Instrumentation & Accessories: Using Photons

Photonics Spectra editors

Instrumentation and accessories are seeing the same kinds of market trends as other photonics technologies. "Better, faster, cheaper" is a contagious battle cry.

Laboratory equipment and OEM components are shrinking in both size and cost while becoming increasingly automated. Motorized stages and flip-up optomechanical lens mounts connect with simple cables to your PC. Spectrometers and laser beam analyzers deliver data directly to the PC for analysis in user-friendly software. Communications analysis equipment tests more parameters because dense wavelength division multiplexing, higher bit rates and metropolitan networks require more measurements.

Market analysts suggest that manufacturers will benefit from providing this type of equipment.