Laser Focus World articles from September 2005

Laser Focus World archives from September 2005

Guiding light.(editor's desk)
September 1, 2005... Mention fiberoptics to most people today and they likely think first of optical communications and telecom applications, but that was not always the case. The precursor to optical fiber was the light pipe, which was originally developed to...

Voltage-tunable superlattice IR detector has low dark noise.(newsbreaks)
September 1, 2005... Two-color IR photodetectors, often with detection bands in the 3- to 5-[micro]m and 8- to 12-[micro]m wavelength regions, are useful for remote measurement of temperature. One approach to providing two detection bands is voltage tunability...

Simple photonic crystal tailors thermal emission.(newsbreaks)
September 1, 2005... As was demonstrated at Sandia National Laboratories (Albuquerque, NM) in 2003, 3-D photonic crystals can be used to tailor the emission spectra of thermal sources (see Laser Focus World, December 2003, p. 93). The intricate Sandia structure,...

High-brightness white OLED demonstrates 25-lm/W efficiency.(newsbreaks)
September 1, 2005... A collaboration between Philips Lighting (Eindhoven, The Netherlands) and Novaled (Dresden, Germany) has yielded record efficiency for a high-brightness white organic light-emitting diode (OLED). By combining Philips' layering techniques and...

EDFA achieves 94-nm bandwidth.(newsbreaks)
September 1, 2005... Conventional erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (ED-FAs) are typically designed for C- or L-band operation from about 1530 to 1560 nm or 1560 to 1610 nm, respectively. By using longer erbium-doped fiber lengths, or through Raman amplification and...

CMOS imager also handles free-space communication.(newsbreaks)
September 1, 2005... Introduced at the 2005 Greater Cincinnati Inventors Fair in June, the patent-pending Scifeye (Cincinnati, OH) imaging sensor adds free-space optical-communication capability to CMOS imaging sensors. The simultaneous capture of visual imagery...

Immersion nanogratings yield robust optical retarders.(newsbreaks)
September 1, 2005... Although they have already demonstrated high-performance, zero-order wave plates such as quarter-wave ([lambda]/4) plates and even [lambda]/31 retarders, researchers at NanoOpto (Somerset, NJ) have now developed more-robust "immersion...

Gratings send blue diode laser's light skyward.(newsbreaks)
September 1, 2005... Gallium nitride (GaN)-based semiconductor lasers provide useful blue or UV wavelengths in a small package, but very high-reflectivity mirror facets are difficult to achieve. Distributed-feedback or distributed-Bragg-reflector structures beyond...

Silicon photodiode detects 1330- and 1550-nm wavelengths.(newsbreaks)
September 1, 2005... Ordinary silicon (Si) photodetectors do not res pond to the telecommunications wavelengths of 1330 and 1550 nm--in fact, Si is transparent at these wavelengths. But a silicon-microstructuring process developed by researchers at Harvard...

Upconversion helps silicon detect mid-IR radiation.(newsbreaks)
September 1, 2005... In an effort to provide an alternative to liquid-nitrogen-cooled mid-IR (3- to 20-[micro]m) arrays such as mercury cadmium telluride or lead selenide, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT; Cambridge, MA) are using...

Optical trapping assembles 3-D photonic quasicrystals.(PHOTONIC-BANDGAP STRUCTURES)
September 1, 2005... The higher the degree of symmetry a 2-D photonic crystal (PC) has, the better its properties tend to be. As the symmetry goes up, the required refractive-index contrast to achieve a complete photonic bandgap tends to diminish; in addition,...

Chemical-vapor sensor uses holographic interferometry.(optoelectronics world news)
September 1, 2005... Scientists at the University of Colorado at Boulder (Boulder, CO) have developed an interferometric approach to chemical-vapor sensing that uses dynamic holography to interrogate an array of chemically selective polymers. (1) The interrogation...

Howard Rausch, former LFW editor, dies at 76.(OBITUARY)(Obituary)
September 1, 2005... We at Laser Focus World were saddened to learn recently that the magazine's second editor, Howard Rausch, died earlier this year in Washington, D.C., from cancer. He was 76. The late Bill Bushor founded Laser Focus in 1965 as a semiweekly...

Researchers push LED performance.(SOLID-STATE LIGHTING)
September 1, 2005... Since the 1960s, the luminous efficacy of LED illumination has increased while the cost of LED illumination has decreased, both by about an order of magnitude per decade, according to plenary comments by George Craford, chief technical officer...

Solid-immersion lenses take data capacity to the next level.(OPTICAL STORAGE)
September 1, 2005... Optical-storage and playback technology has progressed in leaps and bounds--and very even ones, at that. Each new version of the optical disc has held five to seven times as much information as its predecessor: from the 0.7-Gbyte capacity of...

New resolution law for far-field fluorescence microscopy discards the diffraction limit.(MICROSCOPY)
September 1, 2005... Most optical textbooks still portray far-field optical microscopy as being limited by diffraction. Scanning near-field optical microscopes image well below the diffraction limit, but are restricted to scanning of surfaces (proximal imaging)....

Model revises view of quantum-dot function.(NANOPHOTONICS)
September 1, 2005... Supercomputer modeling offers a useful tool for nanoscience when processes within nanosize objects occur at scales below the resolution limits of available imaging technology, and when one wants to look inside the nanostructure where...

Quantum-entangled ions tango to the tick of an optical clock.(ATOMIC SPECTROSCOPY)
September 1, 2005... By the mid to late 1990s, advances in atomic spectroscopy had increased the resolution of atomic clocks based on the cesium microwave frequency transition to better than one part in [10.sup.15]. Now, researchers at the National Institute of...

Diode-laser system aids farmers in determining fertilizer needs.(OPTICAL SENSING)
September 1, 2005... For many modern agronomists, the crux of precision crop management is to apply only necessary amounts of nitrogen when and where it is needed. To achieve optimum crop yield and quality, an adequate supply of nitrogen--which enhances a plant's...

Surface plasmons boost emission from dyed polymer.(OLEDS)
September 1, 2005... The same phenomenon that allows metal nanoparticles to enhance fluorescence of dyes for biomedical applications (see Laser Focus World, June 2005, p. 47) has been applied by researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech;...

X-ray imagery aids HID lamp design.(HIGH-EFFICIENCY ILLUMINATION)
September 1, 2005... High-intensity gas-discharge (HID) lamps produce 26% of the artificial illumination in the U.S. but only consume 17% of the electrical energy used for lighting because of their high efficiency. While the luminous efficacy of incandescent lamps...

Axicon produces long, thin optical trap.(MICRO-OPTICS)
September 1, 2005... So-called "pseudo-nondiffracting" light beams, which have a beam profile shaped such that it remains virtually unchanged over long distances, can be useful in optical-tweezer systems. The profiles of these beams usually approximate a...

Fitel laser monitors shuttle Discovery.(laser industry report)
September 1, 2005... In an effort to prevent a breach of the thermal protection system for future space shuttle launches, Discovery carries aboard a new exterior inspection system designed to detect imperfections less than a millimeter in size on the thermal tiles...

SAES Getters strengthens portfolio.(laser industry report)
September 1, 2005... SAES Getters (Milan, Italy), the parent company of the SAES Getters Group, is acquiring a 30% shareholding in Scientific Materials Europe (Tortoli-Arbatax, Italy), a manufacturer of solid-state laser components, including undoped and doped...

Though slowing, HB-LED market still healthy.(laser industry report)
September 1, 2005... According to market research firm Strategies Unlimited (Mountain View, CA) in its recently released report, High-Brightness LED Market Review and Forecast--2005, the mobile-appliance segment accounted for 57% of the high-brightness (HB)...

Laserdyne reaps multiple system sales.(laser industry report)
September 1, 2005... Prima North America announced that its Laserdyne Systems Division (Champlin, MN), a manufacturer of multi-axis laser machining systems, has received a multiple system order exceeding $2.3 million from one of North America's leading turbine...

Quintessence Photonics.(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... Quintessence Photonics (Sylmar, CA) won a multiyear production contract for high-brightness semiconductor lasers for a major medical-laser manufacturer.

Obzerv Technologies.(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... Obzerv Technologies (Quebec, Canada), a manufacturer of laser range-gated night-vision surveillance systems, was awarded a contract to deliver such a system to the French Army Parisian Expertise Centre.

Aculight.(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... Aculight (Bothell, WA) was awarded a $1.08 million contract from Lockheed Martin to develop a solid-state laser as an infrared light source for the laser radar seeker in the Loitering Attack Missile (LAM).

IMRA America signed a license agreement with the University of Michigan (both in Ann Arbor, MI) allowing IMRA to extend freedom.(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... IMRA America signed a license agreement with the University of Michigan (both in Ann Arbor, MI) allowing IMRA to extend freedom to use patented processes to system integrators and end-users that purchase IMRA laser products as part of a...

NP Photonics.(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... NP Photonics (Tucson, AZ), a supplier of fiber lasers for optical-sensing applications, closed a Series A2 funding round totaling $5 million.

Bioterrorism emphasizes optical technologies.(optics industry report)
September 1, 2005... Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff recently reiterated his plans to put a higher priority on bioterrorism, mass-transit safety, and border security. The overhaul was applauded by Universal Detection Technology...

Northrop Grumman tests JWST control system.(optics industry report)
September 1, 2005... The Northrop Grumman (Redondo Beach, CA) team developing the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) reports successful testing of the software that will be used to bring the space observatory's 18 mirror segments into alignment following launch. The...

Intel and Corning partner.(optics industry report)
September 1, 2005... Intel (Santa Clara, CA) and Corning (Coming, NY) are partnering to develop ultra-low-thermal-expansion (ULE) glass photomask substrates required for extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology. These substrates are needed to develop...

Agilent chooses nanotechnology partner.(optics industry report)
September 1, 2005... Agilent Technologies (Palo Alto, CA) and Asylum Research (Santa Barbara, CA) signed a joint development agreement to collaborate on technologies and applications in the area of nanotechnology measurements. Agilent is also making an equity...

The Laboratory for Nanophotonics.(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... The Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP) at Rice University (Houston, TX) was awarded a five-year, $3 million grant for a program to prepare students in the design and fabrication of nanoscale optical components and their applications in...

Impex HighTech (Rheine, Germany), maker of laser and optical components, announced its purchase of Princeton Scientific (PSC; Princeton, NJ).(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... Impex HighTech (Rheine, Germany), maker of laser and optical components, announced its purchase of Princeton Scientific (PSC; Princeton, NJ), supplier of material science and engineering-related products and particle-beam line technology to...

Apollo Optical Systems.(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... Apollo Optical Systems (Rochester, NY) expanded its single-point diamond-turning and optical-engineering services with the introduction of polymer injection molding for custom optical components and assemblies.

CVI Technical Optics.(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... CVI Technical Optics (Albuquerque, NM) has been recommended to ISO 9001:2000 for the design, manufacture, and sales of precision optics, coatings, and assemblies.

The Optical Society of America.(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... The Optical Society of America (OSA; Washington, D.C.) introduced OpticsforKids.org, an interactive Web resource designed to teach kids about optics, the science of light.

Cymer/Carl Zeiss target FPDs.(imaging & detector industry report)
September 1, 2005... Cymer (San Diego, CA), a supplier of deep-UV light sources used in semiconductor manufacturing, and Carl Zeiss (Oberkochen, Germany), a supplier of optical systems for chip manufacturing and process control, have formed the joint venture TCZ...

Kodak alliances enable new products.(imaging & detector industry report)
September 1, 2005... The first CMOS image-sensor (CIS) devices have arisen from Eastman Kodak Company's (Rochester, NY) manufacturing alliance with IBM, as well as a reference design that incorporates these new image sensors with multimedia processors from Texas...

Aktelux captures Malaysian aircraft upgrade.(imaging & detector industry report)
September 1, 2005... Aktelux (Mississauga, ON, Canada), a wholly owned subsidiary of Luxell Technologies, has been selected by IGTEC SDN BHD of Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia, to provide a major technology upgrade for the Engine Monitoring Panels (EMP) used on the...

Flir to provide thermal imaging system to Korea.(imaging & detector industry report)
September 1, 2005... Flir Systems (Portland, OR) announced that it received a contract from a team led by Korea Aerospace Industries to supply its most advanced airborne thermal imaging system, the Star SAFIRE, to the Republic of Korea as part of the Korean Navy's...

Micro-Metric.(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... Micro-Metric (San Jose. CA), a manufacturer of high-accuracy, non-contact measurement and assembly systems, announced its alliance with HTL (Tokyo, Japan), a distributor of semiconductor and flat-panel-display-related equipment. HTL will be...

Opto-Knowledge Systems.(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... Opto-Knowledge Systems (OKSI: Torrance. CA), a hyperspectral and infrared technology R&D company, is relocating to a larger facility located at 19805 Hamilton Avenue in Torrance, to accommodate its fast growth.

e2v technologies (Chelmsford, England) acquired Gresham Scientific Instruments.(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... e2v technologies (Chelmsford, England) acquired Gresham Scientific Instruments, based near High Wycombe, England, to grow its imaging-sensors product line. Gresham is a leading independent manufacturer of x-ray detectors and associated products...

Comet.(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... Comet (Flamatt, Switzerland) opened its service and repair center at its recently expanded U.S. headquarters in Stamford. CT, to ensure high-quality repair of all Comet x-ray tubes. RF products, and Feinfocus microfocus x-ray systems.

ADC acquisition expands FTTX portfolio.(fiberoptics industry report)
September 1, 2005... ADC (Minneapolis, MN) is acquiring Fiber Optic Network Solutions (FONS; Marlboro, MA), a manufacturer of high-performance passive optical components and fiberoptic cable packaging, distribution, and connectivity solutions, for $172 million in...

Former Coherent VP becomes BinOptics CEO.(fiberoptics industry report)
September 1, 2005... Michael Cumbo, former executive vice president and general manager of the optical components business at Coherent (Santa Clara, CA), is now CEO of BinOptics (Ithaca, NY), manufacturer of integrated photonic components for datacom, telecom, and...

O.K. collaboration targets infrared fiber surgery.(fiberoptics industry report)
September 1, 2005... ChG Southampton--a spinoff of the University of Southampton--is collaborating with a team from King's College (London, England) to develop an infrared optical-fiber-based system for surgical applications. The glasses developed by ChG transmit...

Apogee Photonics born from merger.(fiberoptics industry report)
September 1, 2005... ASIP (Somerset, NJ) and T-Networks (Allentown, PA) are merging into a newly formed company called Apogee Photonics and have secured $9.7 million in new financing. Apogee Photonics will provide fiberoptic components that offer a high level of...

NeoPhotonics, Photon Technology merge.(fiberoptics industry report)
September 1, 2005... NeoPhotonics (San Jose, CA) and Photon Technology (Shenzhen, China) completed their merger; the combined company is called NeoPhotonics, expects revenues to exceed $50 million in 2005, has more than 1200 employees, and has more than 100...

Redfern Integrated Optics.(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... Redfern Integrated Optics (RIO; Santa Clara, CA), a developer and manufacturer of optical transmitters for the telecommunications and data transmission markets, secured $6.2 million in financing.

ILX Lightwave.(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... ILX Lightwave (Bozeman, MT) donated a laser-diode test system to the Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (Hubei, China) as part of its International University Donation Program. established to assist colleges and universities in...

Sagitta.(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... Sagitta (Hauppauge, NY), a fiberoptic process equipment supplier for components and connectors, will distribute its new Comet laser-cleaving system for optical connectors in Canada. the U.S., and Mexico. through the Fiber Optic Center (FOC: New...

Oxsensis.(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... Oxsensis (Oxfordshire, England) secured 890.000 [pounds sterling] (US$1.57 million) from public and private investors, to accelerate development of its fiberoptic harsh-environment sensors.

Continuum Photonics (Billerica, MA) and Polatis (Cambridge, England), makers of optical-switch subsystems and module products, have agreed to merge.(Also in the news ...)
September 1, 2005... Continuum Photonics (Billerica, MA) and Polatis (Cambridge, England), makers of optical-switch subsystems and module products, have agreed to merge; the new company will maintain its U.S. and U.K. offices and operations.

The 'miniature' gyroscope evolves.(40 YEARS: THEN AND NOW)
September 1, 2005... Nineteenth-century physicist Leon Foucault applied the name "gyroscope" to a wheel or rotor mounted in gimbal rings that used can turn freely in any direction. While Foucault used the gyroscope as a tool to study Earth's rotation, it was Elmer...

Choosing software: different design paths lead to different solutions, Part I.(software & computing)
September 1, 2005... The abundance of sophisticated optical-design software products on the market can present a bewildering maze to engineers seeking solutions to specific design problems. To provide some clarity, we interviewed about 15 high-profile vendors of...

Packaging puts vision into perspective: advanced manufacturing systems are needed to ensure competitive edge.(inside imaging)
September 1, 2005... Smart cameras, sometimes known as vision sensors, combine either CCD, CID, or CMOS sensors and image processors into one unit that provides an alternative to a complete machine-vision system. They lower the cost of integration and relieve the...

Business plan should focus on the business model.(business forum)(Interview)
September 1, 2005... Q: Please give me some constructive feedback on my business plan. A: Your business plan is well written and covers the topics expected in a business plan. Like most business plans we see, however, the emphasis needs to shift from validity...

Technological advances ease use of aspherics.(ASPHERIC OPTICS)(Cover Story)
September 1, 2005... For more than two decades optical engineers have appreciated the advantages of incorporating aspheric surfaces into optical designs. Aspheres can improve performance of a low-f-number lens, for instance, or of a lens in which weight constraints...

Fiber-delivered halogen serves as workhorse for machine vision.(FIBERS FOR ILLUMINATION)
September 1, 2005... Illuminators that incorporate halogen sources coupled to fiber bundles deliver a surprisingly intense, uniform, and stable illumination. Despite their simplicity, such illuminators are the lighting workhorses in many machine vision and...

Fiber lasers find opportunities in medical applications: high-power industrial and telecom applications have so far stolen the fiber-laser spotlight. But lower-power applications in surgery, imaging, and aesthetics are not far behind.(OPTOELECTRONIC APPLICATIONS: BIOPHOTONICS)
September 1, 2005... Fiber lasers have become one of the hottest topics in photonics in recent years, particularly as the technology has grown in robustness and reliability. But most of what we read or hear about these lasers is related to industrial and telecom...

Digital-transform spectroscopy shows its versatility.(SPECTROMETERS)
September 1, 2005... A common dispersive method for spectroscopy instruments is the optical multichannel analyzer (OMA) typically implemented using a detector array. In the visible part of the spectrum, the proliferation of digital cameras has made diode-array...

Subwavelength optics come into focus: a family of new concepts extends optical resolution to subwavelength dimensions unobtainable with classical optics.(PHOTONIC FRONTIERS: SUBWAVELENGTH OPTICS)
September 1, 2005... Classical models of optics essentially break down at subwavelength scales. The standard textbook view is that optical resolution is functionally limited to the order of the wavelength, both for focusing light energy onto a spot and for...

Adding depth to displays: while there is no ideal 3-D display, autostereoscopic and volumetric displays provide a host of options.
September 1, 2005... On the page or on the screen, we are accustomed to looking at two-dimensional images of three-dimensional objects. For many applications, two-dimensional (2-D) displays are sufficient. But users need or particularly want depth for some...

Tunable multiwavelength grid laser exploits nonlinear optical effects.(TUNABLE SOURCES)
September 1, 2005... A new technique has been developed by Peleton that utilizes nonlinear effects in optical fiber to produce evenly spaced wavelengths with a variety of channel spacings (such as 50 or 100 GHz) common in today's telecommunication networks. (1) The...

Silicon-rich silicon oxide films boost UV sensitivity.(UV DETECTORS)
September 1, 2005... Since the discovery of photoluminescence in silicon (Si) nanocrystals embedded in dioxide, much effort has been expended to take advantage of this emission. Many techniques have been used to obtain Si nanocrystals. Chemical-vapor deposition...

Color sensor.(new products)
September 1, 2005... The ColorMax-1000 is a color sensor that outputs color intensity, allowing users to finely tune automation processes and tighten control over color in manufactured goods. With a 5-kHz sampling speed, the sensor includes 15 colors in memory for...

Ti:sapphire-laser system.(new products)
September 1, 2005... The femtoTRAIN series Ti:sapphire-laser system from High Q Laser measures 530 x 200 x 75 mm, including all optics and a green pump source. Features include a passive, self-starting semiconductor saturable absorber modelocking (SESAM), greater...

Laser probe.(new products)
September 1, 2005... The SLP-330 Scanning Laser Probe is designed for use with the Romer CimCore Infinite, 3000i and Stinger II Portable Articulating Arms. The probe can scan parts with dimensions up to 12 ft. long without moving, or scan parts of any size if the...

Anticounterfeiting chemistry.(new products)
September 1, 2005... DigiVU chemistry enables manufacturers to digitally create high-definition microimages on or within a product that are almost impossible to reproduce by existing methods, preventing counterfeiting. The chemistry can be applied to any substrate,...

Nanopositioner controller.(new products)
September 1, 2005... The Nano-Drive nanopositioner controller has a USB connector to boost data transfer rates to the company's high-speed nanopositioning stages. The device is compatible with common waveform-generation software such as LabVIEW and comes with...

Piezoelectric motor.(new products)
September 1, 2005... The SQ-115 piezoelectric Squiggler cryogenic motor operates from room temperature to under 4 K. It is available with a metal housing for fast integration into systems. It adjusts optical alignment continuously so a camera can be focused at room...

Filters.(new products)
September 1, 2005... A series of new filters includes 29 colored glass filters, eight absorptive neutral-density filters, 2-in.-square optical-crown glass-metallic neutral-density filters, and UV fused-silica metallic neutral-density filters with five new optical...

LED arrays.(new products)
September 1, 2005... A 60-die LED array has a 40[degrees] radiation beam angle. It comes in varying wavelengths with typical peak wavelengths of 405, 470, 525, 610, 830, and 870 nm, with customized higher-temperature versions available on request. Operating...

Optical-engineering software.(new products)
September 1, 2005... Fred 4.50 optical-engineering software is a surface-based program that can simulate the propagation of light through most optical/mechanical systems. New abilities include ray-tracing bitmap source files, simulating CIR color analysis, creating...

Short-pulse laser.(new products)
September 1, 2005... The DS20 Nd:YLF laser for materials processing produces more than 5 mJ/pulse at 1053 nm, 3 mJ/pulse at 527 nm, and more than 1.5 mJ/ pulse at 351 nm, all at rates of 1 kHz with a pulse width of 4 ns and diffraction-limited mode quality....

Photon-counting board.(new products)
September 1, 2005... The NanoHarp 250 data-acquisition board for multichannel scaling and photon counting is available in a new software version, 2.0. The short PCI slot card with integrated discriminators is designed for acquisition of fluorescence and...

Piezo controller.(new products)
September 1, 2005... The OEM amplifier module 30DV50 for the d-Drive digital piezo nanocontroller comes with an autocalibration routine and automatic sensor identification. All values of the actuating system are automatically stored in the amplifier for ease of...

Laser surface velocimeter.(new products)
September 1, 2005... The LSV-300 laser surface velocimeter is designed for noncontact measurement and control of velocity and length in continuous-process industries. It can distinguish between forward and reverse motion and standstill and measures speeds up to...

MEMS software.(new products)
September 1, 2005... MEMS PRO version 5.1 software is a CAD tool suite for the design and analysis of microelectromechanical systems, including their electronics and packaging. It has more output formats for 3-D geometries than previous versions, can handle...