Laser Focus World articles from February 2005

Laser Focus World archives from February 2005

A busy season.(editor's desk)
February 1, 2005... A quick glance at this year's events calendar, which you can find on our newly redesigned Web site, reveals an impressive array of conferences during the first quarter covering many aspects of optics and photonics ranging from medicine to...

Small spiral phase plates are made simply.(news breaks)
February 1, 2005... A spiral phase plate (SPP) introduces a phase shift of a magnitude that usually depends (in polar coordinates with origin at the center of the phase plate) linearly on the angle and not at all on the radius, with a phase discontinuity at its...

Silicon laser on a chip demonstrated.(news breaks)
February 1, 2005... In a significant step toward development of an all-optical computer that uses photons instead of electrons to process information, scientists at Intel (Santa Clara, CA) have demonstrated the first all-silicon laser on a chip, the device is a...

Deep floating guard ring improves reliability of avalanche photodiode.(news breaks)
February 1, 2005... Avalanche photodiodes (APDs) containing a thin multiplication layer have high sensitivity but can suffer from poor reliability as well. The separated absorption, grading, charge, and multiplication (SAGCM) structure of one type of APD has a...

Rare-earth-doped gallium nitride lases.(news breaks)
February 1, 2005... Because rare-earth ions exhibit inner-shell transitions that produce sharp photoemission lines with wavelengths ranging from the UV to the near-IR, they can be used in solid-state lasers that are optically pumped and have an insulating host. To...

Polyimide smooths surface of EUV aspheric condensor.(news breaks)
February 1, 2005... The reflective aspheric condensor (illumination) optics used for extreme-UV (EUV) lithographic systems are assailed by intense ionizing radiation, heat, and contaminants from outgassing, resulting in the need for frequent replacement. Because...

Teramobile laser guides lightning through rain and clouds.(news breaks)
February 1, 2005... Researchers in Germany and France at the Teramobile femtosecond-laser project have taken a step closer to the long-term goal of laser-guided lightning by successfully testing their system in simulated rain conditions. In 2001, the Teramobile, a...

Terahertz detector shows potential for 2-D imaging.(news breaks)
February 1, 2005... In collaboration, researchers from Royal Holloway University (London, England), Japan Science and Technology Corporation (Tokyo, Japan), the University of Tokyo (Tokyo, Japan), and the University of Glasgow (Glasgow, Scotland) have fabricated a...

Algorithm takes the guesswork out of PC design.(news breaks)
February 1, 2005... Two-dimensional photonic crystals (PCs) have received a lot of press, and deservedly so, because they accomplish feats difficult for ordinary waveguides, such as sharp 90[degrees] bends. Their capabilities can be further extended as computer...

Dispersion compensator tunes above and below zero.(news breaks)
February 1, 2005... Scientists at Highwave Optical Technologies (Lannion, France) have developed a fiber Bragg grating (FBG)-based chromatic-dispersion compensator with a wide tuning range both above and below the zero dispersion point, and with low insertion-loss...

Organic materials yield flexible solid-state scanner.(Image Sensing)
February 1, 2005... In conventional scanner technology, a linear array of photodetectors moves across a page to capture images or characters. At the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (San Francisco, CA; Dec. 13-15, 2004), however, a research team from...

Fluidic zoom lens is fabricated lithographically.(optoelectronics world news)
February 1, 2005... Researchers at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD; La Jolla, CA) have been developing fluidic adaptive lenses that focus when fluid is forced between a membrane and a rigid substrate (see Laser Focus World, August 2003, p.11). Now,...

Hand-held laser tool assists the blind.(Laser Range-Finding)
February 1, 2005... For the approximately one million legally blind and estimated 200,000 totally blind individuals in the United States, the importance of improved tactile and visual tools to enable mobility is paramount. For more than 30 years, the blind have...

Acousto-optics introduce phase shift.(Interferometry)
February 1, 2005... Many commercial wavefront-measurement interferometers rely on optical phase shifting to provide wavefront information at every point in the interferogram (the old-fashioned method of deriving wavefront shape from interference-fringe positions...

IR scanner aims to detect early breast cancer.(Medical Sensing)
February 1, 2005... Scientists at Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania (both in Philadelphia, PA) and Huazhong University of Science and Technology (Wuhan, China) have developed a prototype IR imager that detects metabolic changes in the breast....

Dance adopts advanced lighting.(Light-Emitting Diodes)
February 1, 2005... While the use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for area illumination is growing at a good clip, many of the most familiar LED installations involve the architectural lighting of structures such as bridges, buildings, and public walkways. The...

Multiwavelength digital holography fuses 3-D images.(Digital Holography)
February 1, 2005... A team of researchers at the University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT), the Instituto di Cibernetica del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (Naples, Italy), and the Instituto Nazionale di Ottica Applicata (INOA; Pozzuoli, Italy) reports 3-D image...

Capacitive solar cell converts light and stores electricity.(Photovoltaics)
February 1, 2005... Researchers at Toin University (Yokohama, Japan) have demonstrated a so-called photocapacitor that combines photoelectric energy conversion and storage in the same device. Previous efforts to achieve single-device energy conversion and storage...

Position-sensing detector is made of polymer.(Semiconductor Detectors)
February 1, 2005... Although it has only a single active region, a semiconductor-based position-sensitive detector (PSD) can sense the location of a light beam falling upon it (either in one or two dimensions)--a feat made possible by the device's reliance on the...

Optical sensor checks wheat quality in real time.(Spectroscopy)
February 1, 2005... Near-IR optical sensors are helping wheat farmers analyze their crops to determine which parts of a field hold the highest quality crop. While this type of analysis is not new to the agricultural world, the ability to do it in real time on a...

Intersubband transitions produce fast A-O switches.(Quantum-Well Devices)
February 1, 2005... To realize all-optical switching in optical-communications networks operating at data rates approaching 1 Tbit/s and wavelengths near 1550 nm, the switches will need to restore their state within time periods of less than 1 ps. While...

Rofin-Sinar appoints interim CEO.(laser industry report)
February 1, 2005... Industrial-laser manufacturer Rofin-Sinar Technologies (Plymouth, MI and Hamburg, Germany) has appointed Guenther Braun, its chief financial officer, to assume the CEO and chairman responsibilities on an interim basis. In early January Peter...

OFS pursues breakthroughs in fiber-laser design.(laser industry report)
February 1, 2005... With a new two-year Advanced Technology Program (ATP) award in its pocket, OFS Laboratories (Murray Hill, NJ) is hoping to achieve the breakthroughs in optical-fiber design that will enable the performance improvements necessary to spur...

Paradigm Lasers relocates to Washington.(laser industry report)
February 1, 2005... Paradigm Lasers (Spokane, WA), a designer and manufacturer of diode-pumped solid-state laser systems, has moved operations from East Rochester, NY to the Spokane Valley. The company is now operating and leasing a 5000-sq-ft facility at...

Biolase acquires Diodem IP portfolio.(laser industry report)
February 1, 2005... Biolase Technology (San Clemente, CA) has acquired the intellectual property portfolio of Diodem. As a result of the acquisition, Diodem will immediately withdraw its patent infringement claims against the company. Under the terms of the...

Picarro.(Also in the news ...)
February 1, 2005... Picarro (Sunnyvale, CA) raised $15 million in series C financing. The funding will be used to accelerate execution of Picarro's product roadmap for bio-instrument lasers and process control instrumentation and will support expansion in sales...

nLight.(Also in the news ...)
February 1, 2005... nLight (Vancouver. WA) named Optoprim (Vanves, France) its exclusive distributor in France and Italy. Optoprim will be responsible for sales and service of all of nLight's extensive CW and QCW high-power visible and near-infrared diode laser...

Directed Energy Solutions.(Also in the news ...)
February 1, 2005... Directed Energy Solutions (Colorado Springs, CO) was awarded a $4.8 million contract by the Missile Defense Agency and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop a high energy "Air Laser" for the Department of Defense and a $1.6...

RPMC Lasers.(Also in the news ...)
February 1, 2005... RPMC Lasers (O'Falton. MO) has been selected as the North American distributor for Bright Solutions (Cura Carpignano, Italy). Bright Solutions designs and manufactures nanosecond and red/green/blue CW OEM diode pumped lasers and OEM...

StockerYale scraps merger plans with Navitar.(optics industry report)
February 1, 2005... StockerYale (Salem, NH), designer and manufacturer of structured light lasers, light emitting diodes, fiberoptic and fluorescent illumination technologies, and specialty optical fiber and phase masks, has discontinued its efforts to acquire...

Fisheye lens patent is awarded to Coastal Optical Systems.(optics industry report)
February 1, 2005... Coastal Optical Systems (West Palm Beach, FL) has been awarded U.S. Patent 6,831,680 for the invention of interior aircraft monitoring using fisheye lenses and a data system. The patent covers use of single and multiple hemispherical lenses,...

Mirror lab to cast first mirror for giant Magellan telescope.(optics industry report)
February 1, 2005... The University of Arizona Steward Observatory Mirror Laboratory and the Carnegie Observatories of the Carnegie Institution have signed an agreement to produce the first mirror segment for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT). The Steward...

Keck laser guide star captures view of colliding galaxies.(optics industry report)
February 1, 2005... For the first time, astronomers have been able to combine the deepest optical images of the universe, obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope, with equally sharp images in the near-infrared part of the spectrum using a sophisticated new laser...

Photop Technologies.(Also in the news ...)
February 1, 2005... Photop Technologies (Fuzhou Fujian. China) has established the sales and marketing office in Traunstein, Germany. The office will concentrate on the technical supports and customer services for Photop's fiberoptics, optics, laser, crystal...

Olympus Integrated Technologies America.(Also in the news ...)
February 1, 2005... Olympus Integrated Technologies America (Olympus-ITA, San Jose. CA) signed an agreement with one of the world's largest integrated device manufacturers for the purchase of additional 300-mm wafer inspection systems from Olympus. The Olympus...

Infineon backs out of Finisar merger.(imaging & detector industry report)
February 1, 2005... Infineon's (Munich, Germany) decision in early January to back out of the proposed $206 million sale of its fiberoptics business to Finisar (Sunnyvale, CA) was met with mixed reactions from analysts and investors, and Finisar itself. The...

Nomadics acquires optical ASIC vendor.(imaging & detector industry report)
February 1, 2005... Nomadics (Stillwater, OK) acquired Little Optics (Annapolis Junction, MD), a developer of optical application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Terms of the deal were not disclosed. According to Colin Cumming, CEO of Nomadics, Little...

Sony expands LCD business with Chi Mei deal.(imaging & detector industry report)
February 1, 2005... Sony (Tokyo, Japan) plans to acquire the Japan-based liquid-crystal-display (LCD) operations of Chi Mei Opto-electronics (Taiwan) for $176.2 million. Sony said the purchase would enable the production of up to 65,000 liquid-crystal-display...

LANL looks to license quantum-dot technology.(imaging & detector industry report)
February 1, 2005... Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL; Los Alamos, NM) is making its semiconductor quantum-dot technology available for commercial licensing. The LANL quantum-dot portfolio includes the use of quantum dots for a broad range of applications...

Adaptive Optics Associates.(Also in the news ...)
February 1, 2005... Adaptive Optics Associates (Blackwood, NJ) has been awarded additional funding from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore, CA) for deliveries of output sensor packages and light source launchers to be used on the National Ignition...

Eastman Kodak Company (Rochester. NY) and Digi-Key (Thief River Falls, MN) signed an exclusive distribution agreement.(Also in the news ...)
February 1, 2005... Eastman Kodak Company (Rochester. NY) and Digi-Key (Thief River Falls, MN) signed an exclusive distribution agreement, allowing Digi-Key to serve as an additional sales channel for Kodak's existing complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)...

Cox Communications chooses OpVista DWDM system.(fiberoptics industry report)
February 1, 2005... Cox Communications (Atlanta, GA) awarded OpVista (Irvine, CA) a multiyear contract to deliver the MetroVista DWDM optical transport system to facilitate Cox's migration to a fully converged, next-generation DWDM network. Because Cox allows each...

Bookham announces further cutbacks.(fiberoptics industry report)
February 1, 2005... Bookham (San Jose, CA) has adopted an additional cost-reduction plan to reduce its overhead structure by an additional $6 million to $8 million per quarter. This plan is in addition to the ongoing cost reductions of $10 million to $12 million...

China ministry says Corning didn't dump fiber.(fiberoptics industry report)
February 1, 2005... Corning Inc. (Corning, NY) received a positive final determination from the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, that affirmed the company's position that it had not dumped standard single-mode optical fiber...

Axcel Photonics.(Also in the news ...)
February 1, 2005... Axcel Photonics (Marlborough, MA) appointed David Hardwick chairman of the board of directors. Hardwick, with more than 45 years experience in the optical and laser industry, has served as CEO of Confluent Photonics, general manager of IPG...

RSoft Design Group.(Also in the news ...)
February 1, 2005... RSoft Design Group (Ossining, NY) introduced a new mixed-level simulation software tool technology created through collaboration with Agilent Technologies. RSoft's design engagement with Agilent Technologies' Fiber OpticProducts Division...

CD technology takes the fast track.(40 years: then and now)
February 1, 2005... Over the years, the scope of Laser Focus gradually expanded from covering just lasers and their applications to covering the entire field of light-based technology, inspiring its editors in January 1989 to rename the magazine Laser Focus World....

Find a job (or a new career) with online tools.(working the web)
February 1, 2005... When the telecommunications bubble burst, some of you may have experienced a direct hit--indeed, the optical and optoelectronic industry at large was affected by this unfortunate event with many experienced scientists and managers finding...

Capture the moment: high-speed imaging has a past and a future.(inside imaging)
February 1, 2005... The recently redesigned and reopened Museum of Modern Art in New York City is a greatly expanded and fascinating place to see all sorts of art dating from the mid-19th Century to today. One of the advantages of the redesign is expanded space...

Optical technology addresses transportation security challenges.(comment)
February 1, 2005... Historically, transportation has been essential to the economy of the nation and the world. Commerce is intimately tied to transportation, with container ships hauling goods across the oceans, airplanes ferrying business people around the...

How can I leverage my experience into a VP job?(business forum)
February 1, 2005... Q: How do I convince a start-up company to hire me as vice president of engineering, even though I have not held this position in the past? Based on my track record, I can do the job. A: A truly good VP of engineering is hard to find in our...

Diode-laser market grows at a slower rate; diode lasers continued their upward trend in 2004, but revenue increases slowed to just 4%, compared to an 18% increase in 2003.(Laser Marketplace 2005)
February 1, 2005... The Laser Focus World 2005 Annual Review and Forecast of the Laser Marketplace is conducted in conjunction with Strategies Unlimited of Mountain View, CA. Part II covers the diode-laser marketplace. Part I, which reported on nondiode-laser...

Combined OFC/NFOEC: glances back and focuses forward.(Conference Preview)
February 1, 2005... The Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFCC) began in 1975, as a scientific conference sponsored by the IEEE Communications Society and the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society (LEOS). The National Fiber Optics Engineers Conference...

Optical surface analyzers become precision manufacturing tools: nondestructive metrology techniques are moving out of the lab and onto the factory floor for real-time assessment of thin films and other complex coatings.(Optoelectronics applications: instrumentation)
February 1, 2005... Understanding the optical surface properties of modern materials has become a critical part of manufacturing in industries ranging from microelectronics to biomedicine. With the increasing complexity of manufacturing processes and products...

Semiconductor sources advance deeper into the ultraviolet: as violet-diode lasers become the base of a new generation of optical storage systems, developers are exploring the UV frontier of LEDs and diode lasers.(Photonic frontiers: semiconductor UV sources)
February 1, 2005... The cutting edge in semiconductor light sources has moved into the ultraviolet. Developers are pushing the wide-bandgap III-V gallium nitride compounds used in blue and violet lasers to shorter wavelengths by adding aluminum to increase the...

Optofluidics enables compact tunable interferometer.(Interferometers)
February 1, 2005... Interferometer-based modulators and optical switches are perhaps two of the most important photonic components for use in communications and sensing. The next generation of hybrid optical components must be compact and reconfigurable, allowing...

LED arrays.(new products)
February 1, 2005... A line of 99-die LED arrays have a 110[degrees] beam angle and offer varying wavelengths with typical peak responsivity of 405, 470, 525, 610, 830, and 870 nm. Customized versions that have higher temperature ranges are also available. Storage...

Wavelength meters.(new products)
February 1, 2005... The Wavemaster meter measures the wavelength of continuous-wave and pulsed lasers at any repetition rate, including single shot. Peak wavelength can be measured for sources as wide as 2 nm in the 380- to 1095-nm range, and bandwidths up to 5 nm...

Color balancing.(new products)
February 1, 2005... The PM-DCB fully automated system performs color balancing and gamma correction of three-color-channel projectors based on LCD and LCOS technology. It allows correction of color and brightness variations within a display image and allows...

Synthetic-sapphire components.(new products)
February 1, 2005... Synthetic-sapphire components are available from individual prototypes to runs of 100,000 pieces. Components include windows, lenses, and balls for optics, as well as tubes, cylinders, rods, and many types of precision components for sensors or...

Tunable laser source.(new products)
February 1, 2005... The Osics ECL 400 tunable laser source operates from 1260 to 1650 nm, providing full telecom band coverage for the O, E, S, C, L, and U bands in a single compact unit. The source provides peak power up to +10 dBm and 0-dBm guaranteed power over...

Motorized stability mounts.(new products)
February 1, 2005... The Model 8816 and 8817 motorized stability mounts combine the Stability line of mounts with picomotor actuators to provide precision motorized optical alignments. The two actuators provide tip and tilt adjustment for complete remote control....

Ti:sapphire laser.(new products)
February 1, 2005... The TU-L is a Ti:sapphire laser that delivers pulse energy higher then 1 mJ/ pulse at 1 kHz, while the TU-H provides more than 1 W at 10 kHz in the wavelength range of 700 to 1000 nm. The laser system has a footprint of 12.5 in. (w) x 12.5 in....

Digital CCD camera.(new products)
February 1, 2005... The new Retina 2000R digital camera line provides 1.92 million pixels to provide images for brightfield, darkfield, and fluorescence work. Available in monochrome or color models and cooled or noncooled, it has a detection array of 1600 x 1200...

Mirror mounts.(new products)
February 1, 2005... Ultrastable mirror mounts use fine adjustment screws with 150 [micro]m per turn and have a knurled knob and a socket head screw. Use of the knurled knob enables a manual rough pre-adjustment that can be optimized using a long-levered Allen...

Software for minispectrometers.(new products)
February 1, 2005... Two new software modules now enable the OSM series of minispectrometers to be used for quantitative colorimetry or thin-film thickness measurements. The new Color Analyst module converts spectral data into coordinates for all common color space...

Spectral processing tool.(new products)
February 1, 2005... ENVI Version 4.1 includes new spectral processing and information-extraction tools, updated support for file formats, enhanced orthorectification capabilities and numerous ease-of-use improvements. New features include a Spectral Angle Mapper...

Color display.(new products)
February 1, 2005... BiNem is a new transmissive bistable color display designed for use without the need for thin-film transistor backplanes. Reflective panels with 32,000 colors are the result of a recently patented improvement enabling the control of bistable...

Laser diode.(new products)
February 1, 2005... The MiniGreen series is a 9-mm, 532-nm diode laser. It provides up to 150 mW of [TEM.sub.00] continuous-wave output power. It has a package size smaller than 1 [cm.sup.3]. Potential applications include biofluorescence, spectroscopy, metrology,...

EA modulators.(new products)
February 1, 2005... A range of electro-absorption modulators are made with indium-phosphide and come in 40- and 10-Gbit/s versions for either single-wavelength or DWDM communications systems. The 40G-SR-EAM has typical bandwidth of 32 GHz with typical insertion...

OE components.(new products)
February 1, 2005... A new line of optoelectronics components include a 1550-nm receiver module based on low-noise, high-gain InGaAs avalanche photodiodes; 905-nm pulsed lasers with 125-W peak power and 6-ns pulse width; 1550-nm pulsed lasers; and hermetic...

Portable spectral imagers.(new products)
February 1, 2005... The FIRST series is a group of spectral imagers designed to detect, identify, and quantify several gaseous emissions simultaneously, and analyze remote target signatures. The turnkey, portable, self-calibrated systems produce a boresighted...

Drivers for blue laser diodes.(new products)
February 1, 2005... The new LDC2000B series drivers for blue laser diodes provide 200 mA, 500 mA, and 1 A maximum drive current with 10-V compliance voltage. Safety features include interlock and open circuit detection. Filtering and multiple stage power or...

Anti-creep system.(new products)
February 1, 2005... The new Anti-Creep System (ACS) is designed to eliminate "cage creep" in cross-roller precision rail guides. The ACS utilizes a rack-and-pinion design to keep cages permanently centered and to prevent cage migration during normal operation. It...

Photodetectors.(new products)
February 1, 2005... The UDT-4X4D is a new line of superblue enhanced photodetectors. The proprietary 4 x 4-array detector is designed to provide almost complete isolation between all 16 elements with crosstalk of less than 0.05% at 633 nm. The active area diameter...

Beam shapers.(new products)
February 1, 2005... Beam shaper modules can be positioned in a collimated laser beam to generate the required intensity profile of square, rectangular, or line light fields at the target. Spot sizes are from 1 to 100 mm with line widths from 0.1 to 2 mm. The...

Rotary tables.(new products)
February 1, 2005... RotoRing Series rotary tables combine axial brushless motoring modules and planar air bearings in a direct drive configuration. The tables can be used with microstepping drives for positioning and velocity control, and they can be equipped with...

Mirror actuator.(new products)
February 1, 2005... The MTA2HP two-axis tip/tilt mirror actuator has resolution and repeatability better than 0.02 microradians. Position sensors are integrated into each axis and a closed-loop feedback system eliminates errors from creep and hysteresis. Resonant...

LCD counters.(new products)
February 1, 2005... Panel-mounted 1/32 DIN DP-CH counters and DP-TH timers have an 8-mm-high liquid-crystal display for easy viewing. The counters can monitor up to 10 million events, and the timers can sense up to 1 million hours of operation with 0.1-hour...

Fiber collimator.(new products)
February 1, 2005... A visible-wavelength fiber collimator is compliant with Telecordia standards. The single-mode-fiber device is epoxy-free in the optical path. It is designed for applications such as biomedical inspection, and testing of nontelecom components....

Pulsed fiber laser.(new products)
February 1, 2005... The Model PF1550-36 pulsed fiber laser generates 3- to 5-ns pulses of 1.54-[micro]m light at repetition rates from 20 kHz to 1 MHz. At 50 kHz, average power is 4 W and peak power is more than 15 kW. The output is less than 1.5 times diffraction...

Digital motion controller.(new products)
February 1, 2005... The Nservo Controller Module allows the retrofitting of analog motion-control systems with digital controls. It supports 2- or 4-axis closed-loop servos with up to 20-kHz sample times. It is compatible with encoders or resolvers and provides a...

Green laser modules.(new products)
February 1, 2005... Second-generation super-green laser-diode modules are designed for applications such as spectroscopy, particle measurement, medical tissue analysis, interferometry, and flow visualization. The module includes automatic power control that...

Product guide.(new products)
February 1, 2005... Version 3.4 of a Product Reference CD-ROM provides technical information for the company's electrooptics products including electron multipliers, microchannel plates, advanced performance detectors, and ion guides. It contains new technical...