Ball and drum lenses with new coatings
New versions of ball and drum lenses with an antireflective coating for the near-IR 600- to 1050-nm range provide transmittance >99.5%. The new lenses have a uniform coating with no uncoated band to eliminate problems with proper orientation for mounting these lenses. The new lenses are BK7 and LaSFN9 drum lenses with length tolerance of ±3 µm and diameter tolerance of +0/-50 µm in diameters of 2.0 x 2.5 to 4.0 x 5.0 mm; BK7 ball lenses with an index of refraction of 1.57 and 40 to 20 surface quality in diameters up to 10 mm for focusing light into fibers; and high-index ball lenses with an index of refraction of 1.850 and a diameter tolerance of +0/-3 µm, with diameters ranging from 1.0 to 5.0 mm.
Edmund Industrial Optics, Barrington, NJ
Halogen-lamp holders
A full line of halogen-lamp holders are constructed with either ceramic bases to withstand temperatures up to 250°C for use with lamps rated 50 W or above, or with heat-resistant phenolic bases for lamps rated at 35 W or less. They offer spring-loaded contacts and are designed for lamps from 25 to 250 V with pin spacing of 4.0, 5.3, 6.35, and 9.5 mm. Lamp holders are available with back leads, side or bottom leads, or none at all.
Gilway Technical Lamp, Woburn, MA
Red laser diode
The Hitachi HL6323MG is a 0.63-µm band AlGaInP laser diode with multiquantum well structure. Rated output power is 35 mW in the 635-nm band wavelength. This facilitates a long-distance operating range for laser markers and higher speeds for position control sensors. The diode is packaged in a small can (f5.6 mm) enabling end products to be kept small.
Photonic Products, Essex, England
Laser barrier curtain
The opaque Laz-R-Barrier LP200 curtain protects against the accidental and chronic occupational skin and eye exposure resulting from reflected laser broadbeam and optical radiation generated by the laser plume. The single-layer fabric is flexible, drapable, and can be made into most curtain sizes and shapes. When supported by the Wilson Easy Rolling Track System, the LP200 is compatible with interlocking circuits to automatically stop the laser when the curtain is opened.
Wilson Industries, Pomona, CA
Free-space telecom laser sources
Free-Space Telecom Laser Sources use a proprietary microlens technology to produce reliable line-of-sight, free-space optical data transmission, especially through atmospheric interferences such as fog. The sources are available with wavelengths of 780 to 1550 nm and power ratings from 5 to 150 mW.
Blue Sky Research, San Jose, CA
Time-correlated single-photon counter
The Model SPC-134 Time Correlated Single Photon Counter (TCSPC) uses four fully parallel signal channels for an overall count rate of 32 x 106 photons/s. Simultaneous recording in the four parallel TCSPC and detector channels allows for reduced pile-up effects and no detector overload. Time channel width is as short as 813 fs, and electrical time resolution is 5 ps rms. With MCP detectors, a FWHM of 25 ps is delivered. Applications include optical tomography, single-molecule detection, DNA sequencing, or stopped flow measurements.
Boston Electronics, Brookline, MA
Reflective diffusive coating
Spectra-Coating is a lambertian, diffuse white coating for reflectance applications covering the UV-VIS-NIR wavelength region, with reflectance values from 97.3% to 98.3% over the wavelength region 400 to 700 nm. The spray-on coating is a composition that is barium- and sulfate-based with a nontoxic solvent. Painted surfaces, including metal, plastic, and glass reach a near-perfect lambertianity, offering almost the same radiance values for different angles.
Corob, Modena, Italy
Multimegapixel camera
The 4M25 is a multimegapixel digital camera with 2048 x 2048 resolution and true 12-bit output at 25 frames per second. The camera was designed for fast, high-resolution imaging, including applications such as BGA (ball grid array) and flat-panel inspection.
Dalsa, Waterloo, Ont., Canada
EDFA pump combiners/splitters
EDFA pump combiners/splitters are unpackaged, dielectric, long-wave-pass beamsplitters that use a proprietary process to simultaneously provide 980-nm pump reflectance and signal transmission in fiberoptic amplifiers. They are available for any incidence angle for 1-mm or larger substrate dimensions. The beamsplitters can be deposited on a variety of optical surfaces.
CVI Laser, Albuquerque, NM
Framegrabber
The Imagenation PXR800 framegrabber has real-time control for standard analog, precision monochrome machine-vision applications. The low-cost framegrabber has I/O control, two selectable DMA modes, and low pixel jitter and noise levels (±2.6 ns). The PXR800 is able to connect up to four cameras with exposure, strobe, I/O, +12-V dc, and trigger.
CyberOptics, Portland, OR
Workstation for curing UV adhesives/coatings
The Work Station is designed for operator safety from exposure to UV light for processes using light-curing adhesives and coatings. Component parts consist of a 5 x 5-in. reflector housing, autoranging power supply, retractable shutter, and stand with ventilation fan and 360° shielding. The station is height-adjustable to accommodate variations in part size. The shutter opens to allow manual or automatically timed exposure of parts to light.
Dymax, Torrington, CT
Multicure epoxy system
The EMCAST 614 is a 10:1 ratio cationic epoxy adhesive that can be cured in less than 10 s with long-wave UV light, in 10 min. at 100°C, or overnight at room temperature. Designed for use in microelectronic devices, the adhesive has low shrinkage upon cure, low out-gassing, and low ionic contamination. The adhesive has a glass transition temperature of 125°C and a mixed viscosity of 15,000 cps.
Electronic Materials Inc., Breckenridge, CO
Adhesive dispenser
The 2000XL adhesive dispenser uses microprocessor circuitry for process control in fiberoptic-assembly operations where accurate, consistent application of adhesives, epoxies, and other assembly fluids is necessary. The dispenser is held like a pen and controlled with an electric foot pedal. Digital displays of dispense time, air pressure, and barrel vacuum are provided. Repeatable deposits as small as 0.008-in. diameter may be achieved.
EFD, East Providence, RI
Fiberoptic power meter
The new DM3000 is a dual-channel, portable, handheld fiberoptic power meter that allows the user to custom-program the meter for testing. Using a menu-based operating system, the instrument may be programmed for calibration wavelengths, measurement resolution, and detectors in use. The meter has two detectors for link testing or simultaneous monitoring with an extended measurement range in power from +20 to -70 dBm or in wavelength from 400 to 1800 nm.
Fotec, Medford, MA
UV meter
The UV-Meter measures the UVC (180 to 280 nm), UVB (280 to 315 nm), and UVA (315 to 400 nm) components of ultraviolet light. The meter incorporates a set of three interference filters and detectors for each spectral region. The self-powered sensor includes both USB and DeviceNet interfaces that allow continuous data logging. Units may be calibrated upon request.
Hohner, Beamsville, Ont., Canada
Uncooled radiometric thermal video system
The TVS-620 is a handheld, uncooled, radiometric thermal video system operating in the 8- to 14-µm range. It has a 320-H x 240-V microbolometer sensor that requires no cooling or mechanical scanning. It measures 4.5 x 8.5 x 5.6 in. and weighs 2.0 kg. A Windows-like interface for measurement and analysis display functions is included. A mini PCM/CIA high-capacity card records and stores images and voice annotation in .wav format. The system incorporates a 5-in. color LCD display.
Indigo Systems, Santa Barbara, CA
Picosecond-pulsed UV laser diode
A picosecond-pulsed light source, based on a UV laser diode, emits picosecond pulses at 380 nm without frequency doubling. Time-domain applications include excitation of fluorescent probes such as DPH, Quinines, and Perylene. Sources are plug-and-play compatible with existing NanoLED control modules and with their microprocessor-controlled OEM package.
IBH, Glasgow, Scotland
Diode-pumped solid-state laser
The Mephisto-MIR product line of diode-pumped solid-state lasers has emission wavelengths at 532, 946, and 1064 nm. Using a nonplanar ring-laser concept, stable single-frequency operation and high beam quality is achieved. Spectral linewidths are in the kHz range with a fast frequency-tuning option (100-kHz bandwidth). The product line includes models with CW output powers of 100, 200, and 500 mW; higher output powers are available upon request.
InnoLight, Hannover, Germany
Laser-beam analysis equipment
The PRiMES line of beam analysis equipment for high-power CO2, YAG, and diode lasers includes beam-, power-, and polarization-monitoring devices for the evaluation of online laser-beam performance up to 25 kW. A beam dump was recently developed with a durable coating for use with blank welding machines and other high-power lasers.
Laser Mechanisms, Southfield, MI
Wavefront sensor
The new HASO NIR wavefront sensors (Shack-Hartmann type) are designed for the mapping of local slopes of the analyzed wavefront using a microlens array. These instruments allow the measurement of laser sources in phase and intensity and the characterization of optical systems and devices. Spatial resolution of up to 1200 points can be measured in a standard configuration. Compatible with fiber and laser sources, applications include beam analysis, MTF, and fiber coupling.
Imagine Optic, Orsay, France
Software module
The new Stress Selene software module includes a 2-D mode solver with integrated static and transient temperature distribution-modeling capabilities. It enables the user to calculate the stresses induced by either the physical processes (such as thermal oxide, PECVD depositions) or the effect of electrode heating on mode calculations. Applications include optical waveguides, silica-on-silicon waveguides, thermo-optic phase shifters, variable optical attenuators, and thermo-optics.
Kymata Netherlands, Enschede, The Netherlands
Lens-design software upgrade
The newly released OSLO 6.1 has several improvements, including advanced support for zoom-lens design, expanded graphical user interface, and enhanced slider bars that can be configured for interactively optimizing designs. Other new features include 3-D shaded models with rotation, an enhanced zoom library, updated ISO 10110 element drawings, and an enhanced system-lens library browser.
Lambda Research, Littleton, MA
Compact free-space optical transceiver
The Hyperscope is a compact optical transceiver for free-space optical communications. It was designed for situations in which laying optical fiber is not feasible, allowing customers the benefits of high-speed data access without a fiber connection. The transceiver uses a traditional primary reflector (found in many telescope styles) along with a secondary reflector incorporating a proprietary technology that is highly transmissive to incident radiation, yet highly reflective to internal radiation. The combined result is a fast, compact telescope.
Kaiser Electro-Optics, Carlsbad, CA
Acousto-optical UV scanner
The UV Scanner was designed for high-speed programmable scanning of UV beams. It allows for a wide range of sizes for the operation field and up to 10,000 pixels on the field. This durable scanner can operate in pixel or vector modes. High-speed operation allows for rapid single-frame processing. The scanner can operate with CW or pulsed lasers and may be customized.
Light Management Group, Burlington, Ont., Canada
Mode-matching micro-optics
M3 (Mode Matching Micro-Optics) are refractive cylindrical micro-optics made of glass for single-mode hybrid waveguide systems at 1.3 and 1.55 µm. They offer diffraction-limited performance with anamorphic mode modeling, low insertion loss with planar waveguides, and parallel optical routing with lens arrays. They are suitable for package switching and high-speed modulation.
Limo, Dortmund, Germany
Rotational nanopositioning system
The Nano-Theta is a piezoactuated rotation stage for applications such as mask alignment and laser-beam steering. The total range of motion is 2.0 µrad, with sub-µrad resolution under closed-loop control for precise and absolute position measurement. The stage has an accessible and well-defined axis of rotation, allowing the mirror to be mounted coplanar with the axis of rotation. The Nano-Theta measures 1.25 x 2.0 x 0.5, is mountable to any orientation, and has fully integrated sensors. It is available in both aluminum and invar and may be modified for vacuum compatibility.
Mad City Labs, Madison, WI
Fast steering mirrors
New fast steering-mirror technology offers two-axis, high-bandwidth tip/tilt motion with greater than 1-µrad resolution. The mirrors are designed to be used in precision scanning, tracking, pointing, image-stabilization, and beam-stabilization applications. The mirrors use a flexure suspension that provides stictionless rotation. Four voice-coil actuators work as push-pull pairs to enable fast rotations (>1 kHz) for small- and large-diameter mirrors, while internal angle sensors provide feedback for pointing, scanning, and tracking. A variety of mirror and glass substrates and coatings are available.
Newport Corp., Irvine, CA
PC spectrometer
The new WaveStar Spectrometer will measure spectra including continuous and pulsed sources from microwatts to watts in intensity. The WaveStar has a spectral response of 570 to 1100 nm for model V and 350 to 635 nm for model U. Features include resolution of 0.5-nm FWHM and a photodiode trigger for single-shot events; it also automatically finds and tags peak wavelengths to 0.1-nm accuracy. A complete set of fiber adapters and attenuators are available.
Ophir Optronics, Danvers, MA
Miniature fiberoptic polarizers
New miniature fiberoptic polarizers, less than 4 mm in diameter, transmit only one polarization, blocking light in unwanted polarization states. They have extinction rates of up to 30 dB, insertion losses as low as 0.6, and -60-dB return losses. The polarizers operate over the entire C-, L-, and S-wavelength bands, as well as for custom wavelengths. Input and output fibers are available in either single-mode or polarization-maintaining fibers with custom terminations.
Oz Optics, Ottawa, Canada
Analog line-scan camera
The LC3000 series low-cost analog line-scan camera combines photodiode array detection, high-speed charge-coupled scanning, and low-noise analog line-scan camera technology. The camera measures 2.5 x 2.5 x 2.72 in. and is available in array lengths of 512, 1024, and 2048 pixels, with output rates of 10, 20, and 30 MHz. The camera is designed for volume line-scan applications, including lumber processing, noncontact measurement, document scanning, dimensional gauging, biomedical imaging, and barcode scanning.
PerkinElmer Optoelectronics, Fremont, CA
Video fiber viewer
A new Video Fiber Viewer is a compact, durable production unit designed for the inspection of fiber ends. An integrated high-resolution camera and an LED offer a projected life of greater than 10,000 h. The system is available in two magnifications and either PAL or NTSC video outputs.
Prior Scientific Instruments, Cambridge, England
Synthetic sapphire components
Sapphire is a form of high-purity, 99.99% monocrystalline alumina with a hardness of 1.800 Vickers and Mohs 9. Sapphire windows (1- to 150-mm diameter) are available for optical IR or UV applications. Sapphire tubes, capillaries, cylinders, lenses, and balls (0.20- to 20-mm diameter) are designed for fiberoptic applications, laboratories, and the space industry. Wearless sapphire components are also available.
Rubis Precis, Charquemont, France
FTIR systems for forensics
FTIR systems for forensics use the new FTIR-8900 with 0.5 cm-1 resolution and S/N of 20,000:1, along with a fully automated AIM-8800 IR microscope. Software options include HyperIR search capability, the Sadtler Suite, and the AIM View mapping software. Accessory options include ATR, X4 objectives, sampling tools, beam-switching, and reflectance kits.
Shimadzu, Columbia, MD
Step-index quartz optical fibers
A new line of step-index, multimode high-OH/low-OH optical fibers are made of pure synthetic fused-silica core, fluorine-doped synthetic fused-silica clad, and epoxy acrylate buffer. They have numerical apertures of 0.22 ±0.02 and core diameter from 50 to 600 µm. The optical fiber features include UV, VIS, and NIR transmission, low scattering losses, low fluorescence characteristics, and high core-to-clad ratio.
Moritex, San Diego, CA
Room-temperature curing adhesive
TRA-BOND 2115 is a room-temperature curing adhesive with low viscosity for ease of cure and application. The adhesive is an electrical insulator and has a low coefficient of expansion. It is designed for laminating glass and rigid materials and bonding metals and ceramics. Applications include the bonding of optical components such as mirrors, lenses, prisms, and lasers.
Tra-Con, Bedford, MA
Confocal scanning microscope
The LSM 5 PASCAL confocal laser-scanning microscope is designed for materials research and testing. It allows noncontact recording of 3-D microstructures down to the submicron range. It can produce a single image with more than 4 million pixels in up to 4096 gray levels. It allows a variety of scanning modes and includes topography software.
Carl Zeiss, Thornwood, NY
Broadband white-light test source
The ASE-FL 7003 is a broadband white-light test source for the C- and L-bands (1530 to 1625 nm) and the ASE-FL 7003-GL, the same C- and L-band ASE source with an optical amplifier over the 1565- to 1605-nm range. It is designed for higher-power, longer-wavelength test equipment for the growing L-band market, while supporting the existing C-band market. The device uses an erbium-doped fluoride fiber that is pumped with a single 1480-nm laser diode to produce 30 mW of broadband white light. The output fiber is a standard SMF 28 silica fiber.
ThorLabs, Newton, NJ
Laser for writing fiber Bragg gratings
The BraggStar Industrial is an excimer laser designed for writing fiber Bragg gratings. The laser is equipped with TuiLaser's FutureTube, operating up to 100 Hz. It is designed with a resonator layout for perfect coherence for phase mask technique. It offers a homogenous beam profile. The laser measures 890 x 380 x 660 mm3 and is single-phase and air-cooled.
TuiLaser, Munich, Germany
Diode-laser system
New high-power diode lasers have output power greater than 2.8 W from a 50-µm fiber with a numerical aperture of 0.15. The laser systems are offered as compact, durable units with or without TE cooling inside the package. They are available in wavelengths of 980 and 915 nm.
Unique-m.o.d.e., Jena, Germany
Fiber testing source
The model 520-8513M62 dual laser source allows testing of Fibre Channel and Gigabit Ethernet installations of multimode 62.5/125-µm fiber. The light source contains an 850-nm VCSEL diode and a 1310-nm Fabry-Perot laser diode. It is available with one or two optical ports in FC-style or with interchangeable adaptors for FC, ST, and SC connectors.
Cercis, Hopewell, NJ
FBG laser
The Innova Sabre MotoFreD is a CW 244-nm laser providing 500 mW for manufacturing fiber Bragg gratings. It has a beam diameter of 0.6 to 0.8 mm, beam divergence of 0.5 to 0.7 µrad, and power stability of ±1%. It uses intracavity frequency doubling with a BBO crystal.
Coherent Laser Division, Santa Clara, CA
Optical power meter
The P-9710 Optometer is a handheld optical-power meter with a 30-mm-diameter integrating sphere-based detector to measure the output power of bare and connected fibers, laser diodes, and LEDs over the range of 20 to -60 dBm. It has 16 functional modes of operation for CW and pulsed work with direct readout in watts, dBm, dB, or relative units.
Gigahertz-Optik, Newburyport, MA
Pulsed Nd:YAG
The SLS 200 C pulsed Nd:YAG laser system is available with up to six fiber outputs for energy and time-sharing, with pulsed on-demand operation. Fibers are available in core diameters of 100, 200, 400, and 600 µm. The system has output of 10 to 220 W. It has a sealed power supply with active water- or air-cooling, and an interface and software for connecting to a PC.
LASAG AG, Thun, Switzerland
DPSS laser
The PowerGator 532-15 is an industrial-grade DPSS laser designed for micromachining of ceramic, silicon, and metals more than 1 mm thick. It produces more than 13.5-W average power and up to 50-GW/cm2 peak power. Output of 532 nm is produced in 15-ns pulses at a rate of 10 kHz.
Lambda Physik, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Air shower
An air shower for cleanroom operations measures 10 ft. tall and 4 ft. wide. It delivers moving air at approximately 7500 fpm from 30 adjustable plastic louvers in the ceiling and sidewalls. Air is filtered through prefilters and HEPA filters to remove 99.99% of particles to 0.3 µm. It includes fluorescence-type lighting.
Liberty Industries, East Berlin, CT
Positioning tables
Precision positioning tables for vacuum environments are designed for use in pressures ranging from 760 to 250 t. They have insulated wiring, nickel-plated structural components, and vacuum-compatible lubricants. Surfaces and components have been vapor-degreased and sulfur-based cutting fluids are eliminated from the manufacturing process.
Industrial Devices Corp., Petaluma, CA
Fiberoptic array
Optical fiber arrays and V-grooves come with cover plates in quartz, Pyrex, and silicon for use in optical-communications devices and modules. They allow the connection to PLC devices and between multiplexers. They come with standard pitches of 127 and 250 µm, with custom configurations available. Applications include DWDM, waveguide packaging, MEMS, and miniaturized fiberoptic components.
Senko Advanced Components, Marlborough, MA
Sapphire optics
Custom-fabricated sapphire optics feature Mohs-9 surface hardness and can be manufactured as lenses from 0.5- to 4-in. OD, as windows up to 9-in. OD, and as domes with included angles to 160° and sizes up to 4-in. OD. They are unaffected by moving sand, water, and most chemicals and common acids. They are available from 0.5- to 3-mm thick, depending on diameter.
Meller Optics, Providence, RI
Chiller
The RC030 recirculating chiller has cooling capacity of 3000 W. It comes with a brass 4.3-gpm positive displacement pump. It can maintain temperature stability of ±1°C.
Lytron, Woburn, MA
Blackbody source
The P330 blackbody calibration source has a 25-mm aperture and uses a uniformly heated cone-shaped cavity that achieves emissivity values of 0.99 over its temperature range of 300°C to 1700°C. It is accurate to ±0.25% of reading ±1°C. It uses a microprocessor-based, self-tuning digital PID controller to display and hold temperature to within 1°C at 1600°C.
Pyrometer Instrument Co., Northvale, NJ
Power concentrator
The CM2-POWER multimode power concentrator is designed for use in high-power fiber lasers. It has multimode inputs to lower the cost per watt of pump power and up to 20 input ports for ultrahigh-power applications.
Resonance Photonics, Toronto, Canada
UV laser
The Inazuma is a DPSS laser that delivers 8 W of Q-switched output at 355 nm in a near-diffraction-limited beam (M2 <1.3). It uses a periodic resonatora folded, compact cavity containing two Nd:YVO4 rods, allowing the rods to be end-pumped. It also produces more than 35 W in the near IR and 20 W at 532 nm. The pulse rate is from 15 to 100 kHz.
Spectra-Physics, Mountain View, CA
OPO laser
The SL456 OPO Integra combines an 800-mJ, Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with a broadly tunable optical parametric oscillator (OPO). The OPO is pumped by the third harmonic of the laser at 355 nm and uses a phase-matched BBO crystal that gives an output of 410 to 2500 nm. Peak output is typically 50 mJ at 10 Hz.
Spectron Laser Systems, Warwickshire, England
UV lamp
The Spectroline C-100 UV lamp delivers a steady-state, long-wave UV intensity of 400 mW/cm2 at 38 cm. It measures 14 x 20 cm and weighs 0.8 kg, with a 5.4-kg magnetic ballast power source. It has a visible light emission of less than 0.2 lx. It has a flexible, heat-resistant filter holder.
Spectronics Corp., Westbury, NY
Laser positioning
Precision BiSlide Assemblies for laser fixtures, positioning, and scanning have dual 45° opposing V ways for high rigidity in all directions. The carriage moves on PTFE compound bearings with a coefficient of friction of 0.09. The aluminum-alloy extrusion measures 3.4 x 2.15 in., with travel ranges from 5 to 80 in. and load capacity of 300 lb.
Velmex, Rochester, NY
Lamp ballast
The B50R004 lamp ballast with switchable output wattage measures 57.9 x 50.8 x 31.8 mm and provides 78% efficiency at 15-V dc and 25°C. Input current ranges from 5.6 A at 12 V to 4.4 A at 15 V. It is designed for use with the company's lamps and can be incorporated into both battery- and ac-powered applications.
Welch Allyn, Skaneateles Falls, NY
Positioning slides
Series BX1 ball slides have a cross-section from 0.23-in. high by 0.38-in. wide, with travel up to 1.5 in. and a 1.5-lb carrying capacity. The smallest moves 0.5 in. with 0.0002-in. repeatability and 0.0005-in./in. straight-line accuracy. Series RX1 crossed roller slides have a cross-section from 0.32 x 0.56 in. with travel up to 2 in. and can carry loads to 66 lb.
Tusk Direct, Bethel, CT
Light source
The D2Lite miniature deuterium light source is designed for portable and low-power spectroscopy. It covers 200 to 1100 nm with a shine-through arrangement of deuterium and tungsten lamps, shutter, optical system with SMA connect, and 12-V power supply. Lamps and shutter can be operated by external TTL triggering.
World Precision Instruments, Sarasota, FL
Gas purification system
The Infinity Gas Purification System (GPS) is designed to provide a continuous supply of pure gas at sub-ppb contaminant levels. The stand-alone system purifies ammonia, hydrogen, and inert gases at flow rates up to 3000 slm. Gaseous contaminants removed include H2O, O2, CO, CO2, and hydrocarbons from process gases and liquid bulk sources.
Aeronex, San Diego, CA
Raman pump lasers
New 14xx-nm DFB Raman pump lasers are used to boost signal power in ultrahigh-capacity optical networking systems. These lasers support Raman amplification in both copumping and counterpumping configurations while maintaining wavelength stability. They offer an operating power of 280 mW with drive currents comparable to high-power Fabry-Perot lasers.
Agere Systems, Allentown, PA
Nd:YAG laser optics
Mirrors and coatings for Nd:YAG lasers are designed for high repetition rate, high-power applications. Mirrors are available for laser harmonic wavelengths including 532, 355, 266, and 212 nm. Antireflection coatings are available for 1064 nm as well as the previously listed harmonic wavelengths.
Acton Research, Acton, MA
Chillers
The Mercury Chiller line offers leak-free chillers with high cooling capacities at low cost/watt of cooling. The chillers are designed for scientific instrument and laser temperature control. A 30-month warranty is included. A range of accessories and remote-control features are available.
Bay Voltex, Livermore, CA
Digital imaging station
The DFWS-77 digital imaging station is designed to control multiple IEEE 1394-compliant and compatible images on PC or video monitors, store images on local media or network, share images via e-mail, print images to a local printer, and allow remote access to images via the Internet. The station runs on a Windows CE platform and has a built-in Ethernet 10 Base-T interface.
Sony Electronics, Park Ridge, NJ
Gantry X-Y positioning systems
A line of high-speed, precision positioning gantry systems has been designed to allow overhead access to a stationary workpiece. Gantries are available with different travels and format sizes. They have no weight limitations. The systems are equipped with aluminum, ceramic, or graphite construction and have accelerations of up to 7 g and speeds to 3 m/s to allow for high throughput. Applications include pick-and-place, die bonding, dispensing, and visual inspection.
Anorad, Hauppauge, NY
Digital cameras for microscopy
The AxioCam MRc and MRm are a new digital color camera and a Peltier-cooled monochrome camera, respectively. With the AxioCam MR, the 12-bit digitization is performed directly in the camera head for enhanced image and color quantity and includes a large number of resolvable brightness graduations with a 36-bit color depth. The AxioCam MRm monochrome version, to be used mainly in fluorescence microscopy, is suited for applications such as deconvolution with long exposure times and high resolution.
Carl Zeiss, Jena, Germany
Undersea optical fiber
Vascade L1000 fiber is a new undersea optical fiber optimized for unrepeatered (short-haul) submarine networks operating at higher data rates, including 10 Gbit/s. The fiber demonstrates 30% greater information-carrying capacity than standard single-mode fiber for lowest cost-per-bit transmission in short-haul undersea networks. The fiber has low attenuation in the 1530- to 1565-nm operating window.
Corning Incorporated, Corning, NY
Fiberoptic illuminator
The SLS-150Z precision fiberoptic illuminator provides uninterrupted high-intensity white light with a lamp color temperature of 3350 K with EJA (3250 K with EKE) for microscopic, borescopic, and endoscopic procedures. The illuminator features a rotary dimmer, single or bifurcated flexible-fiber bundles, and ring lights for exact light-beam placement, and a safety auto-interlock switch that cuts off all power when the cover is opened.
Chiu Technical, Kings Park, NY
Digital video software package
The ThermoVision LabVIEW Digital Toolkit is a digital video software package allowing users monitoring thermal anomalies to couple FLIR's ThermoVision infrared cameras with National Instruments IMAQ frame-grabber cards. The new toolkit will support the IMAQ 1422 and 1424 digital video boards and the IMAQ 1409 analog boards.
FLIR Systems Boston, North Billerica, MA
RC chillers
A new range of self-contained chillers is designed to fit into standard 19-in. electronic cabinets. The chillers were developed specifically for the high-powered laser-diode market. They have an integrated design incorporating refrigeration circuit, liquid pump, storage tank, and control gear. Cooling capacities are from 0.3 to 2 kW.
Flowcool, Derbyshire, England
Frame grabbers
The Bandit-II CV and the Bandit-II-RGB have an integrated, high-resolution, VGA accelerator that supports true-color display resolutions up to 1600 x 1200 pixels. Designed for applications requiring live video display on the desktop, they have 16 Mbyte of onboard memory. The frame grabbers are available in AGP and half-slot PCI-bus format and have full-frame video capture, onboard trigger, strobe and I/O, and a choice of software development tools.
Coreco Imaging, Quebec, Canada
CW laser drivers
The LDD family of CW laser drivers is intended for the OEM market. The family has output current to 80 A and power levels from 100 to 1500 W. Units have universal input and power factor correction and are designed to ensure safe operation while driving laser diodes.
Lumina Power, Danvers, MA
Multichannel spectroradiometer
The new OL770 high-speed, multichannel spectroradiometer, designed for LED test and measurement applications, has a wavelength range of 380 to 780 nm, with 0.5-nm accuracy. Housed in a single compact enclosure, the system meets the requirements of CIE guidelines 127, conditions A and B.
Glen Spectra, Middlesex, England
Picosecond laser
A new compact picosecond laser model has been introduced for industrial and scientific applications. The laser generates mJ-class pulse energies (0.3, 0.6, 0.9 mJ, depending on model) with a pulse duration of 15 ps (FWHM) in a near diffraction-limited beam at a wavelength of 1064 nm and pulse repetition rates up to 5 kHz. Shorter pulses are available from Nd:YLF models. The laser head measures 70 x 50 x 17 cm.
High Q Laser, Vorarlberg, Austria
Programmable spatial phase modulators
The new X8077 and X8267 PPMs are programmable spatial phase modulators that utilize optical phase modulation in liquid crystal for a variety of applications such as laser-beam shaping and real-time correction of optical aberrations in adaptive optics. Their configuration allows for computer-controlled pixel manipulations while producing images with continuous pixels. The X8077 PPM incorporates a compact laser diode as the light source for image input from a VGA-type LCD and uses an FOP as the optical transmitting element. The X8267 uses an XGA-type LCD coupled to a PSL-SLM by an optical lens system and can also be coupled to a contact laser module.
Hamamatsu, Bridgewater, NJ
Bare fiber holder
The BF-820 Bare Fiber Holder is designed to hold and position telecom fiber for power measurements. It uses opposing V-guides that position the fiber without breaking it or applying too much pressure. The patent pending BF-820 is compatible with ILX Lightwave or Agilent adapter rings.
ILX Lightwave, Bozeman, MT
Commercial ultrafast laser
The FCPA-2 is a new type of commercial ultrafast laser that reaches the milli-Joule pulse-energy range without the need for a Ti:sapphire amplifier. This all-fiber laser provides 200-fs/2-µJ/250-kHz pulses at 1050-nm wavelength. Other energy/repetition rate combinations are available upon request. The laser measures 80 x 40 x 15 cm and is air-cooled, maintenance-free, and may be used for stand-alone or OEM integration.
IMRA America, Ann Arbor, MI
Integrating sphere
The INS250 Integrating Sphere is a compact 14.4-in. cube with a 10-in. interior that provides a controlled environment for measuring a variety of LEDs. The sphere has a white reflectance Kodak #6080 coating, calibrated standard lamp, power supply, and three interchangeable input and detector ports. It is compatible with almost all radiometer systems.
International Light, Newburyport, MA
Planar waveguide splitters
New 1 x 8 and 1 x 16 planar waveguide splitters are designed for the passive-optical-network equipment makers. The new splitters measure 1/8 x 1/8 x 4 in., compared to conventional fused coupler-type splitters measuring 4 x 5 x 1/4 in. The new devices have a maximum insertion loss of 12.3 dB, polarization-dependent loss of less than 0.3 dB, and a uniformity across eight (one in/eight out split) of less than 1 dB.
Luminent, Chatsworth, CA
Fixed-magnification lenses
The Precise Eye lens series of fixed-magnification lenses is designed specifically for applications in which a single, constant magnification and a fixed working distance are required. All lenses are firmly mounted, eliminating the need for lock-down screws or recalibration. Available attachments include coaxial illumination and 3-mm fine focus.
Navitar, Rochester, NY
Laser for circuit-board drilling
The Eagle series lasers have added a new 9.3-µm-wavelength CO2 industrial laser. While traditional CO2 lasers operate at 10.6-µm wavelength, the 9.3-µm wavelength allows for more efficient processing of many types of polymers. Laser drilling at this wavelength provides clean, no-burn holes that eliminate unwanted residue. The laser operates at a single wavelength without "line hopping" for enhanced power control.
Laser Machining, Somerset, WI
High-resolution motion camera
The Photon Fastcam-Ultima 1024 motion sensor with advanced CMOS technology has 1024 x 1024 pixel image resolution at a frame rate of 500 frames per second. It incorporates resistance to blooming and provides image capture of 16,000 images per second with freeze-frame capability. The system can network up to 63 cameras and sync them from up to 2 km away. It is designed for online applications where slow playback would optimize quality on the production line by monitoring performance and troubleshooting equipment problems.
MCT, Charlotte, NC
Spectral camera
The spectral camera is a prealigned and calibrated combination of an imaging spectrograph and a CCD camera. The compact camera has several versions at the 380- to 1000-nm-wavelength range and has 1.5- to 5.0-nm spectral resolution. Available output options range from 8-bits analog to 12-bits digital. Applications include machine-vision and scientific applications.
Specim Spectral Imaging, Oulu, Finland
Image-processing software
The upgraded MATLAB Image-Processing Toolbox 3 has added new features to include support for grayscale morphology, spatial transformations, image registration, deblurring, and DICOM file format support. Applications range from medical imaging to physics to geoscience. The toolbox is currently shipping for Windows 95, 98, 2000, and NT, Linux, and Unix.
The Math Works, Natick, MA