Next-generation DNA sequencers, live cell imaging systems, advanced semiconductor inspection, and microfluidic systems are just a few of the applications driving new business at Navitar (Rochester, NY), with a Special Optics division in Denville, NJ and Pixelink camera operations in Ottawa, ON, Canada. The company won several new orders in microscopy and life science applications during the COVID-19 lockdowns, which are expected to add more than $9.5 million to its annual revenue.
Navitar recently worked with a medical instrument manufacturer to help improve imaging performance of their time-lapse live cell imaging system, specifically to improve the image acquisition, assessment, and selection process. The customer integrated a custom imaging solution that included a high numerical-aperture microscope objective, tube lens, illuminator, and camera assembly.
A manufacturer of advanced inspection equipment for semiconductor manufacturing chose Navitar’s Special Optics division to design an imaging optics solution with superior resolution to capture images and immediately spot defects in real time on the manufacturing floor. This optical design led to a two-fold increase in resolution and allows the manufacturer to isolate defects and catch flaws in the x-ray imaging process of integrated circuits, which are difficult to inspect and characterize.
Strong engineering partnerships with DNA sequencing manufacturers has led to new development work for Navitar to produce the imaging system modules and custom laser optics to enable the development of next-generation sequencers. A highly respected research lab chose Navitar’s Special Optics division to collaborate and develop a custom objective, scan lens, and tube lens to help further their capabilities of deploying multiphoton microscopy techniques for research.
A medical instrument manufacturer developing a point-of-care imaging blood analyzer has chosen Navitar’s Pixelink Camera Model PL-D7912CU for their instrument.
A research institute with an eye on commercializing proprietary technology has chosen a Navitar Zoom SWIR lens to image live animal tumors. By injecting a fluorescent dye that emits a signal in longer wavelengths, researchers can capture images several millimeters deeper in the body of the animal. “Sensitive imaging optics in the 1000 nm to 1500 nm range collect this light and image successfully for later or in situ analysis,” a spokesman for Navitar said.
Navitar teamed up with a biotechnology company looking to develop a high-throughput microfluidic platform for drug discovery. With Navitar’s Super Wide Angle 4K Imaging Objective and tube lenses, paired with a Pixelink PL-D7620 high-quantum-efficiency, Sony IMX183-based 20 Mpixel color camera, the customer achieved a wider field of view to capture more picowells and enabled increased throughput.