Diffraction-Limited Aspheric Lenses

Optical Surfaces Ltd. (Surrey, UK) is an international supplier of diffraction-limited aspheric lenses for nuclear research laser facilities. Over the last 40 years, Optical Surfaces has produced diffraction-limited aspheric lenses, up to 600mm in diameter, in a range of high-quality optical glasses with low f-number to optimize light gathering and focusing performance. Optical Surfaces is able to manufacture aspheric lenses with surface finish of 20/10 scratch/dig, surface roughness of 1nm rms and ultra-smooth slope errors.

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Oscilloscopes

Pico Technology (Cambridgeshire, UK) has introduced the PicoScope 9404-16 SXRTO, a 16 GHz sampler-extended real-time oscilloscope. The new model joins the 5 GHz 9404-05 model launched earlier this year. Suitable for repetitive or clock-derived signals, both models feature four high-resolution 12-bit channels, each supported by real-time sampling to 500 MS/s per channel and up to 5 TS/s (0.2 ps) equivalent-time sampling. The wide-band inputs, and fine timing and voltage resolutions, display and accurately measure transitions as fast as 22 ps, pulses and impulses down to 45 ps wide, and allow clock performance and eye diagram analysis of up to 11 Gb/s gigabit signals (to third harmonic).

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Embedded Imaging System

BitFlow, Inc. (Woburn, MA) recently demonstrated a high-speed, Small Form Factor (SFF) CoaXPress-NVIDIA® embedded imaging system. As building blocks, BitFlow's CoaXPress-NVIDIA solution coupled the BitFlow Claxon-CXP4 Quad CXP-12 frame grabber with a NVIDIA Jetson TX2 high-density AI computing platform, demonstrating it with a JAI SP-12000C-CXP4 camera for image acquisition. HDMI, DisplayPort, DSI and eDP video ports provide flexibility in display choices. Dispensing with the need for a full-sized PC altogether, images relayed from the BitFlow Claxon frame grabber are more efficiently processed on the NVIDIA CPU. The Claxon frame grabber provided Direct Memory Access (DMA) for 12 Megapixel images transferred into GPU memory where the NVIDIA processor performed 2D to 3D transformations in real time.

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3D Sensing Technology

Artilux (Zhubei, Taiwan) recently announced its new Artilux Explore Series for wide spectrum 3D sensing. The new Artilux technology integrates GeSi as the light absorption material with CMOS technology on a silicon wafer. It eliminates existing physics and engineering bottlenecks by significantly increasing QE to 70% at 940nm, as well as further extending the available spectrum up to 1550nm by achieving 50% QE at this wavelength. Combined with modulation frequency at 300 MHz and above, it delivers higher accuracy and better performance in sunlight and greatly reduces the risk of eye damage.

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Fiber-Based Camera

Mikrotron (Poway, CA) announced the launch of the Mikrotron EoSens® 4FIBER camera. This fanless high-speed camera delivers 4 Megapixel resolution 2,336 x 1,728 pixels at 563 frames-per-second (fps) over unprecedented distances via its MTP fiber camera-to-computer interface. Frame rates up to 225,000 fps are possible at lower resolution. The camera features an Alexma® AM41 high-sensitivity CMOS sensor and a full range of performance capabilities including gamma and FPN correction, noise reduction, skipping mode, and sequencer, all packaged within an 80 x 80 x 53mm metal housing.

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Industrial Cameras

LUCID Vision Labs, Inc. (Richmond, BC, Canada) announced the addition of the 3rd generation Sony Pregius 2.8 MP and 7.1 MP global shutter CMOS image sensors to its Triton GigE Vision camera series. Featuring the Sony IMX429 and IMX428 sensors, the new 2.8 MP and 7.1 MP Triton camera models have now entered series production. The larger 4.5 μm pixel size offers a high saturation capacity of 25,000e-, low read noise of 2.5e- and a wider dynamic range of 76 dB compared to the 2nd generation Sony Pregius sensors, enabling superior image acquisition under low light conditions.

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Microscope Condenser

The IS-GCI series of microscope condensers from Siskiyou Corporation (Grants Pass, OR) utilize Dodt gradient contrast (DGC) to provide a very simple means of imaging transparent, colorless objects, such as glass “patch clamp” probes, without the complexity and limitations of techniques based on phase and/or polarization. Specifically, IS-GCI condensers provide an off-axis illumination pattern that naturally creates contrast in a conventional microscope at sample edges, outlines and other sharp discontinuities with no other optics or special alignment required. They are available with or without an integrated LED light source option, including warm white (WW), dental blue (460 nm), green (525 nm), amber (590 nm), near-infrared (735 nm), or infrared (850 nm).

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UV Femtosecond Laser

The new Coherent (Santa Clara, CA) Monaco UV (345 nm) femtosecond laser delivers the combination of pulse energy and repetition rate (20 µJ/pulse at 1.25 MHz) that best matches the ablation threshold of commonly utilized materials. The monolithic Monaco UV is also the most compact (L=963 mm x W=358 mm x H=175 mm) industrial femtosecond UV solution available, simplifying integration for the system builder. Additionally, the Monaco UV utilizes the same software interface as the rest of the Monaco family. Monaco UV also utilizes the rigorous HALT/HASS design, manufacturing, and testing protocols employed in the company’s other high-reliability ultrafast and UV lasers.

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