Tunable ps pulsed light source
A tunable picosecond pulsed laser source includes a picoTRAIN Green modelocked laser synchronously pumping a Levante Emerald OPO (optical parametrical oscillator). Designed for ultrafast spectroscopy and multiphoton imaging, the system delivers wavelengths from 690 to 990 nm with a signal, and 1150 to 2300 nm with an idler output in a TEM00 beam.
High Q Laser, Bregenz, Austria
[email protected]
Optical-design software
LightTools Version 5.4 includes a new surface feature that allows the user to create an arbitrary geometrical object and then produce surfaces in which the object is positioned repeatedly in a variable pattern. Other new features include two new merit functions for illumination applications, improvements to the optimization algorithms and support for the CATIA V5 file format.
Optical Research Associates,
Pasadena, CA
[email protected]
Fizeau-interferometer test optics
Additional Fizeau-interferometer test optics have been released for the Absolute Fizeau λ/40 transmission sphere product line. Absolute Fizeau λ/50 concave and convex reference spheres will allow the user to record and store reference wavefronts for subtraction from interferometric test data. Absolute Fizeau λ/50 transmission flats and reference flats have also been added.
Melles Griot Optics Group,
Rochester, NY
[email protected]
Objective scanner systems
The PIFOC piezo z-drive system is suited for high-speed z-stack image acquisition, to generate 3-D views of samples in optical microscopes. Available as individual components or complete systems, the 100-μm-travel-range model provides a step speed of 10 ms and resolution of 0.65 nm. A 400-μm-travel-range model has a resolution of 1.25 nm.
PI (Physik Instrumente), Auburn, MA
[email protected]
Dual-wavelength lens
The 633/1060 nm dual-wavelength lens corrects for chromatic aberrations that can be a problem when one wavelength is much larger than the other. It is shaped like a regular plano/convex lens, but a diffractive pattern is added to the planar surface. Applications include laser pointing in surgical or industrial sytems.
Holo/Or, Rehovoth, Israel
[email protected]
Raman software
LabSphere 5 software for Raman spectroscopy is built on a kernel-based modular structure and operates with all the company’s Raman devices. It incorporates custom accessories such as FT-IR, mapping, temperature controlled stages, and additional detectors. It records Raman images in any shape or format and offers a wide range of data processing tools.
Horiba Jobin Yvon, Edison, NJ
[email protected]
Optical profiler
The HS200A NanoScale optical profiler acquires and displays three-dimensional images with better than then 50 nm resolution in seconds. It includes all the capabilities of a research-grade binocular optical microscope. Applications include 3-D imaging and metrology of rough or sloped surfaces of MEMS and other semiconductor devices, as well as imaging subsurfaces through transparent materials.
Hyphenated Systems,
Burlingame, CA
[email protected]
Photon counters
The id100 series of single-photon-counting modules for visible wavelengths has a dark-count rate of better than 1 Hz for 20-µm-diameter devices, or 20 Hz for 50-µm-diameter devices. They have timing resolution of 40 ps, dead time of 50 ns, and timing stability at count rates up to 20 MHz in pulsed-mode regime.
id Quantique, Geneva, Switzerland
[email protected]
Mixer
The Thinky ARE-250 benchtop planetary mixer mixes, disperses, and degasses down to a micron level without a vacuum in a sealed or lid-less container such as a jar, beaker, syringe barrel, or cartridge. It can formulate compounds in quantities from 0.5 ml to 310 g. It can be used on epoxies, silicones, conductive pastes, medicines, and chemical materials.
Intertronics, Kidlington,
Oxfordshire, England
[email protected]
LED substrate
The Anotherm substrate conducts heat away from LEDs to increase their lifespan and light output. An insulation systems consists of a thin layer of anodized aluminum oxide chemically grown on the aluminum core for a dielectric layer 35 µm thick. It can operate up to 175ºC, with maximum operating voltage of 250 VAC and thermal impedance of 0.02ºC/W.
TT electronics IRC Advanced Film Division, Corpus Christi, TX
[email protected]
Ray-tracing software
A nonlinear optimization module for TracePro ray-tracing software is based on the program’s macro language, Scheme. A program manages the request to optimize a set of parameters and macros perform and analyze changes in the model. The module aims to speed up the iterative design process and increase optical analysis efficiency.
Lambda Research, Littleton, MA
[email protected]
Alexandrite filter
The P1205 pink filter blocks alexandrite and diode lasers from 730 to 855 nm with a peak at 755-840 nm, where it provides I L7 for pulsed lasers and D L5 for CW lasers. It also includes UV protection from 190 to 375 nm. It is available in three frame styles.
Laservision, Fuerth, Germany
[email protected]
Pulsed fiber laser
The LU1065F005 pulsed fiber laser has an average optical output power of 5 W at 1060 to 1080 nm with 0.5 mJ pulse energy. It is a ytterbium laser in master-oscillator power-amplifier configuration. It is programmable through a conventional USB computer interface for repetition rates from 10 to 100 kHz and widths from 50 to 250 ns.
Lumics, Berlin, Germany
[email protected]
Low-viscosity adhesive
Polymer System EP30-1 is a low-viscosity, two-component epoxy designed for high-performance fiberoptic bonding, coating, potting, and encapsulation. It cures at room temperature or more rapidly at elevated temperatures, with a 4:1 mix ratio by weight. It is 100% reactive and does not contain solvents or other volatiles.
Master Bond, Hackensack, NJ
[email protected]
Vibration isolation
The MK26 Series vibration-control workstation is designed for ultralow natural-frequency applications and negative-stiffness vibration isolators. The isolators achieve 93% isolation at 2 Hz, 99% at 5 Hz, and 99.7% at 10 Hz. It has a maximum load capacity of 700 lb, a maximum width of 48 in., and a maximum depth of 36 in.
Minus K Technology,
Inglewood, CA
[email protected]
Digital encoder
The Mercury II digital encoder for motion-control applications comes in models with resolutions from 5 µm to 1.2 mm, linear or 20k CPR to 268M CPR rotary. It has glass scales with accuracy of ±25 nm. Operating speed at 50 nm resolution is 2 m/s. It works with PurePrecision laser tape, glass linear, and rotary scales.
MicroE Systems, Natick, MA
[email protected]
Orientation sensor
The SFH 7710 SMT orientation sensor detects whether a photo has been taken in portrait or landscape format and forwards the information to software that automatically displays the photo in correct orientaion. It measures 4.4 x 4.4 x 1.8 mm and comes in a plastic package suitable for standard solder processes.
Osram Opto Semiconductors, Regensburg, Germany
www.osram-os.com
Aerosol spectrometer
The LAS-X 11 aerosol research spectrometer counts particles from 0.09 to 2 µm and has a size resolution of better than 5%. Users can select particle sizes for up to 100 channels, with any flow rate from 10 to 100 sccm. The device contains an onboard Windows-based PC computer for data analysis.
Particle Measuring Systems,
Boulder, CO
[email protected]
NIR APDs
The VDA series 200 µm InGaAs avalanche photodiodes have noise of keff less than 0.18 over the near-IR spectral response range of 900 to 1700 nm, which includes eye-safe wavelengths greater than 1300 nm. The low noise enables longer detection ranges and higher sensitivity.
Voxtel, Beaverton, OR
www.voxtel-inc.com
Photon-counting system
Version 2.0 of the programmer’s library for the PicoHarp 300 time-correlated single-photon-counting systems adds support for several devices operated simultaneously. It also provides device drivers for 64-bit versions of Windows for the AMD x64 architecture. It contains a new router model for multidetector counting. It supports PMTs, NIM, and TTL SPAD detectors.
PicoQuant, Berlin, Germany
[email protected]
Red fiber lasers
The WhisperIT line now includes fiber-coupled versions of miniature red-laser modules. They are available with regular single-mode fiber, PM single-mode fiber, or multimode fiber. An FC/PC connector is the standard termination, but other common connector types are available. A fiber remote-head option that adds automatic power control at the output end is also available.
Pavilion Integration Corp.,
San Jose, CA
[email protected]
Surface profiler
The Dektak 150 surface profiler for research and industrial metrology applications accommodates samples up to 100 mm thick, performs scans of 55 mm, and provides a larger x-y translation stage. It has 0.5 mm vertical ranges with a 1 mm extension option. It has subnanometer step-height repeatability to measure thin films from below 10 nm to nearly 1 mm thick.
Veeco Instruments, Santa Barbara, CA
www.veeco.com
Machine-vision system
The Eyespector 1.4 series machine vision system includes a 2048-pixel line-scan camera with a maximum clock rate of 1 GHz, with four digital PLC inputs and four outputs, plus a trigger input for jitter-free image recording. Black-and-white or color cameras have a maximum resolution of 2 megapixels and rate of 200 frames/s. Four software packages are available.
Vision Components, Ettingen, Germany
www.vision-components.com
Lidar software
DASHMap data-processing software is designed for use with the company’s airborne laser terrain-mapper line. It includes a simplified user interface with embedded 3-D visualization and fully incorporated geodetic transformation.
Optech, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada
www.optech.ca
Optimization lab
The Optimization Lab adds optimization codes for computationally intensive FEA (finite element analysis) and multiphysics problems. The simulation tool includes optimization solvers based on SNOPT and SQOPT codes. The lab includes solvers for constrained problems of linear, quadratic, and nonlinear optimization as well as linear and nonlinear least squares.
Comsol, Burlington, MA
[email protected]
Diode laser
The AM6-940A-20-408 is a 4 W, multimode 940 nm diode laser in an uncooled, electrically isolated package. It provides a 105 μm fiber output with 0.22 NA and meets Telcordia GR-468 requirements. The device is suited for CATV and telecom applications.
Alfalight, Madison, WI
www.alfalight.com
Ethernet adapter
The Smart Ethernet Adapter is intended for use with the company’s parallel-port spectrometers. It is designed with a specialized internal microprocessor that enables RJ45/Ethernet connectivity. By adding the adapter, users of these instruments can upgrade instrument controllers and software versions while still utilizing non-parallel-port computers.
Analytical Spectral Devices, Boulder, CO
[email protected]
Pulse compression gratings
Volume-phase-holographic transmission gratings have been developed to support ultrafast laser applications. The gratings are suited for use as the critical dispersion elements that allow laser pulses to be compressed into the femtosecond regime. Exhibiting low loss and low scatter, each grating is encapsulated between two glass substrates with antireflective coatings on the external surfaces.
Kaiser Optical Systems, Ann Arbor, MI
[email protected]
Long-life battery and screen options
Long-life battery and integrated screen options for Silver IR cameras allow users to set up and align thermal measurement experiments remotely from a PC or electrical power source. Applications that will benefit from the new options include stress measurement of outdoor structures, nondestructive testing, and portable IR experiments.
Cedip Infrared Systems, Croissy-Beaubourg, France
[email protected]
Laser-beam profiling software
BeamView-USB 4.3.1 software includes a library of LabView Virtual Instruments that allow access to BeamView-USB functions. The new software also allows program communications through TXP/IP protocol and RS-232 for remote, wireless operation and data acquisition. It allows a single host computer to directly control as many as eight USB-connected LaserCam-HR cameras.
Coherent, Santa Clara, CA
[email protected]
UV microscope
Infinitiprobe UV probe microscopes feature a continuously focusable design and can be mounted on video cameras. They have a magnification range from 0 to 8.0x, are available in either straight (standard) or right-angle versions and image in the 250 to 400 nm wavelength range.
Edmund Industrial Optics,
Barrington, NJ
[email protected]
Fiber-optic microscope
A handheld inspection microscope uses a white LED to provide coaxial illumination to connector endfaces for detection of defects and debris. The unit provides more than 40 hours of operation using three standard AAA batteries. The microscope is available in 200x and 400x magnification.
Fiber Instrument Sales,
Oriskany, NY
[email protected]
NIR sensors
Two InGaAs linear image sensors, the G9494-256D and G9494-512D, are designed for high-speed detection of NIR light in the spectral range between 0.9 and 1.7 μm. Intended for on-line foreign-object inspection systems, they feature a 2 MHz data rate (typical), square pixels, on-chip CMOS signal processing circuitry, and use a 5 V power supply.
Hamamatsu, Bridgewater, NJ
[email protected]
Raman spectrometer
The Raman Explorer 532 is a Raman spectrometer based on the company’s patented retroreflective concentric design. It utilizes a 532 nm excitation laser to extend the Raman Explorer platform, which is currently used in applications ranging from space exploration to deep ocean research to in-line process analysis of industrial operations.
Headwall Photonics, Fitchburg, MA
[email protected]
Wavelength meter
The Wavelength Meter WS7-IR-II measures continuous-wave and pulsed lasers up to a wavelength of 2250 nm, with a relative accuracy of 10-7. This corresponds to an absolute accuracy of roughly 50 MHz or 0.1 pm at 1064 nm. Based on a Fizeau interferometer, the meter has no movable internal mechanics or optics.
HighFinesse, Tübingen, Germany
[email protected]