Plate polarizers
High-damage-threshold plate polarizers combine both high extinction ratio and broad spectral bandwidth. Produced at any wavelength in the 266- to 1550-nm range, they offer a damage threshold of at least 20 J/cm2 damage (10-ns pulse). They are designed for use in high-power, solid-state, excimer, and ultrafast laser applications including micromachining, marking, and microlithography.
Alpine Research Optics, Boulder, CO
All-optical switch
The Free-X 2 x 2 all-optical switch is available in a fast or ultrafast version with integrated VOA and multicast capabilities. Designed for next-generation optical networks, the switch uses Solid Free Space (SFS) technology, based on free-space propagation and polarization encoding of optical signals, for ultrafast, polarization-independent, nonblocking switching in a compact package.
Civcom, Petach-Tikva, Israel
Miniature spectral measuring systems
The Specbos instrument series is designed to measure the spectral characteristics and color coordinates of transmissive and reflective targets and the light levels of primary sources. The spectral diffuser has an optical resolution of 9 nm. Designed for use in the visible and ultraviolet ranges, the miniature spectrophotometric systems include operational and analysis software, power supply, manual, and case.
JETI Technical Instruments GmbH, Jena, Germany
One-part adhesive
Tra-Bond LX10085 is a one-part, solvent-free adhesive that sets in seconds when exposed to UV light. The adhesive has good clarity, low shrinkage, and a light flexibility making it suitable for optical bonding. It was designed to meet Federal Specification MIL-A-3920 for optical adhesives. The adhesive can be used for bonding to glass surfaces, metals, fiberglass, and glass-filled plastics.
Tra-Con, Bedford, MA
UV light source
The BraggStar Industrial-LN is a new UV light source with a temporal coherence length of ~5 mm. This product utilizes economical excimer-laser technology for the interferometric FBG writing process. Features include Corona preionization, a solid-state switch, and metal/ceramic FutureTube technology. It has low power requirements (1 kW vs. 40 kW for argon-ion lasers) and is air-cooled.
TuiLaser, Munich, Germany
Laser safety eyewear
A new line of UVEX LSK-series laser safety eyewear offers a wraparound modern look equivalent to name-brand sunglasses. Features include adjustable earpieces, rounded nose support, side eye protection, and standard antifog and antiscratch coatings. Designed for diffuse viewing, optical densities vary from 1 to 7 over a range of 190 nm to 10.6 mm. The eyewear covers HeNe, argon-ion, krypton-ion, diode, and Nd:YAG laser lines. CE certified versions are available.
Melles Griot, Irvine, CA
Erbium-doped fibers
The FS-ER-7A28 erbium-doped fiber is designed for use in the C-band and the FS-ER-7B28 is designed for L-band applications. Intended for use in both EDFAs and ASE sources, the fibers utilize 3M's proprietary core composition and co-dopant process for higher doping concentrations while maintaining power-conversion efficiency.
3M Optical Components, Austin, TX
Fiber-stripping technology
The AutoPrep unit is a benchtop automated fiber-preparation unit that strips, cleans, and cleaves optical fibers with 250- to 900-μm coatings with a 9-s cycle time. It uses a patented "burst technology" that directs a single high-velocity burst directly at the fiber's coating, instantly stripping and cleaning it without damage to the bare glass. The unit is compatible with all commercially available industrial fusion splicers.
3SAE Technologies, Woburn, MA
All-parameter analyzer
The Agilent 81910A photonic all-parameter analyzer addresses both loss and dispersion measurement of optical components. The unit consists of a tunable laser source and interferometer. The analyzer measures insertion loss, PDL, group delay, and differential group delay in transmission and reflection. A single-connection test setup reduces test time.
Agilent Technologies, Pal Alto, CA
Purged spectroscopy for 120 nm
The new SpectraPro 300i purged monochromator/spectrograph offers users spectral operation as low as 120 nm. The standard configuration provides a proprietary purged venting design that eliminates entry of stray light. Optional venting locations, MgF2 sealed optical ports, wavelength-optimized optical coatings, a purged deuterium light source, detector and camera systems are also available.
Acton Research, Acton, MA
Digital imaging system
The IMACON 200 is a new high-speed imaging system that offers simultaneous framing and streak-recording options for ultrafast transient events. The system incorporates a patented multichannel beamsplitter and novel retriggerable CCD chip. Up to 16 discrete images can be captured. Data acquisition rates of up to 200 million f/s allow temporal dissection for applications such as laser ablation, high-voltage breakdown, fluorescence decay, and nanotechnology.
DRS Hadland, Herts, England
2-D laser scanner
The LS-1M100 is a 2-D laser-scanner system consisting of a specialized laser rotary-motor encoder and dedicated controller. The system controls medium- and high-inertia mirrors in applications requiring laser marking and laser processing, such as high-density printed circuit boards. The scanner incorporates digital servo controllers and encoders with diffraction interference systems.
Canon U.S.A., Lake Success, NY
Light-diffusion filters
Clarex DR-IIIC light-diffusion filters are designed to diffuse backlighting and enhance display brightness without changing the internal light source. Cast in lightweight, impact-resistant acrylic, the filters are available in thicknesses of 0.3 to 2.0 mm. The filters have a color temperature of 6750 K and a light transmission range from 45% to 93%. The filters uniformly scatter light from the backlit source, eliminating hot spots and dull areas.
Astra Products, Baldwin, NY
40-W FAP diode laser
A new line of high-power, 40-W fiber-array packaged (FAP) bars in the 780- to 815-nm range has been introduced. The lasers are designed for direct-diode thermal applications in the medical and materials-processing industries and as a pump source for neodymium-doped solid-state lasers.
Coherent, Santa Clara, CA
Microlens arrays
Replicated microlens arrays (MLAs) are embossed onto a thin film of UV-curable epoxy resin on a standard glass plate or components supplied by the customer, such as prisms or lenses. Array sizes up to 120 x 120 mm are available with thickness and uniformity of the replicated film controlled <1 μm over the substrate. Microlens arrays offer fill factors of up to 99% and unique structures such as variable focal lengths across the array, or combinations of side-by-side diffractive and refractive lenses are available.
Heptagon, Espoo, Finland
Polarization-scrambler module
The PCD-003 series polarization-scrambler module uses all-fiber technology to randomize polarization states. The module is intended for OEMs to integrate into fiberoptic-network modules and test equipment. The all-fiber construction reduces insertion loss and back-reflection. The module has no wavelength dependency and low residual phase modulation.
General Photonics, Chino, CA
Horseshoe cure ring
New horseshoe adapters are designed for use with spot curing systems. The adapters couple with standard liquid light guides to transform a circular spot into two uniform, opposed linear beams. The adapter is designed for applications such as arrayed waveguides or planar circuits, which require equal simultaneous illumination from two sides.
Exfo, Mississauga, Ont., Canada
Heavy-load stages
New heavy-load stages can accommodate a load of 13 kg in the horizontal and vertical directions. Travel distances range from 50 to 300 mm. The stages offer an accuracy of ±2.5 mm per 25 mm of travel, and flatness of ±1 mm per 100 mm. Suited for precision applications, they offer a resolution of 0.5 mm with a repeatability of ±0.5 mm. Three different 160-mm-wide slides are available.
Edmund Industrial Optics, Barrington, NJ
Lensed diode arrays
A variety of high-power lensed diode arrays, typically over 20 W, in the 780- to 1000-nm range are available. New microchannel-cooled laser-pump bars and packaged arrays are offered. A 40-W bar can be fast- or slow-axis lensed and a 65-W bar can be fast-axis lensed. Both are available in an 808-nm wavelength.
Cutting Edge Optronics, St. Charles, MO
Tunable dispersion compensator
An amplified tunable dispersion compensator (TDC) integrates an EDWA with proprietary technology for band-tunable dispersion compensation, designed to work in 10-Gbit/s systems with up to eight selectable 50-GHz channels in C-band, each tunable up to 1000 ps/nm. The package design has an area half the size of a credit card.
Inplane Photonics, South Plainfield, NJ
Radiometer system
The IL1730 UV actinic radiometer system provides threshold-limit valve measurements in the UV actinic range. The benchtop system is capable of autoranging, even in flash mode, for measuring continuous and pulsed UV sources. It has a dynamic range of 6 W down to 600 pW/cm2 and displays direct readings in mJ/cm2, J/cm2, or μW/cm2 to mW/cm2 on an LCD.
International Light, Newburyport, MA
2-D fiberoptic arrays
Precision 2-D fiberoptic arrays are designed and tested in accordance to Telcordia requirements. The 2-D arrays can consist of single-mode or multimode graded- or step-index fibers fixed and mounted in a custom-designed housing. Standard optical functionality tests include core center deviation, insertion loss, return loss, pointing angle, and flatness.
Fiberguide, Stirling, NJ
Continuous-wave lasers
A new family of cw DWDM lasers has been designed for next-generation metro and long-haul architectures and CATV networks. The CQF935/708 and CQF935/808 are 40-and 50-mW versions without internal wavelength monitoring. The CQF975/708 is a 40-mW version with an integrated wavelength monitor. The lasers are available at ITU 50-GHZ for the C- and L-bands and have built-in thermoelectric coolers and PMF.
JDS Uniphase, Ottawa, Ont., Canada
Ultrafast fiber laser
The ultrafast FEMTOLITE lasers are designed for telecom applications and offer a 193 x 110-mm footprint, with turnkey, air-cooled, maintenance-free operation. The new FEMTOLITE C-20 laser was designed specifically for use in the Agilent Technologies' fast optical oscilloscope, with a 1-THz bandwidth C- and L-band optical-sampling capability.
IMRA America, Ann Arbor, MI
Thermoelectric-cooler controller
The TEC-8 thermoelectric-cooler controller is designed for the laser-diode module test market. The TEC-8 is a GPIB-controlled, rack-mountable instrument providing bidirectional heating and cooling control for up to eight independent TEC elements. Supplied software and drivers allow each controller to be independently programmed and operated.
Interface Technology, Walnut, CA
PMF cable assemblies
EXACTune polarization-maintained fiberoptic (PMF) cable assemblies use a patented FC connector designed specifically to speed the alignment process of the fiber axis to the connector key. Precision-machined connector components and ferrules provide an angular accuracy within 1°, extinction ratios of up to 30 dB (or higher), and insertion loss of <0.3 dB (typical).
Johanson Fiber Optics Group, Boonton, NJ
Fiber-alignment photodiode meter
The Model 2502 fiber-alignment photodiode meter combines the steps of laser-diode fiber alignment and light-current voltage characterization. Designed for LDM manufacturers, researchers, OEMs, and system integrators, the instrument has a built-in picoammeter to resolve currents as low as 10 fA.
Keithley Instruments, Cleveland, OH
Optical-loss test set
An optical-loss test set is used for testing optical loss in fiberoptic systems. The instrument provides instant drift-free traceable measurements, without waiting for source warmup or meter dark-current compensation. An autotest feature enables one-button real-time measurements of multiple wavelengths. KITS PC software is included.
Kingfisher, Victoria, Australia
Digital video camera
The IK-SX1 is a digital monochrome progressive-scan video camera. It has a megapixel, 2/3-in. CCD with 6.45 μm2 pixels and a full scan rate of 15 f/s at 1392 x 1040 pixel resolution. An asynchronous-reset electric shutter has speeds from 1/15 to 1/50,000 sec. A partial scan rate offers output of up to 60 f/s. The camera measures 44 x 44 x 53 mm.
Toshiba Imaging Systems Division, Irvine, CA