New Products

Photonics & Imaging Technology INSIDER

Test Equipment

The LDTC LAB series instruments from Wavelength Electronics (Bozeman, MT) combine low noise, high-end digital control laser diode driver technology with an IntelliTune® smart temperature controller. Two models are available, the LD2TC5 LAB and the LD5TC10 LAB. The LD2TC5 LAB outputs up to 2A and 5A for the laser and thermoelectric, respectively. The LD5TC10 LAB outputs up to 5A and 10A. Both models offer 10V of laser compliance voltage and 15V of thermoelectric compliance voltage. The intuitive touchscreen interface and IntelliTune® PID control algorithm simplify precision operation.

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Videoscopes

A new line of five industrial videoscopes from Titan Tool Supply, Inc. (Buffalo, NY) features interchangeable video probes that allow for the use of different insertion tube lengths and diameters with one video unit. TVG-PRO Series videoscopes offer Tungsten braid cables in combinations of three lengths of 1.5m (59”), 2m (78”) and 3m (118”) and three diameters of 2.8mm (0.110”), 4mm (0.157”) and 6mm (0.236”). The videoscopes feature a 5” LCD monitor with five levels of brightness control and high-intensity LED illumination to provide 100,000 hours of life. Field of view is 80° or 90° and depth of view is 10-80mm or 15mm to infinity depending on the model.

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Large Spectroscopic Prisms

Optical Surfaces Ltd. (Surrey, UK) manufactures large, high-quality prisms for spectroscopic, surveying and telescope applications. Optical Surfaces is able to produce all types and configurations of prism (amici/roof, bi-Fresnel, corner cube retroreflectors, dove, equilateral, isosceles, penta, rhomboid and wedge) with very tight tolerances. Manufactured from high quality optical glasses, prisms are available as single components (up to 450mm) or as cemented units. The company’s production team routinely achieves angle accuracy of better than 2 arc seconds, surface accuracy of lambda/20 p-v, 10/5 surface quality and microroughness of less than 1.2nm rms on its prisms.

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Evaluation Kits for Canon Image Sensors

Critical Link, LLC (Syracuse, NY) announced the availability of evaluation kits for two of Canon’s latest CMOS image sensors: the 120MXS, a 120MP CMOS sensor; and the 3U5MGXSBA, a 5MP global shutter sensor. The kits allow developers to test sensor features and performance to ensure a fit with their application. Evaluation Kits consist of a camera with a pre-installed Canon CMOS sensor, and include: accessory package for out-of-the-box operation (quick start guide, power supply, compact tripod, cables); embedded software to set up the sensor, acquire image data and communicate over USB 3.1 interface with any USB 3 compliant UI; sensor board design files and source code; and VHDL code for the FPGA.

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Tiny Image Sensor and Miniature Camera Module

OmniVision Technologies, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA) announced that its OV6948 recently won a Guinness World Record for “The Smallest Image Sensor Commercially Available” with its size of 0.575mm x 0.575mm. Derived from this ultra-small imager, the company also announced its OVM6948 CameraCubeChip™–a fully packaged, wafer-level camera module measuring 0.65mm x 0.65mm, with a z-height of just 1.158mm. This complete module can be integrated into a catheter or endoscope with a diameter as small as 1.0mm. With this camera’s small size and high 200x200, or 40 KPixel backside-illuminated resolution, high quality images can be captured from within the body’s narrowest blood vessels.

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VUV and IR Monochromator

The new McPherson (Chelmsford, MA) Model 207 spectrometer is a 670mm focal length, optically fast, f/4.7 monochromator. The Model 207V is available in a VUV version for use down to 105nm and in the vacuum IR. It is also now available with off-axis parabolic optics for better imaging, if required. The off-axis parabolic (OAP) mirrors provide both low f/number and stigmatic monochromator performance. The Model 207A with OAP optics provides coincident sagittal and tangential foci as well as perfect collimation and focusing. Other features include Snap-In™ diffraction gratings to cover wavelength ranges from 105 nm to 100 μm!

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Line Confocal Sensors

FocalSpec (Oulu, Finland) is introducing two new line confocal sensors, the LCI1220 and LCI1620. Like all Focal Spec LCI sensors, they can be used to inspect any surface types, including curved, transparent and multilayered materials. All this now happens with a speed of up to 16,000 profiles per second and Z-repeatability of 0.19-0.25 microns. Current applications include surface profiling and tomographic imaging of smartphones with 3D curved glass, surface roughness measurement of any material including transparent or shiny surfaces, and the inspection of transparent glues and inks in the printed and flexible electronics industry.

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Ultrafast Laser

The new Chameleon Discovery NX laser from Coherent (Santa Clara, CA) is particularly well-suited for live tissue imaging in neuroscience and other intravital applications. The Chameleon Discovery NX offers power levels up to 3W, and shortest pulses at the sample plane to enable complex two photon microscope configurations. Short pulse duration is key to high brightness/contrast images and is enabled by a group dispersion delay (GDD) pre-compensator with enhanced dynamic range. It avoids unwanted pulse stretching, even in wide field microscope setups using highly refractive objectives. Chameleon Discovery NX also provides tuning from 660 nm to 1320 nm, while simultaneously producing a high-power fixed wavelength output at 1040 nm.

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