Features | Photonics Spectra

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Problem: Does anyone know of a method to measure "shiny"? Recommended equipment measures reflectivity, but this is not an accurate determination of shininess. The human eye can distinguish a shiny object from one that is visually less shiny, but the test equipment indicates that they are equivalent. What is the process in the human brain that defines shininess, and what device can duplicate that result? Joe Haake, R&D Manager Coors Brewing Co. Golden, Colo. January 1999 Solution: They don't...

Photonics Spectra, October 2000

Printed Circuit Boards:

Problem: Printed circuit board manufacturers use noisy and complex drilling/routing machines to cut the boards out of the panels. A laser router would do the job more precisely and efficiently. We are eager to cooperate in the development and...

Photonics Spectra, October 2000

Putting Imaging Under the Microscope

At the Cornell University Integrated Microscopy Center in Ithaca, N.Y., the imaging system is based on an Axioplan 2 microscope from Carl Zeiss and a SensiCam camera from the Cooke Corp. of Auburn Hills, Mich. A look at the center’s recent...

Photonics Spectra, October 2000

Rubbing Out Roughness

Problem: Does anyone have information about testing methods for optical mirror surfaces with microroughness of 1 nm rms or less? Yuri Petrunin, President Telescope Engineering Co. Lakewood, Colo. March 1997 Solution: The team at Telescope...

Photonics Spectra, October 2000

Keep Your Process in Control

Improvements in industrial process monitoring, process optimization and closed-loop process control have awaited affordable, sturdy, robust analytical instruments. The newest sealed, rugged Raman spectrometers are easy to use and acquire data...

Photonics Spectra, September 2000

Lasers Are Fit for Print

Violet lasers and new printing plate materials are the hottest technologies for printing and reprographics, but photonics manufacturers are also providing innovation in infrared laser technology, keeping customer options open. The principal and...

Photonics Spectra, September 2000

More Vision for Less Money

Machine vision has been used to ensure quality in manufacturing for more than 30 years. In that time span, there has been nothing short of a revolution in imaging technology and in manufacturing. Costs are dropping and solutions are becoming simpler...

Photonics Spectra, September 2000

Optical Adhesives Provide a Cure for Any Problem

Like so many segments of the photonics industry, optical adhesives owe much of their early development to the military. Prior to World War II, the standard material for bonding optical elements was refined Canada balsam. But the war spurred the...

Photonics Spectra, September 2000

Too Many Optical Options?

These are good times for users of optical design software. Powerful desktop computers are inexpensive, and growing market demand now supports a wide range of software product offerings, from simple shareware programs to very sophisticated packages....

Photonics Spectra, September 2000

Tunable Lasers Hit the Right Note for DWDM

A key technology for meeting the exploding demand for ever-more bandwidth in communications networks is dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM), which allows multiple colors of traffic-carrying light to be sent down a single fiber. DWDM...

Photonics Spectra, September 2000

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Most commercial lens assemblies such as lenses for cameras and microscope objectives are reasonably priced (on the order of several hundred dollars) and are available immediately. A custom-designed lens assembly looks the same externally, but its...

Photonics Spectra, August 2000

Defining Performance

In laser applications such as materials processing, environmental monitoring and confocal microscopy, understanding the laser’s performance is critical. A laser that operates erratically as it drills holes in steel could fail to penetrate the...

Photonics Spectra, August 2000

For Pixels, Size Matters

In the rat race for ever-higher pixel counts for the digital still camera market, it is clear that, if the chip size must remain constant, then "more pixels" inherently means "smaller pixels." The driving force to keep the silicon area of the sensor...

Photonics Spectra, August 2000

Great Gratings

Dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) is the most effective means for expanding communications capacity in optical networks. The technology places several closely spaced wavelengths of light into one fiber, with each wavelength serving as...

Photonics Spectra, August 2000

High-Tech ’Vision’ Test

Modulation transfer function is the predominant measure of the performance of image-forming lenses and systems. It can be measured objectively and calculated from lens design data, enabling manufacturers to compare the quality of lenseswith design...

Photonics Spectra, August 2000

How Photons Work

The study of light has been inextricably linked to the advancement of scientific thought for more than 2000 years. From Euclid to Newton to Einstein, many of the great treatises of science have been directed toward unraveling light’s...

Photonics Spectra, August 2000

Photonics Rules of Thumb

Scientists and engineers tend to want to answer simple relational questions with a blackboard covered with equations, even when questioners just want a rough estimate to gauge whether a change would cause more problems than it would fix. The "rules...

Photonics Spectra, August 2000

Squelch the Noise

The silicon positive-intrinsic-negative (PIN) photodiode is a ubiquitous component that detects light in photometric devices from fluorescence instruments in the laboratory to laser speed guns on the highway. Each application has different...

Photonics Spectra, August 2000

Back-Illuminated Camera Images the Future of Spaceflight

Rocket power blazed the early trails that took us into orbit, but aerospace engineers have endeavored to develop a jet-propelled aircraft able to reach orbital velocities from Mach 20 to 25. One possibility is the supersonic combustion ramjet, or...

Photonics Spectra, July 2000

Bring Images to Life

Making photographs at the microscope can be difficult. For example, magnification produces problems associated with the depth of field, and diffraction creates problems with image resolution. One of the most difficult aspects of photographing...

Photonics Spectra, July 2000

Catch Your Drift

Whether a laboratory researcher or an optical-equipment manufacturer, you’ll be concerned with how temperature changes affect your optical system. A thermally stable mount will lead to improved optical-system performance as the ambient...

Photonics Spectra, July 2000

Death, Taxes and Shot Noise

Have you ever watched a live video line from your fine camera on an oscilloscope? Were you bothered by the pixels bouncing up and down from time to time? The sensor manufacturer promised a signal-to-noise ratio of 1000:1, and you designed your...

Photonics Spectra, July 2000

Ion Lasers:

When diode-pumped solid-state lasers first appeared in the marketplace during the early 1990s, argon-ion, helium-neon and other classic laboratory lasers seemed doomed. The newer technology was more compact and rugged, allowing researchers freedom...

Photonics Spectra, July 2000

Light Levels and Noise Guide Detector Choices

Photonics is an enabling technology that creates benefits and value far in excess of the cost of the optoelectronic components that are used in a device or system. As such, photonics is responsible for increasing the length of our lives as well as...

Photonics Spectra, July 2000

Measuring Optical Quality

... The optics industry has helped to shape these standards for indicating tolerances. At the same time, methods of measurements are becoming standardized, so not only does everyone understand tolerances, but the relevant optical testing also...

Photonics Spectra, July 2000

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