COMPUTING
Tiny ring laserscreate ultrafastoptical memory
A tutorial on the hot topic of infrared cameras
BUYER’S GUIDE
CMOS CHIPS GIVECAMERAS 3D VISION
IMAGING
The European magazine for photonics professionals
December 2004 Issue 123
INSIDEEOS
NEWSLETTERFocus on the UK
NEWS5 This month Silicon laser makes grand debut
6 Business Defence meeting is a hit • EUV sources emit record power level • Airborne laser project achieves ‘first light’
8 Analysis Quantum-dot firms change focus
TECHNOLOGY11 Applications Optical trap dates Egyptian water • Laser
therapy cures bad breath • CD matching finds forgers
14 R&D Protein acts as sensor • Mobile terawatt laser boosts LIBS • Memory chip puts lasers in a spin
15 Patents Nichia and E&E Japan settle white LED dispute
FEATURES17 CMOS pioneer attacks CCD chip dominance
From web-cams to high-end digital cameras, CMOS image sensorsare now strongly challenging CCD technology. Oliver Graydon spoke to the Californian firm Omnivision Technologies, a pioneer in the field that has just released a 5 Megapixel CMOS sensor.
20 Low-cost sensor puts 3D cameras in the pictureCMOS sensor technology is making 3D imaging more affordable and is stimulating a range of new applications such as intelligent car airbags. James Tyrrell talks to two European firms planning to launch products in 2005.
23 IR cameras tackle heatThinking of buying an infrared camera for generating thermal images? Then don’t forget that its optics and software are just a important as its sensor chip, says Christiaan Maras.
PRODUCTS27 Low-light camera • Photodetector • CCD imaging colorimeter
REGUL ARS16 Search Engine/Free Literature37 Recruitment38 Calendar
EDITORIALEditor Oliver GraydonTel: +44 (0)117 930 1015 [email protected]
Technology editor Jacqueline HewettTel: +44 (0)117 930 [email protected]
Reporter James TyrrellTel: +44 (0)117 930 [email protected]
Production editors Lucy Farrar, Clare SturgesTechnical illustrator Alison Tovey
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SUBSCRIPTIONSComplimentary copies are sent to qualifyingindividuals (for more details see optics.org/ole/subscribe). For readers outside registration requirements: £111/€160 ($170 US and Canada)per year. Single issue £11/€16 ($15 US, Canadaand Mexico). CONTACT: IOPP Magazines, WDIS Ltd,Units 12 & 13, Cranleigh Gardens Industrial Estate,Southall, Middlesex UB1 2DB, UK.Tel: +44 (0)208 606 7518. Fax: +44 (0)208 606 7303.E-mail: opto&[email protected]
© 2004 IOP Publishing Ltd. The contents of OLE donot represent the views or policies of the Institute ofPhysics, its council or its officers unless so identified. This magazine incorporates Opto & Laser Products.Printed by Warners (Midlands) plc, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH, UK.
I ssue 123 December 2004 Contents
Attractive investment:nanophotonics p7
Airborne LIDAR mapsvolcanic activity p12
On the case: Europeansdevelop 3D cameras p21
Guide takes heat out ofbuying IR camera p24
For the latest news on optics and photonics don’t forget to visit optics.org
Cover CMOS smart-pixelsensors area at the heart ofthe latest 3D cameras. p20
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A new Scottish start-up is the latestfirm to enter the market for quan-tum cascade lasers (QCLs) – semi-conductor emitters of mid-infraredlight that were first demonstratedby Bell Labs in the 1990s.
Cascade Technologies of Glas-gow has just launched its first prod-uct: a plug-and-play QCL systemthat retails for around £20 000(€28 500) and is controlled via theUSB-port of a laptop computer.
Cascade was founded in January2003 by Erwan Normand, aFrench researcher specializing inQCLs, and Richard Cooper, a Scot-tish industry veteran who has 25years’ experience at firms such asHowden Laser. It has received
£1.1 million in funding to date andcurrently has six employees.
Rather than fabricate the QCLchip itself, Cascade takes rawdevices made by Alpes Lasers ofSwitzerland and then builds acomplete easy-to-use systemaround them. The customersimply selects a laser chip with thedesirable wavelength (somewherein the 4–10 µm range).
“Our concept is to take a QCL
chip and turn it into a user-friendlydevice that comes with integratedoptics, temperature control and acomputer interface,” Cooper toldOLE at SPIE’s European Sym-posium on Optics in Security andDefence, which recently took placein London. “We are now in theprocess of organizing and acquir-ing our second round of fundingand will have a QCL-based gas sen-sor ready by April.”
Cascade’s first laser system isbased around a custom-built laserdriver that supports pulsed(10 ns – 10 µm pulse duration) and quasi-continuous-wavelength(CW) operation. Other featuresinclude CW tuning across a 50 nmwindow and antireflection-coatedZnSe micro-optics for beam colli-mation. A choice of either air orwater cooling is offered in order tostabilize the laser temperatureanywhere between –45 and 50 °C.
Cascade is not the first firm tolaunch a QCL system, but Coopersaid that the user-friendly natureof their offering sets it apart fromothers and gives them competitiveadvantage. Laser Components andSacher Lasertechnik are alsomarketing QCL systems, whilePhysical Sciences Inc of the USlaunched gas sensors based on thetechnology in April 2002.
Silicon laser makes grand debut
NEWSTHIS MONTH 5 BUSINESS 6 ANALYSIS 8
5OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
SEMICONDUCTORS
By Oliver GraydonAfter years of frustration and failedattempts, scientists have finallyfound a way to make silicon lase.The breakthrough is importantbecause it paves the way for integ-rating lasers and electronics intoone silicon chip. Currently, the twoare made separately, as today’ssemiconductor lasers are based onmaterials such as GaN and GaAs.
Researchers from the Universityof California, Los Angeles, US, havebrought the dream of unificationone stage closer by constructingthe world’s first silicon laser (Opt.Express 12 21). The prototypedevice emits picosecond pulses inthe near infrared (1.68 µm).
Ozdal Boyraz and Bahram Jalali’ssuccess depended on taking a differ-ent approach to others in the field.The pair decided to investigate thepossibility of using the Ramaneffect to induce lasing. Previousresearchers have obtained lightemission (but not lasing) from sili-con by either doping it with erbiumor riddling it with tiny holes.
“Our approach is fundamentallydifferent to other teams working inthe field,” Jalali told OLE. “Theadvantage is that we don’t needspecial impurities or nano-structures, so the technology is100% compatible with commer-cial silicon chip manufacturing.”
The Raman effect, which usesvibrations within a material to cre-ate optical gain, is often used in
long lengths of silica glass-fibres inthe communications sector toamplify data signals. As the effect is10 000 times stronger in silicon,Jalali realized that it should bepossible to obtain sufficient gainfor lasing in a silicon waveguidethat is just a few centimetres long.
To test its theory, the team madea 2 cm silicon waveguide, placed itinside a fibre loop-cavity and then
pumped it with 30 ps pulses at1540 nm from an amplified mode-locked laser. At a peak pump powerof 9 W, the fibre cavity started tolase at 1675 nm. The laser had aslope efficiency of 8.5% and emit-ted 25 ps pulses.
The team is now working on acontinuous-wave version and isthinking of commercializing thedesign. As for applications, thetunable nature of the Raman effectmeans it could be possible to makesilicon lasers that operate in themid-infrared. Sources in thisregion are required by the defencesector for detection of biochemi-cals and infrared countermea-sures, as well as free-space opticalcommunication through fog.
However, the fact that the laser isoptically pumped could be a limita-tion. “It should not be viewed as areplacement for laser diodes, whichare electrically pumped,” said Jalali.“The silicon Raman laser should beseen as a device that will extend alaser’s wavelength range to regionswhere it cannot normally operate.”
Silicon success: Jalali’s team now wants to increase the repetition rate of its laserby integrating it with a cavity resonator (above) all on the same silicon chip.
Start-up enters thequantum cascadelaser marketplace
NEW BUSINESS
The Cascade team and their first plug-and-play quantum cascade laser system.
XTREME Technologies, a joint ven-ture between Jenoptik and LambdaPhysik, claims to have produced50 W of intermediate focus powerat 13.5 nm – the highest outputpower from an extreme ultraviolet(EUV) source to date. The result
was announced at the EUV litho-graphy symposium held in Miya-zaki, Japan, last month.
The 50 W figure is nearly half ofthe power needed for high-volumechip manufacture using EUV litho-graphy. XTREME says that the goalnow is to demonstrate the projectedoutput power of 115 W by 2006.
“The EUV source power level
recently achieved at XTREME isencouraging and means thatpower is not the most critical issuein EUV lithography anymore,” saidUwe Stamm, XTREME’s generalmanager. “We are optimistic thatwe will meet the power roadmap ofthe semiconductor industry to bein production with extreme ultra-violet lithography in 2009.”
Defence meeting is a hit
NEWSBUSINESS
EVENTS
6 OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
The importance of photonics to thedefence industry was highlightedrecently as scientists swarmed toSPIE’s first European event on thetopic in London, UK.
More than 650 delegates from34 countries attended the Euro-pean Symposium on Optics andPhotonics in Security and Defenceto hear about the latest militaryapplications of photonics. Thefour-day event which ran from 25to 28 October boasted a total of370 papers in 11 different confer-ence streams and a two-day tech-nical exhibit featuring 23 firms.
These are impressive figures foran event that has never been runbefore, and it is clear that manyfirms and research groups aretargeting the sector following thedecline of other markets such astelecommunications.
Attendees ranged from defenceorganizations such as DARPA (US),QinetiQ (UK) and the ArmyResearch Laboratories (US), toEuropean universities and start-ups wanting to adapt their tech-nology for military applications.
Papers ranged from the use ofoptical sensors to detect chemicaland biological warfare agents, tooptical countermeasures, securecommunications and terahertzimaging. Many of the talks werestanding room only.
Despite its success, the Londonevent is still an order of magnitudesmaller than SPIE’s main event inthe field, the Defense and SecuritySymposium (DSS), which takesplace in the US yearly.
According to Bonnie Peterson,an SPIE event manager, DSS hasdoubled in size over the past fewyears and in 2004 boasted about270 exhibitors, 4800 attendeesand more than 40 conferencestreams. The 2005 event, whichwill take place in Orlando, Florida,between 28 March and 1 April, islikely to be even larger.
“The vast majority – probablyaround 80% – of the people attend-ing DSS are from the US,” saidPeterson. “We organized this newevent because we want to serve theEuropean Community. We under-stand that, for many people, it ishard to travel to the US.”
Following the success of theLondon event, SPIE said that a
repeat event is likely to take placenext year. “We are definitely goingto be doing this again. It’s just aquestion of where,” said Peterson.“It may well move around Europeto a different destination.”● Just before OLE went to press, theUS Department of Defenseawarded a series of contractstotalling $22.2 m (€17.2 m) to 21organizations for research intohigh-energy laser technology. Theone- and two-year contracts areexpected to yield advances in theway in which laser light is aimed attargets that are to be destroyed,optics for managing high-powerbeams, and improvements inchemical, fibre, free-electron andsolid-state laser technology.
IN BRIEF
First of many: following its initial success, SPIE said that it plans to hold anotherEuropean event for the defence sector in 2005. The location is still to be decided.
EUV sources emitrecord power level
LITHOGRAPHY
ME D I CA L D I AG N O S T I C S
Carl Zeiss Meditec of Germany is toacquire Laser DiagnosticTechnologies (LDT) of the US for anundisclosed sum. LDT specializes inthe diagnosis of eye diseases. Itinvented and commercialized aglaucoma detection system basedon an integrated-polarimeterconfocal scanning laseropthalmoscope.
TE L E C O M S
MEMS specialist MEMSCAP isacquiring fellow French firmOptogone for €3.8 m in stock,equivalent to about 13 millioncommon MEMSCAP shares.Optogone makes liquid-crystal-based optical components foroptical networks. If Optogoneachieves certain revenue targetsover the next 24 months, MEMSCAPwill issue an additional 3 million shares.
LE N S T E C H N O LO GY
StockerYale plans to acquire fellowUS firm Navitar in a transactionvalued at $25.5 m (€19.7 m).Navitar develops lens systems forthe machine-vision and biomedicaldiagnostic industries. StockerYaleanticipates closing the deal by theend of the year.
IN F R A R E D I M AG I N G
L-3 Communications, US, hasacquired Raytheon’s infraredbusiness for around $42 m in cash.The acquisition is expected to addaround $50 m to L-3’s sales for2005. The business will berenamed L-3 CommunicationsInfrared Products and will belocated in Dallas, Texas.
MI R RO R S
Optical Surfaces, UK, has supplied apair of ultra-high-precision mirrors tothe Atomic Weapons Establishment,UK, to aid the performance upgradeof its HELEN terawatt laser facility.Both mirrors were 270 mm diameteroff-axis paraboloids with a focallength of 600 mm and surfaceaccuracy of λ/10.
The Airborne Laser (ABL), a Boe-ing 747 equipped with a megawattlaser for shooting down ballisticmissiles, has reached another mile-stone in its development – thedemonstration of “first light”.
The ground-based test involvedsimultaneously firing all six laser
modules of the ABL’s giantchemical oxygen iodine (COIL)laser for the first time. The test tookplace in a 747 fuselage equippedwith the laser at Edwards Air ForceBase in California, US. The outputpower of the laser beam was notdisclosed, but the ABL team saidthat it was “an amount of infraredlaser energy that was within pre-test expectations”.
The US Missile Defense Agencyproject has recently received criti-cism for being over budget andbehind schedule, so the “first light”test comes at an important time.Boeing is acting as system integra-tor for the project, with LockheedMartin supplying the beam-con-trol system and Northrop Grum-man providing the COIL laser.
“First light is an important mile-stone because it verifies the integra-tion, operation and control of sixlaser modules and their associatedoptics in the flight configuration,”said Steve Hixson, Northrop Grum-man ABL programme manager.● For more information about ABL,see OLE March 2004 pp20–21.
Nanophotonics offersbusiness opportunties
Airborne laserproject achieves‘first light’ status
NEWSBUSINESS
MARKETS
7OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
The science of nanotechnology islikely to have a profound impact onthe world of photonics, accordingto a study just published by Strat-egies Unlimited. The Californianmarket analyst believes that mat-erials engineering on the sub-micrometre scale will result in aplethora of new optical deviceswith enhanced performance.
It lists highly efficient LEDs,breakthroughs in solar-cell design,displays based on carbon nano-tubes and biosensors as just someof the exciting possibilities. How-ever, according to the report“Nanophotonics: Assessment ofTechnologies and Market Oppor-tunities”, the hard part is forecast-ing which of these applications willactually materialize, and when.
“Worldwide, there will be over$4 bn (€3.1 bn) in government-funded R&D going into nano-technology in 2004. But themarket doesn’t care about technol-ogies, it only cares about productsand features,” said Tom Hausken,director of optical componentresearch at Strategies Unlimited.
“It turns out that the real chal-lenge will be to identify marketopportunities and size the invest-ment to fit them.”
As for the current status ofnanophotonics, Hausken acknow-ledges that much of the technol-ogy is still in the lab, but commentsthat some of the first applications
are starting to emerge. “There’s alot of R&D going on, but it’s start-ing to move out of the lab,” he toldOLE. “Next year, for example, Sam-sung is supposed to be bringing outa carbon nanotube display; thereare some quantum-dot products[medical fluorescence markers]out there already.”
Nanophotonics, such as these light-guiding glass nanowires made by HarvardUniversity, could transform the design of future optical devices.
First light: the Airborne Laser has firedall six of its chemical laser modulessimultaneously for the first time.
Narrow lasersDear Editor, I read with interest the article in theSeptember issue of OLE (p14) on anNd:YAG laser from the NationalPhysical Laboratory (UK) that has asubhertz linewidth. This is animpressive result and certainlydeserves full attention. However, inthat article, it is stated that this laseris the world’s first subhertz Nd:YAGlaser system.This is not the case.
Our group has been working onthe frequency stabilization of Nd:YAGlasers and, as early as January
2003, we published a subhertz-linewidth Nd:YAG laser (J. Phys. B:At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 36 553–559).
In that article, we presented abeat signal between two laserbeams, each independently lockedto its own high-finesse Fabry-Perotetalon isolated from externalvibrations by active vibrationisolation (as in the NPL set-up). Inthat experiment, we obtained a beatsignal of 1.3 Hz linewidth for anaverage time of 4 s, meaning amaximum linewidth of 0.9 Hz for onelaser beam.
We would like to note that ourNd:YAG laser (emitting at 946 nm) isintended to be used for an opticalfrequency standard based on a singletrapped indium ion, its fourthharmonic being resonant with thecorresponding clock transition at237 nm in that ion.
This laser not only demonstrateswhat is possible in laser frequencystabilization, but could also beimplemented in future atomic clocks.Dr Joachim von ZanthierMax-Planck Institute for Quantum Optics
LETTERS
DEFENCE
Linn
Ton
g/H
arva
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Team
AB
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If you have an opinion on any of the stories in OLE, please e-mail the editor, Oliver Graydon ([email protected]).
Quantum-dot firms change focus
NEWSANALYSIS
BIOMEDICINE
8 OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
By Robert Thomas The development of “quantum-confined” semiconductor lightsources has been one of the mile-stones in photonics over the past30 years. Today, our ability to con-fine electrons in one dimensionenables the precise tailoring of asemiconductor’s band-gap energyand emission wavelength.
The next logical step is the cre-ation of “quantum-dot” structureswhich provide increased electronconfinement (in two or moredimensions). Commercialization ofthis technology is highly desirablebecause it offers the attractive ben-efit of lasers with reduced thresh-old currents and higher effi-ciencies. In addition, quantumdots potentially offer the advan-tages of improved temperature sta-bility and increased-gain band-width (useful for tunable lasersand optical amplifiers).
Much of the early developmentof quantum dots has focused ontelecoms applications. This is notsurprising given that, despite theincrement downturn in the tele-coms industry, it represents thesecond largest application forlasers after optical storage. How-ever, several recent signals point toother applications leading the wayfor quantum dots.
According to the latest reports,US start-up Zia Laser, one of themore advanced developers ofquantum-dot lasers for telecomsapplications, is moving away fromtelecoms and diversifying its focus.One of the most likely reasons isthat the temperature performanceof conventional telecoms lasers iscontinuing to improve.
Both JDS Uniphase and Mit-subishi have recently announcedthat they are able to produce stan-dard distributed-feedback lasersoperating at temperatures ofbetween 110 ºC and 120 ºC,reducing the need for laser cooling.If the temperature stability advan-tage of quantum-dot lasers
disappears, it will be harder forquantum dots to find their niche inthe cost-sensitive telecoms market.
One application emerging forquantum dots that is having moresuccess is fluorescence marking inbiomedical applications. QuantumDot Corporation (QDC) in Hay-ward, California, was founded in1998 and has pioneered this appli-cation, licensing technology fromMIT and UC Berkeley.
QDC technology is based onnanocrystals of zinc and cadmiumsulfides and selenides that arewater-soluble and contain an inor-ganic shell that passivates the sur-face, causing them to emit lightunder optical excitation. Surfacepassivation is a crucial science inthe development of optically activematerials because surface statesdramatically affect light emission.
QDC has found a way of tailor-ing the size of its quantum-dotnanocrystals (typically in the10–20 nm range) so that they canemit over the visible spectrum:smaller Qdot nanocrystals in theblue range, larger ones in the red.
There are several compelling
advantages of quantum dots forbiomedical fluorescence appli-cations over conventional organicdyes (such as rhodamine):
● A single excitation source can beused for all wavelengths ofquantum-dot emission. For con-ventional dyes, a different excita-tion wavelength is often needed foreach dye.● Quantum dots do not show thesame bleaching that organic dyesshow, which tends to make fluor-escence decrease over time.● Mixing quantum-dot nanocrys-tals of different types and sizes insolution makes multi-wavelengthfluorescence spectroscopy possible.
QDC currently employs 54 peo-ple and for the year ended January2004, earned revenue of $5 m(€3.9 m). The company recentlyannounced a licensing agreementwith Ventana Corporation coveringthe use of QDC’s Qdot materials forin vitro diagnostic applications.
Not surprisingly, QDC is not theonly company to be developingquantum dots for fluorescenceapplications. In August, EvidentTechnologies of Troy, New York,
signed a co-operative research anddevelopment agreement with theUS National Institute of Standardsand Technology to explore the useof quantum dot materials forapplications in biomedicine.
Although they offer a smallermarket for lasers than telecomsapplications, biomedical fluor-escent markers are an attractive-looking application for quantumdots. What is exceptional aboutQDC’s Qdot is that this applicationovercomes many of the commer-cialization issues associated withbringing a new type of semicon-ductor laser to the market.
The big difference is that fluor-escence markers rely on opticalrather than electrical pumping(excitation). The latter is essentialfor a semiconductor laser and canbe technically difficult as it involvesmaking good electrical contactsand having efficient injection.
Outside the field of diode-pumped solid-state lasers and fibreamplifiers, optical pumping hastypically never been popular in thecomercial laser world. This ischiefly because it is difficult to cou-ple light from the pump into thelaser medium and the systemsneed complex packaging. How-ever, since fluorescence markinguses “raw” nanocrystals in a solu-tion, the packaging and opticalpumping is trivial.
Along with the work of com-panies such as STMicroelectron-ics, the progress made by QDC incommercializing nanocrystal-based sources indicates that theearly role of quantum dots may beas a kind of optical probe, sensor ormarker rather than a telecomslaser. Ultimately, time will tell if thetechnology is able to penetrateother applications as well.
Robert Thomas is principal at SRIConsulting Business Intelligence, abusiness and technology researchconsultancy.See www.sric-bi.com ore-mail [email protected].
Fluorescent marking of cells looks set to become an important application forquantum-dot technology and firms such as QDC and Evident are targeting the area.
Qua
ntum
Dot
Cor
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11OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
Optical trap dates Egyptian waterOPTICAL TRAPPING
A laser-based magneto-opticaltrap that captures isotopes of kryp-ton (Kr) gas can date samples ofwater and ice that are up to 1 mil-lion years old. Developed by a teamof researchers in the US anddubbed “atom trap trace analysis”(ATTA), the table-top techniquecan analyse samples that are out ofthe reach of carbon (C14) dating.The latter is effective only up tonine half-lives or around 50 000years (Rev. Sci. Instrum. 75 3224).
With a half-life of 230 000years, Kr81 is a highly attractivetracer isotope that could help Earthscientists pinpoint key climatechanges and characterize ancientaquifers. To date their samples,researchers measure the capturerates of Kr81 and a control isotopeof Kr83 or Kr85. The ratio of theserates is known as the Kr81 abun-dance, and a comparison betweensample and atmospheric abun-dance reveals the sample’s age.
However, the low abundanceand solubility of Kr81 in water haspresented a significant challenge toresearchers. Previous attempts atKr81 dating using other methodshave demanded large amounts of
sample material. In a groundwaterstudy of the Great Artesian Basin,Australia, scientists had to process16 tons (14.5 metric tonnes) ofwater to generate sufficient Kr gas(0.5 ml) for analysis.
The team, from ArgonneNational Laboratory, US, has nowrefined its ATTA technique into avery sensitive measurement proce-dure that requires between only 50and 178 µl of Kr gas (equivalent toaround 2 tons of groundwater). Atthe heart of the method is a laser-based magneto-optical trap whichselectively captures individual Kr81
atoms for 100 ms. Fluorescence isthen induced and collected fromthe atoms in order to quantify theisotope’s presence.
Recently, the ATTA method wasused to determine that the waterfrom a well in the Western Desertof Egypt had been undergroundfor 0.5 million years. Motivated bythis success, Argonne physicistZheng-Tian Lu and his colleaguesare keen to use the apparatus tostudy ancient polar ice. “Byanalysing regions of trapped air inthe ice, we can learn a lot about theEarth’s climate,” Lu told OLE.
The use of a magneto-optical trap improves the efficiency of krypton dating.
Argo
nne
Nat
iona
l La
bora
tory
LED-based lighting could be aboutto make a big impact in high-brightness applications, accordingto a US company that has devel-oped a 13 300 lm source.
Lamina Ceramics, which isbased in Westampton, New Jersey,US, claims that its 5-inch diameterlight source is an order of magni-tude brighter than anything pre-viously demonstrated with LEDs.The company is currently accept-ing orders for delivery in the sec-ond quarter of 2005.
The 13 300 lm, 860 W lampfeatures independently controlledred, green and blue channels.Lamina says that it delivers up to4600 lm red light, 7600 lm greenand 1100 lm blue. This allowswhite-light generation corres-ponding to the 3000–6500 Krange of colour temperatures.According to the company, the
RGB light engine also emits arecord 677 lm per inch2.
Lamina, which sources red,green and blue LED chips from var-ious suppliers to incorporate into
its lamps, said that the develop-ment will result in new appli-cations for solid-state lighting inbuilding illumination and largeinterior spaces. It added that the
LED fixture is brighter than tradi-tional incandescent sources.
“This long-life actively-cooledlight engine emits no heat in itsbeam and features instant on,instant restrike and fully dimmablecapabilities,” said Lamina’s presi-dent Taylor Adair. “The lightingdesigners we have shown the lightto are very excited about the possi-bilities we are opening for them.”
The source’s high brightness ispossible because of the company’slow-temperature co-fired ceramic-on-metal approach to thermalmanagement technology. Its tech-nique allows dense clustering oflarge numbers of LEDs.
Normally, the high tempera-tures generated at very high out-puts either damage LEDs or reducetheir output. Lamina’s technology,which was first developed at theSarnoff Corporation, US, transfersheat away from the LEDs andenables them to continue workingunder higher loads.
LED light engine is ‘brightest ever’
SOURCES
Lamina’s thermal management technology allows dense clustering of LEDs.
Lam
ina
Cera
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US scientists are using LIDAR tostudy the volcano Mount St Helenswhich rumbled back to life inSeptember. The technique allowsthe team from the US GeologicalSurvey and NASA to measurechanges in the crater’s shape to avertical accuracy of 10 cm.
By comparing the results withLIDAR information from a surveyin 2003, the team found that achange in volume of 5.3 millioncubic metres had occurred aroundthe main crater. A new volcanicdome south of the main crater hadappeared, as well as some newsteam and ash vents. According toNASA, the main crater has nowgrown to a height of 110 m andcovers an area of 130 000 m2.
Each LIDAR survey involvescarefully loading a scanning laser
rangefinder into a small aircraft.NASA has used two similar sys-tems: one from TerraPoint and thesecond from Sky Mapping (both USLIDAR specialists).
TerraPoint’s airborne laser ter-rain mapping system uses a diode-pumped Q-switched Nd:vanadatelaser emitting at 1064 nm and arepetition rate of 40 kHz. The aver-age density of laser pulses on theground is 1/m2.
“A mission duration is typically3–5 hours,” David Harding, aLIDAR expert from NASA’s God-dard Space Flight Center, told OLE.“The amount of area that can bemapped depends on the complex-ity of the topography and thelength of flight lines. Anywherebetween 30 and 100 square milescan be mapped during a mission.”
The TerraPoint system is due toremap the area in mid-November.
CD matching finds forgers
TECHNOLOGYAPPLICATIONS
DATA STORAGE
12 OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
DiscMatch, a machine vision sys-tem that traces optical discs back tothe pressing machine from whichthey were created, could soon becausing counterfeiters a headache.The system searches for marksinadvertently left on the disc duringthe manufacturing process andgives authorities vital evidence intheir search for fraudulent activity.
The counterfeiting of compactdiscs represents a significant loss tocopyright holders. The Interna-tional Federation of the Phono-gram Industry – a global bodyrepresenting the recording indus-try – estimates that 1.1 billionpirate music discs were made in2003 alone and that 35% of all CDmusic sold is pirated.
DiscMatch is the brainchild ofFraudHalt, a small three-year-oldIrish company. Knowing that thesecurity features deliberately intro-duced into media can be copied, thefirm started looking for the imprintsleft on a disc during manufacturewhich are impossible to forge.
An optical disc is made from amould comprising two plates. Thefirst plate contains the pattern ofpits which represent data on theCD, and the second is an opticallyflat mirror.
To look for and identify CDs thathave been made from the samemould, DiscMatch images thedisc’s stacking ring – a 1.5 mm-wide raised ring around the cen-tral hole in the CD. This ring isformed by a recess in the mirror-plate and leaves a unique patternof marks on its surface. These“signature” patterns can then be
traced back to a mirrorplate in aspecific pressing machine.
DiscMatch images the entirestacking ring using a microscopewith up to 5× magnification, dark-field illumination and a two-dimensional translation stage. ACCD camera then records imagesof the ring’s surface. A completescan takes 4.5 min to perform andcontains 91 frames which arestitched together. Next, a matchingalgorithm analyses the images andlooks for a match with existingscans held in a library.
“Our aim is to build a library offingerprints from legitimate andcounterfeit sources,” said PatrickSmith, FraudHalt’s chief productarchitect. “Due to the limited num-ber [around 1000] of CD produc-tion machines, it is quite feasible tobuild a near-complete library of, atleast, legitimate sources.”
This work was presented atSPIE’s Optics and Photonics forSecurity and Defence Symposiumheld in London in October.
An optical hydrogen sensor basedon an erbium-doped fibre lasercould make fuel cells safer to useand reduce the cost of industrialand environmental monitoring.Researchers from Universidad deValencia, Spain, and Centro deInvestigaciones en Óptica, Mexico,have used the fibre set-up to moni-tor increases in hydrogen levelsfrom 0 to 10% with resolution bet-ter than 0.1% (Op. Lett. 29 2461).
At the heart of the detector is apalladium (Pd)-coated taperedfibre which is inserted into the cav-ity of an erbium-doped fibre laser.“An important aspect of Pd is thefact that its reaction with hydrogenis almost completely reversible atroom temperature,” researcherArturo Ortigosa-Blanch told OLE.
Exposure to hydrogen changesthe tapered fibre’s attenuation,which modifies the dynamics ofthe laser. This means the team candetermine the concentration ofhydrogen in the surrounding air bymeasuring the build-up time of thelaser – the time delay between thepump being switched on and theappearance of the first laser pulse.
Because the sensor relies on tim-ing data, Ortigosa-Blanch said ithas an advantage over competingtechnology. “Translating the meas-urement into time makes it possibleto acquire and process informationeasily and accurately, using reliableand low-cost electronics,” heexplained. “Also, fibre optic-basedsensors are immune to electromag-netic interference.”
A key breakthough in the sen-sor’s development was the discov-ery that biasing the laser with acertain pump power (below thelaser threshold) dramaticallyboosted its sensitivity. The teamfound that for a hydrogen concen-tration of 10%, the relative build-uptime increased from 0.1 to almost0.6 when the bias pump power andhigh-level pump power settingswere raised from 3mW and 84mWto 8 mW and 93 mW respectively.
Fibre laser sensorspots hydrogen
LIDAR studies MtSt Helens uplift
SENSORS
A typical disc stacking-ring pattern.
LIDAR
LIDAR images from September 2003 (left) and October 2004 (right) show a newuplift to the bottom right of the main crater as well as new steam and ash vents.
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Fast infrared cameras with high-resolution lenses are allowing theelectronics industry to scrutinizecircuitry in unprecedented detail.French company CEDIP has devel-oped a range of lens and camerasystems that it says brings high-speed thermal imaging down tothe micrometre level.
One application of CEDIP’s cam-era is the characterization of LEDdevices. Using a carefully designedlens to provide a surface resolutionof 10 µm, CEDIP’s JADE range ofcameras can image both the inter-nal and external temperature ofan LED. The LED’s glass envelope issemi-transparent to shorter wave-
lengths, so a camera operating in a3–5 µm band can look inside andcharacterize the device’s internalstructure. Switching to an8–12 µm sensor reveals the sur-
face temperature of the LEDbecause the longer wavelengths donot penetrate the glass envelope.
The cameras are also playing avaluable role in electronic circuit
design and testing, and during pro-duction as a quality tool. “Demandis coming from the wafer houses,”CEDIP president Pierre Potet toldOLE. “Wafers are activated andpowered on and off [in synchro-nization with the camera].”
The combination of high resolu-tion lenses and fast frame-ratecameras allows manufacturers tomonitor transient circuit behav-iour in great detail. This can helppinpoint hot-spots that may causepremature device failure or flawsin the design such as short circuits.
Costing somewhere in theregion of €60 000, the infrared-camera and microscope-lens sys-tems are already being utilized bymajor device manufactures suchas Siemens and Infineon.
Laser therapy cures bad breath
TECHNOLOGYAPPLICATIONS
SURGERY
Chip firms delightin infrared detail
IMAGING
13OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
■ Lasers ■ Diodes ■ Optics ■ Scanners ■ Instrumentation ■ Micro-positioning
■ Service & Calibration center ■ Laser safety Euro
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Laser therapy could be the answerto bad breath, according to Israeliresearch. In a recent study, a teamof doctors used a CO2 laser to cure51 out of 53 patients suffering fromsevere halitosis (Otolaryngology –Head and Neck Surgery 131 372).
Colleagues from the Sapir Med-ical Centre, the Chaim Sheba Med-ical Centre and Tel Aviv Universityconducted the research to investi-gate tonsils as a source of halitosisand to assess the potential of laserablation as a treatment.
The study involved 30 men and23 women, all suffering from hali-tosis originating from chronic fetidtonsillitis. In the condition, open-ings in the surface of the tonsil,known as crypts, become infected
with gas-producing bacteria thatcause bad breath.
The treatment consisted of guid-ing a CO2 laser beam with a powerof between 10 and 20 W over thetonsils. A scanner quickly rotates
the focused laser beam over a3–4 mm circle to vaporize the ton-sils without causing thermal dam-age to surrounding tissue.
The advantage of the techniqueis that it can be performed in an
office setting with the patientunder local anaesthetic. Of the 53patients in the study, 47 immedi-ately resumed regular work androutine activities. All patients wereback at work within three days ofreceiving treatment, which lastedno more than 20 min.
A total of 28 patients were curedin one session, 18 patients requireda second visit and five patientsreturned for a third treatment.“The findings show that the tonsilsare a source of halitosis, and areeffectively treated by laser vapor-ization,” said the authors in theirpaper. “All our patients were curedfrom their bad breath, 51 by cryp-tolysis [the laser therapy], and onlytwo patients by tonsillectomy.”
Cure for bad breath: tonsils before (left) and after (right) CO2 laser treatment.
Inner and outer LED detail revealed using high-resolution thermal imaging.
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Protein acts as sensor
TECHNOLOGYR&D
SENSORS
14 OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
Scientists from the US and Hun-gary say they have blended theprotein bacteriorhodopsin (bR) withelectronics to make the world’sfirst bio-phototransceiver. Thedevice, which uses bR to detectincoming light, could find appli-cations as an optical interconnectin artificial vision systems forrobotics and high-speed tracking(Optics Letters 29 2264).
The light-sensitive protein bR istypically found in salt marshes.According to researcher PallabBhattacharya from the Universityof Michigan, US, bR’s propertiesare well known but not muchprogress has been made towards areal application.
“Compared with other proteinreceptors, bR has high resistanceto thermal and chemical damage,”said Bhattacharya. “It also exhibitsexcellent long-term stability andlight-sensitivity and has anextremely short response time inthe order of picoseconds.”
Key components of the mono-lithically integrated phototrans-ceiver are a film of bR, a field-effect
transistor and an LED, all based ona GaAs substrate. The overalldimension of the integrated chip is7.8 × 2.7 mm, and it contains 24phototransceivers.
“It occurred to us that the largephotovoltage developed across a bRmembrane, with a high resistanceacross it, could be applied to the gateterminal of a field-effect transistor.This would amplify the photovolt-age into a useful current,” Bhat-tacharya explained. “The currentthen drives the integrated LED.”
To test their device, Bhat-tacharya and colleagues fired 3 sand 10 ms pulses from a HeNe
laser operating at 594 nm at thebR film. A spectrometer picked upa pulsed output from the 655 nmLED. The team noted that forlonger-incident pulses, the outputfrom the LED exactly resembled thetransient response of bR.
Bhattacharya is also confidentthat the bR film will retain itsproperties. “It has been reportedthat light-sensitive thin-films madeof bR can be saved on the shelf for20 years without any functionaldegradation,” he told OLE. “In ourexperiments, after thousands oflaser pulses over 8 months, bRretains its photovoltaic properties.”
Researchers from France andGermany say that they havefound a way to extend the det-ection range of laser-inducedbreakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)by an order of magnitude. Rely-ing on filaments emitted by themobile terawatt-class laser“Teramobile”, the team believesthat its technique could operatein the kilometre range instead ofjust a few tens of metres (AppliedPhysics Letters 85 3977).
LIBS uses a strongly focused,pulsed laser beam to generate aplasma. Analysing the emissionspectrum of the plasma revealswhich elements are present. Todate, portable systems have beenused to analyse everything fromarchaeological artefacts to food.
However, applications in hostileenvironments, such as monitor-ing molten alloys or identifyingradioactive nuclear waste, requireremote analysis. The problem isthat diffraction usually limits thedelivery of high laser intensities toless than 100 m.
The Teramobile team believesthat self-guided filaments oflight, which arise from nonlinearpropagation of ultrashort laserpulses, can overcome diffractionand deliver high laser intensitiesover distances of about 1 km. Itcalls this approach remote fila-ment-induced breakdown spec-troscopy (R-FIBS).
In initial tests, with the Tera-mobile firing 250 mJ pulses cen-tered at 800 nm, the R-FIBSsystems successfully detected cop-per and steel samples located90 m away. The laser’s repetitionrate was 10 Hz with a minimumpulse duration emitted of 80 fs.
“Unambiguous spectra couldbe obtained with only 1000shots – less than 2 min at 10 Hz –allowing real-time monitoring,”said the authors. “Under thesame conditions, uncompressed(200 ps) or unseeded (typically5 ns) laser pulses yield neitherablation nor a LIBS signal.”
Michigan’s bio-phototransciever: the purple bacteriorhodopsin can be seen on theleft, next to the field-effect transistors (centre) and the integrated LEDs (right).
Both diffraction and interferenceeffects contribute to the beautifulblue-green and pink iridescentcolours observable on the shell ofthe mollusc Haliotis glabra (mainimage). That’s the conclusion of ateam from the Nanyang Techno-logical University in Singapore(Optics Express 12 4847).
Haliotis glabra is native to thePhilippines. Like many pearl andmother-of-pearl materials, underwhite light the colour of its shellvaries with the angle of observation,
showing a rainbow of colours.Augustine Tan and colleagues
were curious to find out themechanisms that combined toproduce the shell’s strong iridescentcolours. The origins of the colourswere examined by studying both themicrostructure of the surface and across-section of the shell.
The researchers used a HeNe laseremitting at 632.8 nm and a scanningelectron microscope (SEM) to studythe surface of the shell. Strongdiffraction patterns revealed two sets
of grooves: one close-spaced set of2–8 µm in width and a wider-spacedset of around 30–50 µm in width(centre). These observations wereconfirmed using SEM images.
Fourier transform infraredspectroscopy combined with SEMimages unveiled uniform stacks ofnacreous layers just below thesurface of the shell (right). Accordingto Tan, the presence of such regularstacks of thin layers stronglysuggests that multilayer interferenceplays an important role in generatingthe iridescent colours.
“The surface of the shell has a fine-scale diffraction grating structure andstacks of thin crystalline nacreouslayers below the surface,” said Tanand his colleagues in their paper.“These observations suggest theiridescent colours are caused by bothdiffraction and interference.”
IRIDESCENCE
Mobile terawattlaser boosts LIBS
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TECHNOLOGYR&D/PATENTS
15OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
APPLICATIONSPhilips applies for patent forpulsed measurement of thin filmsElectronics giant Philips has proposed a way tomeasure the thickness of metal films of less than100 Å thick. The method relies on firing anexcitation laser-pulse at particular points on thefilm. This causes the air temperature at thesespecific locations to rise and acoustic waves, orsound, to be emitted.
“Excited acoustic waves modulate the intensityof a diffracted probe-beam resulting in a low-frequency component in the signal,” explained theauthors in international patent application numberWO 2004/092714. “Amplitude of this low-frequency component is correlated with theamount of energy absorbed by the film and withthe film thickness.”
Laser system could reduce thecost of sheet-metal weldingSouthampton Photonics, UK, has applied topatent a laser system for materials-processingapplications such as welding sheet metal. Thesystem comprises a rare-earth doped-fibre laserwhich is pumped with a diode laser. The fibre laser
output is then combined with that of a short-pulsed source, such as a Q-switched laser. Thiscombination provides a train of pulses containinga pre-pulse and a main pulse. The average peakpower of the pre-pulse is said to be greater thanthe peak power of the main pulse.
“The apparatus provides savings in equipmentcosts as well as reduced infrastructure and utilitycosts,” said the inventors in international patentapplication number WO 2004/098003.
SETTLEMENTSYAG phosphor-based white LEDpatent dispute is settledNichia Corporation and E&E Japan (previouslyEPISTAR Japan and EVERLIGHT Japan) havesettled their pending litigation in the Tokyo DistrictCourt. Settlement was reached after E&E made acovenant that it had never sold white LEDsmanufactured by Everlight Electronics, which useYAG phosphor, and that it will not sell productscovered by Nichia patent 2 927 279 in Japan.
Corning confirms court decisionrelating to Furukawa patentUS speciality glass manufacturer Corning has
confirmed that a court in Japan has dismissed thepatent suit filed by Japanese firm FurukawaElectric. The court found that optical-fibre cablessold by Corning Cable Systems, a subsidiary ofCorning, did not infringe Furukawa’s patent anddismissed Furukawa’s claim on that basis.
“The court’s decision confirms what we havealways believed: that our products never used thedesign claimed in Furukawa’s now expiredpatent,” said Larry Aiello Jr, president and chiefexecutive officer of Corning Cable Systems.
AWARDSDouble fibre grating stabilizespump laser and reduces noiseUS company Bookham has devised a pump laserstabilization scheme that is said to reduceundesirable modal-switching noise. The invention,which is described in US patent 6771687, usestwo fibre Bragg gratings (FBGs), ideally at thesame wavelength and bandwidth, to create doubleexternal cavities out of phase with each other.According to the firm, this out-of-phase conditionforces the laser into a stable operating regime.Schemes based on a single FBG are said to exhibitexcessive mode-hopping at high power outputs.
PATENTS
To search for recently published applications, visit http://pctgazette.wipo.int and http://ep.espacenet.com
A fast low-power optical memoryelement that exploits the clockwise(CW) and anticlockwise (ACW) las-ing properties of ring cavities hasbeen developed by researchers inthe Netherlands. The bistabledevice, which switches betweentwo modes within 20 ps and occu-pies an area of 18 × 40 µm2, couldbe a possible building block forfuture high-speed optical proces-sors (Nature 432 206).
Micro-ring lasers typically havetwo inherent lasing modes: laserlight travelling in the clockwisedirection, and laser light travellingin the anticlockwise direction. Byconnecting two ring lasers togethervia an optical waveguide, the teamexploits these CW and ACW prop-erties to create a system with twostable states.
“We can switch between states
by injecting a laser pulse,”researcher Martin Hill of theCOBRA research institute, Tech-nische Universiteit Eindhoven, toldOLE. “Because it is small and low-power, you can have lots on a chipworking together at high speed.”
To demonstrate the concept, theteam fabricated two micro-ringlasers (A and B), measuring 16 µmin diameter, on a wafer containing
active InGaAsP material emittingat 1.55 µm. The width of the ringand the inter-laser ridge wave-guide was 2 µm.
The system works by using 13 psduration pulses of light, sent alongthe interconnecting waveguide,which force the system to lase inone of two states. In the first state,light from laser A injection-lockslaser B, forcing it to lase only in theCW direction. Conversely, in thesecond state (activated by sendinga pulse in the opposite direction),light from laser B injection-lockslaser A, forcing it to lase only in theACW direction. The different statesare detected by a change in powerlevel at the two inputs and outputs.
“In itself, it is a simple functionthat you could use for memory orthreshold functions such as a gate,”said Hill. “However, the idea is to use
it as a building block to constructmore advanced nonlinear func-tions in optical-digital systems.”
By densely integrating andinterconnecting large numbers ofthese devices, the group hopes todevelop high-speed optical proces-sors. These could be used in areassuch as the telecoms sector, replac-ing electronic-based logic opera-tions within fibre networks inorder to boost data rates.
The team is conducting itsresearch with support from theNetherlands Organization for Sci-entific Research. Wafer materialsfor the project were supplied by JDSUniphase. The researchers are cur-rently working with Korean scien-tists to develop photonic crystaltechnology which they hope willbe used to shrink the size of thelaser down to 1 µm or below.
Memory chip puts lasers in a spinCOMPUTING
Building block: COBRA’s memory.
COB
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From web-cams to high-end digital cameras, CMOS image sensors are now stronglychallenging CCD technology. Oliver Graydon spoke to the Californian firm OmnivisionTechnologies, a pioneer in the field that has just released a 5 Megapixel CMOS sensor.
CMOS pioneer attacksCCD chip dominance
INTERVIEW
17OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
Riding the wave in demand for cheap imagesensors for web-cams, mobile phones andtoys, US firm Omnivision Technologies haspropelled itself to the forefront of the digitalimaging revolution that is now sweepingthrough households all over the world.
The origins of the Californian designer ofCMOS image sensors date back to 1995 whenShaw Hong and Raymond Wu, two formerMotorola engineers, saw the commercialpotential for a cheap alternative to CCD sen-sors for low-end applications. They foundedOmnivision with a clear goal: to make a sensorthat would allow colour-PC video cameras(web-cams) to retail for just $99 (€76).
A few years later they succeeded, just asthe market for multimedia applicationsexploded, and branched into the market fortoys and consumer digital cameras. A highlysuccessful initial public offering on the NASDAQ followed in 2000 and, today, thefirm claims to be the largest independentmaker of CMOS camera chips.
“Our mission from the very beginning hasbeen to focus on mass markets for low-costdigital imaging,” said Jess Lee, director ofproduct marketing for Omnivision. “Up totoday, we have shipped over 90 million CMOScamera chips.”
The firm currently has a quarterly revenueof around $100 m and believes that there aremany applications for its technology. Its sen-sors already appear in various portable prod-ucts made by companies like Samsung,Motorola, Sony Ericsson and Siemens.
“The bulk of our revenue came from thedigital camera space until the middle of lastyear, when the market for cellular phonecameras really took off,” Lee told OLE. “Thecellular phone market is huge; on a globalbasis, 610 million units are predicted to beshipped this year and about one-third ofthose are expected to be camera phones.”
However, to describe Omnivision as a“maker” is slightly misleading as the firm is,in fact, a pure designer of chips and circuitry.It follows a “fabless” approach that sees itoutsourcing all of its manufacturing. The
well-known Taiwanese semiconductor fabsTSMC and Powerchip currently produce thesilicon wafers that contain the firm’s CMOSimage sensors. These are then coated withglass and diced up ready for integration intoa camera module complete with optics.
During its trading life, Omnivision haslearned some hard lessons about running arapidly expanding business, the most
important of which was to avoid doing toomuch itself. “We started out as a pure siliconcompany and, for a period, when this market[mobile phone cameras] started taking off,we were making complete camera modules,but very quickly realized that we didn’t wantto be in that market,” said Lee.
“We just weren’t set up for it – we knowhow to design chips, but when it comes tologistics and managing a supply chain forconnectors, plastic parts and lenses, it was anightmare. We quickly realized that therewere dozens of potential partners in thespace we could team up with.”
Another challenge that Omnivision hashad to overcome is to hit the very low pricepoints that are required for mass consumermarkets. “For most toy applications, we needto make chips that don’t go over the $1mark,” confirmed Lee. “It’s extremely hard
Main picture: Omnivision hopes that its new 5 Mpixel CMOS sensor (OV 5610) will displace CCDs in theconsumer digital camera market. Inset: the OV6650 is allegedly the industry’s smallest CMOS imagesensor for camera phones. It offers a colour image with CIF (352 × 288) resolution.
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“For most toys, weneed to makechips that don’t goover the $1 mark.”Jess Lee
▲▲
to hit this point and you need to make a lot ofsacrifices. Performance is not anything like aCCD and the image size is usually very small.”
Even for applications like mobile phones, acomplete camera module only retails for afew dollars. “A VGA module retails foraround $6–8 and is dropping quickly,” Leetold OLE. “People are starting to talk about1.3 and 2 Mpixel with autofocus, so the mar-ket is changing very quickly.”
To keep pace with this demand, earlier thisyear Omnivision released two new image
sensors especially for the camera-phonemarket: a 2 Mpixel sensor and the industry’ssmallest CMOS sensor – a 1/7-inch versionwith CIF (352 × 288) resolution.
As for technical reasons to embrace CMOStechnology, Omnivision claims that it offers anumber of advantages. For a start, the com-pany says its imaging chip consumes signifi-cantly less power than a CCD chip and gives amore compact single-chip solution. Instead ofrequiring multiple chips to perform theanalogue-to-digital conversion and digital sig-
nal processing of image signals generatedfrom pixels, Omnivison says all of this func-tionality is contained within a single chip.
In effect, one CMOS chip features all of thecamera-imaging functions such as auto-matic white balancing, exposure control,gain control, edge enhancement and colourprocessing. In theory, this makes it possible toconstruct smaller, simpler cameras, whichcan be highly attractive in portable appli-cations such as mobile phones.
In August this year, Omnivision launchedwhat it calls its “Omnipixel” technology,which it claims provides a light sensitivity,resolution, colour fidelity, and low noisecomparable to high-quality CCD products.According to the firm, Omnipixel maximizesthe sensor’s fill factor (light sensitive area ofthe chip) while using a circuit structure that“virtually eliminates effects such as fixed pat-tern noise and dark current, ensuring con-sistently clear and sharp images”.
To date, Omnipixel technology has beenemployed in two new sensors: a 3 Mpixel anda 5 Mpixel version that the firm hopes willdisplace CCD sensors in mid- and high-enddigital cameras. However, there is no doubtthat penetrating the market sector for con-sumer digital cameras will be difficult, ascompetition is extremely fierce.
Many of the leading Japanese digital cam-era-makers like Fuji, Konica, Nikon and Sonyeither already make their own CCD sensorsor have a very long-standing and close rela-tionship with domestic suppliers such asSony, Toshiba and Matsushita. As a result,Omnivision’s success probably lies withlesser-known camera-makers in Asia adopt-ing the technology and rolling out productsthat are very price-competitive.
“CMOS is a tricky subject. It’s turning outto be very good for cell phones, but it’s not theanswer for everything,” commented TomHausken, an analyst at Strategies Unlimitedwho has written numerous reports on thetopic. “It turns out that CMOS is good forhigh-end applications such as, for example,16 Mpixel movie cameras, and the low endbecause of its low power-consumption. COn-trastingly, in the middle range, CCDs are stilldoing very well. This is because it’s hard todisplace an entrenched technology and theydeliver good performance.” ■■
INTERVIEW
18 OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
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CMOS sensor technology is making 3D imaging moreaffordable and is stimulating a range of new applicationssuch as intelligent car airbags. James Tyrrell talks to twoEuropean firms planning to launch products in 2005.
Low-cost sensor puts 3DIMAGING
20 OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
Three-dimensional cameras that capturequantitative depth data at video rates foraround the price of a web-cam could becomea familiar sight, thanks to low-cost CMOSimage-sensor technology. German-basedPMD Technologies (PMDTec) and CentreSuisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique(CSEM) are both planning to put CMOS-based 3D sensors on the market in 2005.
PMDTec was set up in 2002 on the back ofpioneering research led by Rudolf Schwarteat the University of Siegen’s Zentrum fürSensorsysteme. It is a subsidiary of AudiElectronics Venture (the electronics innova-tions arm of car-maker Audi). This gives thecompany a firm foothold in the automotivesector – an industry keen to exploit the latestinnovations in sensor technology. Swisstechnology incubator CSEM, which has 14spin-off and start-up companies to its credit,has been developing its three-dimensionalsensor during the past 10 years.
TechnologyCameras from PMDTec and CSEM rely on thetime-of-flight principle and use a CMOS sen-sor and pulsed active illumination to gener-ate a 3D image. The systems function bymeasuring the phase shift between a refer-ence signal sent directly to the detector’ssmart pixels and light reflected by the scene.
Crucially, each pixel within the array isable to compute the phase difference directlyon-board the sensor chip. This built-in func-tionality means that the sensor can pre-process the signal, removing the need forexpensive high-speed electronics. Relatingthe phase difference measured by each pixelto the speed of light gives the distance trav-elled by light falling onto the detector. Infor-mation from all the pixels is then broughttogether to create a 3D image.
The cameras typically have a range of7.5 m and use intensity-modulated near-infrared LEDs as an illumination source. “Wemodulate at around 20 MHz, and this corre-sponds to a modulation wavelength of 15 m,or 2 × 7.5 m,” Nicolas Blanc, head of CSEM’sphotonics division, told OLE.
Although sufficient over short ranges, themeasurement scheme breaks down at dis-
tances greater than half of the modulationwavelength because it becomes ambiguous.“This means that if you have objects at 8 m,they will be measured as if they are 0.5 maway from the camera,” explained Blanc.
To overcome this problem, the two groupsborrowed concepts from techniques such astwo-wavelength interferometry. “When weuse two modulation frequencies, the ambi-guity problem disappears,” said Blanc.
“You can also use other modulationschemes such as chirping or pseudo-noise,”PMDTec CEO Bernd Buxbaum told OLE. “Wehave cameras working with pseudo-noise inapplications where we have to cover a dis-tance-range of up to 20 m.”
Although limited in terms of range, thesimpler coding techniques have advantageswhen it comes to illumination. This isbecause more sophisticated schemes cancause the illumination source to dim if mod-ulation frequency conflicts with the rise-timeof the LEDs. Restoring illumination powermeans using either a larger number of LEDsor faster diodes, such as lasers. “We wantedto build a cheap camera and so we decided touse LEDs,” said Buxbaum.
Both units use infrared rather than visiblelight to illuminate the scene. “For most pur-poses, this is more appropriate because youdon’t want to disturb the people in a room,”said Blanc. “For machine-vision applicationsyou may want to use visible [light].”
Illumination also plays a role in definingcamera resolution. Both CSEM and PMDhave devices with 120 × 160 pixels. “It’s anactive measurement system, so if you realizea megapixel camera based on this principle,you need a huge amount of light,” explainedBuxbaum. “This is because, as the pixels godown in size, so does the signal [photocur-rent] amplitude.” There is a natural trade-offbetween the benefits of enhanced resolutionand the cost of additional lighting.
PMDTec is thinking about developing aVGA (480×640) sensor next year, although,as Buxbaum revealed, it is not an automaticstep for the company to take. “What we havelearned from many applications and discus-sions with customers is that they don’t need amegapixel 3D [camera],” he explained. “The
amount of data coming from a megapixel 3Dcamera is so high, it is too much.”
As a low-cost approach for 3D applicationsrequiring only moderate performance and adepth resolution of a few millimetres, CMOStechnology appears to have few rivals. Unlikelaser scanners, which take time to assemblea full 3D image, CMOS 3D cameras acquireall of their data simultaneously in one shot.It turns out that the CMOS sensors can run atspeeds sufficient for video.
“We have to integrate for a certain time togenerate enough photons in the device,”explained Buxbaum. “[But] if we do that, wecan go up to frame rates of 50 Hz, or in someapplications up to 200 Hz, without any mov-ing parts in the device.”
The CMOS time-of-flight approach hasadvantages over stereo techniques, which usea pair of cameras and correlation algorithmsto extract depth information from a scene. “Itonly works if you have sufficient structure inthe scene. If the walls are white, you won’t beable to use passive triangulation at all,” saidBlanc. “The other point is that a lot of process-ing power is required to compute the distance.We make a direct phase measurement, which,
CMOS sensation: 3D camera systems from PMD Technologies (bo
PMD
Tec
PMD
Tec
in that sense, is really metrology.”
ApplicationsBoth CSEM and PMDTec feel that over thenext 2–3 years, new safety legislation willstimulate a strong market for CMOS 3D sen-sors in the automotive sector. “We [PMDTec]have developed a 64×16 chip for automotiveapplications like pedestrian safety or stop-and-go,” revealed Buxbaum. “For the carinterior, we have a 64 × 64 chip which will beused to steer airbags more intelligently.
“If the driver or passenger is very close tothe dashboard, you do not want to inflate theairbag at speed,” cautioned Blanc. “Anothercase is if you have a child seat,” addedBuxbaum. CSEM is developing automotiveproducts in partnership with Luxembourg-based occupant-sensing expert IEE. “Thepressure is coming from car manufacturers,”said Blanc. “They really want to have thesefeatures in their cars.”
People who use lifts may also benefit fromthe CMOS technology. CSEM is working withSwiss firm CEDES to improve elevator systems.Blanc pointed out that, although today’s sen-sors work well for applications such as door
safety, 3D cameras could give much moreinformation. For example, you could makemultiple elevator systems more efficient byincluding data such as the number of peoplewaiting for the lift and its current occupancy.
MarketplaceOutside of the automotive sector, PMD isplanning to launch its first product, a rangesensor, for around €400–500 at the Han-nover fair in April 2005. Currently at the pro-totype phase, Buxbaum is confident that withmass-production technology, its 3D camerascould be priced at around €100.
CSEM’s Nicolas Blanc shares a similarvision. “Today, we have [3D camera] demon-strators that we sell for more than €5000,but these are [almost] single pieces, so it’s notcomparable,” said Blanc. “In terms of vol-ume production, it has to be below €100.”
CSEM’s camera is slightly different to thePMDTec device as it features a combinedCCD/CMOS sensor. “Most of the sensor isCMOS for the read-out, the control and mostof the data-processing, but within the pixelwe use a CCD option. Typically, some of thevery early data-processing, especially the
demodulation of the incoming signal, isdone in the charge domain,” said Blanc. “Weonly start to convert this electrical chargeinto a voltage later on, when we already havea strong signal. This means that we are sig-nificantly less sensitive to noise.”
Both cameras interface to a PC and havepossible web-cam applications. “If somebodyis moving in the background and you onlywant to focus on the person sitting in front ofthe monitor, you can do it easily using a 3D,”explained Buxbaum. “The solutions that areon the market so far are really expensive. Ifcheap cameras are available, we believe themarket will open up.”
The two European groups, which knoweach other well, think that there is plenty ofroom in the marketplace. “There are othercompanies, for example in the US, workingon similar technologies,” said Buxbaum.“We need to open the market. It doesn’t mat-ter if we open it or if the Swiss guys open it –there is enough for all of us.” ■■
For more information PMDTec www.pmdtec.com CSEM www.csem.ch
21OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
D cameras in the picture
ottom left) and CSEM (centre) feature smart-pixel CMOS sensor technology and use a time-of-flight technique to capture 3D images (top right) at video speed.
CSEM
CSEM
CSEM
13.0 µm
FLIR SYSTEMS LTD.2 Kings Hill Avenue - Kings Hill, West Malling, KentME19 4AQ, United KingdomTel.: +44 (0)1732 221 245 • Fax: +44 (0)1732 843 707e-mail: [email protected] • www.flirthermography.co.uk
If you would like more information on how infrared can helpyou to solve your scientific or R&D related applications andwhich type of camera will suit your needs, just contact FLIRSystems, the world leader for infrared thermography.
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Thinking of buying an infrared camera for generating thermal images? Don’t forget thatits optics and software are just as important as its sensor chip, says Christiaan Maras.
IR cameras tackle heatBUYER’S GUIDE
23OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
Infrared thermography – the generation ofcalibrated thermal images by an infrared (IR)camera – is an invaluable imaging tool for avast range of industrial and scientific uses.
Applications range from the analysis ofhot spots in small electronic circuits to opti-mizing the performance of rocket engines,for example. The technique’s key attraction isthat it is non-invasive and can generate anaccurate temperature map (thermogram) ofan object without the need for any contact.
Thermal images created using this tech-nique allow even the smallest of temperaturedifferences to be detected, which can be vitalfor spotting flaws in a design or the onset offailure in a product. As temperature patternscan be very difficult to predict, the use of acamera is far more convenient than the alter-native approach of attaching thermocouplesto the target object. Not only is it sometimeshard to know where to place the thermocou-ples, but their presence can actually influ-ence the temperature distribution of anobject. By contrast, an infrared image willinstantly show the presence of hot or coldspots and the measurements can continuallybe updated in real time.
When an organization commits to pur-chasing an IR camera it is absolutely vitalthat it selects a system that is suitable for usewith all the conditions that are likely to beencountered. The right camera can providea fast return on investment. However, it canbe quite daunting trying to match a cam-era’s performance parameters to applicationrequirements. Is a camera’s dynamic rangemore important than spatial resolution? Isnoise-equivalent temperature difference(NETD) more important than quantum effi-ciency? Is the camera’s frame rate moreimportant than its measurement accuracy?Which type of detector should be used?
Of course, the answers to these questionsdepend on the intended use of the camera. Tohelp simplify the process, here is a descriptionof the most important camera features(detector type, accuracy, dynamic range,noise, optics and analysis software) that needto be taken into account.
Detector type● Indium antimonide (InSb) detectors High-performance thermal imaging cameras basedon cooled indium antimonide focal plane
arrays (FPAs) offer excellent sensitivity in the3–5 µm waveband. Noise levels below 20 mKand the high-speed response of the InSb pho-todetectors enable high-quality images to becaptured over timescales as short as 5 µs.
An InSb camera is a good choice whenhigh sensitivity over a broad range of operat-ing conditions is important, and when shortintegration times or fast frame rates arerequired. Typical applications for InSb detec-tors include medical imaging, mid-infraredspectroscopy (analysis of chemicals, rocketand missile exhaust), target signature analy-sis, astronomy (imaging of molecular cloudsand “cold” celestial objects), and thermalimaging of dynamic scenes (propagation ofbullets or airbags).● Uncooled microbolometer These detectorsoperate in the long-wave infrared band in the
7.5–13 µm range. The advantage of theseuncooled detectors is that unlike cooled ver-sions, they do not have any moving parts,reducing the need for maintenance. In addi-tion, uncooled detectors are cheaper to pro-duce than cooled devices. Performance hasalso significantly improved recently in termsof spatial resolution and temperature sensi-tivity. Today’s uncooled systems can beemployed in applications in which onlycooled systems could be used previously. Thedynamic range of the latest uncooled sensorshas also improved and they can now meas-ure temperatures ranging from the subzeroto 2000 °C. Most systems allow real-timeimaging, but for really high-speed imagingcooled systems still offer an advantage astheir time constant is shorter than foruncooled based systems.
Solving scientific problems: infrared thermography is an ideal tool for research and development. Top andright: thermal images clearly highlight hot-spots on a car wheel and a computer chip respectively. Left: thelatest infrared cameras, such as the ThermaCAM E65 from FLIR, are small enough to hold in the hand.
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● Quantum-well infrared photodetectors(QWIPs) QWIPs operate in a very narrowwavelength band (between 8 and 9 µm), butprovide outstanding thermal resolution andunparalleled temperature-measurementcapabilities. They are a good solution whenultra-high thermal sensitivity and high-speed data-acquisition is required in the longwavelengths. QWIP detectors operate in atemperature range from –20 to 2000 °C andare able to detect temperature differences assubtle as 0.02 °C.
Accuracy and repeatabilityThe accuracy and repeatability of a camera’stemperature measurements are critical fac-tors that should form the foundation of anypurchase. However, differences in the perfor-mance of various cameras may not be obvi-ous from reading the product literature.
Specifications listed in product data-sheetsshould be treated with caution, as they oftenrelate to measurements made only at thecamera’s calibration temperature at the timeof manufacture. Checking the temperature-stability of these figures is very important, asa camera’s accuracy can change under dif-ferent conditions. To avoid any doubt, ask themanufacturer about performance underyour expected operating conditions.
Dynamic rangeDynamic range is the ratio of the highest tothe lowest temperature that the instrumentwill faithfully measure. Again, buyers shouldbe careful, as sometimes this term refers tothe inherent properties of the sensor in thecamera, while at other times the digitizingcapability of the camera electronics is quotedinstead. For most users, it is the combinationof these two parameters with the final sys-tem output that is important.
Highly sensitive detector technologiesoften do not have adequate dynamic rangefor many applications, which means thatthey cannot image both ambient tempera-tures and targets over 70 °C at the same timewithout saturation. This capability is criticalin many electronics applications in whichtemperature data is taken at regular inter-vals from the moment when power is appliedto a circuit or device.
Infrared cameras equipped with a limitedtemperature span (dynamic range) will needto be adjusted frequently throughout thedata-collection cycle to avoid image satura-tion. This approach is not practical in manyscenarios and often results in measurementerrors related to calibration inconsistenciesat different camera range settings.
Detector technologies such as quantum-
well techniques are much more appropriatefor these applications because they maintainhigh sensitivity over large temperatureranges without imposing a requirement toadjust for saturation.
Noise and sensitivityNoise-equivalent temperature difference(NETD), also commonly referred to as sensi-tivity, is a measure of an infrared camera’sability to discern small differences in temper-ature. This parameter is critical when thepurpose of the study is to discern very smalltemperature differences. Observing temper-ature changes of as little as 0.02 °C can be
Engine optimization: infrared image of a jet engineunder test. Knowing the heat distribution of partsand the exhaust yields valuable efficiency data.
FLIR
difficult or impossible with a camera that hasa noise threshold of 0.1 °C.
Quantum-well detectors and indium anti-monide sensors both produce images withexcellent sensitivity. Often there is a trade-offbetween a camera’s sensitivity and the qual-ity of its other parameters, such as dynamicrange. As a result, check that the perfor-mance of both is appropriate for the appli-cation requirement.
Spatial resolutionHigh-resolution (640 × 480 or 320 × 240pixels) focal plane array detectors are nowcommon in the infrared industry. These arevery useful for imaging small features on tar-gets such as printed circuit boards. However,in other, less demanding applications, low-resolution (120 × 160) camera technologieswill suffice. The distance from the target andmeasurement spot-size requirements shouldbe determined to ascertain the importance ofspatial resolution.
OpticsA sensor may boast good spatial resolution,sensitivity and dynamic range, but these areof little importance if the camera systemcannot be equipped with the optics neces-sary to properly resolve the target. Micro-scope optics will be required to resolve smalltargets such as integrated circuits. Withoutthem, the camera is of little value.
Likewise, distant targets will not beresolved without the use of suitable tele-photo lens. No degree of pixel magnificationwill make up for a poor imaging perfor-mance. Optical design that eliminates theeffects of stray radiation is critical in appli-cations in which targets under test are adja-cent to other high-temperature sources.
It is also worth remembering that afterseveral years of ownership, the camera maybe required to tackle a new application thathas quite different imaging requirements.With this in mind, a unit that can be fittedwith a wide array of component optionsoffers greater flexibility that may prove to bebeneficial in the future.
Image processing softwareMost infrared camera users are required toproduce data and document their measure-ments. The ease with which image and tem-perature data can be extracted from thesystem can have a dramatic impact on thecamera’s usability. It is a great advantage ifthe whole system, from the camera to thepost-processing software, uses standard fileformats allowing for easy sharing of data.Software that is mated with the camerashould ideally support automated transfer oftemperature data to a variety of other pro-gramming environments such as MicrosoftExcel or Matlab. The supplied softwareshould support exportation of test sequencesto common formats such as .AVI that can beembedded into presentations.
Cameras and camera software that takeinto account the calibration effects of addi-tional optics or window materials are criticalfor accurate temperature measurements.
The researcher should also have flexibilityin choosing the host computer and operatingenvironment. This means that softwarespecifically designed for use with the infraredcamera should be supported on a variety ofoperating systems such as Windows 98,Windows 2000, Windows XP and WindowsNT. This allows the researcher to use thecomputer that is most appropriate to host notjust the camera’s image-processing software,but other software needed to support data-collection and processing.
ConclusionAn infrared camera is a long-term invest-ment, so you should deal with a manufac-turer with a reliable background that willstill be trading in the future. Go for a supplierthat can offer you a choice of different sys-tems, detectors and integration times, andavoid those that only offer one particular sys-tem. They may want to force you into buyingthings that you do not really need.
See to it that the manufacturer can supportyour future requirements. A wide range ofaccessories such as lenses and filters shouldbe part of a good manufacturer’s offering.And finally, see to it that your supplier is ableto give you the necessary infrared training,in-house support and service on a local level.Communicating with someone who speaks adifferent language and is thousands of kilo-metres away when you have a problem is notthe easiest option. Neither is sending yourcamera to the other end of the world when itneeds to be serviced or calibrated. ■■
Christiaan Maras is international marketingmanager at FLIR Systems, the infrared imagingand thermography specialist. For moreinformation visit www.flirthermography.com.
BUYER’S GUIDE
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OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
Hot chips: infrared image on a printed circuit boardhighlights components that are becoming too hot.
FLIR
Thermal imaging cameraInfraTec
German infraredmeasurement specialistInfraTec presents itsVarioCAM range ofthermographic systems.Based on an uncooled
microbolometer 320 ×240 pixel focal planearray detector, InfraTec’s devices use state-of-the-art optomechanical technology to deliverresolution-enhanced 640 ×480 pixel images.The cameras have a standard temperaturemeasuring range of –40 to 1200 °C which canbe upgraded to 2000 °C.
Three versions are available (VarioCAM basic,VarioCAM inspect and VarioCAM research) andall are designed for portable use. Lithium-ionbatteries provide up to 3 h of uninterruptedmeasurements. An optional FireWire interfacefor fast connection to a computer enables on-line control or R&D thermographic real-timeanalysis applications. www.infratec.de
Photon counting cardPacer Components
The SPCM-AQ4Cphoton-counting carddistributed by UK-basedPacer Components iscapable of detectingsingle photons of lightover the wavelengthrange 400–1060 nm.Featuring siliconavalanche
photodiodes, the four-channel photon-countingcard boasts a peak photon-detection efficiencyof more than 60% at 650 nm. Photodiodes arethermoelectrically cooled and temperature-controlled to ensure stable operation.
Applications for the device listed by the firminclude optical rangefinding, LIDAR, singlemolecule detection, high throughput DNAsequencing and adaptive optics.www.pacer.co.uk
Refractive index detectorWyatt Technology
Laboratory instrumentdeveloper WyattTechnology hasreleased its latestrefractive index (RI)detector. The US firmclaims that its Optilab
rEX unit has 256 times the detection power andup to 50 times the dynamic range of other RIdetectors. The Optilab rEX can measure the
absolute refractive index of a solution. Just likeits predecessor, the Optilab DSP, the newinstrument can be programmed over a high-performance liquid chromatography compatible 4–50 °C range.www.wyatt.com
Low-light cameraPixoft Diagnostic Imaging
NAC ImagingTechnology’s MLX low-light camera system isnow available from UKrepresentative PixoftDiagnostic Imaging. At
the heart of the device is a CCD chip that allowscolour video images to be captured in low-lightconditions. The MLX has a maximum noiselesssensitivity of 0.01 lux in colour mode and0.002 lux in monochrome mode. According tothe firm, the MLX camera suits alllighting conditions, including dawn, daylight,dusk and moonlight.
Aimed at a range of science, industry andsecurity applications, the unit’s robust designsuits both indoor and outdoor locations.www.pixoft.co.uk
Nanopositioning stagesPhysik Instrumente
Nanopositioningspecialist PhysikInstrumente (PI) claimsthat its P-733.2DD and P-733.3DD high-speeddithering stages canimprove the resolutionof CCDs and otherimage sensors by up to
two orders of magnitude. Targeting applicationssuch as pixel multiplication and image dithering,the P-733 stages provide 0.1 nm positionresolution in XY and XYZ. Units are equippedwith direct capacitive position feedback in aparallel metrology configuration to giveimproved straightness of travel. Off-axis motioncan be compensated in real-time.
The stages, which have an XY and XYZ motionof 30 ×30 µm and 30 ×30 ×10 µm, can movefrom one position to another in 1 ms or less, orscan continuously at rates of hundreds of hertz.The XY resonant frequency of 2.3 kHz is said bythe firm to be 400% faster than othercomparable systems.www.physikinstrumente.com
PRODUCTSIf you would like your company’s products to be featured in this section, please send press releases
and images to Jacqueline Hewett ([email protected]).
27OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
Colour line scan cameraBasler Vision Components
Basler VisionComponents ofGermany is expandingits range of colour line-scan cameras. TheL304kc offers 3 line ×4080 pixel
resolution, a line rate of 7.2 kHz and selectable8 or 10 bit output. Additional features includeelectronic exposure time control, integratedspatial correction, test images and an area ofinterest scanning capability.
Based on a 3-line CCD sensor, the L304kccomes with an easily integrated camera–linkinterface and Windows compatible set-upsoftware. Typical applications include printinspection and document scanning.www.basler-vc.com
PhotodetectorUDT Sensors
US firm UDT Sensorshas introduced a newline of superblueenhanced photo-detectors. Dubbed UDT-4X4D, the detector hasa 1 ×1 mm active area
array sensitive over a 300–1100 nm range (peakresponsivity of 900 nm) with low 50 pFcapacitance. With a crosstalk level of less than0.05% at 633 nm, the company claims to haveprovided complete isolation between all 16(4 ×4) array elements. The UDT-4X4D isdesigned for use in a non-condensingenvironment and is available in a standardceramic LCC package for integration into surface-mount applications. The photodetector operatesover a –20 to 60 °C range and suits ratio andscattering measurement and position sensing.www.udt.com
Linear detector array moduleInstrumentation design
Instrumentation Design,a UK based opto-electronic systemsspecialist, hasintroduced a range ofsmall, fast, low-costlinear detector array
modules. Powered by a 6–12 V battery andfeaturing sync and video connections, the firmclaims that its modules can be installed within afew minutes. Sensitivity can be adjusted over awide range using a simple jumper connectionand on-board software. The modules arecompatible with either TAOS Inc or Hamamatsu
linear arrays from 64 to 1024 pixels. Optionalmounting plates allow the modules to beintegrated into popular opto-mechanicalhardware quickly and efficiently. Applicationsinclude the measurement of beam dimensions,mechanical position, optical spectra orinterference fringes.www.markjohnsonconsulting.co.uk
Fibre coupled laserPoint Source
Flexible lasertechnology pioneerPoint Source haslaunched a new rangeof iFLEX2000 fibre-coupled diode lasers.With extended
wavelength offerings from 405 to 830 nm andhigher-power versions at 405, 440 and 640 nm,the units feature improved optical performance(M2 less than 1.1) and true analoguemodulation. The lasers all have diffraction-limited singlemode (TEM00) linearly polarized(less than 100:1) output beams. They are saidto suit a range of life-science applicationsincluding laser scanning confocal microscopy,total internal reflection fluorescence microscopyand laser cell manipulation.www.point-source.com
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28 OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
Laser diodesTOPTICA
German firm TOPTICAphotonics has releasednew high-power laserdiodes for use within itsrange of external cavitydiode lasers. Suitablefor rubidium andcaesium spectroscopy,
the laser diodes are available with output powersof 150 mW for the 780 nm (Rb D2) and 795 nm(Rb D1) lines; and 170 mW for the 852 nm (CsD2) line. The firm also supplies 220 mW(1007–1019 nm), 150 mW (1052–1070 nm)and 200 mW (1062–1084 nm) laser diodes.Devices show typical linewidths of 1 MHz andmode hop-free tuning of more than 15 GHz. Eachdiode is available separately for individualsystem integration.www.toptica.com
CCD imaging colorimeterRadiant Imaging
Radiant Imaging’sProMetric 1000 Color isa CCD-based imagingcolorimeter thatdelivers 10 bit dynamicrange measurements ofluminance, illuminanceand chromaticity. Theunit consists of a
progressive-scan, electronically shutteredcamera that features a 1392 ×1040 RGB CCD.Capable of producing images in less than 1 s,the hardware is available with a choice of fixedfocal-length camera lens and microscope-objective optics.
Data is transferred to a host computer via aUSB 2.0 interface and the bundled ProMetric8.0 software provides camera control, dataacquisition and image analysis capabilities.According to the firm, the unit would suitbrightness and uniformity testing of displays(LCDs, PDPs, OLEDs), instrument panels,projection systems and backlight components.www.radiantimaging.com
CO2 laserPrecision Technology GroupThe Fantom F250GL maintenance-free, sealedCO2 laser from US firm Precision TechnologyGroup (PTG) can cut 0.7 mm-thick glass tubes ata rate of two tubes per second. The unit’sintegrated design is said by the company toeliminate the need for additional opticalcomponents and optical alignment.
Benefiting the manufacture of fluorescentlamps, PTG’s cutting process gives a preciselycut edge, without glass chips or particles, thatrequires no edge grinding. www.ptgindustries.com
GoniospectrophotometerLight Tec
Distributed in Europe byLight Tec, the GS-seriesspectroradiometersystem from GammaScientific uses agoniometer system toautomatically measurelight sources in 3Dspace. Under test thelight bulb remainsstationary, and so the
unit is said to provide an accurate heat patternmeasurement of the filament. Macros enablethe control of measurement settings and theautomatic export of data files, including powersupply and spectroradiometer parameters.www.lighttec.fr
Dust and fume containmentBigneat
Laser processesgenerating dust andfumes may benefit fromLastec filtrationsystems. Supplied byUK air purificationspecialist BigneatContainmentTechnology, the devicesinclude an on/off port
for two-way control of the laser. According toBigneat, the cost-effective units are smallenough to fit under a workbench. Separatecarbon and HEPA filters are used to containchemical fumes, smoke and particles.www.bigneat.com
Precision fluid dispenserEFD
Precision dispensingdevice manufacturerEFD has released itsUltra 2400 workstationfor use in fibre-opticassembly processes.The Ultra 2400 can
accurately and consistently dispense amountsof UV-cure adhesives, epoxies and other fluids,from dots as small as 0.004 inch in diameter toneat, controlled beads. Featuring a footprint60% smaller than standard electro-pneumaticdispenser configurations, the workstation is saidto conserve bench-top space. According to thefirm, benefits of the Ultra 2400 includeimproved yield and process control, andreduced fluid costs and training time for newoperators. A 1.7× magnifier and an ergonomicbarrel grip, featuring a touch-sensor fingerswitch and LED spotlight to illuminate thedispensing area, are available as options.www.efd-inc.com
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OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
Optical filtersGlen SpectraGlen Spectra, the UK representative of OmegaOptical, has announced a new range of filters formulticolour fluorescence in situ hybridization (M-FISH) applications. Designed with steep edgesand narrow bandwidth, the filters are said tomaximize emission energy and colourdiscrimination to give a superior image andimproved contrast. Filters are grouped into 13different colour families from blue to far red, tohelp users make the right product selection.www.glenspectra.co.uk
DPSS lasersGSI Lumonics
GSI Lumonicsannounces a new rangeof end-pumped minidiode-pumped solid-state lasers. TheSpectron SLD6000series offers output
powers ranging from 5 to 10 W and usesconduction-cooled diode bars for optimalreliability and cost effectiveness. Designed forprecision materials processing applicationsincluding marking, trimming, scribing andmicromachining, the SLD6000 series isavailable in a number of configurations. These
include a choice of Nd:YAG or Nd:YVO4 lasingmedia, water or air cooling and direct or fibre-coupled options.
Fibre-coupled units feature field-replaceablediodes that are designed to reducemaintenance and increase uptime. Lasers aresupplied with control software, a full set ofdynamic link libraries and a detailed manual.www.gsilumonics.com
Time of flight detectorBURLE Electro-Optics
BURLE Electro-Opticshas improved theperformance of its40 mm-diameter time-of-flight (TOF) detector.Featuring small pore5 µm extended dynamic
range microchannel plate (MCP) technology, thedetector has a collection area of 12.5 cm2.
According to the firm, benefits includeimproved mass resolution and faster timing forTOF mass spectrometry. The detector’s largeformat and 760 ps pulse width are said to give adetection sensitivity that is 10 times that ofconventional MCPs. The unit is housed in areplaceable MCP cartridge for quick and easymaintenance.www.burle.com
Line-scan cameraDALSA
DALSA has unveiled itsPiranha2-12k, a line-scan camera offering12 288 pixels, eighttaps, a 24 kHz line rateand a data rate of up to320 MHz. The companybelieves this productoffers higher resolution,
sensitivity and throughput than any other line-scan camera on the market.
The camera uses a CameraLink interface andincludes programmable features such as real-time flat-field correction, line rate, exposure timeand gain. Typical applications are said by thecompany to include high-speed industrialinspection of semiconductor and electronics, aswell as document scanning.www.dalsa.com
FramegrabbersFirstsight VisionCoreco Imaging has added analogue and LDVScapability to its X64 framegrabber family. Bothproducts are available in the UK through FirstsightVision. The X64-Analogue supports up to fouranalogue cameras and comes with 128 MB ofRAM as standard, upgradable to a maximum of
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30 OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
2 GB. Transfer rates up to 528 MB/s (64-bit PCI-Xand PCI-64) or 100 MB/s (32-bit PCI) arepossible. The X64-LDVS is said to be ideal forhigh data-rate image acquisition for camerasusing 8, 10 or 12-bit LDVS, or RS422 interfaces.It supports both line and area scan cameras of 8,10, 12, 14 and 16 bits per pixel monochrome,and 8 bits per pixel colour at acquisition rates upto 680 MB/s. Image data can be transferred tohost memory at up to 528 MB/s.www.firstsightvision.co.uk
Beam profilerBFi OPTiLAS
Photon’s high-powerNanoScan beamprofiler is now availablethrough distributor BFiOPTiLAS. The producthas sub-micrometreaccuracy and isallegedly capable ofmeasuring focused
beams of up to 1 kW from CO2 lasers emitting at10.6 µm. It can also profile Nd:YAG and othershorter wavelength lasers emitting powers of theorder of hundreds of watts.
The company says that the system canmeasure the beam diameter, shape and powerdistribution at the work surface as well asevaluating ellipticity and centroid positions. Thehigh-power NanoScan uses a pyroelectricdetector, copper slits and a drum to make ameasurement. A cooling fan provides additionalheat management. www.bfioptilas.com
Stencil cutterSynova
Synova of Switzerlandhas developed a stencilcutter based on itsexisting Laser-Microjettechnology and a fibrelaser source. The firmsays this offers thin-stencil and metal-maskmanufacturers a
specialist ultra-high-speed tool. The LSS 800 F cuts from 1 to 10 holes/s
without any heat damage, burrs or oxidation.The laser emits at a repetition rate between 20and 50 kHz and with a pulse duration measuredin nanoseconds.
According to Synova, fibre lasers have highpulse-to-pulse stability, high efficiency and,most importantly, are maintenance-free.Compared with a conventional laser source, theunit is said to produce a very fine cut andperform at high speed with high accuracy. TheLSS 800 F is delivered with full service andtechnical support plus a full 12-month warranty. www.synova.ch
Inspection endoscopesMoritex Europe
A range of rigid andflexible inspectionendoscopes is nowavailable from MoritexEurope. The LightScopeseries contains modelswith 5, 6 or 8 mm
diameters and each comes with a portable 12 Vbattery pack and halogen bulb in the probe tip.
The 5 mm-diameter LightScope has a 1 m-long flexible probe and provides a 27° view withvariable focus length from 10 mm to infinity. The6 mm model has probe lengths of 165, 240 and320 mm, a viewing direction of 90° and a field-of-view of 60°. The 8 mm version has probelengths of 165, 230 and 385 mm, a viewingdirection of 70° and a field-of-view of 90°.
All LightScopes are fully waterproof and aremade from stainless steel and inert industrial-grade polymers.www.moritex.com
Radiometric spectrometerTelopsTelops has introduced an infrared field-portableimaging radiometric spectrometer called FIRST.The instrument is currently available in twoversions: the FIRST-LW for the 8–12 µm rangeand the FIRST-MW covering the 3–5 µm range.Both products offer the same 320 ×256 pixelimaging capability.
Said to be compact and portable, the systemcan detect, identify and quantify severalgaseous emissions simultaneously. Theproducts are said to suit applications such asenvironmental emission monitoring, detectingchemical warfare agents and defence target andvehicle signature analysis.www.telops.com
31OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
PRODUCTS
Blue diode driversThorlabs
Thorlabs has addedblue laser diode driversto its LDC200 driverseries. The new unitsprovide 200 mA,500 mA and 1 Amaximum drive current
with 10 V compliance voltage. An intelligentcooling system provides safe and quietoperation under all load conditions.
The LCD200B series comes with the samemultiple safety features as other systems in therange, including interlock and open circuitdetection. Sophisticated filtering and multiple-stage power or current regulation protects thediode from spikes caused by mainsdisturbances or RF EMI. The low-noise circuitdesign is said by Thorlabs to suit noise-criticalapplications such as spectroscopy.www.thorlabs.com
Digital oscilloscopeLeCroy
The WaveRunner6000A series of digitalstorage oscilloscopes isnow available fromLeCroy. With pricesstarting from € 8975,the company says theWaveRunner DSOs offer
a 350 MHz – 2 GHz bandwidth and highlyaccurate signal capture.
To ensure that signals are captured in detail,the WaveRunner DSO samples at a full 5 GS/son all four channels. A long standard memory of4 ×2 Mpts can be interleaved to 2 ×4 Mpts andoptions up to 24 Mpts are available.
The oscilloscopes also come with a functioncalled LabNotebook. According to LeCroy, thisbuilt-in function allows engineers to savewaveforms and set-up data; make text or hand-written notes; and convert results to pdf or rich-text format all within the device.www.lecroy.com
Machine vision componentsVision ControlVision Control has expanded its range ofcomponents for industrial machine-visionapplications. To satisfy the demands ofindustrial production inspection, the Germancompany has developed a large number ofcompact lenses with smaller incrementsbetween focal lengths and image scales. Knownas the “Vision Control Component System”, therange also includes robust LED lightingproducts. According to the firm, its products suitmechanical engineering, plant manufacturingand automation technology sectors.www.vision-control.com
Laser diodesLaser Components
Laser Components hasadded green (532 nm)laser diode modules toits range of products.The German-manufactured modules
measure 57 mm in length and 11.5 mm indiameter. Available in two versions – with acircular beam profile or line generating optics –the maximum output for both is 4 mW.
A variety of options such as digital andanalogue modulation are said to make the unita versatile tool. Applications include positioningtasks and pilot beams.www.lasercomponents.com
High precision lensesOptical Surfaces
High precision lenses,including aspherics, upto 600 mm in diameterare available from UKfirm Optical Surfaces.With its comprehensiveinventory of tools andtest plates, the
company makes lenses with focal lengths up to30 m and radii accuracy measured to within0.01 mm. Workshops and test facilities arelocated deep underground to stabilizetemperature and vibration.
Lenses are available with a surface accuracyof λ/20 and surface quality of 20:10 scratchdig or better. All lenses and lens systems up to600 mm diameter are provided with a completequality test assurance report. www.optisurf.com
LIBS systemStellarNet and Kigre
US firms StellarNet andKigre have teamed up todevelop a portablelaser-induced break-down spectroscopy(LIBS) system. ThePORTA-LIBS-2000instrument combinesspectrometers from
StellarNet and Kigre’s 4 ns pulsed Nd:YAG near-infrared laser delivering 6 MW to create a plasma.
The kit fits in a case measuring just18 ×14 ×7 inches and runs off a 12 V adapteror battery. Depending on the detectionrequirement, up to eight spectrometers can beattached to PORTA-LIBS via a USB-2 interface.The product comes with SpectraWiz software forelement identification as well as programs tooperate the spectrometers directly fromExcel+VBA and LabVIEW.www.stellarnet-inc.com
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32 OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
NEWSLETTERT H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E E U R O P E A N O P T I C A L S O C I E T Y
Klaus Nowitskidescribes the new EOS Board.
Events in the UK andSwitzerland are nowunder preparation.
This year’s elections were the first after the soci-ety’s restructuring last year, with about 4500members entitled to vote. There were nine can-didates for five vacant seats in the board, anencouraging number as membership of the EOSBoard requires considerable commitment.
The new board consists of 17 people. Newlyelected are Hans-Peter Herzig (Switzerland),Roberta Ramponi (Italy) Peter Török (UK),Gilles Pauliat (France) and Karl Lenhardt (Ger-many). They join Juan Campos (Spain), AnnaConsortin (Italy), Ari Friberg (Sweden) andPeter Seitz (Switzerland), who all joined theboard after the last elections two years ago.
Small EOS branches (Italy, Sweden andSwitzerland) are currently represented by Diet-mar Letalick (Sweden). The two branches withmore than 500 full members – Germany (DGaO)
and France (SFO) – are represented by DanielDolfi (France) and Theo Tschudi (Germany).
Other members of the board are Joseph Braat(Netherlands), recently elected as president,and Gorden Love (UK). Gordon is elected bythe Advisory Committee as the representativeof associations which are not branches.
Chris Dainty (Ireland, past president), TinaKidger (UK, head of Industrial Committee),and Roland Levy (France, chair of the AdvisoryCommittee) complete the board.
The Executive Committee would like to thankall members of the EOS for the large turnout,which was aided by electronic voting for the firsttime. Thanks are also due to all candidates fortheir willingness to support the EOS and for con-tinuing to work together to promote opticaltechnologies in Europe.
The EOS is currently busy organizing events forits members in 2005. Next spring, a short courseon optical fabrication and testing will take placeon 7 and 8 April 2005 in Switzerland. The eventis organized in co-operation with FISBA Optics,which has kindly agreed to host the event at itsfacility in St Gallen.
The main topics of the short course are opticaltechnical drawings and state-of-the-art fabri-cation, the manufacturing of lenses and mirrors,and testing technologies. Sub-topics includeoptical shop optimization techniques, optics forspace missions, and lithography. Further infor-mation and the call for papers can be found onthe new website: www.myeos.org.
A second event – a topical meeting onadvanced imaging – is scheduled for June in Lon-don, UK. The meeting will take place at Imperial
College between 29 June and 1 July and willconcentrate on three main areas: image creation;object and system reconstruction; and newtechnologies. If you are interested in presenting apaper at the event, please submit an abstract tothe EOS Secretariat ([email protected]) by 31December. Abstracts should be sent as MicrosoftWord files and contain a maximum of threepages including at least one figure.
If the paper is accepted, its authors will beinvited to give either an oral presentation of15 min, or a poster presentation if a large num-ber of abstracts submitted makes this necessary.
Authors will be notified of the acceptance oftheir contribution by 15 Febuary 2005. Thefinal program and the second call for regis-tration will be mailed in March 2005. Preregis-tration by 15 March 2005 is also recommended.
Results of the 2004 board elections in Paris
2005 events on optical testing and imaging
D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 4
EOS Secretariat relocationDue to reorganization, the EOS Secretariat has relocatedto Laser Zentrum Hannover eV (LZH) and has a newwebsite and e-mail address. Messages sent [email protected] will be forwarded to the new address.The previous website (www.europeanopticalsociety.org)is also still operational.
The EOS office, managed by Klaus Nowitzki
(executive director), can now be contacted at:European Optical Society (EOS)Hollerithallee 830419 Hanover, GermanyTel: +49 (0)511 2788 115Fax: +49 (0)511 2788 119E-mail: [email protected]
Klaus Nowitzkireports from the EOS AGM in Paris.
On 19–20 October, the EOS held its annualgeneral meeting and board meetings in Paris atthe OPTO 2004 trade show and conference.One important topic on the agenda of the boardmeetings was to consider the consequences ofthe recent EOS restructuring.
The board of the “new” EOS discussed manyissues including its relationship with otherorganizations such as the European PhysicalSociety (EPS), SPIE and the Optical Society ofAmerica, and activities to strengthen opticaltechnologies in the Seventh Framework Pro-gramme (FP7). It was agreed to organize a jointtopical meeting every two years between EOSand the EPS and also to invite an EPS represen-tative to future EOS board meetings.
As for FP7, the main responsibility of the EOSis in the field of “development of humanresources”, namely creating an education andtraining programme. The new president of theEOS, Joseph Braat, is preparing a commonstrategy paper on this topic.
A pressing question was how to better inte-grate country associations that are not yetorganized as branches of the EOS. There arecurrently 17 National Optical Societies inEurope and, of these, five are branches (Ger-many, France, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland), 11are affiliated societies and one (Denmark) isabout to become affiliated. This means that, intotal, the EOS has 2500 full individual membersand students, 2000 associate members and 90corporate members. In addition to the discus-sion surrounding increasing the number ofbranches, the registration of associate members(currently only 600) was discussed.
The Industrial Committee addressed thequestion of how to increase the role and pres-ence of industry within the EOS. However, itwas important to make it clear that the EOS isnot an alternative for an industrial association.We are a scientific-technological society that isdedicated to promoting and supporting optics.
In addition, a new Executive Committee hadto be elected. It is the committee’s role to developnew ideas for services for the members, suggestnew topical meetings, increase the visibility ofthe society, and be part of the consultancyprocesses for the political system. Even with aprofessional secretariat and appropriate divisionof tasks, this is a lot of work for volunteers. Thecommittee for the next two years is as follows:● President: Joseph Braat (the Netherlands)● President elect: Roberta Ramponi (Italy)● Past president: Chris Dainty (Ireland)● Chair of the Advisory Committee: Roland Levy (France)● Secretary of the board: Peter Török (UK)● Treasurer: Daniel Dolfi (France)
After all this hard work, a highlight of themeeting was the ceremonial address by thisyear’s winners of the EOS prize. The €1000prize is awarded annually for outstanding publi-cations in the field of optics. This year’s prizewinners were Jesper Riishede, Niels AsgerMortensen and Jesper Laegsgaard for their paper“A ‘poor-man’s approach’ to modelling micro-structured optical fibres” (2003 J. Opt. A: PureAppl. Opt. 5 534–538). Jesper Riishede and Jes-per Laegsgaard are working at the research cen-tre COM of the Danish Technical University inLyngby and Niels Asger Mortensen is from thefirm Crystal Fibre in Birkerod, Denmark.
The Prize Committee, chaired by ProfessorTheo Tschudi, had to select the winning paperfrom numerous outstanding proposals. Theselection process was aided by the AdvisoryBoard of the Journal of Applied Optics as well asthe chairs of the EOS meetings of 2003. Com-pliments of the EOS Executive Committee goto Dr Riishede and to the co-authors.
You can find a link to the abstract of the publi-cation at the new EOS website www.myeos.org.In addition, the minutes of the general meetingwill be uploaded shortly.
A second highlight was the announcementand appointment of the first fellows of the EOS.Earlier this year, the EOS implemented aFellowship Committee with Professor WernerJüptner as chairman. The committee’s task wasto select leading figures in the field of opticaltechnologies and to nominate them to the boardfor the appointment. The board agreed on thefollowing outstanding nominations: ReneDändliker (Switzerland); Mike Hutley (UK);Adolf Lohmann (Germany); Hans Tiziani (Ger-many); Franco Gori (Italy); Alain Aspect(France). A more detailed article on the EOSfellows will follow in the next newsletter.
Klaus Nowitzki (contact [email protected]) isexecutive director of the EOS.
E O S N E W S L E T T E RD E C E M B E R 2 0 0 4
F R O M P A R I S
NEWS FROM PARIS
‘New’ EOS prepares for 2005
A paper onmodelling pho-tonic crystalfibre won thisyear’s EOSprize.Cr
ysta
l Fi
bre
UK opticspartnerships areboostingtechnologytransfer fromresearch toindustry, saysGordon Love.
A large UK government initiative called theSmart Optics Faraday Partnership is working topromote interaction between the country’s sci-ence base and industry.
In particular, Smart Optics concentrates onexploiting the following key areas: adaptiveoptics; programmable diffractive optics; opticalcontrol systems; active and advanced optical sen-sors; tunable liquid-crystal devices; and wavefrontcontrollers. The goal is to apply these technolo-gies to create innovative products for use inhealthcare, defence and security, telecommunica-tions, astronomy, space science, and industrialinstrumentation.
Smart Optics has 77 industrial partners and 15academic partners. In its first 30 months of opera-tion, the initiative obtained more than £11 m(€15 m) of funding to finance 25 collaborativeresearch projects involving 34 organizations. Projects include:
Smart ophthalmoscope Evolution of a low-cost, hand-held ophthalmo-scope that produces high-resolution digitalimages. The aim is to produce a user-friendlydevice for the high-street optician that will makeit much easier to detect eye disorders.
Partners are Keeler Ltd, City and WarwickUniversities, University College London, Siraand Davin Optronics.
Adaptive optics toolkitDevelopment of a desk-top “kit” of adaptive opticscomponents that will inspire third parties to usethe technology in their product designs. Adaptiveoptics was originally developed to enhance theimaging quality of telescopes. The toolkit allowsthe user to increase imaging process resolution andaccuracy, and is expected to have an impact in themicroscopy, telecommunications, materials laserprocessing and defence markets.
Partners are BAE Systems, Davin Optronics,OptiSense Ltd, and Imperial College London.
Optical manipulation and metrology(OMAM) The goal of OMAM is to develop a wavefrontsensor for defence, biomedics, and industrialmetrology. Initial applications are expected toinclude improving the identification of militarytargets, enhancing astronomical imaging, processcontrol of nanoscale industrial coatings and meas-urement of ultra-precision optical surfaces.
Partners are BAE Systems, Zeeko Ltd, ScalarTechnologies Ltd, the UK Astronomy Technol-ogy Centre, Heriot-Watt University, UniversityCollege London, and the National PhysicalLaboratory.
Adaptable imaging cameraThis project focuses on the construction of a newgeneration of adjustable zoom lenses that have nomoving parts and are made from liquid crystal.There is huge potential for flexible, compact,robust zoom lenses for applications in whichmotorized parts are undesirable. The initial appli-cation is for planetary lander cameras (such asthose in use on the NASA Mars probes), andstrong interest has been shown by security equip-ment manufacturers for use in CCTV systems.
Partners are Astrium UK, Optical Surfaces Ltd,the University of Durham and Mullard SpaceScience Laboratory.
Other successfully funded projects ● E-Z display: an advanced head-mounted dis-play combining novel diffractive optics with anorganic polymer-on-silicon display. The project isworth £633 000 and brings together ThalesOptics Ltd, MicroEmissive Displays Ltd and theUniversity of Abertay. The goal is to develop alow-cost lightweight high-performance displayfor personal information and entertainment sys-tems. The mobile displays market is estimated tobe worth $5 bn (€3.8 bn) and to be growing rap-idly. The E-Z display represents a real opportunityfor the UK to capture a significant share.● ALFONSO: a £730000 project to develop “Ad-vanced Long-wave Free-Space Optical NetworkSolutions” for telecommunications. The projectbrings together a multi-disciplinary team fromCablefree Solutions Ltd, the Universities ofStrathclyde and Durham, Sira, Ferranti PhotonicsLtd and Starpoint Adaptive Optics Ltd. The mar-ket for free-space optical communications is worthapproximately $200 m per year, but is restricted bylimitations of range and data bandwidth. TheALFONSO project addresses these issues by join-ing low-cost VCSEL infrared laser technologywith adaptive optics.● ATRIUM: a partnership between Scottish firmOptos and City University (London) to applyadaptive optics to wide-field scanning laseropthalmoscopes. The £782 000 project, funded bythe UK Department of Health, is likely to resultin devices that offer greater resolution and angleof view, thereby improving the early detection ofdiseases such as diabetes-related blindness. Optosestimates that more than 100 million retinalexaminations are made each year worldwide.
Gordon Love ia a professor at the Department ofPhysics at the University of Durham, UK. E-mail: [email protected]. More information on the Smart Optics Faraday Partnership is available at www.smartoptics.org and www.faradaypartnerships.co.uk.
Smart partners for UK opticsFOCUS ON UK
E O S N E W S L E T T E R D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 4
Two Faraday Partnership projectsare striving to make opthalmo-scopes that offer enhancedperformance.
D A T E E V E N T L O C A T I O N
Nov. 29 – Dec. 1 First Workshop on Photonics in the Automobile 2004 Geneva, Switzerland
December 1 Contracts and Consortium Agreements for Framework Six Hamburg, Germany
January 22–27 Photonics West 2005 San Jose, US
February 14–18 Eighth International Symposium on Laser Metrology Merida, Mexico
Feb. 27 – Mar. 4 Optical Interconnects – 3rd Optoelectronic & Photonic Trento, ItalyWinter School
April 4–5 Opto Ireland Dublin, Ireland
May 9–11 Microtechnologies for the New Millennium 2005 Seville, Spain
May 9–12 OPTRO 2005 Paris, France
May 21–25 HOLO 05 International Conference on Holography, Varna, BulgariaOptical Recording and Processing of Information
May 23–27 OFS–17 Seventeenth Optical Fibre Sensors Conference Bruges, Belgium
Are you a member of EOS?
E O S N E W S L E T T E RD E C E M B E R 2 0 0 4
For more information on any of these events, please visit www.myeos.org
To contact the EOS board:Executive director Klaus [email protected] Joseph Braat [email protected] Peter Török [email protected] Daniel Dolfi [email protected]
To learn more about your nationalEOS branch, please contact:Belgium Yvon Renotte [email protected] and Slovak republicsPavel Tomanek [email protected] Bjarne Tromberg [email protected] Risto Myllylä [email protected] Roland Levy [email protected] Rainer [email protected] Mario Bertolotti [email protected] Netherlands Peter [email protected] Aasmund Sudbo [email protected] Katarzyna Macukow [email protected] Laurentiu [email protected] Ivan [email protected] Santiago Mar [email protected] Klaus Biedermann [email protected] Peter Seitz [email protected] Gordon [email protected]
EOS Newsletter is produced forthe European Optical Society by Institute of PhysicsPublishing LtdInstitute of Physics Publishing Dirac House, Temple BackBristol BS1 6BE, UK
Editor Oliver [email protected]: +44 (0)117 930 1015
Individual members are eligible for:● a regular EOS Newsletter e-mail● reduced conference fees● reduced prices for EOS journals● free subscription to Opto & Laser Europe● 20% discount on Institute of Physics Publishing books● Members living outside Germany are entitled to a 50% discount on subscription to the German-language journalPhotonik, published by AT-Fachverlag
Additional benefits for corporate members:● a company profile in the EOS directory● a presence on the EOS website● free advertisements for jobs in the EOS market● reduced conference fees for all employees
Look at the benefits
EOS 2004 membership feesIndividual members (who do not belong to a branch or affiliated society of the EOS): €40Students (who do not belong to a branch or affiliated society of the EOS): €10Corporate members (regardless of the number of employees of the company or members of the institute): €200
Individual members of the branches DgaO (Germany), SFO (France), SSOM (Switzerland), SOS (Sweden) and SIOF (Italy) areautomatically full individual members of the EOS. Individual members of the affiliated societies Promoptica and CBO-BCO(Belgium), CSSF (Czech and Slovak Republic), DOPS (Denmark), FOS (Finland), the Optics Division of the Norwegian PhysicalSociety (Norway), the Optics Division of the Polish Physical Society (Poland), ROS (Romania), SEDO (Spain), LAS (Russia)and the Optical Group of the IOP (UK) are automatically associate members of the EOS.
Membership informationTo find out more about joining EOS, contact: Klaus Nowitzki, executive director, Hollerithallee 8, D-30419 Hannover,Germany. Tel: +49 (0)511 2788 115; e-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.myeos.org
Calendar Contact
RECRUITMENTTo advertise your job vacancies, contact Rob Fisher (tel: +44 (0)117 930 1260; e-mail: [email protected]).
37OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
US
Spectra Physics veteranjoins OmniGuideOmniGuide Communications, a US-basedphotonic crystal fibre developer, hasappointed Steve Sheng as president and CEO.Sheng replaces Ray Stata who continues toserve as chairman of the board. Statabelieves that Sheng’s deep understanding ofoptics and laser technology and his businessmanagement experience are perfect forOmniGuide. Previously, Sheng was presidentof Spectra Physics’ laser division. He joinedSpectra Physics in 1979 as a laser physicistand worked for the firm for 25 years. Shengholds a PhD and MSc in applied physics andan MSc in electrical engineering fromStanford University.
UK
Tinson looking forward toadding value at SPIJohn Tinson has joined fibre lasermanufacturer Southampton Photonics Inc(SPI) as vice-president of sales. Tinson has
more than 10 yearsof director-levelexperience and waspreviously director ofBrand-Rex’sSpeciality andTelecom BusinessUnit coveringindustrial, military,telecoms andwireless productportfolios. Prior to
joining Brand-Rex, he was sales andmarketing director at Sifam. “I’m excited atthe prospect of expanding SPI’s business andadding value to its customers,” said Tinson.
FRANCE
Brégi strengthens theHighwave advisory boardFrench firm Highwave Optical Technologies,a supplier of optical fibre-based componentsfor industrial, defence and telecoms markets,has appointed Philippe Brégi to its advisoryboard. Widely recognized as an expert in thefield of optical transmission, Brégi has more
than 28 years’ experience in the telecomsindustry. Brégi was formerly CEO of AvanexFrance, a position he held following theacquisition by Avanex of Alcatel Optronicswhere he was chief operating officer.
US
Polytec picks presidentfor North America
Polytec Inc, a USprovider of light-based, non-contactinstruments forvibration, velocityand surfacetopographymeasurement, hasappointed MichaelTownsend aspresident. Townsendwas formerly
president and CEO of Dover InstrumentCorporation, a Massachusetts firmspecializing in precision motion systems forsemiconductor and disk-drivemanufacturing equipment.
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Bavarian Photonicswww.bavarian-photonics.com 19
BFI Optilas Internationalwww.bfioptilas.avnet.com 13, 16, 18
Breault Research Organization www.breault.com IFCDirected Energy Weapons 2005www.iqpc-defence.co.uk/GB-2340/2 30
Edmund Industrial Opticswww.edmundoptics.com 16
Flexible Optical www.okotech.com 24FLIR Systems Ltd
www.flirthermography.co.uk 22GSI Lumonics www.gsilumonics.com/lasers 9Labsphere www.labsphere.com 4Lambda Research Optics www.lambda.cc 16Laser Components (UK) Ltdwww.lasercomponents.com 25
Melles Griot www.mellesgriot.com OBCOcean Optics www.oceanoptics.com 19, 31Ophir Optronics www.ophiropt.com 28, IBCOptikos Corp www.optikos.com 16, 27Optima Researchwww.optima-research.com 16
Optometrics LLC www.optometrics.com 16, 30 Opto Taiwan 2005 www.pida.org.tw 26Pacer Components www.pacer.co.uk 16Photonic Productswww.photonic-products.com 31
Photon Lines www.photonlines.com 32StockerYale Canada www.stockeryale.com 19StockerYale Ltd www.stockeryale.com 24Thorlabs www.thorlabs.com 29Toptica www.toptica.com 16World of Photonics Congress 2005www.photonics-congress.com 10
38 OLE • December 2004 • optics.org
Nov. 29 – European Workshop on Geneva, Switzerland SPIE, Europe http://spie.org/conferences/calls/04/Dec. 1 Photonics in the Automobile epa
Dec. 6–8 Designing Manufacturable Stansted, Essex, UK Optima Research Ltd www.optima-research.com/Training/Optical Systems manufacturable.htm
Dec. 6–9 Quantum Optics II Cozumel, Mexico INAOE, OSA, Latin American http://speckle.inaoep.mx/QOII/QOII.htmlCenter of Physics
Dec. 9 Opticks 04 London, UK Institute of Physics, UK http://conferences.iop.org/OPK/
Jan. 16–20 Electronic Imaging 2005 San Jose, California, US SPIE http://electronicimaging.org/call/05/
Jan. 17–18 Directed Energy Weapons London, UK Defence IQ, IDGA http://www.iqpc.co.uk/GB-2340/diary
Jan. 22–27 Photonics West 2005 San Jose, California, US SPIE http://spie.org/conferences/calls/05/pw
Jan. 31 – 16th Biennial Congress of the Canberra, Australia Australian Institute of http://aipcongress2005.anu.edu.au Feb. 4 Australian Institute of Physics Physics
Feb. 12–17 Medical Imaging 2005 San Diego, California, US SPIE http://spie.org/conferences/calls/05/mi
Feb. 26 – Microlithography 2005 San Jose, California, US SPIE http://spie.org/conferences/calls/05/mlMarch 4
Feb. 27 – 3rd Optoelectronic and Trento, Italy University of Trento, Italy http://www.unitn.it/events/interconnectsMarch 4 Photonic Winter School
Mar. 15–17 10th China International Lasers, Beijing, China CIEC Exhibition Copmany http://www.ilope-expo.com Optoelectronics and Photonics
March 28 – Defense and Security Orland, Florida SPIE http://spie.org/conferences/calls/05/dssApril 1 Symposium 2005
April 4–5 Opto Ireland Dublin, Ireland SPIE, Europe http://spie.org/conferences/calls/05/ire
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