Laser Focus World articles from August 2003

Laser Focus World archives from August 2003

Looking out for the long term.(editor's desk)
August 1, 2003... Visitors to the recent Laser meeting in Munich, Germany, could not fail to have noticed the number of children on the exhibit floor. From the occasional toddler still in a stroller to groups of high-school-age kids on a field trip with their...

Photopatterned sol-gel optical sensors measure oxygen concentration.(news breaks)
August 1, 2003... Sol-gel materials are being fashioned into chemical sensors by researchers at Dublin City University (Dublin, Ireland). They have developed an ultraviolet photopatterning technique to fabricate ridge waveguides and spot arrays of an...

Dual-material photonic crystal contains quantum-well light emitters.(news breaks)
August 1, 2003... Photonic crystals (PCs) containing light emitters can potentially tailor the emitters' spectral and directional output. Integrating emitters into PCs is not an easy task, though. Researchers at Kyoto University are creating PCs of alternating...

Aiming at 10 kW, infrared free-electron laser achieves first light.(news breaks)
August 1, 2003... The dismantled free-electron laser (FEL) at the Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab; Newport News, VA), which in 1999 produced 2.1 kW of infrared light, is being replaced by an upgraded version...

Liquid-crystal lens focuses electrically.(news breaks)
August 1, 2003... A lens that is focused electrically instead of by mechanical motion would result in simple and rugged lens assemblies. Engineers at CRL Opto (Fife, Scotland) have developed a version of this sort of lens that relies on liquid crystal for...

Fluidic lens focuses by pressure.(news breaks)
August 1, 2003... In another version of a lens focused in a nonstandard way, researchers at the University of California, San Diego (La Jolla, CA) have fabricated fluidic adaptive lenses in which fluid is forced between a membrane and a rigid transparent...

Gallium nitride becomes new periodically poled nonlinear crystal.(news breaks)
August 1, 2003... Researchers at Lucent Technologies' Bell Laboratories have demonstrated second-harmonic generation in periodically poled gallium nitride (PPGaN) by first-order quasiphase-matching. The material has a transparency window of 365 nm to 13.6...

Optically pumped semiconductor disk laser emits 8 W at 100 nm.(news breaks)
August 1, 2003... Optically pumped disk lasers of doped crystals achieve high output and good beam quality from a small package. Now, researchers at Osram Opto Semiconductors (Regensburg, Germany) are applying the same principle to semiconductor lasers....

FIONA watches as myocin struts.(news breaks)
August 1, 2003... Researchers at the University of Illinois (Champaign, IL) have developed a single-molecule fluorescence-imaging technique that has allowed them to look in detail inside a cell. There, they discovered molecules of myocin striding along a helical...

Aluminum nitride provides foundation for short-wavelength military LEDs.(news breaks)
August 1, 2003... The development of the shortest-wavelength gallium nitride (GaN)-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) will of necessity rely on high proportions of aluminum (Al). The bandgap of AlN is the highest of the nitrides suitable for LEDs and potentially...

Laser 2003: a welcome relief.(Conference Review)
August 1, 2003... Laser 2003 (June 23-26; Munich, Germany) seemed like a breath of fresh air after the generally lackluster Conference on Laser and Electro-Optics (CLEO; Baltimore, MD) earlier in June and the ongoing wariness that currently pervades the...

T-rays may check shuttle foam.(world news)
August 1, 2003... Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI; Troy, NY) and Lockheed Martin Space Systems (New Orleans, LA) are investigating terahertz imaging as a potential nondestructive method for preflight inspection of the foam that is applied to...

Disordered structure shows photonic bandgap.(Nanostructures)
August 1, 2003... Physicists at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC; Madrid, Spain) and the University of Delaware (Newark, DE) have demonstrated that metallic nanowires embedded in a dielectric matrix can be used to produce designer...

Laser pulse delivers ignition-sized punch.(Nuclear Fusion)
August 1, 2003... Located at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL; Livermore, CA), the National Ignition Facility (NIF) contains a collection of behemoth laser amplifiers and optics up to a meter in size, all designed and built in hopes of achieving...

Detector array looks at atmospheric limb.(Remote Sensing)
August 1, 2003... Extensive test and calibration is now complete on a spectroradiometer developed jointly by England and the United States that will be launched into space early next year. The High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder (HIRDLS) is among the...

Blu-ray meets blue sky.(Optical Data Storage)
August 1, 2003... In February of last year, nine companies jointly established the basic specifications for a next-generation large-capacity optical disk video recording format, called Blu-ray disk, which enables the recording, rewriting, and playback of up to...

Sensor conserves batteries and may target stray light.(Photodiodes)
August 1, 2003... The concept of light pollution generated by excess or stray illumination from light-emitting devices is not a new one. But the proliferation of handheld devices that require artificial illumination for viewing--such as mobile phones and...

Large mode area produces 500 W.(Fiber Lasers)
August 1, 2003... The beam characteristics of a fiber laser are determined by the waveguiding properties of the fiber. Because these can be tailored by index profiling, fine beam shapes and precise focusing become possible, especially if single mode fibers are...

No-heat molding makes lasers in minutes.(Polymer Lasers)
August 1, 2003... Semiconductors can be in polymer form and these materials can serve as gain media for lasers. The result may someday be simple, low-cost optically pumped lasers that can become part of optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEICs). Researchers at...

Optical feedback system produces single atoms on demand.(Nanotechnology)
August 1, 2003... As nanotechnologists narrow their sights from tens of nanometers to the atomic level, the notion of doing predictable things with single atoms increases in importance. Predictability in an atomic-sized world full of statistical quantum events...

Color camera scans with laser beams.(Micro-Optics)
August 1, 2003... An image-capture device that should make possible a new generation of cheaper, better-performing endoscopes and two-dimensional (2 D)-barcode scanners has been demonstrated publicly for the first time. The camera, unveiled at a Microvision...

Cree founders face off in legal battle.(laser industry report)
August 1, 2003... Eric Hunter, former CEO and one of the founders of Cree (Raleigh, NC), has filed a securities lawsuit against Cree and its current chairman, F. Neal Hunter, Eric Hunter's brother. Eric Hunter and his wife are seeking to recover damages in...

CST Global wins laser contract for atomic clocks.(laser industry report)
August 1, 2003... CST Global (Glasgow, Scotland) has been awarded a contract for the development of reliable laser diodes that could eventually be implemented in laser-pumped atomic clocks. The contract has been awarded by ESTEC, the Technical Evaluation Centre...

Laser Technology wins $2.4 million settlement in patent suit.(laser industry report)
August 1, 2003... Laser Technology (Englewood, CO) reached settlement agreements with Asia Optical and Nikon that resolve Laser Technology's patent infringement lawsuit against Asia Optical and Nikon. The settlement agreement with Asia Optical includes a...

Prosthetics to benefit from laser measurement technique.(laser industry report)
August 1, 2003... Shearography, a noncontact laser-based strain measurement technique developed at Loughborough University (Leicestershire, England), is being used to visualize for the first time the strain distribution over bones and tendons and enhance the...

JPSA Laser.(Also in the news ...)
August 1, 2003... JPSA Laser(Hollis, NH) has expanded its contract UV-laser micromachining services for applications ranging from semiconductor processing to biomedical and blue-LED wafer scribing. The facility now houses 10 UV-laser workstations and a host of...

The American Nuclear Society has awarded the 2003 Edward Teller Medal to Laurance Suter, a veteran researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore, CA) and an expert in the design and utilization of hohlraums.(Also in the news ...)
August 1, 2003... The American Nuclear Society has awarded the 2003 Edward Teller Medal to Laurance Suter, a veteran researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore, CA) and an expert in the design and utilization of hohlraums. Spectra-Physics...

StockerYale: Simply brilliant ideas[TM].
August 1, 2003... Company Overview StockerYale, Inc., is an independent designer and manufacturer of specialized illumination products that includes structured light lasers, fiber optic, fluorescent, and light emitting diodes (LEDs), as well as specialty...

NetOptix diamond-turning business going strong.(optics industry report)
August 1, 2003... While much of the optoelectronics industry continues to search for new avenues of profitability, the Corning NetOptix (Keene, NH) diamond-turning division isn't struggling at all. In fact, although Coming is slowly but surely dissolving its...

GSI Lumonics.(Also in the news ...)
August 1, 2003... GSI Lumonics (Billerica. MA) acquired the principal assets of the Encoder division of Dynamics Research (DRC: Wilmington, MA) for $3.3 million in cash...

Alpine Research Optics.(Also in the news ...)
August 1, 2003... Alpine Research Optics (ARO; Boulder CO) has begun construction on a new 35,000-sq-ft building in Boulder, The facility's production area will include provisions tot" Lip to 16,000 sq ft of cleanroom space for substrate fabrication, coating,...

Grant to fund development of diagnostic device.(optics industry report)
August 1, 2003... Opticology (New York, NY) has been awarded a Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer grant in collaboration with the Aborn Eye Research Laboratory (New York, NY) from the National institutes of Health's National Eye Institute. The two will...

NanoOpto signs pact with Enplas for nano-optics.(optics industry report)
August 1, 2003... NanoOpto (Somerset, NJ), which is applying proprietary nanofabrication technology to the rapid design and high-volume manufacture of nano-optic devices for optical systems and networks, has entered into a manufacturing and licensing agreement...

DuPont Photomasks to cut jobs by 5%.(imaging & detector industry report)
August 1, 2003... DuPont Photomasks (Round Rock, TX) will reduce its global workforce by 5% (96 positions) and begin reducing internal pellicle production at its Danbury, CT, facility immediately, ending production by September. Micro Lithography (Sunnyvale, CA)...

Schott Lithotec (Jena, Germany) and Veeco Instruments (Woodbury, NY) signed a joint development agreement for advanced photomask technology and particle reduction for next-generation photomask blanks.(Also in the news ...)
August 1, 2003... Schott Lithotec (Jena, Germany) and Veeco Instruments (Woodbury, NY) signed a joint development agreement for advanced photomask technology and particle reduction for next-generation photomask blanks. The research will take place in New York....

XenICs.(Also in the news ...)
August 1, 2003... Infrared image sensor specialist XenICs (Leuven. Belgium) raised 1.5 million [euro](US$1.7 million) in its second round-of funding. The company was spun out of the Interuniversity/Micro Electronics Centre. an independent research center...

Sony.(Also in the news ...)
August 1, 2003... Sony (Tokyo, Japan) plans to move into mass production of its active-matrix full-color organic light-emitting diode display panels next Spring, initially for display panels for mobile devices. Sony will make a capital investment of [yen] 9...

TeraView and Bruker collaborate on terahertz spectrometers.(imaging & detector industry report)
August 1, 2003... TeraView (Cambridge, England) and Bruker Optics (Coventry, England) have formed a strategic marketing and sales alliance to commercialize tera-hertz spectrometers for pharmaceutical drug discovery, product formulation, and manufacturing. The...

Intevac to develop sensor for Los Alamos LIVAR project.(imaging & detector industry report)
August 1, 2003... Intevac (Santa Clara, CA) has been awarded a $684,500 contract from Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos, NM) to develop a prototype advanced single-photon sensor that will enable its LIVAR target identification system to generate 3-D...

U.S. Army testing SpectRx biosensor.(imaging & detector industry report)
August 1, 2003... Using technology developed by SpectRx (Norcross, GA), the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command is testing a biosensor designed to measure combat readiness of soldiers in training. The biosensor is intended to provide field...

JENOPTIK Laserdiode GmbH.
August 1, 2003... The Company. JENOPTIK Laserdiode GmbH (JOLD) is the quality leader in the manufacturing of high power diode lasers (HDL) based on semiconductor bars. During its ten years history the company has arised from a source for academic research...

Bookham to acquire Cierra Photonics.(fiberoptics industry report)
August 1, 2003... Bookham Technology (Abingdon, England) has entered into an agreement to acquire substantially all of the business and assets of Cierra Photonics (Santa Rosa, CA). Under terms of the agreement, Cierra Photonics will receive 3,071,484 shares in...

Fibercore.(also in the news ...)
August 1, 2003... Fibercore (Southampton, England) has completed the commissioning of its new fiber production facility in Southampton. The new research, development. and production facility took three years to plan and construct and has been funded entirely...

GlobalTek (Buford, GA) will now provide installation and product support services for the PLEXiS MFX optical transport system.(also in the news ...)
August 1, 2003... GlobalTek (Buford, GA) will now provide installation and product support services for the PLEXIS MFX optical transport system manufactured by Optinel Systems (Elkridge, MD), a provider of optical transport systems for cable television.

Opnext buys Pine Photonics Communications.(fiberoptics industry report)
August 1, 2003... In an effort to extend its range of optical transceivers and transponders, Opnext (Eatontown, N J) has acquired Pine Photonics Communications (Fremont, CA). The deal gives Opnext access to sophisticated technologies in SONET/SDH and Ethernet...

Canada opens $23 million photonics 'collaboratory'.(fiberoptics industry report)
August 1, 2003... Canada has officially launched the $23 million National Microelectronics and Photonics Testing Collaboratory (Montreal), a virtual laboratory that will use the Internet to link Canadian researchers and graduate students to microchip testing...

ThreeFive Photonics files for 'suspension of payments'.(fiberoptics industry report)
August 1, 2003... A leading Dutch optochip specialist, ThreeFive Photonics (Houten, The Netherlands), has filed a "suspension of payments" request with the Dutch court, which is equivalent to Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States. According to the company,...

Ultra-long-haul: ready when you are: with a new technique for dispersion-managed solitons, all-optical networking looks more cost-effective.(WDM Solutions)
August 1, 2003... A turn of phrase often heard in telecom circles is "when the market comes back." None of us knows exactly what that market will look like if and when it appears. But the market segment that has suffered most--long-haul--is the one that may...

Flexibility plays key role in telecom-market aftermath.(market watch)
August 1, 2003... According to conventional wisdom, one should not switch horses in midstream. But as the dam was bursting on an over-exuberant telecom market, several companies found that switching horses proved to be a prudent and ultimately successful...

LIBS leaves the lab for field work in industry and defense: from exploring Martian soils to identifying nuclear waste, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is proving its mettle for field analysis of an increasingly broad spectrum of liquids, solids, and aerosols.(Optoelectronic applications: spectroscopy)
August 1, 2003... Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has experienced a surge of growth in recent years, particularly for field-based applications. The development of new laser sources and portable instrumentation is helping LIBS find a niche in...

Ultraviolet lasers yield micromachining advantages.(Solid-State Lasers)
August 1, 2003... Diode-pumped, solid-state lasers with Q-switched output are now well-established tools in a wide range of processes for industries such as semiconductor electronics, printed circuit boards, ceramics and plastics. The diversity of these...

Fermionics Corporation.
August 1, 2003... InGaAs Fermionics Corporation offers a complete line of InGaAs photodiodes ranging from 30 [micro] m diameter picosecond detector to 5 mm diameter detectors for power metering applications. Unique InGaAs detector products include a...

Integrating 3-D vision with robotics enables flexible measuring systems.(3-D Imaging)
August 1, 2003... In the 1980s, auto manufacturers began implementing totally automated in-line inspection of dimensions of car bodies using laser-based sensors. Systems for measurement of a body-in-white (an assembled, unpainted body before mounting of doors,...

The most important thing.(editor's desk)
August 1, 2003... So you spot the latest model of a certain sought-after car easing down your street and--to your lack of surprise--feel the tug of desire. Something is telling you that no ether car should be the one guiding you down life's highways. But before...

Measuring CTE uniformity in ULE glass: ultra-low-expansion glass must have a very uniform coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) when used for extreme-ultraviolet-lithography photomasks. An interferometric technique measures the CTE of ultra-low-expansion glass to high precision.(Glass)
August 1, 2003... The recently revised Intel (Austin, TX) roadmap for leading-edge litho-graphic feature sizes identifies extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography as the primary candidate to replace argon fluoride excimer-laser-based lithography at the 32-nm node...

Optics have high post-coating flatness: Uncoated flat optics can become less flat after coating. Several methods can be used to minimize this problem.(Coatings)
August 1, 2003... Many optics manufacturers offer optics with a flatness of [lambda]/10 or better. Flatness specifications often only apply to the substrate prior to coating, however, and mechanical stress in a thin-film coating can warp a component...

Zoom lens maintains telecentricity: a lens system for optical metrology has been developed that maintains telecentricity over a large zoom range while minimizing distortion.(Lens Design)
August 1, 2003... In optical metrology, the positions of distinguishing points within an image are measured to high precision. To maximize measurement accuracy and throughput, a telecentric imaging system is a must. Telecentricity is defined as having the pupil...

Specifications don't always tell the whole story: understanding what's behind a specification--the measurement and the analysis--is critical to obtaining consistent motion-control performance.(Motion Control)
August 1, 2003... When choosing a motion-control product for a particular application, products are commonly chosen based on the specifications supplied by the manufacturer. These specifications, however, are often gathered under ideal conditions and rarely...

Modulation in all things: nonlinear optical devices are used to control high-speed optical signals and intense laser beams.(Back to basics: nonlinear optics)
August 1, 2003... All methods of communication rely on modulating a signal. Optical telecommunications for example would be impossible without a means of modulating laser-diode sources. There are a variety of ways to produce controlled variations in the...

Correction.(Back to basics: nonlinear optics)
August 1, 2003... The May Back to Basics article on higher harmonics stated: Gigawatt peak powers (10-mJ pulses with a duration of 10 ns) with good beam quality can be converted with 30% efficiency to the third harmonic and 10% efficiency to the fourth harmonic....

APDs fit demanding aerospace applications: avalanche photodiodes with the ability to measure single photons are well suited to space-based LIDAR systems surveying atmospheric and terrestrial conditions.(Detectors)
August 1, 2003... The latest improvements in high-performance avalanche photodiodes (APDs) have enabled impressive applications in aerospace technology. Avalanche photodiodes have gained acceptance in the aerospace industry because of their very high sensitivity...

Optical performance monitoring checks the quality of optical signals in a network.(Optical networking: performance monitoring)
August 1, 2003... It seems clear that optical performance monitoring will spread beyond its limited undersea applications. Yet how far, how fast, and what forms it will take remain open questions. The driving force will be the cost-effectiveness of monitoring....

Designing to the limits of light.(Optical Engineering Services)
August 1, 2003... Optical Research Associates is home to the world's leading optical designers and engineers. We are available to work with you to develop, refine, and innovate optics. Our team, which includes 14 engineers with Ph.D.'s in optics, has...

Optical-design software.(new products)
August 1, 2003... The latest version, 9.3, of Code V optical-design software adds a new application programming interface that enables execution of the software's commands from any application supporting the Windows COM architecture, such as Visual Basic, C++,...

Fiber-coupled diode.(new products)
August 1, 2003... The 40W-xxx-1 fiber-coupled laser diode has brightness of more than 1 mW/[cm.sup.2] SR, with a maximum output power of 40 W through a 100-[micro]m fiber core with NA 0.22. It is available in several wavelengths and can be used in a variety of...

Fiber network ICs.(new products)
August 1, 2003... The L8628 transmitter and S8627 receiver photo ICs are designed for multimedia fiberoptic networks used in automotive applications. They have a maximum data rate of 50 Mb/s and use a TFL interface. The receiver has a monolithic structure...

Linear stage.(new products)
August 1, 2003... The ATS1000 linear ball-screw stage for laser machining applications has a small cross section and medium payload capacity. It includes a brushless, slotless servomotor and works with the company's drives and controls. Mounting holes have...

Laser-beam shutters.(new products)
August 1, 2003... New laser-beam shutters are designed to operate in conjunction with the ICS-1 laser interlock control system. The LS line of beam shutters act as a combined shutter and beam dump. The shutters do not reflect the beam, for added safely and to...

Diffuse reflecting material.(new products)
August 1, 2003... Diffuse reflecting material for the 250-to 2500-nm wavelength range is available for optical and lighting applications. Typical applications include use in reflection standards, Lambertion reflectors, integrating spheres, projection walls,...

Pedestal post system.(new products)
August 1, 2003... A new flexible, stable pedestal post system is designed for optical mounting at low beam heights for precision optomechanical applications. The posts can be used alone or with an extension post or a spacer to create a post of any height to...

Optical fuse line.(new products)
August 1, 2003... A new optical fuse line is placed on any optically amplified fiberoptic system to protect expensive equipment and the fiber cable itself from damaging power spikes and surges. Its passive operation causes an immediate drop in signal level when...

Double-clad fiber.(new products)
August 1, 2003... Large-mode-area (LMA), Yb-doped, double-clad fibers for high-power fiber lasers and amplifiers are designed for military, industrial, and medical applications. The fiber features a 20/400-core/cladding size delivered with a low NA (0.06) core....

Aspherical lens products.(new products)
August 1, 2003... New aspherical lens products are designed for light collimation and focusing between laser diode and single-mode fiber, such as in high-speed laser transmitters and high-power pumping lasers. The lenses have an antireflective coating in the C-,...

Pulse energy head.(new products)
August 1, 2003... The model PE50-DIF-U pyroelectric head is designed for UV lasers and features a high damage threshold and high repetition rate. The head measures pulse energy from 40 [micro]J to 10 J, up to 3000 Hz. Linearity is specified at 1% for more than...

InGaAs photodiodes.(new products)
August 1, 2003... The FCI-H125/250G-InGaAs-70 series provides high bandwidth for Gigabit Ethernet, fiber channel, ATM, and SONET OC-48 applications. Responsivity is from 110O to 1650 nm. The FCI-H155/622M-InGaAs-70 series of 70-[Mu]m InGaAs photodetectors are...

Assembly tool.(new products)
August 1, 2003... The FAST 35 Active Component Attach Tool can be configured to utilize laser welding, epoxy, or soldering methodologies to automate the active optical alignment, assembly, and fiber attach of active photonic components. The tool is built around...

Portable industrial chiller.(new products)
August 1, 2003... DuraChill industrial capacity chillers are designed to provide cooling for laser applications including metal cutting. The air or water-cooled models provide more than 236,000 BTUs of heat removal for process temperatures from 32[degrees]F to...

Motorized microscope stage.(new products)
August 1, 2003... The programmable H107 motorized stage is designed specifically for the Olympus Ix81 inverted microscope. It provides resolutions down to 0.040 [micro]m and repeatability to [+ or -] 1.0 [micro]m. The stage is suitable for specimen holders...

High-speed camera.(new products)
August 1, 2003... The MotionXtra HG-100K camera features a 1.7 megapixel CMOS sensor capable of recording 1000 frames/s at full resolution and up to 100,000 frames/s at reduced resolutions. The camera utilizes a 1504 x 1128 sensor and a 5-[micro]s shutter to...

LED components.(new products)
August 1, 2003... LED components in TO-66 packages are available in more than 22 discrete wavelengths in the UV, violet, blue, green, yellow, red, NIR, and mid-IR spectrum from 350 to 1550 nm. The new high-power LED is also available as a white LED with a 5 x 12...

Neutral-density filters.(new products)
August 1, 2003... A set of 12 neutral-density filters allows the user to obtain densities in the range of .001 to 2.5, or expressed in transmission 0.32% to 97.5%. The filters have a thin-film metal coating with density values from 0.01 to 2.0. Glass or quartz...

InGaAs detector.(new products)
August 1, 2003... The Princeton instruments OMA V:1024 detection system is based on a new linear photodiode array that provides improved resolution for multichannel, NIR spectroscopy. The InGaAs sensor utilizes a 1024 x 1 array with 25 x 500-[micro]m pixels. The...

UV camera.(new products)
August 1, 2003... A 14-bit, back-illuminated CCD UV camera module with a 100% fill factor provides sensitivity in the 157 to 351 excimer regime. It is designed for applications such as the evaluation of optical coatings and developing subsystems for deep...

Linear guides.(new products)
August 1, 2003... The Monorail Series BM Ball-Monorail and the Minirail Series miniature linear guideways are now available for two-day delivery and next-day delivery, respectively. The Minirail series of two-row, stainless-steel, mini-guideways utilize a...