New Products
CMOS camera
The Phantom v4.0 CSR-CMOS imaging sensor is a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor camera that takes 1000 pictures/s at 512 x 512 pixels. It has rapid synchronous shutter times down to 10 µm. Users can select live image areas to achieve up to 32,000 pictures/s without the blooming or multipanel artifacts of CCDs. Up to 63 cameras can be operated from a single laptop PC using FireWire ports. Operating parameters can be stored in camera memory.
Vision Research, Wayne, NJ
Blue microlaser
A solid-state, diode-pumped laser delivers up to 400 mW of single-frequency power at 457 nm, using approximately 60 W of electrical power at room temperature. It has low amplitude noise and good beam-pointing stability. The laser head, power supply, and controller combine in a portable package that can withstand environments between 10°C and 35°C. The system can accommodate all standard North American, European, and Asian voltages and frequencies.
Melles Griot Laser Group, Carlsbad, CA
Photodiodes
The S6428-01, 29-01, and 30-01 silicon photodiodes offer a typical high-speed response of 0.5 µs. The blue sensor has a photosensitivity of 0.22 A/W with a spectral response of 400 to 540 nm. The green is typically 0.27 A/W with a range of 480 to 600 nm. The red has a photosensitivity of 0.45 A/W and a spectral response of 590 to 720 nm. All three have a low dark current of 5 pA and low terminal capacitance of 200 pF.
Hamamatsu Corp., Bridgewater, NJ
Thermoelectric coolers
OptoTEC thermoelectric coolers for telecommunication laser diodes, infrared detectors, and CCDs can achieve temperature differences approaching 70°C, with a three-stage cooler able to reach 110°C. They use the Peltier effect to achieve cooling or heating and can operate at 225°C and higher. The line includes wire bonding posts, aluminum nitride ceramic plates, and custom packaging and comes in both single-stage and multistage modules.
Melcor, Trenton, NJ
Air cooling system
The Model 9229-733P2 water-to-ambient-air cooling system is a compact drop-in assembled component for cooling lasers. The unit has a cooling performance of 110 W of dissipation for every 1°C of initial temperature differential between air entering and water entering the heat exchanger.
Thermatron Engineering, Methuen, MA
Barcode reader
The BL-600 laser scan barcode reader uses a polygon mirror to provide high accuracy at wide reading angles, offering a reading range of ±60° and twice the reading area of conventional readers. It can read bars as thin as 0.125 mm and uses specular reflection cancellation to deal with highly reflective backgrounds.
Keyence Corp. of America, Woodcliff Lake, NJ
Collimator
A range of tube-mounted off-axis collimators eliminates most alignment. The collimators use zero-expansion glass-ceramic optics mounted in aluminum tubes with black internal walls. Combined optical performance is better than l/5 P-v at 633-nm in the field center. Three feet on the collimators are adjustable by ±10 mm for positioning.
Optical Surfaces, Kenley, Surrey, England
Color video camera
The D107 is a CCD video camera with digital-signal processing and a 1/3-in. 768 x 484 pixel sensor providing 470 lines of resolution in simultaneous NTSC and S-video outputs. Light sensitivity at f/1.4 is 3 lux. The camera has a manual shutter and an automatic shutter with speed to 1/100,000 s.
MicroImage video Systems, Boyertown, PA
Fiberoptic sensor
The BOS 20K fiberoptic sensor is a programmable, push-button sensor for small parts detection, part feature checks, counting, and positioning. Display elements indicate sensor output, time delay, stability, and key lockout condition. It includes light-on/dark-on capability, external teach inputs, visible red emission, and switching delay settable to 5 s.
Balluff, Florence, KY
Optocoupler
The HCPL-3700 ac/dc-to-logic-interface optocoupler in an optically isolated voltage/current threshold detection device with a threshold-sensing input buffer integrated circuit coupled to an open collector output and is both TTL and CMOS compatible. voltage-sensing range is 5 to 240 v, and operating temperature range is -40°C to 85°C, with voltage/current threshold guaranteed from 0°C to 70°C.
QT Optoelectronics, Sunnyvale, CA
Chiller
The Iceman Micro series chiller is designed for small-capacity process cooling and is made with noncorrosive construction. Fractional cooling capacities of 1/4 or 1/3 ton are offered in both air- and water-cooled condensing styles. The chillers operate with environmentally safe R-134A freon. Its footprint is 17 x 26 in.
Mokon Division, Protective Closures, Buffalo, NY
Digital photo system
The Advantage Plus digital photography system for use with transmission electron microscopes includes a Roper Scientific MegaPlus ES 4.0 camera with a CCD sensor array that captures 2048 x 2048 pixels. It can produce up to a 12-bit gray scale (4096 grays) and capture images at 15 frames/s or 30 frames/s with 2 x 2 binning.
Advanced Microscopy Techniques, Danvers, MA
Q-switched laser
The Scimitar diode-pumped Q-switched 1-µm Nd:YAG rod laser comes in 100-W multimode or 20-W TEM00 versions. It is designed for machining needs that require good beam quality. Standard units operate in CW mode and can be equipped with acousto-optic Q-switches providing operation from 1 to 50 kHz. Green output is available at 40 W. Fiber couplings, OEM electronics, and RS-232 interfaces are available.
Cutting Edge Optronics, St. Charles, MO
Flexible light guides
A range of ring, straight, bifurcated, and multifurcated light guides can be made from fibers of 220-µm-diameter quartz, 45-µm-diameter multicomponent glass, or 250- to 2000-µm plastic for Uv or visible applications. The guides are protected with flexible steel sheathing and operate over a -40°C to 180°C temperature range (plastic to 80°C).
Moritex Europe, Cambridge, England
Optical encoder
The Model QD787 optical encoder comes in a package 20 mm in diameter and has resolution up to 1024 lines per revolution direct read. Outputs can be configured in single-ended open collector or internal pull-up resistor or with an industrial standard RS 422A differential line driver. A conductive carbon-fiber composite housing provides EMI shielding.
Quantum Devices, Barneveld, WI
PIN photodiodes
Series 444 large-area PIN photodiodes have an active area of 1 cm2 and come in either a pinned and electrically isolated or a BNC connectorized version. They are available with high shunt resistance for simplified photovoltaic operation and low shunt resistance for photoconductive operation with greater linearity and increased speed. An ultraviolet option is for scintillation counting operations, and blue and near-infrared options are for general use, such as in hand-held photometers.
Advanced Photonix, Camarillo, CA
Vibration isolators
MaxDamp vibration isolators use a multiaxis viscous-fluid system to rapidly damp vibration. It is designed for applications using high-speed xy stages, robots, or payloads with a high center of gravity. Compact sub-hertz pendulum isolators use a pendulum with a horizontal resonant frequency below 0.5 Hz for applications where settling times must be improved and horizontal floor noise must be minimized.
Linos Photonics, Milton Keynes, England
Micro camera
The cylindrical-shaped 3CCD micro camera line includes the GP-US542 two-piece color camera system with a 20-mm-diameter head. The unit features three 1/4-in. IT CCDs and 10-bit digital signal processing. It produces images with 700 lines of horizontal resolution in a minimum illumination of 15 lux.
Panasonic Industrial/Medical Group, Secaucus, NJ
Spectrophotometers
Anthelie Light and Advanced Uv-visible spectrophotometers can measure absorbencies for -0.1 to 3 (-0.1% to 100% transmission) over a spectral range of 190-900 nm. Bandwidth is 2 or 5 nm with accuracy to ±1 nm. A single-cell holder with an optical path of 10-100 mm is standard.
SECOMAM, Domont, France
Off-axis paraboloids
Mounted or unmounted paraboloids are available in diameters up to 600 mm, with surface accuracy up to l/20, surface roughness below 1.5 nm rms, and off-axis angles to 25°. Coatings can range from simple metallic with or without a protective overcoat to multilayer dielectrics or ultrahard coatings for high-power lasers.
Optical Surfaces Ltd., Kenley, Surrey, England
Detector board
The TimeHarp 100 board for PCs comes with a Labview driver for measurement automation and visualization software. It has a bin width less than 40 ps, 3-MHz maximum count rate, and a low differential nonlinearity and is designed for use with single-photon detectors. Using diode lasers for excitation, it can achieve an overall instrument response function of 300 ps FWHM.
PicoQuant, Berlin, Germany
Precision encoders
The Microlinear Encoder series for applications with tight space requirements, such as x and y measuring stages and semiconductor manufacturing, includes encoders with either 0.8- or 1.6-µm/period, with options for sinusoidal wave, regular wave, or pulse output. The encoders have a maximum response of 480 mm/s, grating pitch of 1.6 or 3.2 µm, operating temperature ranges from 0°C to 40°C, with a maximum impact limit of 60G, 11 ms.
Canon USA Semiconductor Division, Lake Success, NY
Safety eyewear
Model 1150 safety eyewear has a lightweight glass lens with an optical density of >4 at 800 to 900 nm. Optical density is >5 at 810 nm.
Trinity Technologies, Minneapolis, MN
Diode controller module
The LDC-3916376 module for a multichannel laser-diode controller contains a 1.5-A laser-diode current source and a 9-W TEC control circuit. The module is designed for driving the higher-power pump lasers used in erbium-doped fiber amplifiers and provides modulation up to 900 kHz and independent channel control. Up to 16 modules can be loaded in one mainframe.
ILX Lightwave, Bozeman, MT
Oscilloscope
The 86100A Infiniium DCA wide-bandwidth oscilloscope is capable of digital communications analysis for compliance measurements. The instrument is designed for high productivity in waveform test and characterization.
Agilent Technologies, Santa Rosa, CA
Machine-vision sensor
The In-Sight smart camera for machine vision includes a variety of software vision tools, a DSP chip for high-speed processing, and standard vGA output. It can be set up and run without a PC and comes in a rugged, sealed enclosure for mounting in any orientation in a harsh environment.
Cognex Corp., Natick, MA
Ringlights
Model 5 and Model 8 circular fluorescent vision illuminators are 25-kHz ringlights for a variety of machine-vision applications. They come in rugged, black anodized-aluminum housings with industry-standard threadholds for mounting. They can be equipped with yellow, black-light blue, and various white color temperature lamps. Model 5 has a standard 5100 K daylight fluorescent lamp, and Model 8 has a 6500 K lamp as standard.
Stocker & Yale, Salem, NH
Progressive scan camera
The vC38 industrial smart camera includes a Sony 1/3-in. progressive scan sensor with resolution of 640 x 480 pixels, 8 Mbytes of SDRAM, and 2 Mbytes of flash EPROM. It measures 100 x 50 x 36 mm and weighs 250 mg. It supports full-frame integration and image acquisition, program-controlled and external triggering, and vertical resets/restarts.
Vision Components, Cambridge, MA
LED clusters
Series 1293 Safelight LED cluster lamps come in red, amber, green, and infrared and require no additional filters. They are available in common voltages from 5 to 240 v, dc or ac, with narrow, medium, and wide angles of illumination. The infrared version emits in the 800- to 1000-nm range for illuminating objects to be picked up with night-vision equipment.
LEDtronics, Torrance, CA
Laser drilling system
The JK704TR high-intensity laser drilling system has peak output of 30 kW and is fitted with low-divergence optics. It can drill holes in a single shot or perform percussion drilling of holes 0.4 to 1.2 mm in diameter or fast trepanning of 0.5- to 0.8-mm holes in less than 1 s.
GSI Lumonics, Ann Arbor, MI
Laser-diode array
The SLD402S laser-diode array is designed as an excitation source for YAG and other crystals. It is 10 mm long, with a lifetime of 5000 h, maximum output of 22 W, operating voltage of 2.1 v, and operating temperature of -10°C to 30°C. The array offers wavelengths from 790 to 840 nm.
Photonic Products Ltd., Newport, Essex, England
Uv lamp stand
The vF-100 Spec-Stik is an aluminum stand with two posts at one end and an adjustable radiometer-sensor holder at the other. It is designed to lock an ultraviolet lamp and a sensor securely for calibrating the lamp and works with the company's equipment.
Spectronics Corp., Westbury, NY
Metal-halide illuminator
The MH-24 fiberoptic illuminator features a 24-W metal-halide lamp, delivering white light at a color temperature of more than 5400 K. It has an external switching power supply that can operate on any voltage between 100 and 240 vac at 50 to 60 Hz. A 1.2-mm gap delivers 611 lumens into a 3-mm-diameter fiber and 923 lumens for a 5-mm-diameter bundle. Median lamp life is 500 h.
Dolan-Jenner Industries, Lawrence, MA
Tunable laser
Indigo-SLM is a single-frequency pulsed laser tunable over a range of 720 to 920 nm, with an average power of 1.5 W (TEM00) and a repetition rate up to 5 kHz. It operates on 110 or 220 vac and does not require an external water supply. Doubling and tripling packages and computer-controlled motorized wavelength tuning are available.
Positive Light, Los Gatos, CA
Infrared camera
The UL3 Alpha infrared camera operates in the 8- to 12-µm range, weighs 6 oz, and uses approximately 1 W. It provides analog video in monochrome RS-170A format with optional CCIR and real-time 12-bit corrected digital video. Images are displayed at 30 frames/s.
Indigo Systems, Santa Barbara, CA
Cuvette holder
The Flash 100 cuvette holder for laser-excitation studies, such as flash photolysis or pulsed-laser photoacoustics, uses a thermoelectric device to provide stable temperature control from -15°C to 80°C ±0.02°C. Temperatures down to -40°C can be achieved with added insulation. The holder provides variable speed magnetic stirring, dry gas purge, and position adjustments.
Quantum Northwest, Spokane, WA