Photonics & Imaging

Photonics/​Optics

Explore the latest technical briefs and product breakthroughs in photonics and optics. Resources include breakthroughs in lasers, laser systems, fiber optics, optical components, and photonics.

Stories

35
0
3210
30
Products: Photonics/Optics
Designed as a miniaturized surface-mount device for infrared detection in sensing applications, OPTEK Technology (Carrollton, TX) has developed a series of NPN silicon phototransistors in 1206 chip packages. The devices...
Feature Image
Products: Photonics/Optics
Mikron Infrared’s (Oakland, NJ) M7500 infrared camera is configurable for midwave or longwave infrared (MWIR/LWIR) imaging as well as four different temperature bands, without requiring cryogenic cooling. The M7500 can image...
Feature Image
Products: Photonics/Optics
The Diamonex Products Division of Morgan Advanced Ceramics (Stourport, Worcestershire, UK) has developed several coated glasses that resist scratching and digs for barcode scanning systems. Diamonex’s line of superhard...
Feature Image
Products: Photonics/Optics
Fiber Laser Design Software
Application Designer v3.0 from Liekki (Lohja, Finland) is a simulation and design software environment for fiber lasers and amplifiers with new transient analysis capability. The software provides the ability to simulate the dynamic regime and transients of active components and new components such as time-dependent...
Products: Photonics/Optics
Leica Geosystems (Unterentfelden, Switzerland) has released several laser trackers, ranging from portable units to large-scale units designed for the automotive and aerospace industries. The LT640 Leica Laser Tracker is optimized...
Feature Image
Products: Photonics/Optics
Pinpoint Laser Systems (Newburyport, MA) has developed the PLS-SAK003 spindle alignment kit for use in factories and machine shops. The laser is designed to check for parallelism, concentricity, and wear on spindles,...
Feature Image
Products: Photonics/Optics
Mini Photon Counter
SensL (Blackrock, Ireland) has developed the PCDMini, a miniature photon counting system for applications in biosciences, astronomy, and remote sensing. The PCDMini is a printed circuit board with hermetically sealed detector. The basic unit features quenching architecture and is available with a number of optional snap-on...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) optical resonators of a type now under development are designed to support few well-defined waveguide modes. In the simplest case, a resonator of this type would support...
Feature Image
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Electrically Tunable Terahertz Quantum-Cascade Lasers
Improved quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs) are being developed as electrically tunable sources of radiation in the far infrared spectral region, especially in the frequency range of 2 to 5 THz. (Heretofore, the wavelengths of QCLs have been adjusted by changing temperatures, but not by changing...
Articles: Photonics/Optics
Indium gallium arsenide, or InGaAs, is an alloy of gallium arsenide and indium arsenide. In a more general sense, it belongs to the InGaAsP quaternary system that consists of alloys...
Feature Image
Articles: Photonics/Optics
Partial reflectors in interferometers and polarization-sensitive devices (beam splitters used in reverse) such as beam-splitting cubes are common examples of systems that combine two...
Feature Image
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Optics Program Modified for Multithreaded Parallel Computing
A powerful high-performance computer program for simulating and analyzing adaptive and controlled optical systems has been developed by modifying the serial version of the Modeling and Analysis for Controlled Optical Systems (MACOS) program to impart capabilities for multithreaded...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
An apparatus denoted a laser image contrast enhancement system (LICES) increases the contrast with which one can view a target glowing with blackbody radiation (a white-hot object)...
Feature Image
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Dual-Laser-Pulse Ignition
A dual-pulse laser (DPL) technique has been demonstrated for generating laser-induced sparks (LIS) to ignite fuels. The technique was originally intended to be applied to the ignition of rocket propellants, but may also be applicable to ignition in terrestrial settings in which electric igniters may not be suitable. Laser...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Silicon waveguides have strong light confinement properties due to a very high index core (silicon, refractive index ~3.5) material surrounded by a much lower index glass (silica,...
Feature Image
Products: Photonics/Optics
Semrock (Rochester, NY) offers the ultra-broadband MaxMirror in a 2-in. (50.4 mm) diameter version. According to the manufacturers, the 2-in. mirror is designed for use in imaging systems or for the...
Feature Image
Products: Photonics/Optics
The FieldSpec 3 field spectroradiometer from Analytical Spectral Devices (Boulder, CO) offers Ethernet and wireless connectivity for remote data collection of up to 150 feet away in addition to built-in diagnostics,...
Feature Image
Products: Photonics/Optics
Spectra-Physics’ (Mountain View, CA) newest addition to the Mai Tai Ti:Sapphire laser product line delivers more than 2.5 W of average power and is now available with a 700-1020 nm tuning range. The laser is fully computer...
Feature Image
Products: Photonics/Optics
Designed for medical applications, the TrueFrame FT50M CCD image sensor from DALSA (Waterloo, ON, Canada) comes in a 1k × 1k-pixel array with 5.6 × 5.6-μm square pixels. Combined with high linear dynamic range of 67 dB,...
Feature Image
Products: Photonics/Optics
Refractive Index Elastomer
(Carpinteria, CA) offers Lightspan LSR-9562-30, a two-part, high-viscosity elastomer designed for injection molding of clear silicone parts, or as a potting and encapsulating compound because of its glob-top-like consistency. LSR-9562-30 is designed to protect electronic components and assemblies against shock, vibration,...
Products: Photonics/Optics
Optiwave Systems’ (Ottawa, ON, Canada) OptiFDTD 6.0 optical design software for passive and nonlinear photonic components brings Finite-Difference Time-Domain modeling and simulation to photonics and bio-photonics...
Feature Image
Products: Photonics/Optics
Micro Photonics (Irvine, CA) has introduced the Standard Pin-On-Disk and High Load Tribometers. Developed for high-temperature operations, high loads, and high rotational speeds up to 6000 rpm, the tribometer is...
Feature Image
Products: Photonics/Optics
The fourth generation of Cedip Infrared Systems’ (Croissy, Beaubourg, France) JADE IR cameras includes enhanced sensitivity (< 20 mK), faster frame rate, and a new windowing mode. The frame rate can be changed with a step...
Feature Image
Products: Photonics/Optics
The Kyma line of solid state lasers from Melles Griot (Carlsbad, CA) offers improved stability and performance by requiring fewer parts than diode pumped solid state (DPSS) lasers. Kyma technology supports wavelengths from...
Feature Image
Products: Photonics/Optics
Bookham (San Jose, CA) has introduced a high-power, uncooled multimode pump laser module for fiber laser pumping that combines high power with high reliability and stable performance. The new multimode pump laser module offers...
Feature Image
Products: Photonics/Optics
LED Chips
(Durham, NC) has released two new LED chips: the MegaBright 290 Gen 2 and the RazerThin 230. The MegaBright 290 Gen 2, a high-brightness chip, is 30 percent brighter and uses 8 percent less power than the chip it replaces. This new chip is targeted for digital camera, camera phone flash, and LCD backlighting applications, where brightness...
Products: Photonics/Optics
Liekki Application Designer v3.0 from Liekki (Way Gambrills, MD) is a simulation and design software environment for fiber lasers and amplifiers with new transient analysis capability. Liekki’s v3.0 provide the...
Feature Image
Products: Photonics/Optics
JAI’s (San Jose, CA) CV-A436 machine vision camera uses the latest generation of VGA resolution progressive scan 1⁄3-in. imager that allows the compact head size of 17 mm (diameter) and 46 mm (length). The head is...
Feature Image
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Portable Airborne Laser System Measures Forest-Canopy Height
The Portable Airborne Laser System (PALS) is a combination of laser ranging, video imaging, positioning, and data-processing subsystems designed for measuring the heights of forest canopies along linear transects from tens to thousands of kilometers long. Unlike prior laser ranging...

Videos