Optical systems use lenses to focus, collimate, expand, collect, and image light. Ranging from convex to concave, and bestform to aspheric, any lens selection must be made with the utmost consideration for its purpose as well as its required quality. This white paper delivers a review of singlet spherical lens shapes, and guidance on deciding the best lens characteristics for each application.
Embedding photonic functionalities into an integrated optical chip can often simplify and reduce the size of a system. This white paper introduces the basic concepts of photonic integration with a goal to help the reader understand how it can improve optical systems.
Manual instruments in production are gradually being replaced by automated optical measurement systems, where optimal illumination determines the test quality. A device that illustrates this transition is the ZEISS O-SELECT with an LED ring light from SCHOTT.
This application note provides information on the benefits of SWIR imaging in harsh or low-light level conditions, and PG&O's capabilities in manufacturing optical components for SWIR imaging.
Micro-lens arrays are monolithic components manufactured from synthetic fused silica and a laser writing process, which are created for high accuracy array collimation and coupling. PowerPhotonic designs and develops these micro-lens arrays for applications involving coupling between laser sources, fiber and waveguide arrays, optical multiplexing, and optical switching. This application note discusses micro-lens arrays, as well as the technologies they are used in such as wavelength selective switching, WSS technology, and MEMS and LCoS switches.
The PURAVIS® eco-friendly glass optical fibers from SCHOTT are designed for outstanding transmission of white light, even for long length applications. This “green” product is manufactured in an entirely environmentally friendly manner, including the entire proprietary manufacturing process, making the fibers automatically compliant with the EU directives RoHS and REACH.
LASER COMPONENTS designs and manufactures dielectric coatings for a wide range of laser optics applications. The laser optics provided by LASER COMPONENTS are mostly OEM products that meet the individual customer's specifications; the products include substrates and dielectric coatings.
OptoSigma provides MHK C-shaped stainless steel mirror holders designed for 12.7 mm dichroic mirrors and beamsplitters. The holders feature high-resolution adjustment, and a knob-less design that is suitable for system integration.
The ColdVision series from SCHOTT Lighting and Imaging is composed of an extensive array of light sources, fiber optic guides, and accessories designed to work seamlessly with each other for illumination purposes in machine vision and microscopy applications.
Optics Balzers has successfully developed and tested a special dielectric layer system with PARMS coating technology, making it possible to manufacture 45°-HR mirrors for 1030nm applications with an established destruction threshold of 0.44J/cm² at 210fs. These mirrors are typically used in ultra-short pulsed systems of Yb:YAG solid-state lasers.
SCHOTT Electronic Packaging offers the HermeS® glass substrate wafer with hermetically sealed solid “Through Glass Vias” (TGV) designed to enable fully gastight and long-term robust enclosures for MEMS devices such as industrial hermetic MEMS sensors, medical MEMS, and RF MEMS. It features fine-pitched vias that allow for reliable conduction of electrical signals and power into and out of MEMS devices.
SCHOTT Lighting and Imaging offers a series of fiber optic faceplates designed for high-resolution, “zero thickness” image transfer applications such as CCD and CMOS coupling, LCD and OLED displays, image intensification, remote viewing, field flattening, and X-ray imaging.
OptoSigma’s MHL high rigidity mirror holder is kinematic with a featured blade spring. The holder’s high rigidity makes the device capable of suppressing the positional shift from shocks or vibrations.
Corning Incorporated announced recently that it has entered into agreements with 3M to purchase substantially all of 3M’s Communication Markets Division in a cash transaction valued at approximately $900M. The acquisition is expected to close during 2018, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval.
Scientists have developed novel lenses that enable X-ray microscopy with record resolution in the nanometre regime. Using new materials, the research team led by DESY scientist Saša Bajt from the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) has perfected the design of specialised X-ray optics and achieved a focus spot size with a diameter of less than ten nanometres.
An international research project led by Kazuyuki Takeda of Kyoto University and Koji Usami of the University of Tokyo has developed a new method of light detection for nuclear magnetic resonance -- NMR -- by up-converting NMR radio-frequency signals into optical signals.
Excelitas Technologies Corp., a global technology leader focused on delivering innovative, customized photonic solutions, will unveil its new C30737MH Series Surface Mount Silicon Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs) at Photonics West 2018 (Booth #1031).
Excelitas Technologies Corp., a global technology leader focused on delivering innovative, customized photonic solutions, will unveil its new Qioptiq Rotatable (RO) Faraday Isolator at SPIE Photonics West 2018 (Booth # 1031).
Apple recently announced the latest award from its $1B Advanced Manufacturing Fund. Finisar, a leading manufacturer of optical communications components, will receive $390M as part of Apple’s commitment to support innovation and job creation by American manufacturers.
Extremely fine porous structures with tiny holes - resembling a kind of sponge at nano level - can be generated in semiconductors.
Talks by two Nobel Laureates will be among more than 5,200 leading-edge technical presentations held alongside the premier global photonics and laser exhibition, seminars, and training courses at SPIE Photonics West 2018 in San Francisco, California.
Optics
Optics is an interesting subset of physics. It is the study of light and how it can be used in various industries from measurements to biology as well as photography to navigation. Optics is a fascinating field and we are just beginning to scratch the surface with what we know. One of the most interesting developments in optics is the use of fiber optics in the transmission of data. Light is used to transmit data across long distances and this has proved to be efficient as well as inexpensive.
Light is the fasted trailing particle in the universe and it is radiated from one point to the next in the form of waves. Light in a vacuum can travel at an astonishing 300 million meters per second, a speed that would take it to the moon in just about one second. Optics is primarily concerned with the use of light and how the light can be reflected, refracted, bent or manipulated in just about any way. The unique nature of light gives tremendous benefits in using it in various industries. Optics is no one of the ways where light can be used to store data. It seems that anything electrons have done in the past, light waves are able to do, just able to do it faster. In the beginning copper cables were used to transmit electrical pulses in network data transfer. While at that time it was a breakthrough, it was comparatively slow to the movement of light through fiber optics. Once fiber optics replaced, broad band speeds were achieved. All thanks to optics. The uses of optics can advance further with headway being made in fields of defense as well as medicine. Optics are now being used to return sight to the blind as well as create sight for robots.
