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COMPANY PROFILE
Biolase president onthe rapid growth ofthe dental market
November 2003 Issue 111 optics.org
Optoelectronics ● Photonics ● Laser systems ● Materials ● Fibre optics ● Imaging ● Medical applications ● Research ● Materials processing ● Displays
French start-upcommercializesliquid-lens idea
FLUID OPTICS
Silicon light emittersto hit the shelves inthe next 12 months
OPTOELECTRONICS
LUMENIS FIGHTSFOR SURVIVAL
MEDICAL LASERS
NEWS5 This month Lumenis slashes jobs in attempt to cut
costs • 2004 laser awards seek applicants
6 Business Quantel continues to grow • Biodegradable CDs to hit shops soon • News in brief
TECHNOLOGY7 Applications Silicon technology starts to shine • Infrared
tooth imaging spots early decay • Optical computer hits market
11 R&D Silica chips produce light continuum
11 Patents Nichia injunction stops Epistar selling blue LEDs •Ultraviolet illumination helps reduce defects in fused silica
FEATURES13 Sales soar at dental laser specialist
As dentists begin to adopt laser techniques as an alternative to conventional drills, a small Californian firm is reaping the benefits. Jacqueline Hewett spoke to Jeffery Jones, the man at the helm of dental laser pioneer Biolase, about the firm’s plans.
16 Liquid lenses eye commercial breakthroughFollowing a recent cash injection of € 2 m, French start-up Varioptic is building a pilot line capable of producing tens ofthousands of liquid lenses with a tunable focal length. Michael Hatcher follows the path to commercialization.
19 Surfaces and supports keep experiments levelUnwanted vibrations can misalign optics and cause images to blur. Jacqueline Hewett discovers how optical tables and vibration isolation systems can solve the problem.
PRODUCTS23 Welding lasers • OPOs • Aspheric lenses • Infrared cameras
REGUL ARS14 Free Literature/Search Engine29 Recruitment30 Calendar
EDITORIALEditor Oliver GraydonTel: +44 (0)117 930 1015 [email protected]
Technology editor Michael Hatcher Tel: +44 (0)117 930 1013 [email protected]
Reporter Jacqueline HewettTel: +44 (0)117 930 [email protected]
Production editor Lucy FarrarTechnical illustrator Alison Tovey
EUROPE/ROW SALESAdvertising sales manager Rob FisherTel: +44 (0)117 930 1260 [email protected]
Senior sales executive Simon AllardiceTel: +44 (0)117 930 1284 [email protected]
Key accounts manager Adrian ChanceTel: +44 (0)117 930 1193 [email protected]
US SALESSales executive Debra WillsIOP Publishing Inc, Suite 929, 150 SouthIndependence Mall West, Philadelphia PA 19106, USATel: +1 215 627 0880 Fax: +1 215 627 [email protected]
ADVERTISING PRODUCTIONAdvertising production supervisor Rachel SermonTel: +44 (0)117 930 1277 [email protected]
Advertising production editor Joanne Derrick
CIRCULATION AND MARKETINGProduct manager Evie ForbesTel: +44 (0)117 930 1025 [email protected]
ART DIRECTORAndrew Giaquinto
PUBLISHERGeraldine Pounsford Tel: +44 (0)117 930 1022 [email protected]
PUBLISHING DIRECTORRichard Roe
OPTO & LASER EUROPEDirac House,Temple Back, Bristol BS1 6BE, UK. Tel: +44 (0)117 929 7481 Editorial fax: +44 (0)117 925 1942 Advertising fax: +44 (0)117 930 1178 Internet: optics.org/oleISSN 0966-9809 CODEN OL EEEV
SUBSCRIPTIONSComplimentary copies are sent to qualifyingindividuals (for more details see optics.org/ole/subscribe). For readers outside registration requirements: £111/€ 180 ($170 US and Canada)per year. Single issue £11/€ 17 ($16 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 7516. Fax: +44 (0)208 606 7303.E-mail: opto&[email protected]
© 2003 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.
breeze
I ssue 111 November 2003 Contents
Large US contracts helpQuantel to thrive p6
Laser-powered plane takesto the sky p7
Lasers herald the end ofpain at the dentist p13
Vibration isolation kit putsa damper on noise p19
For the latest news on optics and photonics don’t forget to visit optics.org
Cover (Lumenis) Medicallaser firm pins hopes onrestructuring plan p5
Lumenis slashes jobsin attempt to cut costs
NEWSTHIS MONTH 5 BUSINESS 6
5OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
LASER MEDICINE
By Oliver GraydonIn a desperate attempt to save itsbusiness, Lumenis, the Israelimaker of medical laser systems, isrestructuring its business andtaking an axe to staff numbers.
The firm’s mounting debts –which currently total $210.7 m(€ 179.3 m) – combined withfalling revenues have led it toannounce a nine-month “turn-around plan” that involves cutting300 employees (23% of its staff)and shutting four of its facilities.
The sites targeted for closureare Pleasanton and Norwood inthe US, Netanya in Israel andKristianstad in Sweden. Lumeniswill also downsize its office inNew York and consolidate itsR&D operations to three sites –Santa Clara and Salt Lake City inthe US, and Yokneam in Israel.
The estimated costs of restruc-turing – $9 m – are to be coveredby a loan arranged with an Israelibank, Bank Hapoalim. The bankis also reviewing Lumenis’s debtand negotiations are expected tobe completed in the fourth quar-ter of 2003.
Lumenis says that it is trying toreduce its costs and create a moreefficient organization withimproved logistics. The proposedscheme involves reducing thenumber of layers of managementfrom eight to four, and establish-ing regional sales locations toserve customers in Europe, theAmericas, Japan and the rest ofAsia. The number of warehousesthe firm has will also be reduced,from 14 to four. Other functionssuch as R&D, manufacturing,finance, human resources andlogistics will be centralized.
Lumenis admits that problemswith inventory control and logis-tics in the past have had a nega-tive effect on its business.“Revenue has recently been
adversely affected by some of theissues we’ve had in supplyingproducts and in the logisticsarea,” Kevin Morano, Lumenis’schief financial officer, told ana-lysts during a conference call onthe restructuring. “The plan ismeant to address not only ourcost structure but also the waywe operate and function.”
The restructuring of the com-pany is not unexpected. At theend of July, Lumenis reported apoor set of second-quarter resultsand its new chief executive offi-cer, Avner Raz, said that “signifi-cant changes and improvementsneed to be made to our cost struc-ture and organization”.
Revenue has recently slumpedand the firm’s share price hasplummeted from a high of morethan $20 in 2001 to its currentvalue of around $2. For the sec-ond quarter of 2003 ended 30June 2003, revenue was $68.1 m,compared with $89.9 m for thesame period in 2002.
Much of the damage is as aresult of a drop in sales in thefirm’s aesthetic business, whichalmost halved to $22.7 m in thesecond quarter. Net loss for theperiod was $33.3 m.
Aside from these poor sales fig-ures, another issue of concern toboth analysts and shareholders isan ongoing investigation by theUS Securities and Exchange Com-mission (SEC) into Lumenis’srelationships with its distributorsbetween late 1998 and 2002.
The company’s third-quarterresults and SEC filing, which weredue to be made public just afterOLE went to press, will no doubtmake interesting reading.
“I am confident that Lumeniswill be successful, but it will taketime and we expect to continueto report losses in the nearfuture,” said Raz. “The imple-mentation of the plan has startedand we have already met someinitial milestones in reducingsome positions and expenses.”
Rescue plan: by downsizing its operations and improving its supply chain, Lumenishopes to become profitable. The restructuring is expected to take 9 months.
The deadline for applications tothe 2004 international BertholdLeibinger innovation awards forlaser technology is the end of thismonth. The eventual winners ofthe awards, which recognize out-standing research in applied laserphysics, will receive € 20 000 (firstprize), € 10 000 (second prize) or€ 5000 (third prize).
The biennial award schemewas established three years ago bythe Berthold Leibinger Stiftung, aprivate foundation named afterthe president of German lasergiant Trumpf. Since its inceptionsix research teams from Singa-
pore, the US and Germany havereceived prizes for their work ondisk lasers, laser eye surgery,VCSELs, microscopy, printing andmaterials processing.
The 2004 submissions will beassessed by a jury of nine laserexperts featuring inventor of thelaser and Nobel laureate CharlesTownes, and Paul Seiler, chair-man of Trumpf ’s advisory board.A total of eight proposals will beshortlisted and their submitterswill be invited to personallydescribe their work to the jurynext March. The winners will beannounced at an awards cere-mony on 8 July 2004.
For more information on thecompetition or to download asubmission form, please visitwww.leibinger-stiftung.de.
2004 laser awardsseek applicants
AWARDS
Winning entry: in 2002, scientists at theUniversity of Stuttgart, Germany,received first prize in the Leibingerawards for the invention of the disk laser.
Quantel continues to grow
NEWSBUSINESS
FINANCE
6 OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
■ Lasers ■ Diodes ■ Optics ■ Scanners ■ Instrumentation ■ Micro-positioning
■ Service & Calibration center ■ Laser safety Euro
.Com
Quantel, the French maker oflaser systems, seems to be thriv-ing despite the difficult marketconditions that have been hurt-ing many other photonics firms.
The group has just reported a20% rise in revenue for the firsthalf of 2003 and it says that theoutlook for the rest of the year is“favourable”.
Quantel achieved a revenue of€ 19 m for the period, comparedwith € 15.8 m for the first sixmonths of 2002. Net profit wasup by 42%, to reach € 0.3 m.
“This performance was mostlydue to some large contracts thatwe received last year,” Alain deSalaberry, Quantel’s president,told OLE. “Around 40% of our rev-enue was from the US, mainly forscientific and industrial products.”
The Quantel group has around210 employees and comprisesthree subsidiaries : Quantel Med-ical, which is based in ClermontFerrand, France, and supplieslasers for ophthalmology and der-
matology; Laserblast, which isbased in Les Ulis, France, and spe-cializes in laser-cleaning; and BigSky Laser, its US subsidiary, whichfocuses on OEM applications.
Quantel says that several factorshelped to boost its revenue, includ-ing better penetration of the USmarket and increased sales in themedical sector. About half of therevenue for the period came froman € 11.5 m contract for lasers fordocument verification. Sales oflasers for dermatology and aes-thetic surgery reached € 7.5 m.
Quantel says that things are alsolooking bright for the rest of 2003.“In the future we expect growthfrom all of our areas, includingophthalmology, dermatology andscientific and industrial appli-cations,” said de Salaberry. “Weare gaining market share in manyareas and the complementarynature of these markets helps givethe company security.”
In the medical field, Quantelrecently signed a deal with a USdistributor for ophthalmic lasers,while in the scientific sector it isinvolved in two large projects.
It has a € 1.2 m contract todeliver a large YAG laser systemto LIXAM, a facility at the Uni-versity of Paris South that isdeveloping X-ray lasers. It is alsosupplying part of a laser systemto the ALADIN program – athree-year experiment conductedby the European Space Agencythat uses a satellite-mountedLIDAR to measure the speed ofhigh-altitude wind.
USCree has announced a first-quarterrevenue of $66.2 m (€ 56.6 m), a36% increase year-on-year. “Wecontinue to experience strongdemand for our LED products foruse in mobile appliances and otherbacklighting applications,” saidChuck Swoboda, Cree’s chiefexecutive officer.
SW E D E N
Transmode Systems, a developer oftransmission equipment used inoptical networks, has completed a$10 m (€ 8.6 m) financing roundled by private equity firm PodHolding. Transmode has nowsecured a total of $28 m ofinvestment since 2000.
US/GE R M A N Y
Spectra-Physics of the US hasteamed up with Jenoptik LaserOptik Systeme of Germany toproduce and sell thin-disk lasers.Spectra-Physics will initially beselling Jenoptik’s green-emitting5 W laser and its air-cooledQ-switched 8 W thin-disk laser aspart of its solid-state laser portfolio.
USAlfalight, a US manufacturer ofhigh-power diode lasers, hasreceived a $3.9 m (€ 3.3 m) grantunder the umbrella of DARPA’ssuper-high-efficiency diode source(SHEDS) program.
The goal of the SHEDS programis to increase a diode laser’s wall-plug efficiency to 65% in the first18 months of the project, and thenfurther increase it to 80% in thesubsequent 18 months.
IN BRIEF
On the up: Quantel’s revenue rose in thefirst half of 2003 thanks to good US sales.
Qua
ntel
Japanese electronics giant Sanyois to start selling the world’s firstbiodegradable compact disc (CD).The disc is made from a derivativeof corn and allegedly a single earof the plant is sufficient to make10 CDs. Sanyo says that the discsconform to CD standards and willbe used for music, video and com-puter applications.
Corn is used because it is a nat-ural source of polylactic acid, achemical that has similar opticaland physical properties to poly-carbonate, the material currentlyused in CDs and DVDs.
With annual disc demand at10 billion units, Sanyo says thatdisposing of the non-biodegrad-able polycarbonate discs is anincreasing problem. As a result,it has designed its new CDs tonaturally degrade after disposal.
According to the firm, micro-organisms in the earth will breakthem down into water and car-bon dioxide.
The company stresses that thediscs are durable and will onlydecompose over a long timeperiod. “For use in regular tem-peratures there is no problemwith durability,” claimed Sanyo.
The biodegradable discs will bemarketed under the “MildDisc”brand from December this year.
Biodegradable CDsto hit shops soon
MATERIALS
Silicon technology starts to shine
TECHNOLOGYAPPLICATIONS 7 R&D 11 PATENTS 11
7OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
OPTOELECTRONICS
By Jacqueline HewettThe first products based on thesilicon light-emitting technologypioneered at STMicroelectronics(ST) are likely to enter the marketwithin the next year, according tothe chip-maker.
The semiconductor specialistsays that it has made significantadvances since its silicon-basedlight sources first attained efficien-cies matching those of compoundsemiconductor materials lastOctober. ST’s initial commercialoffering will be an optocoupler –an optical switch that is madefrom a light-emitting diode (LED)and a photodetector and uses lightto link two parts of an electricalcircuit board.
Although silicon is the materialof choice for most electronics, todate it has not been possible touse it for making LEDs or laserdiodes because it is a very pooremitter of light. As a result, mak-ers of optoelectronics have beenforced to use semiconductors
such as gallium arsenide to fabri-cate the light-emitting parts oftheir circuits.
The use of different materialsfor optical and electronic func-tions not only adds to the cost ofoptoelectronics but also to theircomplexity, as it is a tough task to
integrate gallium arsenide andsilicon. ST’s research, however,means that compatibility prob-lems such as these could soon bea thing of the past.
The company’s method ofcoaxing light out of silicon is touse a structure in which ions ofrare-earth metals such as erbiumor cerium are implanted into alayer of silicon dioxide enrichedwith silicon nanocrystals.
So far, ST has developed devicesemitting in the green and thenear infrared. The company saysthat its second-generation LEDsare electrically pumped and emitmore than 1 mW of light for eachsquare millimetre of silicon.
According to ST, the key to theimproved performance is a betterdepth distribution of the rare-earth ions in the dielectric layerand an optimized annealing step.
The firm adds that comparedwith the first-generation proto-types that it announced in Octo-ber 2002, the quantum efficiency
of its second-generation deviceshas gone up by 50% and the out-put power has increased by a fac-tor of 50. Having reached theselevels, ST is confident that it willenter the optocoupler market in2004 with products that are sim-ilarly priced to, or even cheaperthan, existing components.
“ST has made substantial fur-ther progress towards turningthis pioneering research to near-term commercial products,” saidSalvo Coffa, research director atST. “Comparing the performanceof our first prototypes with that ofexisting technology, we expect toreach the commercial crossoverpoint in around six months.”
The company is also optimisticthat it will be able to improve theperformance of its current sec-ond-generation devices. “We willbe ready with our third-genera-tion LED with a factor-ten furtherincrease in maximum emitterpower [in the next year],” aspokesperson for ST told OLE.
NASA claims to have demon-strated the world’s first laser-pow-ered aircraft. Equipped with solarcells alone, the lightweight planeflew by converting energy from aground-based laser into electric-ity to power its propeller.
The project was the brainchildof scientists from NASA’s DrydenFlight Research Center in Califor-nia and the Marshall Space FlightCenter in Alabama.
The idea is to create solar-pow-ered craft that are remotelypiloted and have the endurancerequired for flights that last a fewdays or even weeks. “The chal-lenge is that in winter, at latitudeswhere the days are short and thenights are long, it is very difficultto get enough [solar] power,”explained David Bushman, the
project manager at Dryden. “Alaser could be used to augmentthe energy on these short days to“top up” the energy storage sys-tem to allow the plane to continueto fly throughout the night.”
The radio-controlled model
plane weighs just 11 oz, has a5 foot wingspan and is made frombalsa wood and carbon fibre tub-ing. An array of solar cells, devel-oped by the University of Alabamain Huntsville, is attached to theunderside of the plane and effi-
ciently converts the energy fromthe ground-based 1 kW infraredlaser into electricity.
The test was carried out indoorsto prevent the lightweight planefrom getting blown off course.NASA says the plane completedseveral laps of the building beforethe laser was turned off and theplane glided in to land. Each flightlasted approximately 10 min andthe maximum distance from thelaser was about 20 m.
As for potential applications forthe laser-powered aircraft, Bush-man is not short of ideas. “Atelecommunications companycould put transponders on anaeroplane and fly it over a city,” hesaid. “The aircraft could be usedfor everything from relaying cellphone calls to cable television.”
Products based on light-emitting siliconlook likely to become a commercialreality in 2004, says STMicroelectronics.
Laser-powered aircraft makes its maiden flightSOLAR POWER
Preparing for flight: the laser beam can clearly be seen on the plane’s solar panels.
Tom
Tsc
hida
, N
ASA
Infrared tooth imagingspots early stage decay
TECHNOLOGYAPPLICATIONS
IMAGING
8 OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
Shining infrared light with awavelength of 1310 nm througha tooth is an effective way ofdetecting early decay, accordingto a team from the University ofCalifornia at San Francisco, US.The researchers also say thattheir so-called infrared transillu-mination technique has distinctadvantages over traditional tech-niques such as X-ray imaging(Optics Express 11 2259).
“The principal advantages aregreater sensitivity and contrastfor early decay located betweenteeth,” research leader DanielFried told OLE. “The contrastprovided by changes in lightscattering in the near-infrared isgreater than changes in tissuedensity needed to produce con-trast in an X-ray.”
Decay begins on the surface ofthe tooth’s enamel and pro-gresses into its interior dentin.Dentists would ideally be able tospot decay when it was still in theenamel, but X-rays are not sensi-tive enough to pick this up.According to Fried, decay is usu-ally only visible on an X-ray after
it has penetrated the dentin, bywhich stage dentists have to drilland fill the tooth.
To simulate decay, Fried andcolleagues sectioned teeth thatwere free from decay into slices. Ahole was then drilled into the sec-tions and was filled with hydroxy-apatite powder, a substance thathas similar light-scattering prop-erties to areas of tooth decay.
The set-up for imaging thedecay consisted of a fibre-coupledhalogen lamp; a pair of crossedlinear polarizers; and a 50 nmbandpass filter placed in front ofan InGaAs focal-plane array.
The researchers say that thesimulated decay was clearly dis-cernible in a 3 mm-thick samplewhen using infrared illumina-tion, but could not be seen usingvisible-light illumination. Theyadd that there was poor contrastbetween the tooth and the decayon a standard X-ray image.
“There are no obvious safetyconcerns with this technologythat would prevent introductioninto the clinic,” Fried said. “Thenext step is to acquire extractedteeth containing decay and tomodify the system so that we canstart imaging in vivo.”
aperture lens
InGaAsFPA
polarizer
tooth
simulateddecay
polarizer
broadbandlight source
1310 nm bandpassfilter (50 nm wide)
Diagram: the tooth imaging apparatus developed at the University of California.Inset: infrared (left) and X-ray (right) images of a tooth in the first stages of decay.The decay is much easier to see in the infrared image. The next step is in vivo trials.
German optical component makerUnique-mode says that it plans tolaunch a singlemode fibre laseremitting 10 mW at 491 nm by theend of the year. The so-calledupconversion fibre laser will betargeted towards life-science appli-cations, as a potential replacementfor argon-ion lasers.
The company says its blue fibrelaser is 50 times more efficientwith a footprint five times smallerthan a typical argon-ion laser.
According to Albrecht vonPfeil, the firm’s vice-president ofsales and marketing, the 491 nmlaser uses a praseodymium-ytter-bium-doped fibre pumped by an850 nm diode laser. “The activesinglemode fibre absorbs the
pump light, which is then trans-formed into a shorter wavelengthby a multi-photon process,” vonPfeil explained.
Currently better known as asupplier of high-power diodelaser modules, this new fibre laserexpands Unique-mode’s businessinto new areas. The company isteaming up with the Institute ofLaser Physics at Hamburg Uni-versity, Germany, and a Germaninstrumentation company tocreate fibre lasers emitting atother visible wavelengths.
“Other wavelengths [we areworking on] are 635 nm, 520 nmand multi-wavelength systemswhere the laser wavelength can beswitched, for example between635 and 491 nm,” von Pfeil toldOLE. “This would replace anargon-ion and a HeNe gas laserwith one source.”
Blue fibre lasersuits life sciences
SOURCES
New fluorescence-based metrol-ogy equipment looks set to sim-plify the challenge of measuringoptical coatings that are just afew nanometres thick.
The ScalarGauge F systemfrom Scottish start-up firm ScalarTechnologies uses laser technol-ogy to determine the thickness ofa thin coating that has beenapplied to a plastic film. Potentialapplications include analysis ofantireflection or anti-glare coat-ings, adhesives or ink-primers.
Scalar says that the system,
which will be unveiled at thismonth’s International ConvertingExhibition in Munich, Germany,can measure coatings between1 nm and several microns thickwhen they are moving at highspeeds in a manufacturing facility.
“The system has been used withweb speeds measured at 300 mper minute, and there’s no reasonwhy we can’t go faster,” said SteveTomlinson, Scalar’s sales andmarketing director. “To the best ofour knowledge there are no othermeans for in-line measurement of
sub-micron coatings.”The system works by adding
trace quantities of a fluorophorecalled ScalarAdd into the coatingmixture before it is applied to thefilm. After deposition, a greendiode-pumped Nd:YAG laser illu-minates the film. This excites thefluorophores in the coating andgenerates red fluorescence, whichis captured by a detector. Thestrength of this light emissiondirectly relates to the coating’sthickness – the brighter the fluor-escence, the thicker the film.
Fluorescence sizes up thin coatingsMETROLOGY
Dan
iel
Frie
d
Unique-mode to start fibre laser business.
Laser perforated packagingimproves shelf-life of foods
TECHNOLOGYAPPLICATIONS
MATERIALS PROCESSING
9OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
A CO2 laser system that can drillthousands of microscopic holesper second into a sheet of plasticfilm is helping to keep salad freshfor longer on supermarket shelvesin Europe. The developer of theso-called Perfolas film system,German laser expert Rofin-Baasel,already has numerous installa-tions at film processing plants inthe UK, Spain and France.
Perforating plastic packagingwith a series of tiny laser-drilledholes increases the shelf life ofperishable food by optimizing thepackage’s gas and water vapourtransmission rates. By carefullycontrolling the size and numberof the holes in their wrapping,foods such as salad can be keptmoist but still able to “breathe”.
Rofin says that its laser systemcan drill round holes as small as50 µm across in a film as wide as1.2 m, moving at up to 400 mper minute. The system canprocess films up to 200 µm thickmade from all commonly usedmaterials in the food industry,including cellophane, polypropy-lene and polyethylene.
“The advantage of using a laser
is that it gives small, reproducibleholes without weakening thefilm,” said David Tinker fromRofin-Baasel’s UK office. “Becausethe holes have a melted edge, theyare very strong and the strengthof the film is maintained.”
In contrast, he says that holesmade using other techniques –such as a hot needle or an electro-static spark – are hard to controland may weaken the film, mak-ing it more liable to split.
The key to the Perfolas system isa special optical multiplexer thatsplits light from the laser into sev-
eral beams that are directed ontothe film. For low-speed appli-cations beam-splitting optics cancreate up to four distinct beams,while for higher speeds a rotatingpolygon can create up to 32beams. Lasers with powers of any-thing between 100 and 2000 Wcan be used in the system.
Rofin says the system can alsobe used to create easy-tear stripsin the plastic and paper packag-ing used for coffee or pet food. Thestrips can be scribed either in theweb direction or, using dynamicbeam positioning, across the web.
Perfect packaging: Rofin’s laser perforation system has already been installed atseveral plastic film plants in Europe. It makes holes as small as 50 µm in diameter.
Rofin
-Baa
sel
An Israeli start-up has launchedwhat it claims is the world’s firstcommercially-available opticaldigital signal processor (DSP).Lenslet says its EnLight256 canperform 1012 operations per sec-ond, which is around three ordersof magnitude better than currentstate-of-the-art electronic DSPs.
“We are showing a workingprototype at the MILCOM exhibi-tion in Boston, US, this week,”
Caron Tal from Lenslet told OLEin mid-October. “People can nowpurchase a demonstrator to eval-uate the technology and startdeveloping applications.” Thefirm says its device is ideal for per-forming computation-intensivetasks in military, multimedia andcommunication applications.
The EnLight’s enormous pro-cessing power comes from an elec-tro-optical computing core thatuses photons instead of electronsto perform mathematical algo-rithms. After the computation,the optical output is convertedback to a digital electronic form.
The core contains an array of256 vertical-cavity surface-emit-ting lasers, a spatial light modula-tor and a series of lenses anddetectors. According to Lenslet,in a single 8 ns clock period, thecore can multiply a 256-byte vec-tor by a 256 × 256 matrix. Thisequals a processing speed of8 × 1012 operations per second –so-called 8-Tera performance.
Optical computerhits market-place
OPTICAL COMPUTING
Speedy solution: Lenslet’s opticalprocessor can perform 8 ×1012
operations per second.
Physicists at Philips Research inthe Netherlands have developed amethod of making “electronicpaper” that could make it possibleto display moving images. RobertHayes and Johan Feenstra say thattheir electrowetting techniquecould be used to make a reflectivedisplay four times brighter thanreflective liquid-crystal displays, orLCDs (Nature 425 383).
Although researchers havemade electronic paper before(OLE July 2002 p22), it hasalways been slow to switch from
one colour to another. Hayes and Feenstra started by
coating a white polymer foil sub-strate with a patterned electrodelayer and a hydrophobic fluo-ropolymer insulator. The elec-trode layer was made of indiumtin oxide and was just 15 nmthick. Then they fabricated small“walls” to define the pixels andadded a layer of coloured oil –about 10 µm thick – followed by alayer of water.
In the absence of applied volt-age, the coloured oil forms a flat
film between the water and fluo-ropolymer, resulting in a colouredpixel. When the researchers applya voltage of about 20 V betweenthe electrode and water, the oilmoves to one side exposing thewhite surface beneath.
Switching between white andcoloured reflections takes lessthan 10 ms, which is fast enoughfor video displays. The researchersalso found that if they added asecond layer of oil, they could fur-ther improve the reflectivity tofour times that of an LCD.
Dutch brighten up electronic paperDISPLAYS
Available from
+49-8153-405-19www.novalux.com
PERFORMANCEPower Stability: ................... +/-2%RMS noise: .......................... < 0.2%Beam pointing stability: ........ < 30 µradHeat dissipation: .................. <4 WOperating range: ................. 10-40 °CLife Expectancy: ................... >20,000 hours
Intra-CavityFrequency Doubled VCSEL Laser System
TECHNOLOGYR&D/PATENTS
11OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
RULINGSNichia injunction stops Epistarmaking and selling blue LEDsNichia, the Japanese maker of gallium nitride light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and laser diodes, says thata Taiwanese court has granted a preliminaryinjunction order against Epistar, a Taiwanesemanufacturer of GaN products. Nichia is in theprocess of suing Epistar over alleged infringementof a blue LED patent.
The injunction prevents EPISTAR from making,selling, using or marketing the accused product.
Cooling expert takes actionagainst cosmetic laser firmsCool Laser Optics (CLO), a Massachusetts-basedcompany that owns intellectual property (IP)relating to skin-cooling technology, has nowcome to an agreement with Lumenis, an Israelimedical laser specialist, over alleged patentinfringement. As a result of the agreement,Lumenis has acquired a license from CLO.
CLO says that it will vigorously defend its IP andthe company is now filing lawsuits against fourother makers of cooling devices and cosmeticlasers that feature such devices: LaserScope,Nidek, Sciton and MedArt.
Fresnel Technologies scores victory in lens patent battleThe United States District Court in Fort Worth,Texas, has ruled that Rokonet Industries USA Incwillfully infringed a patent belonging to FresnelTechnologies, a developer of passive-infraredmotion sensors.
The patent involved in the dispute (US RE35 534) refers to a Fresnel lens design that suitsuse in infrared motion sensors and non-contactthermometers. Fresnel Technologies was awardedan undisclosed sum to cover its attorney fees andcosts. In addition, an injunction prohibiting furtherinfringement of the patent has been issued.
APPLICATIONSVelocimetry and interferometryanalyse the interior of the eyeA Canadian company is trying to patent a methodfor measuring the eye’s internal pressure(WO 03/082087). The first step in the process isto send a range of frequencies towards the eye,which causes it to vibrate. A laser velocimeter thenmeasures the way in which the surface of the eyeresponds to the vibration.
The inventors from Eric Technologies also usean interferometer to measure characteristics such
as the eye’s axial length and volume, as well asthe thickness of the cornea.
Ultraviolet illumination helpsreduce defects in fused-silica Shining low levels of UV light below 360 nm ontothe surface of fused-silica optics can reduce thenumber of catastrophic defects on their surfaces,according to the authors of patent applicationWO 03/082761. “When the optic is then irradiatedat its high fluence design limit, the concentration ofcatastrophic damage sites that form the surface ofthe optic is greatly reduced,” said the authors fromthe University of California, US.
Hologram-based guide-starsboost telescope performanceThe US firm Lasermax has come up with an ideafor creating artificial guide stars that could helpto improve the imaging performance of ground-based telescopes. The technique, described ininternational patent application numberWO 03/081314, uses a light source and ahologram to generate collimated laser beamsthat enter the front aperture of the telescope.When viewed from the telescope, the beamsappear as artificial stars.
PATENTS
Optical coherence tomography(OCT) and frequency metrologysystems could soon be benefitingfrom a tiny waveguide that pro-duces a 600 nm-wide white-lightcontinuum.
UK start-up company Mesopho-tonics, a spin-off from the Opto-electronics Research Centre at theUniversity of Southampton, UK,says that its 1 cm-long devices arebetter than microstructured fibresfor continuum generation.
“This is a brand-new method ofmaking a continuum that webelieve has never been observed,let alone commercialized,” saidJohn Lincoln of Mesophotonics.
The firm’s continuum-gener-ating chips (CGCs) produce lightfrom 600 to 1100 nm. The con-tinuum is symmetrical about thecentral wavelength and is said tohave no visible spectral noise.
Some OCT and high-precisionfrequency metrology systems firea femtosecond laser pulse at amicrostructured fibre to generatethe broadband continuum that isrequired for both techniques.
However, Lincoln says thatthese fibres are susceptible todamage from the blue and ultra-violet wavelengths that are cre-ated in a continuum.
“These fibres degrade and insome cases prematurely fractureif used continuously,” heexplained. “This would restrictthe lifetime of fibre-based con-tinuum generation in any com-mercial application such as OCT.”
Mesophotonics has found thatby using different materials thatare resilient to ultraviolet expo-sure, such problems can beavoided. “We can provide a mat-erial that has a lifetime suitable
for commercial deployment,” saidLincoln. “This will be especiallyimportant for clinical OCT appli-cations.”
The miniature waveguides arecreated by depositing layers of ahigh-refractive-index material ontop of a standard silicon wafer tomake a planar waveguide meas-uring 10 mm in length, 5 mmwide and just 1 µm thick.
The CGCs allegedly combine theuseful properties of fibres and bulkmedia such as sapphire crystals.Using the waveguide, pulse ener-gies as low as 10 nJ can generatethe continuum, a figure similar tothat seen in fibre and much lowerthan is needed with bulk media.
Meanwhile, damage tests haveshown that the waveguides canwithstand several watts of bluelight – much higher than fibreand comparable to materials such
as sapphire.Lincoln told OLE that Meso-
photonics is already using theCGCs every day to characterizethe two-dimensional photoniccrystals that it is developing.
“The development of CGCs willenable continuum-generation tomove into industrial and clinicalapplications of which frequencymetrology and OCT are just thestart,” he commented.
The firm is hoping to make thechips available commercially bythe end of this year. Lincoln esti-mates that they will initially bepriced similarly to microstruc-tured fibre, but with the poten-tial to become far cheaper. “Asthe technology is based on stan-dard silicon wafer production, itis possible to drastically reducecosts for significant volumedemand,” he predicted.
Silica chips produce light continuumSOURCES
As dentists begin to adopt laser techniques as an alternative to conventional drills, asmall Californian firm is reaping the benefits. Jacqueline Hewett spoke to Jeffery Jones,
the man at the helm of dental laser pioneer Biolase, about the company’s plans.
Sales soar at dentallaser specialist
COMPANY PROFILE
13OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
Nearly 20 years ago, a dentist in the USbegan researching laser-based alternativesto the traditional dental drill. Today, thiswork is at the heart of Biolase, one of thefastest-growing high-tech companies in theUS, with quarterly sales consistently risingby 40% year-on-year.
The 148-strong company, which is basedin San Clemente, South California, owesmuch of its success to the development of alaser material called yttrium scandium gal-lium garnet (YSGG). YSGG forms the basisof Biolase’s primary product, Waterlase, adental drill that was launched in 1998 anduses a laser-energized water spray to pain-lessly remove tooth material (see box“Waterlase explained” p14).
“The YSGG is now the number-one-sell-ing dental laser in the world, and has beenfor the last three years,” Jeffery Jones, pres-ident of Biolase, told OLE. “We havealready sold thousands of Waterlase units.”Fuelled by this success, Biolase is reportinga healthy profit and the company’s totalquarterly sales currently come in at around$10 m (€ 8.54 m). For the first six monthsof 2003, the firm recorded a net income of$2.4 m, and saw its sales grow by 59% overthe last year to reach $19.7 m.
But the success of Waterlase has notcaused Biolase to rest on its laurels. Its sec-ond product, LaserSmile, was introduced in2000 and is primarily designed for toothwhitening. Last month it became the firstsemiconductor laser to win US Food andDrug Administration (FDA) approval to treatperiodontal disease – decay in the smallpocket between the tooth and gum – by lasercurettage (removing the top layers of tissue).
In addition, the company increased itsproduct portfolio in May this year when itacquired all of the laser-related assets ofAmerican Medical Technologies (AMT).For $1.83 m in cash and 307 500 shares,Biolase walked away with AMT’s largeportfolio of dental-laser patents, the well-known brand name of American Dental
Laser, AMT’s product range and manypotential new customers.
“The acquisition of AMT’s laser-relatedassets is part of our strategic growth planfor 2003 and beyond,” said Jones. “Itsinstalled base of lasers will instantly doubleour base of customers and give us hun-dreds of new prospects for our Waterlaseand LaserSmile systems.”
Cool, quiet and comfortableSo why have the Waterlase and LaserSmilesystems proved so popular? Jones has sev-eral answers, the first being that laser-based dental tools do not cause teeth toheat or vibrate in the way that a high-speeddrill causes them to. This is healthier for thetooth and more comfortable for the patient.In the case of Waterlase, not only is it quietand painless – a local anaesthetic is notrequired – it also makes perfectly clean cutsin both hard and soft dental tissue.
“Waterlase also has more applicationsthan any other dental laser – in fact, morethan any other medical laser. It has atremendous number of FDA clearances,”said Jones. “It allows the dentist to dothings they couldn’t do before or makethem a lot easier.”
Although Waterlase is most commonlyused for hard-tissue applications such ascavity preparation, its capabilities extendmuch further. For instance, Jones says thatWaterlase is particularly useful for crownlengthening. Sometimes when a toothbreaks, there is not enough of it left abovethe gum line to put a crown on. Tradition-ally, the options in this scenario are to pullthe tooth out or to grind down the bonearound the tooth, which is painful andrequires several visits to the dentist. “WithWaterlase, we can go around the tooth andre-contour the bone line. It’s a gentle pro-cedure and there is no pain,” said Jones.“Waterlase is the only laser in the worldthat has any dental approvals for bone.”
Unlike Waterlase, the LaserSmile does
Pain-free dentistry: the Waterlase uses laser lightcombined with a water–air mixture – a technologythat Biolase calls HydroKinetics – to effectively cutall oral tissues. Procedures are quiet and painless.
Bio
lase
▲▲
Photonic Solutions
Novalux
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Cargille Laboratories
Pacer Components
Laser Quantum
Optima ResearchFast and Accurate WavefrontMeasurement
The new Wavescope product line is a completerange of Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors.Whether you need an extended wavelength range,spatial resolution or frame rate, we have thewavefront sensor to meet your needs!
Like an interferometer the Wavescope measureswavefront phase, but unlike an interferometer it isinsensitive to vibration and air turbulence. It isideal for lens and mirror testing, beam profiling,control of adaptive optics and optical alignment.
For more information please contact:Jenny WarwickE-mail: [email protected]: www.optima-research.comTel: +44 (0)1223 837830
Ultrashort pulse measurementtechnology: GRENOUILLESwamp Optics’s defining product, GRENOUILLE,measures everything you need to know about anultrafast laser pulse. The intensity and phase vs.time, spectrum, spectral phase, spatial chirp,pulse front tilt, spatial profile and autocorrelation.GRENOUILLE makes no assumptions, needs noalignment and is fast, sensitive, compact,lightweight and inexpensive.
For more information please contact: Photonic Solutions plcGracemount Business PavilionsUnit A, 40 Captains RoadEdinburghEH17 8QFTel: 0131 664 8122 Fax: 0131 664 8144E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.psplc.com
Novalux designs andmanufactures Protera 488 nmlasers at 5 and 15 mW inSunnyvale, California, for bio-analytical instruments, printingand photo-reprographics. Proteralasers are solid-state lasers usingpatented NECSEL technology,and will soon be available at 460and 532 nm. They are pricedcompetitively with Ar-ion lasers,but have twice the lifetime.
16 Bit Digital Beam Profilers
Spiricon announces a new laser beam profiler thatoffers 8–16 bit digital camera interface and8–14 bit A/D converters for analogue cameras.The LBA-700PC series allows for both analogueAND digital camera interfaces, to enable a fullchoice of cameras today and other applicationstomorrow. It features Spiricon’s exclusive Ultracalcamera baseline setting, full-featured software,many new innovations and lower prices.
For more information please contact:Tel: +1 435 753 3729Internet: www.spiricon.comE-mail: [email protected]
Optical Liquids Catalogue
Cargille’s new catalogue of speciality opticalliquids features high-transmission, safe-handlinglaser liquids, plus fused silica-matching liquidsand specific refractive-index liquids(1.300–2.11 nD). Now includes comparativediagrams of glasses and optical liquids.
Write or call for your free catalogue.
Cargille Laboratories Inc55 Commerce RoadCedar GroveNJ 07009Tel: +1 973 239 6633Fax: +1 973 239 6096E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.cargille.com
Pacer Components is the leading supplier ofoptoelectronic components, assemblies andsensors for the commercial, industrial and militarymarkets. For non-opto environmental applications,Pacer can also supply high-reliabilitysurface-mount semiconductors and Hall effectsensors and assemblies.
Pacer has an established reputation forhigh-quality components and service to match,only representing market and technology leadersin their fields. Optoelectronic devices availablespan the spectrum from 185 nM to 45 µm, andfrom a low-cost plastic phototransistor to a modulethat detects and counts single photons of light.
Pacer offers next-day delivery for ex-stock itemsand approval to BS EN IS09002.
Laser Quantum has theexperience, the people and theproducts to help you to succeed.Laser Quantum is a UKmanufacturer of high-specification diode-pumpedsolid-state (DPSS) laser systemsand accessories. Our lasersystems are compact, reliableand extremely efficient, and arefast becoming the choicetechnology for current and newlaser users. It is little wonder thatDPSS technology is rapidlyreplacing gas-discharge lasersaround the world.
Unique-m.o.d.e. is amanufacturer of OEM microoptical systems, especiallyhigh-power diode laser systemsin the power range of 1–30 W, foradvanced applications inpumping, medical treatment,graphic arts, illumination,instrumentation and materialsprocessing. The unique-m.o.d.e.high-power diode lasers exhibit aglobally unique brightness, highreliability and high efficiency incompact modules.
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not perform hard-tissue procedures and istargeted at tooth whitening and minor soft-tissue procedures. Based on an 810 nmdiode laser, it uses an arc-shaped handpieceto whiten several teeth at a time. The dentistsmears a photoactivated gel over the teethand places the handpiece over them. “Typi-cally 15 s bursts repeated up to 10 times arerequired. This is the fastest whitening devicethat exists,” claimed Jones.
Laser rivalsThanks to Waterlase and LaserSmile, thefirm has two patented technologies thatseem ideally suited to dentists’ needs. Thereare, however, challengers to YSGG – themain one being Er:YAG, a laser materialthat emits at 2.94 µm.
“Er:YAG is readily available because it isused in dermatology and plastic surgery,”said Jones. “Companies selling these prod-ucts saw what Biolase was doing and beganadapting their products. Despite there
being several very large companies doingEr:YAG, our product has just surged pastthem and stayed past them.”
The crucial differences between the tech-nologies are the level of water absorption atthe lasing wavelength and the tissue penet-ration depth of the laser light. According toJones, water has a higher absorption at theEr:YAG lasing wavelength than YSGG.“Er:YAG has a penetration depth of about1 µm, whereas YSGG is between 3–5 µm,and this makes a difference in how it works.If the laser light gets stopped too quickly bytissue containing water, you get zero penet-ration and you are going to bleed,” he said.
Focusing on YSGG technology is cer-tainly paying dividends for Biolase andJones is optimistic about the future. “Indeveloped countries there are close on500 000 dentists, and with only a fewthousand systems sold to date, there is a bigfuture,” he told OLE. “It is going to be excit-ing for many years to come.” ■■
COMPANY PROFILE
Telephone: +44 (0) 1279 719190Facsimile: +44 (0) 1279 719191
E-mail: [email protected]
the
LaserDiode
specialists
www.photonic-products.com
FIBRE ASSEMBLIES
PIGTAILS & RECEPTACLES
C
USTOM PRODUCT DESIGN
LASER DIODES
TE COOLEDLASE
RD
IOD
EM
OD
ULE
S
15OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
Primary product: the Waterlase base unit from Biolase (left) measures 12.5 × 26 ×32 inches. Theproportions of air and water in the spray can be precisely controlled at the touch of a button (right).
At the heart of Waterlase is a pulsed lasermade from an erbium chromium-doped YSGGcrystal. It emits up to 6 W at 2.78 µm with amaximum pulse energy of 300 mJ. This infraredlight is coupled to a specially designedhandpiece through a zirconium fluoride opticalfibre. During the drilling process, an air–waterspray and the laser light are delivered to thesurface of the tooth through the tip of thehandpiece. The handpiece must be 2–3 mmfrom the tooth for the water and the laser tointeract in an effective manner.
The system makes use of the cavitationprocess that takes place when water changesfrom a liquid into a vapour to propel the water
molecules at high speed towards the tooth. “Thewater is actually the cutting agent,” explainedJones. “You might think that it is there as acooling agent, but it is there primarily as thecutting agent.” The amount of laser power andthe proportions of air and water is controlledfrom the Waterlase base unit. A laser–water–airmixture is used to cut hard tissue, while alaser–air mixture is used in soft-tissueprocedures such as making incisions, removinggum tissue or coagulating capillaries. A redlaser beam is used to align the drilling spotbefore switching over to the powerful infraredbeam. The system enables drilling with a spotsmaller than 200 µm across.
Waterlase explained
Mobile telephones incorporating camerasare becoming increasingly popular withconsumers eager to send each other snapsof themselves and their surroundings.
However, these cameras have a weakness:their zoom and focus function. Attemptingto focus on close-up items with small fea-tures, such as the text of a newspaper, gen-erally yields a poor-quality image becausethe lens used is designed to focus on moredistant objects. Another problem is that thecamera function relies on piezoelectric dri-vers and a variety of moving parts that aresusceptible to wear and tear over time.
In an ideal world, the cameras wouldincorporate something akin to the humaneye – a tunable lens that can change itsshape to switch focus between distant andclose-up objects in a fraction of a second.It’s an ideal that could become a reality bythe end of this year, when French start-upcompany Varioptic plans to have just suchlenses rolling off a pilot production line.
Liquid inspirationVarioptic’s lenses are plastic devices thatcontain two liquids. One liquid is based on awater-soluble formulation, while the otheris oil-based. The non-polar oil layer is incontact with a positive electrode, whereasthe polar water-based formulation is nega-tively biased. The curved interface betweenthe oil and water layers acts as a lens.
With no applied voltage, the lens focuseson objects at infinity. However, when thevoltage applied to the electrodes is altered,the curvature of the liquid–liquid interfacechanges and with it the focal length of thelens. Such is the versatility of these lensesthat they can switch their shape from con-cave to convex in a matter of milliseconds.
Bruno Berge founded Varioptic in March2002 following 10 years of developmentwork on tunable liquid lenses, first atFrance’s National Centre for ScientificResearch and later at the Ecole NormaleSupérieure de Lyon. Since performing thisearly research (see OLE May 1999 p35),Berge – now president of the company –has subtly changed the design of the lensesto make them more robust. The latest
lenses are smaller and thinner than earlyprototypes, with vastly improved shockresistance. Measuring 8 mm wide and4–10 mm thick, the devices are smallenough to be integrated into miniaturecamera systems.
Berge says that his latest lenses canswitch in 20 ms to focus on objects betweeninfinity and just 4–5 cm distant, with avariation of 30 dioptres possible with a4.5 mm clear aperture. He believes thatminiature cameras using the tunable lenscould accurately focus on paper to scandocuments, or be used for fingerprint or irisrecognition, while still being able to focuson images in the far distance.
A key development over the past fewyears, according to Berge, was a reductionin the voltage needed to drive the lens.Since 1999 it has fallen from around 200 Vto the current level of 40 V, enabling thedevice to be driven (via a CMOS chip) by the3 V battery typically used to power a mobilephone. This was achieved by reducing thethickness of the insulating oil-based layerand playing around with the two liquid for-mulations, the exact contents of whichremain a closely-guarded secret. Someclever physical chemistry was also neededto ensure that the two layers stayed in theliquid phase between –30 and 80 °C.
The newer lenses are more robust thantheir forerunners. In the early prototypes,the two liquid layers had tended to mixwhen shaken. Drops of liquid crossing overinto the wrong layer render the lens use-less. However, thanks to the thinner layersused, the latest prototypes can withstandshocks of 500 G. “Mixing of the two layersis no longer a problem,” said Berge.
Varioptic’s plan is to supply the individ-ual lenses to camera-system manufactur-ers whose cameras are then integrated intolarger devices. In the short term, the mobiletelephone market will be targeted. “Themain advantages of the Varioptic solutionare that it eliminates moving parts and thatit can be miniaturized easily,” said Berge.“The autofocus system is faster, more com-pact, more robust and cheaper than motor-ized systems. Our technology has attracted
a large Asian electronics manufacturer,with whom we have just signed a large con-tract to develop prototypes and produce apre-series product.” Varioptic’s target is tostart industrial production of lenses formobile phone cameras next year.
Although a handful of other organiza-tions, including Bell Labs, US, are nowinvestigating the commercial possibilities oftunable lenses based on liquids, Varioptic isby far the closest to commercial realization.The company currently employs 10 staff atits headquarters in Lyon, and Berge con-tends that it holds a strong position thanksto its intellectual property. In September,the company’s finances received a massiveboost when international venture-capitalgroup Sofinnova Partners poured € 2 minto Varioptic’s coffers.
Berge told OLE that his firm is finishingoff a pilot production line that will allow itto manufacture up to 50 000 lenses everymonth. “We don’t want to be just a labora-tory,” he said. “Our philosophy is to go tothe pilot production level.” This is a keypoint – mobile phone manufacturers churnout tens of millions of units per year and
Following a recent cash injection of € 2 m, French start-upVarioptic is building a pilot line capable of producing tensof thousands of liquid lenses with a tunable focal length.Michael Hatcher follows the path to commercialization.
Liquid lenses eye comLENS TECHNOLOGY
16 OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
Main image: with no voltage applied, the liquid lens remains focused liquid–liquid interface changes shape and focuses on objects line to produce the tunable lenses will be complete by the end of base their tunable lens on a droplet of potassium sulphate solution. focal length of the lens, as shown. The droplet can also move
Vario
ptic
will want to see evidence of the mass-man-ufacturability of components before incor-porating them into their products.
The Varioptic pilot line is currently beingqualified and Berge and colleagues areworking to ensure the reliability of theirlenses. At the moment, only custom prod-ucts are being developed but Berge hopes“off-the-shelf ” lenses will be available fromaround the middle of next year.
Berge is also keen to point out thatmobile phone cameras are not the onlypotential application for the lenses. He isdeveloping a miniature zoom lens for digi-tal cameras, and says that the medical andautomotive industries could both benefitfrom the technology. Compact optical sys-tems built around the tunable lens, forinstance, could be of interest to endoscopemanufacturers such as Zeiss and Storz.
Berge says that the miniature zoom lenscould also be used in more complex appli-cations such as confocal microscopy sys-tems and tumour detection. Following therecent funding round, Varioptic now hasthe resources to approach key medicalinstrumentation companies with the lens.
Liquid lenses could also be useful forin-car telemetry – for instance, they couldmonitor the distance to other vehicles or tostationary hazards using the lens zoom.The speed at which it can switch betweenfocal distances would enable the lens totake measurements from a moving vehicle.
Powerful patentsAccording to Berge there is little directcompetition in the field of liquid-lens tech-nology, mainly owing to two patents heldby Varioptic. However, at Bell Labs in theUS, Tom Krupenkin and his colleagueshave been looking into microlenses that aretunable in all three spatial dimensions. Aswell as being able to switch focal length, themicrolenses can move laterally.
These lenses are based on a similar prin-ciple to the Varioptic technology, with adroplet of transparent, conductive liquid(potassium sulphate solution) positionedon top of a smooth dielectric substrate. Thedroplet sits on a ground electrode and issurrounded by a number of other controlelectrodes. The focus of the lens is alteredby increasing or decreasing the bias on allof the control electrodes simultaneously,while the position of the droplet can beshifted by increasing the bias to just one ofthe control electrodes.
So far, Bell Labs is keeping any further
developments under wraps, with Krupenkinonly prepared to say that the liquid lensteam has made “lots of progress” over thepast year. “We are currently actively pursu-ing research and development of the tun-able liquid microlens technology with a viewtowards its commercialization,” he told OLE.
One topic Krupenkin was happy to dis-cuss was the development of lenses that aretunable when wet but can be “locked” intoa specific focus, as they are made from aphotopolymerizable material. The focallength of the Bell Labs lens can be alteredby up to around 30% and Krupenkin saysthat the scheme could be extended to incor-porate a number of microlenses for morecomplex photonic functions.
Meanwhile, on the west coast of the USat the University of California’s San Diegocampus, De-Ying Zhang and team havebeen developing liquid lenses inspired bythe animal kingdom. Zhang’s lenses switchfocal length between 41 and 172 mm asthe pressure inside the lens membrane isdecreased. At the same time, the numericalaperture changes from 0.24 to 0.058.Zhang’s work forms part of the US mili-tary’s bio-optic synthetic systems project,which aims to produce a controllable-indexlens with a dynamic field of view by 2006.
Interesting though these developmentsare, it is clear that Varioptic is leading thepath to the commercialization of liquidlenses. While his potential competitors arestill working on fundamental aspects oftheir technology, Berge is refining the relia-bility and manufacturability of his lenses.A key recent achievement has been a cen-tring mechanism that ensures the stabilityof the optical axis along which the lensfocuses – an issue that Berge says otherdevelopers have yet to address, and whichhighlights the progress that Varioptic ismaking. Your next mobile phone may wellfeature a bit of French ingenuity. ■■
17OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
mmercial breakthrough conducting liquid
dielectric
substrate
ground electrode
coating
control electrodes
V0
on distant objects. Under the influence of an applied field, the closer to the lens (inset). Varioptic says that its pilot production this year. Right: Tom Krupenkin and colleagues at Bell LabsVoltage applied to various electrodes can change the shape and laterally. Far right: the geometry of Bell Labs’ approach.
Bel
l La
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Unwanted vibrations can misalign optics and cause images to blur. Jacqueline Hewettdiscovers how optical tables and vibration isolation systems can solve the problem.
Surfaces and supportskeep experiments level
BUYER’S GUIDE
19OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
All buildings vibrate, whether due to inter-nal sources such as the movement ofmachinery, ventilation systems and humanactivity, or external sources such as traffic.Although these vibrations are usuallysmall and go largely unnoticed from day today, they can cause big problems if you areperforming sensitive experiments such asinterferometry or confocal microscopy.
A good way to deal with such noise is touse vibration isolation equipment. Manu-facturers generally sell a range of systems,ensuring that something is available to suitall applications and budgets.
There are two key components in anyvibration isolation system: an optical table(which counteracts high-frequency noise)and a set of legs to support and raise thetable (which counteracts low-frequencynoise). This month’s Buyer’s Guide takes alook at these components and the commonsources of vibration found in laboratories.
1. Sources of noiseNoise sources fall into one of three cate-gories: ground-borne; acoustic; or experi-mentally-generated.
Ground-borne noise can be caused byany number of sources, including traffic,lift shafts, doors banging, people walkingalong corridors and construction work. Itmay also come from hidden sources, suchas underground trains passing deep belowthe laboratory. Manufacturers divide thisnoise into vertical and horizontal compo-nents, as different mechanisms are used tocounteract the vibrations in each direction.
Ground noise spectra are full of low fre-quencies, ranging from 1 to 100 Hz. It isthe lower end of this spectrum that causesthe most problems. There is an exponen-tially-decaying relationship between thefrequency of the noise and the amplitude ofthe vibration. The cause is inertia – it ismuch harder to shake the ground at a highfrequency than at a low one.
An important source of horizontal vibra-tion is building sway, which comes in ataround 1–10 Hz. The ideal location for anoptics laboratory is in a basement, or on a
vibration-isolated concrete floor, but moreoften than not laboratories are housed a fewfloors up – and the higher up the buildingthe lab is, the greater the horizontal sway.The best place to site a sensitive experimentin this situation is near structural elementssuch as vertical pillars.
Acoustic noise is the result of the move-ment of air through the laboratory. Mod-ern laboratories may be fitted with air-conditioning, which causes air currentsthat can disturb the optics. Currents canalso be created when doors are opened orclosed. By contrast, experimental noise –sometimes called locally-generated noise –comes from components on the opticaltable itself, such as the cooling fans in lasers
or motorized equipment.Acoustic and experimental noise has a
higher frequency than ground-bornenoise, generally in the 20–500 Hz range.
It is important to be aware of the sourcesof noise around your laboratory beforetalking to a sales engineer. Vendors usuallyoffer vibration surveys, but most agree thatthese are not necessary unless an ultra-sensitive experiment is being performed.
2. Optical tablesAn optical table is essentially a flat surfacewith a grid of threaded holes drilled intothe top for mounting and securing optics.The table is designed to counteract theeffects of high-frequency acoustic and
acoustic vibrations(above 20 Hz)
laservacuumchamber
vacuumpump
motorizedequipment
(10–500 Hz)
breeze
air conditioner
powersupply
construction(10–100 Hz) fan
machinery(10–200 Hz) street traffic
(5–100 Hz)
upper-floor buildingvibrations(1–10 Hz)
Mel
les
Grio
t
top skin
epoxy
bottom skin
honeycomb
Top: sensitive experiments can be affected by a wide range of noise sources. Bottom left: accessoriessuch as shelves, drawers, monitor support platforms and table enclosures can be added to customize yourfinal system. Bottom right: two metallic skins sandwich a honeycomb centre to aid internal stability.
Kine
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experimentally generated noise.Before you select an optical table, it is
important to decide how crucial its perfor-mance is to your experiment. It is also a goodidea to think about the dimensions yourequire. Tables are supplied in a range ofstandard sizes, typically up to 1.5 ×4.25 m,
and can also be joined end-on or in cus-tomized formations, such as an L- or E-shape. Where space is at a premium, smallertables called breadboards can be used.
Optical tables require built-in dampingbecause they have a natural frequency. Thisis typically around 90 Hz, falling within the
range of common acoustic and experimen-tally-generated noise. A table will flex andbend in response to its natural frequencyand harmonics and to minimize the vib-rations, the design goal of any optical tableis to be as stiff and light as possible.
According to vendors, optical tables mustbe stiff to ensure that the resonant frequen-cies are high, but light to ensure that theamplitude of vibration at the resonant fre-quencies is low. Table manufacturers havefound that the best way to satisfy these cri-teria is to sandwich a honeycomb structurebetween two metallic plates.
The level of accuracy required from anexperiment dictates the level of dampingbuilt in to the table. At the high-perfor-mance end of the scale, vendors offer “fre-quency-tuned damping.” A damper is tunedto the natural frequency or a harmonic andembedded along the edge of the table. State-of-the-art tables contain many dampers,each tuned to a different frequency.
A damper is typically a sealed vessel filledwith oil and containing a weight on aspring. The frequency of the spring isdesigned to match a resonant frequency ofthe table. If the table tries to vibrate at thisfrequency, the damper absorbs the energyof the vibration.
Makers of optical tables use epoxy to gluethe honeycomb structure edge-on to themetallic top and bottom surfaces. Standardlower-performance tables use the energy-dissipating properties of the epoxy alone.Vendors tend to offer three or four grades oftable with varying degrees of built-indamping.
The final factor that influences the per-formance of a table is its thickness. Stan-dard optical tables are 8 inches thick, butstiffer optical tables could be 12–18 inchesthick. The more sensitive the experiment,the thicker the table on which it is mountedshould be. One rule of thumb states thatthe minimum table thickness should bebetween 6 and 10% of its length.
According to the vendors OLE spoke to,a common pitfall for buyers is access. Opti-cal tables may weigh in excess of a quarterof a tonne. It is important to consider howthe table will get from the delivery van tothe laboratory. If the only way is up a tightstaircase or in a small goods lift, therecould be a problem. Most vendors offer theoption of a full installation service, whichis well worth considering.
3. Vibration isolation support systemsVibration isolation support systems –essentially legs – are designed to raise thetable to a comfortable working height andcounteract low-frequency ground-borne
Range of detectors available covering many wavelengthswith a choice of speed of response and sensitivity
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20 OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
Optical table enclosure systems reduce air currents, thermal variations and dust over the optical components.Optional accessories include mounting racks, storage cabinets and sliding-window interlock switches.
vibrations. Support systems should bechosen while considering the performanceyou require for your experiment.
One vendor offered a simple equation forselecting support systems. The natural fre-quency of a building in Hz is equal to 46divided by the height of the building inmetres. For example, a 10 m-tall buildingwill have a natural frequency of 4.6 Hz.This gives a guide to the frequency that hasto be eliminated through the support sys-tem for a sensitive experiment to succeed.
Vibration isolation support systems, likeoptical tables, have their own resonant fre-quency. Noise at this frequency will beamplified, but noise at either side of it willbe attenuated. According to one vendor,vibration isolation support systems aredesigned to have a low resonant frequencyso that attenuation can commence at thelowest possible frequency.
High-performance vibration isolationsystems counteract both the vertical andhorizontal components of ground-basednoise. The most advanced models use airsprings to support load-carrying pistons aswell as dual air chambers to eliminate ver-tical vibration, while damped pendulumsreduce the horizontal component.
However, if your experiment does notrequire such high performance, an alterna-tive might be to use a self-levelling table.These contain air valves that open and close
to take the table back to its equilibrium posi-tion, and legs that can be pumped up with afoot pump. Rigid legs that essentially raisethe table to a working height and offer noisolation are a more basic option.
Depending on the size of the table, eitherfour or six legs will be required to support it.A four-leg system can typically support2500 kg, which includes the weight of thetable. It is important to have a balancedload spread evenly across the table.
All vendors agree that an optical table
and support system should be viewed as aninvestment. With complete systems rang-ing in price from € 3500 at the low-perfor-mance end to high-performance systemscosting in excess of € 7000, it is easy to seewhy vendors tell customers to think of theirfuture as well as their current needs. ■■
OLE would like to thank the following companiesfor their help in compiling this article.Melles Griot www.mellesgriot.comKinetic Systems www.kineticsystems.com
BUYER’S GUIDE
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21OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
“An optical tableand supportsystem should beviewed as aninvestment.”
It is important to have a balanced load spreadevenly across the table.
Mel
les
Grio
t
Photonic crystal fibreCrystal Fibre
Danish firm Crystal Fibrehas extended its rangeof large-mode-areaphotonic-crystal fibres.The new fibres havecore diameters of 8, 15,
20, 25 and 35 µm, which the company saysresult in mode-field areas of up to 530 µm2.
The fibres allegedly offer singlemodeguidance and constant mode-field area forwavelengths ranging from the ultraviolet to1550 nm. They are available with hermeticallysealed ends and FC/PC connectors, and CrystalFibre claims that conventional tools can be usedto cleave and strip the fibres.
The fibres are said to suit applications suchas short pulse delivery, mode filtering, andNd:YAG and fibre laser pigtailing.www.crystal-fibre.com
Welding laserUnitek Miyachi
Unitek Miyachi, US, hasreleased a pulsedNd:YAG laser systemcalled the LW5AM. Thecompany claims itsair-cooled “micro-welder”, which emits up
to 5 W, is ideal for joining small and delicateparts such as those found in medical devices.
The laser system uses a 100 µm core fibreand is said to deliver the 1064 nm light to aspot with a diameter of 40 µm. With pulsewidths of 60–500 µs and peak powers of up to500 W, the LW5AM offers precise control ofweld dimensions.
The LW5AM also boasts real-time powerfeedback, 20-segment pulse shaping, and time-share and energy-share modes.www.unitekmiyachilasers.com
UV imaging lensesJPSA Laser
Multi-element UVimaging lenses for high-resolution and largefield-of-view materialsprocessing applicationsare now available from
JPSA Laser. The range includes doublet, triplet,quadruplet and six-element objectives.
JPSA says that its UV doublet objectiveshave magnifications from 2× to 100× andprovide corrected imaging performance formask imaging, micromachining and thin-filmpatterning applications.www.jpsalaser.com
Laser diode driveriC-Haus A laser diode driver specifically tailored for usewith continuous-wave blue laser diodes isavailable from iC-Haus of Germany. The iC-WKNhas a current capacity of up to 300 mA and apower-supply range from 2.4 V to 15 V.
The iC-WKN includes integrated circuitry thatprotects the diode against destruction byelectrostatic discharge, excessive temperatureand overcurrent. Available in an SO8 package,the device filters the laser diode power supplyfor transients. A soft-start regulator also protectsthe diode when the power supply is switched on.www.ichaus.com
Solid-state blue laserPro-Lite TechnologyUK-based distributor Pro-Lite Technology isselling a compact 488 nm-emitting solid-statelaser from Blue Sky Research. The ChromaLASE488 provides up to 25 mW and is said to be analternative to argon-ion lasers.
Based on a frequency-doubled 980 nm laserdiode, the ChromaLASE requires no externalcooling fans and has a power consumption of6 W at room temperature. Other characteristics
include a pointing stability of less than 15 µradand a beam divergence of less than 1 mrad.
The ChromaLase comes in a single-unitassembly measuring 14.5 ×8.2 ×3.3 cm. Fibredelivery is optional and both singlemode andpolarization-maintaining fibres are available.www.pro-lite.uk.com
Optical parametric oscillatorPhotonics Industries International
Photonics IndustriesInternational’s Nd:YLFlaser sits at the heart ofthe company’s latestoptical parametric
oscillator (OPO). The diode-pumped systememploys a patented intracavity frequency-conversion technique to produce up to 2 mJ perpulse with TEM00 beam mode quality and aquoted M2 value of less than 1.1.
According to the company, the intracavityconversion improves the OPO’s frequencyconversion efficiency, as well as its pulse-to-pulse and average power stability and its laserrepetition rate. Another advantage is that itenables a more compact overall footprint.www.photonix.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]).
23OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
Beam expandersOptical Surfaces
Optical Surfaces of theUK has introduced arange of laser beamexpanders based on anoff-axis mirror design.
The expanders are said to have a surfaceflatness of better than λ/10 and a wavefrontdistortion of better than λ/5.
Based on zero-expansion glass substrates, allmirrors in the range are coated with aluminiumand magnesium fluoride to provide achromaticperformance from the ultraviolet through to theinfrared. Ultra-hard laser coatings are availablefor high-damage-threshold applications.
The company says that its standard modelsinclude exit apertures of 100 mm, 150 mm and200 mm with 5×, 10×, 15× and 20×magnification. Expanders with othermagnifications are available on request.www.optisurf.com
Fluorescence stereomicroscopeLeica MicrosystemsLeica Microsystems says its MZ16FA is theworld’s first motorized, automated, fullyapochromatic fluorescence stereomicroscope.At the touch of a button, the company says theuser can control the filter changer, zoom, focus,UV diaphragm and double iris aperture.According to Leica, the instrument also repeatsmultifluorescence experiments automatically,quickly and exactly.
The device is said to have a zoom capabilityof 16:1, a resolution of 840 line pairs permillimetre and a magnification of 115 withstandard optics. The company says its MZ16FAcan reduce the time spent on labour-intensivefluorescence microscopy experiments in biology,chemistry and electronics. www.leica-microsystems.com
Short-pulse YAG laserAdvanced Optical TechnologyAdvanced Optical Technology (AOT) has addeda 20 kHz Nd:YAG system to its range of short-pulsed solid-state lasers. The diode-pumped,Q-switched AOT-YAG-20Q is said to produce aTEM00 beam of up to 600 mW at a wavelength of1064 nm. When operating at a repetition rate of2.5 kHz, the laser allegedly emits pulses with aduration of just 1.5 ns.
The high-peak power of the laser also leads toefficient harmonic generation and is said todeliver up to 35 µJ per pulse at 532 nm, 20 µJper pulse at 355 nm and 10 µJ per pulse at266 nm. Offered with optional fibre-opticdelivery, ATO claims its 20Q laser is suitable fora range of applications including high-precisionmicroprocessing, remote sensing and basicscientific research.www.aotlasers.com
PRODUCTS
24 OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
Dichroic opticsAlpine Research Optics
US-based AlpineResearch Optics (ARO)has launched a rangeof dichroic coatings andbeamsplitters forseparating the different
harmonics of solid-state laser emission.Optimized for the 1064, 532, 355 and
266 nm wavelengths of an Nd:YAG laser, theOEM optics are designed for lasermanufacturers and systems integrators alikeand are aimed at applications includingsemiconductor metrology and micromachining.
Thanks to ARO’s experience in the NationalIgnition Facility project, the optics have beendesigned with demanding applications in mindand are said to have a high damage thresholdand a long operating lifetime.
According to ARO, the coatings are suitable foruse with either the low-energy, high-repetition-rate pulses typical of a diode-pumped solid-statelaser, or the high-energy, low-repetition-ratepulses of a lamp-pumped source.
The flat beamsplitters, based on fused silicasubstrates with a high-efficiency antireflectioncoating, are available in sizes of up to 3 inchesand feature λ/10 flatness.www.arocorp.com
PhotodiodeFairchild Semiconductor
The QSB34 PIN infraredphotodiode sensor fromFairchildSemiconductor comesin lead-free packagingthat is said to complywith European Union
requirements. With a surface area of 9 mm2 andan acceptance angle of 120°, Fairchild saysthat the sensor’s packaging also acts as adaylight filter that is optimized to pass lightbetween 880 and 940 nm.
Fairchild supplies the device, which sits1.25 mm from the mounting surface, in twoconfigurations: gull wing for top-side mounting;and reversed X-bend for under-board mounting.The sensor is also said to have a capacitance of25 pF, a rise time of 20 ns and a dynamic signalrange of 60 dB.www.fairchildsemi.com
Laser safety softwareLaser Physics UKUser-friendly laser-safety software that assesseslaser radiation hazards is now available throughLaser Physics UK. Developed by Lucid OpticalServices of the UK, the Laser-Bee software issaid to give guidance in accordance withinternational standards such as IEC 60825-1,EN 207 and EN 208.
Two versions of the software are available.The standard version offers calculations such asfilter analysis for determining the filter scalenumber (L) of protective eyewear, determiningthe scale number (R) and performing beamdivergence analysis. In addition to this, theadvanced version offers nominal ocular hazarddistance analysis, as well as maximumpermissible exposure and accessible emissionlimit permissible exposure lookup tables.
Laser-Bee is supplied as a stand-aloneprogram and is compatible with computersrunning MS Windows 98, ME, 2000 and XP.www.laserphysicsuk.com
Aspheric lensesMoritex Europe
High-performanceaspheric lenses are nowavailable from MoritexEurope. With athroughput of morethan 98% at 1550 nm,
the company says its lenses provide highercoupling efficiencies than comparable GRIN lenssolutions for collimating light from a source orfocusing light into a fibre.
Moritex says the lenses are available in achoice of low-loss antireflection-coated glass andcan be optimized for specific wavelength ranges.
The lenses can also be supplied with diametersranging from 1.0 to 2.5 mm and focal lengthsbetween 0.8 and 5.0 mm. The company says thatas well as its standard lenses, it can producecustom-designed lenses in large volumes.www.moritex.com
CO2 laserRofin Sinar
Rofin’s laser macrogroup has released anew high-power CO2
slab laser. The RofinDC060W delivers anaverage output power
of 6 kW and is designed primarily for use inwelding applications.
Rofin says that the laser’s excellent beamquality of K = 0.9 allows the creation ofextremely narrow weld seams with minimal heatdistortion. For applications in which a widerweld seam is required the DC060W is availablewith a doughnut-shaped laser mode, thanks tothe use of special internal optics.
Despite its higher output power, the footprintof the DC060W is no larger than its 5 kW sistermodel, the DC050. Like all of Rofin’s CO2 slablasers, the DC060W requires no gas circulationand requires a gas change once every 72 h. www.rofin.com
PRODUCTS
25OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
Modular optical enclosuresApplied PhotonicsThe optical enclosures developed by AppliedPhotonics of the UK are described by the firm as“an optics bench in a box”. The company saysthat its enclosures are ideal for a range ofapplications, including prototyping opticalsystems and transporting optical systems fromthe laboratory to the field.
According to Applied Photonics, itsenclosures combine a heavy-duty opticalbreadboard, removable side panels, detachableinternal support frame components and agas-spring assisted lid.
The modular enclosures come in threestandard sizes – the largest having dimensions750×500×175 mm – and can easily beconnected together if required. The company sayscustomized boxes can also be made to order. www.appliedphotonics.co.uk
Infrared cameraCEDIP Infrared SystemsCEDIP Infrared Systems of France hasannounced that its JADE UC camera is nowavailable with a USB 2.0 digital output. Thecompany says the output allows users to displaydigital images at a rate of 60 Hz over a 14-bitdynamic range without the need for RS232 orLVDS links to control the camera.
The JADE UC uses a microbolometer focal-plane-array sensor with 320 ×240 pixels andoperates in the 8–12 µm waveband. Accordingto CEDIP, the camera has a thermal sensitivity ofless than 80 mK and a thermal response time ofless than 4 ms, and can operate at up to 100frames per second at full image.
CEDIP says the camera is ideal forautomation and machine-vision applications.www.cedip-infrared.com
CMOS cameraDALSA
DALSA has launched aCMOS camera that itsays is suitable forrobotics control,industrial metrologyand welding inspection.The 1M150-SA is an
area scan camera with a resolution of 1 Mpixel(1024 ×1024) that is capable of outputting upto 150 frames per second.
The company says that the 1M150-SA hastwo unique features: a nonrolling shutter and aLinLog response. According to DALSA, thenonrolling shutter allows smear-free capture offast moving objects – so-called “Stop Action”imaging. The second feature ensures that thecamera offers a linear response up to a user-defined light level and then a logarithmicresponse beyond that. www.dalsa.com
PRODUCTS
26 OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
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Directed EnergyWeapons 2004
2 day conference: 19th-20th January 2004Café Royal, London
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16 high level presentations on high energylasers and high power microwave weaponsgiven by the international experts including:
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2 E A S Y W A Y S T O R E G I S T E R
The UK’s LeadingOptical, Photonicsand Vision events
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Pre-register and learn more at:
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Hall 12 • NEC • Birmingham • UKFebruary 11 & 12 • 2004
RECRUITMENTTo advertise your job vacancies, contact Rob Fisher (tel: +44 (0)117 930 1260; e-mail: [email protected]).
29OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
CANADA
Vermont-based Janos tobe headed by Rosner
Janos Technology ofVermont, a maker ofprecision infraredoptical components,has appointed BrettD Rosner as its newpresident. Formerpresident BruceGardner is to remainwith the firm as
vice-president of technology. Rosner comes to Janos Technology with
more than 20 years’ experience in militaryand commercial electro-optics behind him.Prior to joining the company he was directorof Santa Barbara Focalplane, US, whereduring his tenure the company’s salesgrowth rate exceed 1000%.
“The appointment of Rosner begins a newand exciting era in the continued evolutionof Janos Technology,” commented PhilHaag, president of holding company TheMonroe Group. Rosner said: “I look forwardto working with the talented engineers andstaff at Janos Technology, expanding theproduct line and global services.”
UK
Smith completes team atScottish displays makerJack Smith has been appointed operationsmanager of MicroEmissive Displays (MED) ofEdinburgh, UK, a maker of light-emittingpolymer microdisplays. Smith has previouslyhelped set up semiconductor manufacturingoperations at several start-ups and multi-national operations in Europe and the US.
Bill Campbell, chief executive officer ofMED, commented: “The Board of MED isvery pleased to bring Jack’s wealth of highlyrelevant experience to MED. He bringsexpertise that will accelerate the transition ofMED from a developing company to one witha strong manufacturing base, fully capable ofsupporting its customers.”
The company was founded in 1999 as aspin-out from Napier and Edinburghuniversities, and is currently commencingvolume manufacturing of its first majorproduct, a colour microdisplay. Gary LeSueurof Scottish Equity Partners, MED’s leadinvestor, said: “With the appointment of JackSmith, MED’s management team is now fullyequipped to begin volume manufacturing ofthe product early next year.”
US
OSA elects von Strylandas next vice-presidentThe Optical Society of America (OSA) haselected Eric van Stryland of the University ofCentral Florida, Orlando, as its incomingvice-president. Van Stryland commences hisnew role with the OSA on 2 January 2004,
and will automatically become presidentelect in 2005 and president in 2006.
According to Elizabeth Rogan, executivedirector of the OSA, van Stryland already hasa long-standing history of involvement withthe society. “He has been an active volunteerand has supported the society in its initiativeson many levels. We are thrilled to welcomehim to this new position,” Rogan said.
Rosner: start of a new era.
BFI Optilas Internationalwww.bfioptilas.avnet.com 6
Breault Research Organisationwww.breault.com IFC
Cargille Laboratories Incwww.cargille.com 14
China Da Heng Corporationwww.cdhcorp.com 26
Crystran Ltd www.crystran.co.uk 27Directed Energy Weapons 2004www.iqpc-defence.com/2123a 28
Duma Optronics Ltd www.duma.co.il 25Edinburgh Instruments Ltdwww.edinst.com 12
EKSMA Co www.eksma.com 23Fujian Castech Crystals Inc
www.castech.com 24i-Chips www.i-chipstech.com 29IPOT 2004 www.ipot.com 28Laser Quantum Ltdwww.laserquantum.com 14, 27
LIMO Laser Systems www.limo.de 12LINOS Photonics GmbH www.linos.de 27Melles Griot www.mellesgriot.com 18, OBCMöeller-Wedel Optical GmbHwww.moeller-wedel-optical.com 26
Novalux www.novalux.com 10, 14Ophir Optronics Ltd www.ophiropt.com 22Optima Research Ltdwww.optima-research.com 14, 21
Pacer Components Plc www.pacer.co.uk 14Photonic Products
www.photonic-products.com 15Photonic Solutions Plcwww.psplc.com 14, 20, IBC
Piezosystem Jena www.piezojena.com 28Scitec Instruments Ltdwww.scitec.uk.com 12
Smart Bio-medical Optics Forumwww.smartoptics.org 10
Spectrogon AB www.spectrogon.com 10Spiricon Laser Beam Diagnostics Incwww.spiricon.com 14, 24
Stanford Research Systems Incwww.srsys.com 4
Stockeryale Canadawww.stockeryale.com 10
Unique m.o.d.e. www.unique-mode.com 14
30 OLE • November 2003 • optics.org
November 11–14 Productronica 2003 Munich, Germany Messe Munich, www.productronica.deGermany
November 19–21 OLEDs 2003 San Diego, US Intertech Corporation, www.intertechusa.com/oleds.htmlUS
November 23–24 Laser Safety Course Loughborough, UK NRPB, UK www.nrpb.org/training/nir/laser_safety/index.htm
November 24–27 Illumination System Design and Cambridge, UK Optima Research, UK www.optima-research.com/Training/Stray Light Analysis Using ZEMAX index.htm
December 2–4 Optics and Photonics Washington DC, US SPIE, US spie.org/conferences/calls/03/hls/in Global Homeland Security
December 8–12 Laser Safety Officer Training Orlando, US LIA, US www.laserinstitute.org/training/courses/industrial_safety/lso/
December 9–11 Epoline Annual Conference Barcelona, Spain European Patent Office, www.epoline.org/events/barcelona/en/Germany intro.html
January 18–22 Electronic Imaging San Jose, US SPIE, US electronicimaging.org/Call/04/
January 24–29 BiOS 2004 (Photonics West) San Jose, US SPIE, US spie.org/Conferences/Calls/04/pw/bios
January 24–29 LASE 2004 (Photonics West) San Jose, US SPIE, US spie.org/Conferences/Calls/04/pw/lase
February 14–19 Medical Imaging 2004 San Diego, US SPIE, US spie.org/conferences/calls/04/mi/
January 24–29 OPTO 2004 (Photonics West) San Jose, US SPIE, US spie.org/Conferences/Calls/04/pw/opto
January 25–29 Micromachining and San Jose, US SPIE, US spie.org/Conferences/Calls/04/pw/mf/Microfabrication (Photonics West)
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CALENDARFor a more comprehensive list of events, including links to websites, visit optics.org/events
