Boston Micromachines, Bridger Photonics Sign Consulting Deal

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 8, 2010 — Boston Micromachines Corp. (BMC) announced Monday that it has signed a consulting agreement with Bridger Photonics Inc. to quantitatively assess a new MEMS membrane deformable mirror design using BMC’s facilities.

“We recognized that Boston Micromachines is a world leader in deformable MEMS membranes. The two companies’ technologies complement one another very well, so the fit is natural,” said Peter Roos, president and CEO of Bridger Photonics. “We are excited to capitalize on BMC’s proven expertise and knowledge in the field of deformable mirrors.”

Bridger Photonics received a Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a commercial prototype of an aberration compensated focus control device. Based on MEMS technology, the device will allow the user to deflect a deformable membrane mirror in a controlled manner to select a desired focal length. It will feature active control of low-order aberrations.

The technology enables next-generation biomedical imaging devices for microscopy applications to focus control and aberration correction in simple, compact and low-cost sensors.

“Progress in deformable mirror (DM) technology has inspired innovative researchers to make advances in fields such as astronomy, microscopy, retinal imaging and laser communications,” said Paul Bierden, BMC president and CEO. “We are pleased to provide our extensive DM technology knowledge to Bridger Photonics to support its efforts to expand the role of MEMS DM technology in wavefront correction for scientific advancement.”

Boston Micromachines provides MEMS-based DM products for adaptive optics systems.

For more information, visit: www.bostonmicromachines.com

There are 19 suppliers of Adaptive Optics in the Photonics Marketplace.

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Published: December 2010

Glossary

adaptive optics: Adaptive optics (AO) is a technology used to improve the performance of optical systems by reducing the effects of atmospheric distortions. The Earth's atmosphere can cause light passing through it to experience distortions, resulting in image blurring and degradation in various optical applications, such as astronomical observations, laser communications, and imaging systems. Adaptive optics systems actively adjust the optical elements in real-time to compensate for these distortions. Key...
astronomy: The scientific observation of celestial radiation that has reached the vicinity of Earth, and the interpretation of these observations to determine the characteristics of the extraterrestrial bodies and phenomena that have emitted the radiation.
deflection: Any bending of a wave of radiation away from its expected path, as, for example, by diffraction or by a magnetic field.
focal length: The focal length of a lens is the distance between the lens's optical center (or principal point) and the image sensor or film when the lens is focused at infinity. In simple terms, it is the distance from the lens to the point where parallel rays of light converge or appear to diverge after passing through the lens. For converging lenses (convex lenses), which are thicker in the center, the focal length is considered positive. For diverging lenses (concave lenses), which are thinner in the...
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