-field microscopy, which offersmuch higher resolution (in Bachelot’s casearound λ/20), the tips have to be modified ascurrently their radius limit is around250 nm. According to Bachelot, the simplestmethod, known as the shadow effect, is tometallize a rotating tip from the side. Usingthis approach, the French scientists havesucceeded in creating a 100 nm-wide opticalaperture at the extremity of the tip.

Typically, near-field probes are made bytapering optical fibres. Because the taper canbe very small, around the cut-off diameter,these probes often act as poor lightguides. “If

they launch 1 mW at the extremity of thefibre, at the other extremity where the hole is,they get only 1 µW,” said Bachelot. He added:“If they want to increase the launch power,they can destroy the tip end because light isabsorbed by the metal film [destroying theaperture]. In our case, there is no taper as thelight is guided. For a 100 nm aperture, weobserve a transmission in the range of5–10%. This is huge.”

The microlens used in far-field microscopyalso functions as a very effective tool for cou-pling optical components to fibres. Recently,Bachelot and his co-workers reported that

they had used their tip technology to couple70% of the output from a 9.5 mW laser diode(1310 nm) into an optical fibre (Optics Letters29 1971). The maximum coupled outputbetween the 15 µm long tip at the end of a9 µm core-diameter fibre was found to be6.7 mW for an optimal tip–laser distance of4 µm. By comparison, when the same experi-ment was carried out with a bare cleavedfibre, the coupled power was less than1.5 mW. Bachelot believes that it would alsobe possible to couple tips to other optical

Small wonder: the tiny tip behaves as micro-lens.This image shows the calculated intensity of theelectric field in the vicinity of the tip as a Gaussianbeam (λ = 1310 nm) is launched into the fibre.

14

0

2

4

6

6

3

0

–3

–6

–9

–12

–15–21 –14 –7 0 7 14 21

8

10

12

x (µm)

“It is beautiful, wecan visualize thegrowth of the tipby observing thefluorescence fromthe eosin.” Renaud Bachelot, Université deTechnologie de Troyes

Uni

vers

ité d

e Te

chno

logi

e de

Tro

yes

y (µm

)


http://www.piezojena.com

http://www.ipot.com

components such as photonic crystal struc-tures and integrated waveguides.

Although the team has concentrated onmaking single-peaked tips, it is now consid-ering other options. It has recently managedto produce multi-peaked tips on multimodefibre by applying mechanical strain to thefibre during photopolymerization. Thisselectively excites linearly polarized modeswithin the fibre. The multi-peaked tip is athree-dimensional mould of the intensitydistribution within the fibre. This couldpotentially allow a new format of opticalcommunication in which distinct modescarry information rather than wavelengths.

Initially, Royer and Bachelot preferred toexplore their ideas from behind the univer-sity’s closed doors. Now that several patentapplications have been filed, the team is keento test its discovery in the marketplace. Frenchlaw sets strict limits on the commercial activ-ities of university staff and so Royer and Bach-elot have hired a full-time director to lead

LovaLite. They appointed Brahim Dahmani, aformer CNRS scientist who has spent the past15 years working for Corning, along with anengineer and a technician. The company islocated near to the university in Technopolede l’Aube, a science park funded by the Cham-pagne–Ardenne region that specializes inincubating hi-tech start-ups.

LovaLite licenceThe Université de Technologie de Troyes hasgranted LovaLite an exclusive licence tocommercialize the polymer tip technology.“The university will still pursue develop-ment, improving the technology under con-tract, and will get funding from LovaLite forthat,” Dahmani told OLE.

Together with private investors, LovaLitehas so far managed to raise €400 000 infunds. This includes a €230 000 develop-ment prize awarded to LovaLite at France’sNational Contest for Business Creation inInnovative Technologies in July. The result isa good omen, as an impressive 94% of the600 companies funded by the contest overthe past six years are still in business.

LovaLite has already caught the attentionof big names like Veeco. “In the microscopymarket, we are currently in talks with most

of the near-field companies,” confirmedDahmani. “In the photonic segment, we arebeginning to identify potential partners.”

Dahmani is confident that LovaLite’s tipsoffer a significant performance benefit tocustomers. “The main advantage of ourtechnology is that it is reproducible, becauseit depends on light coupled to the compo-nents at the end of the fibre,” he said. Also, asBachelot points out, the technology is verycheap – an important selling point in termsof commercializing the technology. ■■

MICRO-OPTICS

The Pan-European collaboration between BFi OPTiLAS andOphir has led to the implementation of a central calibrationlab based in its German facility (Puchheim / Munich).

It offers convenient access to fast and cheap repair & calibration of Ophir Power / Energy meters. Equipped with a full range of Lasers (CO2, YAG, Diodes,Excimer, Argon…) it allows fully traceable calibration at theend user wavelength.

Other services offered include:

� Delivery ex-stock of more than 1000 power/energy meters� Calibration of Beam Profilers� Calibration of Photometers / Colorimeters

Find out more : www.cal.bfioptilas.comContact us: [email protected]


Tip team: Pascal Royer (inset), Gilles Lerondel,Dusan Nedeljkovic and Renaud Bachelot (left toright). A newly formed company, LovaLite, is busycommercializing the successful research.

Uni

vers

ité d

e Te

chno

logi

e de

Tro

yes


http://www.cal.bfioptilas.com

109 Smith Place, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA • Tel: (617) 441-0600 • Fax: (617) 497-8800 • www.cambridgetechnology.com

The fastest scanners on the market…just got faster.Some might say we’re obsessed with speed. Perhaps that explains howwe can consistently deliver the industry’s fastest and most accurategalvanometers and servo drivers. Like our new H line of 62xx galvos –pushing the technology envelope with better performance and speedsthat are 25% faster than what’s available in today’s market.

Our new driver boards are pretty speedy, too.We’re also introducing two new servo-driver boards. A dual-axisanalog servo that provides a 50% board space reduction and higherspeed at lower cost, and a self-tuning digital servo driver that deliversspeeds faster than analog servo technology.

■ New 6215H GalvanometerHighest frequency galvo in the marketIdeal for high-speed raster scan applications

■ 62xxH Series Galvanometers25% torque increase for higher speedsCompatible with 62xx standard product line

■ DC900 State-SpaceDigital Servo DriverSelf-tuning – no adjustment potsUp to twice as fast as analog servos

■ MicroMax 673xxDual-Axis Analog Servo DriverHalf the size of 2 single-axis servosThe most attractive combination ofsize, speed and cost

Talk is cheap. Our prices are not bad, either.While the rest of the industry talks about performance, wedeliver it. So go ahead, put us to the test. We’re making iteven easier by increasing performance without increasing prices.

Speed Freaks

http://www.cambridgetechnology.com

Deformable mirrorOKO Technologies

A 19-channelpiezoelectricdeformable mirror isnow available from OKOTechnologies. With aclear aperture of30 mm, the component

also has a surface deformation of ±2500 nmand an inter-actuator amplitude of ±1000 nm.

The mirror is controlled by a 400 V 20-channelhigh-voltage board and interfaces to a PC usinga PCI or USB controller. OKO says that themechanical response of the mirror is faster than0.25 ms and that its surface can be coated witha broad range of HR metal and dielectriccoatings, including multilayer stacks.

The firm suggests that the product suitsdynamic correction of low-order opticalaberrations in laser and vision systems.www.okotech.com

Carbon dioxide laserCoherent

Coherent has unveiledtwo compact CO2

lasers: the Diamond C-55 and Diamond C-70. The lasersprovide more than 55 W

and 70 W respectively at 10.55 and 10.63 µm.As for beam quality, the C-55 has an M2 of lessthan 1.2 while the C-70 has an M2 of less than1.3. Coherent says the lasers are ideal formarking, engraving and desktop manufacturing.

The C-55 is available in both air- and liquid-cooled models. Its RF power supply driver isintegrated into the same housing as the laserhead, resulting in a compact unit measuring537.1 ×92.5 ×154 mm (air-cooled version).

The C-70 uses an asymmetrical optical cavityto obtain 70 W of power and is available in bothelliptical (uncorrected) and circular (corrected)versions. The laser (C-55) is said to have a risetime of less than 60 µs.www.coherent.com

Linear piezo-scannerpiezosystem jena

Germany’s piezosystemjena has introduced atwo-axis linear piezo-scanner called the PXY16 OEM. It provides apositioning and

scanning range of up to 16 µm and features acentral free aperture for moving componentssuch as lenses.

The company says that a solid flexure hinge

design means that the scanner’s trajectory isfree of mechanical play and friction. To avoidcreep and hysteresis, the PXY 16 OEM can beequipped with a high-resolution measurementsensor to maintain its position.

Vacuum and cryogenic versions are availableon demand as well as body variations of invar,superinvar, aluminium or titanium.www.piezojena.com

Broadband spectrometerStellarNet

StellarNet hasintroduced a high-resolution broadbandspectrometer for the200–1050 nm range.The spectrometer uses

a UV-enhanced 2048 pixel CCD detector with acomposite grating to provide a 0.75 nmresolution based on a 14 µm slit. The firm saysthat an integrated order sorting filter allows theinstrument to be spectroradiometricallycalibrated for precision measurement ofabsolute light intensities.

The portable device uses an SMA905 fibre-optic input and interfaces to a PC using either a

USB 1.0 or 2.0 port, or a high-speed IEEE1284parallel port. StellarNet’s SpectraWiz softwarecomes free-of-charge with the spectrometer andincludes drivers for LabVIEW, Visual BasicAutomation for Excel, VC and Delphi underWin9x/2000/XP. www.stellarnet-inc.com

CCD cameraVDS Vosskühler

Offering 11 Mpixel, theCCD-11000 is thelatest progressive-scanCCD camera from VDSVosskühler of Germany.The camera uses a35 mm format sensor

and supplies three frames per second at aresolution of 4020 ×2680 pixels. It alsofeatures a signal-to-noise ratio of more than60 dB and uses a 12-bit RS 644 digital output.

VDS says that very short exposure times canbe achieved at full resolution thanks to theinterline progressive-scan sensor. Due to itssimilar size, the camera can easily beexchanged with its CCD-1300 family.www.vds-vosskuehler.de

PRODUCTSIf you would like your company’s products to be featured in this section, please send press releases

and images to Jacqueline Hewett ([email protected]).


t : +44 (0)161 975 5300f : +44 (0)161 975 5309www.laserquantum.com

[email protected]

You want green, pure green and only green.Rock Solid Locked SLM300mW, 532nm, CW Frequency-LockedUltra Low Noise, Ultra Compact DPSSLong Coherence Length, High StabilityRS232 Control

The Torus is designed for:Raman Spectroscopy, Reprographics,Wafer Inspection, Interferometry,Brillouin Scattering, Holography, PIVand all coherence applications.

http://www.laserquantum.com



http://www.okotech.com

http://www.coherent.com



http://www.stellarnet-inc.com

http://www.stellarnet-inc.com

http://www.vds-vosskuehler.de

Digital video cameraPhotron

Photron of the US saysits ultima APX-RS is theworld’s fastest high-speed digital videocamera. Based on ahigh-speed CMOS

sensor, the camera captures 3000 frames persecond (fps) at 1024 ×1024 pixels, 10 000 fpsat 512 ×512 and up to 250 000 fps at furtherreduced resolution.

The CMOS sensor has 10-bit monochrome(30-bit) fidelity and variable (square orrectangular) aspect ratios. The camera’s shutteroperates at speeds up to 2 µs. The camera canbe controlled by either Photron’s FastcamViewer software or a handheld control keypad,both of which are included. Applications are inthe automotive, medical, military and industrialmanufacturing sectors.www.photron.com

Excimer laserLambda Physik

Lambda Physik hasintroduced two excimerlasers called theCOMPex 100 and 200.According to thecompany, the sources

offer long gas lifetimes, improved beamhomogeneity, optimized pulse-to-pulse stabilityand extended intervals between optics cleaning.

The lasers allegedly offer tens of millions ofpulses of hands-free operation at a constantpulse energy, even when operating at 193 nm.Lambda says this is the longest gas lifetime forany laser in this class. The COMPex sources aresaid to deliver a stable, homogeneous outputwith pulse repetition rates of up to 100 Hz andpulse energies of up to 600 mJ.www.lambdaphysik.com

Integrating spheresOptronic Laboratories

A series of largeintegrating spheres formeasuring totalluminous flux is nowavailable from OptronicLaboratories of the US.The firm is able tosupply spheres with

diameters of 18, 39 and 76 inches.The product is made up of two frame-

mounted hemispheres which separate easily forinstalling and interchanging lamps. The sphere’sinterior surfaces are coated with Optolon 2 andinternal baffles prevent non-integrated light fromreaching the detector port. A wide variety oflamps and lamp holders are available.www.olinet.com

CMOS cameraPhotonfocusPhotonfocus of Switzerland is now offering itsMV-D640 CMOS camera series with USB 2.0interfaces. The firm says that the cameras suitmachine vision applications and can also bedelivered with a CameraLink digital interface.

According to Photonfocus, the MV-D640-48-U2 is the only VGA camera on the market with aUSB interface and an acquisition speed of up to129 full frames per second. Higher speeds aresaid to be possible when using user-selectableregions of interest. The camera, which is allegedto have low power consumption at high speedsand resistance to blooming, is available incolour or monochrome. www.photonfocus.com

Metal matrix compositeCPS Corporation

CPS Corporation of theUS says its aluminiumsilicon carbide (AlSiC)metal matrix compositeis ideal for thermalmanagement of high-flux LED products such

as signal lamps and display lighting. AlSiC’s thermal conductivity is 200 W/mK.

According to CPS, LEDs using AlSiC achievemaximum brightness at the lowest possibleoperating temperatures. The firm adds thatunlike copper and aluminium, AlSiC also has alow coefficient of thermal expansion whichminimizes thermally-induced stress.

CPS can fabricate through-hole and threaded-hole features. It says that its unique castingprocess also enables the integration of very highthermal conductivity inserts (>1000 W/mK) forhigh thermal dissipation applications.www.alsic.com

Fibre laserNP Photonics

NP Photonics is nowselling a benchtopversion of its Scorpionerbium microfibre lasermodule. Less than halfthe size of the currentunit, the Scorpion

Benchtop system costs less than itspredecessor while retaining all its functionality.

The benchtop system provides up to 150 mWof power at any wavelength in the ranges1550–1565 nm and 1030–1080 nm. It has amode stability of ±30 MHz/h, a closed-loop RINsuppression system, low phase noise and aspectral width of less than 1 kHz. Said tomaintain coherence over distances greater than100 km, the laser suits high-resolutionspectroscopy, laser seeding and LIDAR apps.www.npphotonics.com

PRODUCTS

Learn more at

wwwwww.photon-inc.photon-inc.com.com

Directly measure a kilowatt focused

200µm spot...

...with Photon’s new High-Power NanoScan.

Photon has a profilerfor your application...

♦ Wavelengths from UV to FIR

♦ CW or kHz pulsed lasers

♦ CO2 at 10.6µm to 1kW

♦ nD:YAG lasers at 1.06µm to 500 Watts or more



http://www.photon-inc.com

http://www.photron.com

http://www.lambdaphysik.com

http://www.olinet.com

http://www.photonfocus.com

http://www.alsic.com

http://www.npphotonics.com

Sapphire optical fibreLaser Components UK

Single crystal sapphireoptical fibre is nowavailable from LaserComponents of the UK.Typical core diameters

are 150, 250, 325 and 425 µm. According toLaser Components, the fibres make idealdelivery systems for erbium:YAG, erbium:YSGGand other surgical lasers.

The firm says the benefits of using sapphireinclude high transmission from the visible tobeyond 3 µm, a high laser damage threshold(1200 J/cm2), a high melting point (2053 °C)and a bend radius as low as 20 mm for 150 µmdiameter fibre.www.lasercomponents.co.uk

Imaging photometerPro-Lite Technology

Radiant Imaging’sProMetric PM-1400Fastseries of CCD-basedimaging photometers isnow available in the UKthrough distributorPro-Lite Technology. The

cameras are primarily intended for quick andaccurate production-line measurements ofluminance, illuminance and chromaticity for awide variety of displays and light sources.

The PM-1400Fast detectors acquireluminance data in either 12-bit or 14-bitdynamic range modes. The modes areinterchangeable, but the 12-bit mode is said tobe four times faster than 14-bit operation. Theproduct also uses a USB 2.0 interface which isalleged to be 30 times faster than IEEE 1284parallel port or PCI interfaces.www.pro-lite.uk.com

CCD camera pco

The high-resolution2048 × 2048 pixelpco.2000 from pcosuits low-light-levelimaging applications.

Offering cooled, 14-bit performance, the cameraoperates in low-noise (12 e– at 10 MHz) or high-frame-rate (15.56 fps at 40 MHz) modes.Available with a colour image sensor, itconnects to a PC via standard interfaces such asIEEE1394, USB 2.0 and gigabit Ethernet.

The pco.2000 comes with up to 4 Gbyte ofintegrated memory allowing it to work in ring-buffer mode with a post-trigger function. This isuseful if the timing of a dynamic event isunknown. When operating in ring-buffer mode,the acquisition can be stopped after the eventand the images leading up to it can be recalled.www.pco.de

DUV reflective coatingActon Research Corporation

Acton Research’s#1900 coating is aDUV broadbandaluminium plusmagnesium fluoridecoating which is said to

provide ±88% reflectance at 193 nm. Accordingto Acton, the product’s performance benefitsmakers of semiconductor metrology equipmentand is ideal for use in applications such asellipsometry and thin-film measurementsystems. The firm says the coating could also beused to enhance the performance of microscopeobjectives.

Acton says it can apply the coating to a varietyof glass substrates as well as customer-suppliedmaterial in prototype and OEM quantities.www.acton-research.com

UV laser mirrorsEdmund Industrial Optics

Edmund IndustrialOptics (EO) hasreleased a Tech Specseries of laser mirrorsfor UV applications. The355 nm high-powerlaser reflectors are

suited to steering Nd:YAG beams and EO claimsthey can be used with continuous wave lasersup to 1 MW/cm2.

Designed for a 45° angle of incidence,Edmund Industrial says the reflectance variesminimally for different polarization states whenused at the appropriate wavelength.

EO says its mirrors offer higher than 99%reflectance at their designated wavelength. TheTech Spec mirrors are also available in visible,near infrared and broadband designs.www.edmundoptics.com

CCD cameraFirstsight Vision

DALSA’s PanteraTF1M60 high-resolution, 12-bit,1000 ×1000 digitalarea scan camera isnow available through

UK distributor Firstsight Vision. It is thought to bethe only 12-bit camera on the market capable ofacquiring 60 frames per second.

The TF 1M60 also benefits from a square pixelformat and a 100% fill factor and Firstsight saysit is able to give quantifiable image quality evenat low light levels.

Firstsight says the product is a compactsolution suited to high-fidelity applications suchas automated X-ray inspection, non-destructivetesting and medical imaging.www.firstsightvision.co.uk

PRODUCTS

Please visit our website for further information

www.lasercomponents.com

®

LASER DIODES

SPECTROSCOPIC LASERS

LASER OPTICS

DETECTORS

LASER DIODE MODULES

MANUFACTURERDISTRIBUTORPARTNER

USA: 603 821 7040 / D, A, CH: 08142 28640

UK: 01245 491 499 / F: 01 39 59 52 25

High Damage Threshold

Gaussian MirrorsInternet Stocklist

Single Mode Quality

VCSEL, DFBLead Salt, QCL

Avalanche Photo Diodes

Colour SensorsHV Modules

Pulsed Laser Diodes

CW Laser DiodesCustomElectronics

High Quality Modules

Custom Design

OLE • November 2004 • optics.org


http://www.lasercomponents.com

http://www.lasercomponents.co.uk

http://www.pro-lite.uk.com

http://www.pco.de

http://www.acton-research.com

http://www.edmundoptics.com

http://www.firstsightvision.co.uk

Beam profilerPhoton

Photon’s NanoScanfamily of beam profilerscan now characterizepulsed lasers at a 1 kHzor higher repetition rate.“Customers havemeasured pulsed laserparameters at beamsizes and beam powersthat previously couldnot be measured,” saidAllen Carey of Photon.“We now provide a

much more versatile profiling tool.”The pulsed option is now being offered on all

NanoScan models. Photons says this includesthe NanoScan with a silicon detector for350–1000 nm, the germanium detector for700–1800 nm and the pyroelectric detector for190 nm to 20 µm at beam powers up to 1 kW atcertain wavelengths.www.photon-inc.com

SLEDsDenseLight SemiconductorsDenseLight Semiconductors of Singapore is nowoffering a superluminescent LED (SLED) chipemitting more than 100 mW at 1550 nm. The

firm believes the devices will find applications inareas such as biomedical imaging, homelandsecurity and telecommunications.

The chip-based SLED is said to deliver a cleanbroadband spectrum through direct quantumprocesses within the semiconductor device. It isalso compact and robust and offers a high E/Oefficiency. DenseLight says its aim is to produce500 mW SLEDs in the near future.www.denselight.com

Ethernet cameraPhilips

The latest addition toPhilips’ Inca range ofcameras is the 320 – amonochrome Ethernetcamera with asynchronous shuttersensor. Thanks to its

Internet connection, users can configure theirapplication on a home PC and send it to thecamera. The company also offers a remotediagnostic service in case users have problems.

Based on a CMOS sensor, the 10-bit cameraoffers resolutions of up to 1280 ×1024 pixelsand frame rates of 27 full and up to 500 partialframes per second. It also boasts a dynamicrange of up to 100 dB. www.cft.philips.com

Mid-IR spectrometerIR MicrosystemsIR Microsystems of Switzerland is nowdistributing the InfraCal variable filter arrayspectrometer from Wilks Enterprise acrossEurope. The portable system obtains mid-infrared spectra between 2.5 and 11 µm fromliquids, powders, pastes, films, slurries andsolid surfaces, making it ideal for manyindustrial applications.

The spectrometer has a sample plate with apulsable source mounted on one end and alinear variable filter attached to a 64-elementdetector array on the other. It has no movingparts, is battery-operated and connects to a PCvia an RS 232 port.www.ir-microsystems.com

Temperature controllerNewport

Newport has releasedits low-cost 300B seriesof laser diodetemperature controllers.The series is said to

provide tight control (±0.005 °C) of temperatureover a broad ambient temperature range.

Two 300B series controllers are available.Model 325B delivers a maximum current of2.5 A, while Model 350B provides up to 5.0 A.

PRODUCTS

Scitec Instruments LtdBartles Industrial EstateNorth Street, RedruthCornwall TR15 1HR. United Kingdom

t +44 [0]1209 314 608f +44 [0]1209 314 609i www.scitec.uk.come [email protected]

Scitec Instruments manufacture a wide

range of rotating disc variable frequency

optical choppers.

‡ Chopping frequencies from 15 mHz

- 40 kHz

‡ Disc sizes from 30mm to 200mm

‡ Complete Systems or OEM

‡ Low noise and vibration

‡ Photochemically etched discs

‡ Variable aperture

‡ Range of accessories

Tuning fork choppers and electro-optical

modulators also availabe.

OPTICAL CHOPPERS modulating light

Boston Electronics Corpt +1 617 566 3821f +1 617 731 0935i www.boselec.come [email protected]



http://www.crystran.co.uk

http://www.boselec.com

http://www.photon-inc.com

http://www.denselight.com

http://www.denselight.com

http://www.cft.philips.com

http://www.ir-microsystems.com


Both versions enable temperature to be set overthe –50 to 150 °C range, with resolution of0.1 °C and accuracy of ±0.1 °C. Each offersthree modes of operation: constant thermistorresistance, constant temperature (for IC-typesensors) or constant TEC current.www.newport.com

QVGA displayOne Stop Displays

One Stop Displays isoffering a 3.6 inchTFT-LCD display forportable computing,navigation and test andmeasurement devices.Featuring portrait-modeQVGA (320 ×240 pixel)resolution, the display

has an 8-bit digital interface. The low-power LEDbacklight has dual 20 mA inputs and deliversmore than 230 nits (230 cd/m2) of brightness.

The entire package measures just 3.2 mm inthickness and includes an easy-to-install flexcable interface. The screen, which can deliverfull video performance, supports the high-resolution requirements of Windows CEembedded applications.www.onestopdisplays.net

XY deflection headsRaylase

Raylase presents itsSUPERSCAN family ofXY deflection heads.Efficient, compact androbust, the units areavailable with apertures

of 7, 10, 15 or 20 mm to suit a variety of laserapplications. Able to achieve a very fine spot,the SUPERSCAN-20 is said to produce excellentresults in applications requiring increased powerdensity at the target. For high-speed situations,the firm recommends its SUPERSCAN-7deflection head. The company claims theworking speed of its SUPERSCAN series isaround 40% higher than that of other deflectionheads of the same aperture.www.raylase.com

CAD conversion softwareJPSA LaserThe US supplier of excimer- and diode-pumpedsolid-state micromachining workstations hasreleased conversion software that turns CADinformation into parts. The Windows-basedprogram works together with JPSA’s standardlaser-control software and generates directlaser-write functions such as scribe, dice,pattern and text mark. The CAD conversionpackage also incorporates automatic codebuilders for wafer scribing and exposure.www.jpsalaser.com

Micro cameraKAPPA opto-electronics

Combining high-qualitysignal processing withminiaturized design,KAPPA’s range of microcameras is said to suit

industrial endoscopy and minimal invasivesurgery. The company claims that its 1/10 inchmodel, with a 4 mm diameter and an overalllength of 7 mm, is one of the smallest on themarket. Units are also available in 1/6 inch,1/4 inch, 1/3 inch and 1/2 inch sizes.

KAPPA provides the camera heads incombination with a control board and functionscan be controlled by keys or via an RS 232interface. Available with cable lengths of up to30 m (10 m for the 1/10 inch model), the firmalso lists applications including deviceassembly and manipulation, undercoversurveillance and robotics.www.kappa.de

SC connectorFujikura

Already popular inJapan, Fujikura isintroducing its FAST-SCconnector to theEuropean marketplace.Claimed by the firm tobe the quickest,

simplest and cleanest method for terminatingoptical fibres, Fujikura’s FAST-SC allows fibres tobe connected in less than 1 min. The averageinsertion loss for singlemode is 0.2 dB (with areturn loss of 55 dB), whilst for multimodeGI62.5, the average insertion loss is 0.03 dB(0.07 db for multimode GI50.0). The FAST-SC isbased on V-groove mechanical splice principalsand does not require the use of epoxies.www.fujikura.co.uk

Fabry-Perot interferometerTOPTICA

The FPI 100 Fabry-Perotinterferometer fromGerman firm Toptica isnow available with4 GHz free spectralrange from 380 to1700 nm. High-quality

broadband HR-coated mirrors allow the unit toroutinely achieve a finesse of up to 1000.Supplied in a modular user-friendly design, fivedifferent mirror sets cover the full spectral range.

The FPI 100 can be driven with the SeriesDL 100 scanning electronics or with anindependent scan generator (miniScan 101,miniScan 102). Low-noise detectors and high-speed amplifiers, as well as SM fibre couplersand thermal control tools, are also available.www.toptica.com

PRODUCTS

OLE • November 2004 • optics.org


http://www.thorlabs.com


http://www.onestopdisplays.com

http://www.raylase.com

http://www.jpsalaser.com

http://www.kappa.de

http://www.fujikura.co.uk

http://www.toptica.com

Optical spectrum analyserApex Technologies

Apex Technologies, theFrench optical test andmeasurementspecialist, announcesthe release of its

AP2040 optical spectrum analyser. In contrastwith conventional grating-based methods, whichhave a resolution limit of about 10 pm, the firmsays its interferometer-based technology cangive a resolution of 0.16 pm or 20 MHz. Otherfeatures of the AP2040(A) include a wavelengthaccuracy of ±3 pm, an optical measurementrange from 20 dBm to around –75 dBm, a built-in tunable laser (with an output power of–5 dBm) and a multicolour touch screen.www.apex-t.com

Telecentric lensesSill Optics

Users looking forhomogeneousillumination of theircamera chips maybenefit from image

space telecentric lenses supplied by Sill Optics. Suitable for three chip colour CCDs, the

German firm recommends its product for micro-lens-based cameras. Sill Optics offers three

lenses as standard products with 1× to 0.01×magnification and focal lengths in 22, 44 or54 mm specification.

The firm supplies adapters to vary themagnification in several ranges. With an F-number of 5.0, all lenses are equipped with avariable iris and allow fine focusing. Sill Optics’image space telecentric lenses are said toaccommodate chip sizes up to 1 inch dependingon focal length. www.silloptics.de

Visible and near IR camerasSensors Unlimited

Sensors Unlimited, amanufacturer of InGaAsshort-wave infrared (IR)sensors, introducesVisible-InGaAs – a tinydual wavelength rangecamera thatsimultaneously

captures images in the visible and short-waveinfrared spectrum. With built-in non-uniformitycorrections and anti-blooming, the camera issaid to never need field adjustments. At its heartis an all-solid-state InGaAs sensor whichrequires no cooling and has no moving parts.

Featuring a 320 ×240 pixel array with a40 µm pitch, the unit simultaneously delivers a

RS 422 (12 bit) digital output and an EIA-170analogue video output for display oncommercial TV monitors. The sensor’s quantumefficiency is greater than 70% from 1000 to1600 nm, greater than 50% at 800 nm andgreater than 10% at 400 nm.

Applications for the systems include industrialmachine vision, hyperspectral imaging and laserbeam profiling.www.sensorsinc.com

Laser safety eyewearBFi OPTiLAS

European distributorBFi OPTiLAS presentsits Lambda One framestyle of laser safetyeyewear. This

lightweight model, designed to comfortably fit arange of head shapes, has a modern sports-inspired, up-to-the-minute look. The shield, which gives excellent vision, is saidby the firm to be a perfect fit for users who donot need corrective glasses.

The Lambda One is available with the newP1000 filter designed for ND:YAG (plusharmonics) and diode lasers. This filter is said tooffer a high protection level and good visiblelight transmission for all these wavelengths.www.bfioptilas.com

PRODUCTS

Phone: +370.5.2729900Fax: +370.5.2729299E-mail: [email protected]: www.eksma.com

and other nonlinear crystalscrystals for IR applications

Ultrathin crystals for fsec applicationscrystals for wavelength extension by SRS

laser crystals

(spinel) passive Q-switching crystalsCoatings, ring holders, thermocontrollers and ovensFree technical assistance and calculations

BBO, LBO, KTP, KD*P, LiIOAgGaSe , AgGaS , GaSe

BBO, KDP, LiIO , AgGaSKGW, KYW, Ba(NO )Yb:KGW/KYW, Ti:Sapphire, Nd:YVO /YLF, Er:glass/YAG

Cr :YAG, Co :MgAl O

3

2 2

3 2

3 2

4

2 4

4 + 2 +

NONLINEAR &LASER CRYSTALS

Phone: +370.5.2729900Fax: +370.5.2729299E-mail: [email protected]: www.eksma.com

NONLINEAR &LASER CRYSTALS

and other nonlinear crystalscrystals for IR applications

Ultrathin crystals for fsec applicationscrystals for wavelength extension by SRS

laser crystals

(spinel) passive Q-switching crystalsCoatings, ring holders, thermocontrollers and ovensFree technical assistance and calculations

BBO, LBO, KTP, KD*P, LiIOAgGaSe , AgGaS , GaSe

BBO, KDP, LiIO , AgGaSKGW, KYW, Ba(NO )Yb:KGW/KYW, Ti:Sapphire, Nd:YVO /YLF, Er:glass/YAG

Cr :YAG, Co :MgAl O

3

2 2

3 2

3 2

4

2 4

4 + 2 +



http://www.eksma.com

http://www.stockeryale.com

http://www.apex-t.com

http://www.silloptics.de

http://www.silloptics.de

http://www.sensorsinc.com

http://www.sensorsinc.com

http://www.bfioptilas.com

Ti:sapphire laserTekhnoscan

Russian firmTekhnoscan announcesthe release of its CWsingle-frequency ringTi:sapphire laser for

fundamental cold atom research and ultra-highresolution spectroscopy. The passively stabilizedTIS-SF-07 has an output linewidth of 3–5 MHz, awork spectral range of 700–950 nm and acontinuous scan range of 5 GHz. Pumping thelaser with 10 W at either 532 or 515 nm, or withan Ar laser’s blue-green lines gives an outputexceeding 1.2 W (around 790–810 nm).

The standard version of the TIS-SF-07includes a fast PZT mounted small mirror tostabilize the laser frequency. The laser’selectronic control unit has a built-in adjustablegenerator for frequency scanning. An optionalresonant frequency doubler (model FD-SF-07)extends the TIS-SF-07’s working range into theblue/UV regions (350–475 nm).www.tekhnoscan.ru

Optical monochromatorSpectrolabSpectrolab is introducing a range of eight opticalmonochromators fitted with torroidal mirrors.The mirrors are said to provide accurate spectral

line shapes, enabling the monochromators tomeet spatial and fibre optic applications andinterface to microscopes. The units are availablewith focal lengths of 150, 200, 320, 500 and700 mm and offer resolutions of up to 0.02 nm.

Versions with automated single, double andtriple grating mounts, which give access to awide range of wavelengths without the need tochange gratings, are also available.www.spectrolab.co.uk

Optical design softwareOptis

French-based opticalsimulation specialistOptis has released itsOptisworks Odysseysoftware. Available as a

plug-in to SolidWorks CAD, it provides ananalysis and optimization tool within a workingCAD simulation modelling environment. Thesoftware allows parts within an opto-mechanicalmodel to interact, meaning that mechanicalparts surrounding the assembly respondautomatically to changes in optical design.

Using real optical surfaces, it provides familiarsimulation functions such as sequential andnon-sequential ray-tracing, wavefront surfaces,point spread function, MTF and spot-diagram.www.optis-world.com

Green DPSS laserMengel Engineering

The Vlite-DPSS series ofdual-cavity, diode-pumped, Q-switchedand frequency-doubledNd:YLF lasers is nowavailable in Europeexclusively from Danish

company Mengel Engineering. Developed byCanadian firm LABest Optronics, the Vlite-DPSSseries is available in two versions with pulseenergies at 527 nm of 2 ×6 mJ or 2 ×9 mJ. Thelasers suit flow and particle image analysisapplications that require two independentlycontrolled high-energy visible laser pulsessynchronized to a high-speed CMOS camera atframe rates up to 20 kHz.

Built in China using industry standard DPSSlaser modules from Northrop-Grumman lasers,the product is said to provide top quality at acompetitive price. Units are supplied withcompletely sealed optical heads and the optionof an integrated light-guide arm for easy set-upand use in dusty and humid environments.

Specific applications listed by the firm includehigh-speed time-resolved particle imagevelocimetry and planar laser-inducedfluorescence.www.mengelengineering.dk

PRODUCTS



http://www.delta.dk

http://www.gpd-ir.com

http://www.tekhnoscan.ru

http://www.spectrolab.co.uk

http://www.spectrolab.co.uk

http://www.optis-world.com

http://www.mengelengineering.dk

BOOKS


Diode Lasers byD Sands. 450pp. Pbk.£34.99 ($55.00). Instituteof Physics Publishing.ISBN 0 7503 0726 9.Including an extensive setof worked examples andsample problems, this text

presents a thorough introduction to diodelasers. Building on a review of basicsemiconductor physics, the book steps upthrough double heterojunction, quantum welland vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers tofinish with a state-of-the-art review coveringsubject areas such as blue, quantum-dot andquantum-cascade lasers.

Handbook of Opticaland Laser Scanningedited by Gerald FMarshall. 806pp. Hbk.$235. Marcel Dekker.ISBN 0 8247 5569 3.Covering the fundamentalsof controlling light beam

deflection, this book discusses factors affectingimage fidelity and quality, and reveals thelatest technological developments in scannersystem design. Hundreds of high-qualityillustrations and a convenient glossary ofscanner terminology support this practicalreference written by 27 subject specialists fromthe US, Europe and Asia.

Introductorysemiconductor devicephysics by G J Parker.286pp. Pbk. £19.99($33.99). Institute ofPhysics Publishing.ISBN 0 7503 1021 9. Thisnew printing of Greg

Parker’s popular 1994 text is ideal for readerswanting a well written overview ofsemiconductor device physics backed with lotsof examples. Initial chapters describingsemiconductor properties such as energybands, carrier concentration and conductionand the concept of effective mass help preparethe reader for the subsequent discussion ofLEDs, bipolar and field-effect transistors, andthe semiconductor laser. The book concludeswith a brief introduction to quantum theory.

Introductory Quantum Optics by ChrisGerry and Peter Knight. 320pp. Hbk/Pbk.£60/£30. Cambridge University Press.ISBN 0 521 82035 9/0 521 52735 X.Designed for postgraduate students orundergraduates familiar with quantum

mechanics, this book gives an elementaryinsight into the quantum mechanical nature oflight and its interaction with matter. Topicscovered include coherence states, emissionand absorption of radiation by atoms, beamsplitters and interferometers, nonclassical light,dissipative interactions and optical tests ofquantum mechanics. The book closes with achapter introducing quantum informationprocessing and cryptography.

New photonics technologies for theinformation age: the dream ofubiquitous services edited by ShoichiSudo and Katsunari Okamoto. 270pp. Hbk.$120. Artech House Publishers. ISBN 1 58053696 4. Based on groundbreaking paperspresented at the International Symposium onNew Frontiers for Ubiquitous IT Services, thebook includes a section on the increasinglysuccessful use of photonic crystal fibres, quasi-phasematched nonlinear optics, optical fibresensors and millimetre-wave photonictechnologies in communications and sensing.

Introduction to Surfaceand SuperlatticeExcitations by M GCottam and D R Tilley. 2ndedn. 450pp. Pbk. £39.99($65.00). Institute ofPhysics Publishing.ISBN 0 7503 0588 6. New

and revised, this softcover edition outlines theproperties of acoustic, magnetic and opticalmodes that propagate at the surface of a solidor liquid. Suitable for advanced students andresearchers in physics, materials science andengineering, this text includes a discussion onthe latest advances made in photonic bandgapmaterials.

Extreme NonlinearOptics by Martin Wegener.223pp. Hbk. £46. Springer-Verlag, ISBN 3 540 22291X. Very intense short-pulselasers are available today towhich the concepts andapproximations oftraditional nonlinear optics

no longer apply – this is the regime of “extremenonlinear optics”. Starting with an introductionto the field based primarily on extensions of twofamous textbook examples – the Lorentzoscillator model and the Drude model – laterchapters guide the student towards the currentstate of the art. Exercises accompany eachsection with detailed solutions given at the endof the book.

BOOKS


http://www.pco.de

RECRUITMENTTo advertise your job vacancies, contact Rob Fisher (tel: +44 (0)117 930 1260; e-mail: [email protected]).


DENMARK

VCSEL solutions providerboosts developmentAlight has hired Dirk Jessen as vice-presidentof business development. He joins thecompany from fellow Danish firm IbsenPhotonics, a supplier of diffraction gratings,where he was vice-president of sales andmarketing. Previously Jessen has held sales,marketing and product managementpositions at ADC Telecommunications, IbsenMicro Structures, Leica and Philips.

SWEDEN

Tingström leads Comlasesales and marketing team

Comlase, a developerof productiontechnology forsemiconductorlasers andoptoelectronics, hashired Ulf Tingströmas director of salesand marketing.

Bringing more than 15 years of marketingexpertise to the Swedish firm, Tingströmhas previously held management positionsat Melles Griot, ADC Photonics, Altitun andFuture Instrument Fiber Optics. In his newrole at Comlase, he will be responsible forthe management of all sales and marketingfunctions together with businessdevelopment activity.

US

Kujawinska elected to bepresident of SPIE in 2005

SPIE members haveelected MalgorzataKujawinska to serveas their president for2005. A fullprofessor of appliedoptics and head ofthe opticalengineering divisionat the Institute ofMicromechanics

and Photonics, Warsaw University ofTechnology, Poland, Kujawinska has been a

SPIE fellow since 1997. Her technicalinterests include diffraction, interferometry,full-field optical metrology, MOEMS, opticalmethods for multimedia technology andmachine vision.

UK

Q-switch firm brings inEuropean sales hot-shot

Acousto-opticQ-switchmanufacturerGooch & Housego(G&H) has recruitedJulie McCaffrey as itsEuropean newbusinessdevelopmentmanager. McCaffreywill be developing

new sales accounts on behalf of the G&Hgroup, which features products fromCleveland Crystals, NEOS Technologies andLandwehr Electronic. Before she joinedG&H, McCaffrey was OEM accountmanager at Linos Photonics.

Sensor-to-Shooter and TimeCritical Targeting 2005

Conference: 8th-9th February 2005 The Thistle Marble Arch Hotel, London, England

Keynote presentation from: Mr Peter Varnish, Director,International Geopolitical Solutions Limited

Conference Sponsor:

Lead Sponsor:

• Brigadier General Mike Cannon, U.S. Army • Colonel Keith Maxwell (Ret’d), NATO Air Command and Control

Management Agency (NACMA) • Colonel Vincent Snyder, U.S. Air Force• Colonel William R. Aultman, U.S. Army• Mr. Richard Wittstruck, U.S. Army• Lieutenant Colonel Tony Monetti, U.S. Air Force

�

�

[email protected]/2338a

+44 (0)20 7368 9301 +44 (0)20 7368 9300

Official Media Partners:

Register withthis advert and save

£100just quote ref: OLE

Tingström joins Comlase.

McCaffrey moves to G&H.

SPIE members’ choice.


http://www.iqpc-defence.com/cgi-bin/templates/singlecell.html?topic=223&event=6082


BFI Optilas Internationalwww.bfioptilas.avnet.com 31

Breault ResearchOrganization www.breault.com IFCCambridge Technology www.camtech.com32Crystran Ltd www.crystran.co.uk 36DELTA www.delta.dk 39Dynamic Structures and Materialswww.dynamic-structures.com 27

EKSMA www.eksma.com 38Global Laser Technology Solutionswww.globallasertech.com 7

GPD Optoelectronics Corp www.gpd-ir.com39HC Photonics Corporationwww.hcphotonics.com 18

Image Science www.image-science.co.uk 12

IPOT and Machine Vision 2005www.ipot.com 30

Lambda Research Opticswww.lambda.cc 18, 20

Laser Components (UK) Ltdwww.lasercomponents.com 35

Laser Quantum www.laserquantum.com 33LIMO Laser Systems www.limo.de 19Mad City Labs www.madcitylabs.com 27Melles Griot www.mellesgriot.com OBCNorthrop Grumman Synopticswww.northropgrumman.com 4

Ophir Optronics www.ophiropt.com IBCOptikos www.optikos.com 18Optima Researchwww.optima-research.com 18

Pacer Components www.pacer.co.uk 10, 18PCO AG www.pco.de 40Photon Inc www.photon-inc.com 34Physik Instrumentewww.physikinstrumente.com 13, 26

Piezosystem Jena www.piezojena.com 30Scitec Instruments www.scitec.uk.com 36Spectra-Physicswww.spectra-physics.com 16

Spectrogon www.spectrogon.com 18Stanford Research Systemswww.thinkSRS.com 24

StockerYale Canadawww.stockeryale.com 38

Synrad www.synrad.com 28Thorlabs www.thorlabs.com 37


Nov.1–5 Photonics Asia Beijing, China SPIE, Asia spie.org/Conferences/calls/04/pa

Nov. 7–11 Annual Meeting of the IEEE Lasers Westin Rio Mar Beach Puerto Rico, www.ieee.org/organizations/society/and Electro-Optics Society (LEOS) Resort, Puerto Rico Caribbean leos/LEOSCONF/LEOS2004/leos04.htm

Nov. 8–10 Design and Engineering of Optical Stansted, UK Optima Research Ltd www.optima-research.com/Systems Training/DesignandEng.htm

Nov. 8–12 Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere, Honolulu, US SPIE spie.org/conferences/Environment and Space calls/04/ae

Nov. 15–17 OLEDs 2004 San Diego, US Intertech www.intertechusa.com

Nov. 22–24 HoptiCon 2004 (Holography Optics Karlsruhe, Germany Karlsruher Messe und www.karlsruher-innovationstage.deConference) Kongress (KMK)

Nov. 23–24 Laser Safety Course Loughborough, UK NRPB and Loughborough www.nrpb.org/laserUniversity, UK

Nov. 29 – European Workshop on Geneva, Switzerland SPIE, Europe spie.org/conferences/Dec. 1 Photonics in the Automobile calls/04/epa

Dec. 6–8 Designing Manufacturable Stansted, UK Optima Research Ltd www.optima-research.com/Optical Systems Training/manufacturable.htm

Dec. 6–9 Quantum Optics II Cozumel, Mexico INAOE, OSA, Latin American speckle.inaoep.mx/QOII.htmlCenter of Physics

Jan. 16–20 Electronic Imaging 2005 San Jose, US SPIE www.electronicimaging.org/call/05/

Jan. 22–27 Photonics West 2005 San Jose, US SPIE spie.org/conferences/calls/05/pw

Jan. 31-- 16th Biennial Congress of the Canberra, Australia AIP www.aipcongress2005.anu.edu.auFeb. 4 Australian Institute of Physics

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

DDAATTEE EEVVEENNTT LLOOCCAATTIIOONN OORRGGAANNIIZZEERR CCOONNTTAACCTT

CALENDARFor a more comprehensive list of events, including links to websites, visit optics.org/events


http://www.optics.org/events

http://www.spie.org/conferences/calls/04/pa

http://www.ieee.org/organizations/society/leos

http://optima-research.com

http://www.spie.org/conferences/calls/04/ae

http://intertechusa.com

http://www.karlsruher-innovationstage.de

http://www.nrpb.org/laser

http://www.spie.org/conferences/calls/04/epa

http://www.optima-research.com

http://www.electronicimaging.org/call/05/

http://www.spie.org/conferences/calls/05/pw


http://www.aip.org.au

http://www.ophiropt.com

http://www.mellesgriot.com

METROLOGY TINY ATOMIC CLOCK TARGETS PORTABLE …iopp.fileburst.com/old/old_02_122.pdf ·...

Documents

Transcript of METROLOGY TINY ATOMIC CLOCK TARGETS PORTABLE …iopp.fileburst.com/old/old_02_122.pdf ·...