Fast Industrial Inspection of Optical Thin Film Using Optical Coherence Tomography

PubMed Central

Shirazi, Muhammad Faizan; Park, Kibeom; Wijesinghe, Ruchire Eranga; Jeong, Hyosang; Han, Sangyeob; Kim, Pilun; Jeon, Mansik; Kim, Jeehyun

2016-01-01

An application of spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was demonstrated for a fast industrial inspection of an optical thin film panel. An optical thin film sample similar to a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel was examined. Two identical SD-OCT systems were utilized for parallel scanning of a complete sample in half time. Dual OCT inspection heads were utilized for transverse (fast) scanning, while a stable linear motorized translational stage was used for lateral (slow) scanning. The cross-sectional and volumetric images of an optical thin film sample were acquired to detect the defects in glass and other layers that are difficult to observe using visual inspection methods. The rapid inspection enabled by this setup led to the early detection of product defects on the manufacturing line, resulting in a significant improvement in the quality assurance of industrial products. PMID:27690043

Robust optical sensors for safety critical automotive applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Locht, Cliff; De Knibber, Sven; Maddalena, Sam

2008-02-01

Optical sensors for the automotive industry need to be robust, high performing and low cost. This paper focuses on the impact of automotive requirements on optical sensor design and packaging. Main strategies to lower optical sensor entry barriers in the automotive market include: Perform sensor calibration and tuning by the sensor manufacturer, sensor test modes on chip to guarantee functional integrity at operation, and package technology is key. As a conclusion, optical sensor applications are growing in automotive. Optical sensor robustness matured to the level of safety critical applications like Electrical Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) and Drive-by-Wire by optical linear arrays based systems and Automated Cruise Control (ACC), Lane Change Assist and Driver Classification/Smart Airbag Deployment by camera imagers based systems.

Applications of high average power nonlinear optics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Velsko, S.P.; Krupke, W.F.

1996-02-05

Nonlinear optical frequency convertors (harmonic generators and optical parametric oscillators are reviewed with an emphasis on high average power performance and limitations. NLO materials issues and NLO device designs are discussed in reference to several emerging scientific, military and industrial commercial applications requiring {approx} 100 watt average power level in the visible and infrared spectral regions. Research efforts required to enable practical {approx} 100 watt class NLO based laser systems are identified.

Inverse Algorithm Optimization for Determining Optical Properties of Biological Materials from Spatially-Resolved Diffuse Reflectance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Optical characterization of biological materials is useful in many scientific and industrial applications like biomedical diagnosis and nondestructive quality evaluation of food and agricultural products. However, accurate determination of the optical properties from intact biological materials base...

Lasers '92; Proceedings of the International Conference on Lasers and Applications, 15th, Houston, TX, Dec. 7-10, 1992

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Charles P. (Editor)

1993-01-01

Papers from the conference are presented, and the topics covered include the following: x-ray lasers, excimer lasers, chemical lasers, high power lasers, blue-green lasers, dye lasers, solid state lasers, semiconductor lasers, gas and discharge lasers, carbon dioxide lasers, ultrafast phenomena, nonlinear optics, quantum optics, dynamic gratings and wave mixing, laser radar, lasers in medicine, optical filters and laser communication, optical techniques and instruments, laser material interaction, and industrial and manufacturing applications.

Strategic planning of developing automatic optical inspection (AOI) technologies in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, K. C.; Hsu, C.

2005-01-01

In most domestic hi-tech industries in Taiwan, the automatic optical inspection (AOI) equipment is mostly imported. In view of the required specifications, AOI consists of the integration of mechanical-electrical-optical-information technologies. In the past two decades, traditional industries have lost their competitiveness due to the low profit rate. It is possible to promote a new AOI industry in Taiwan through the integration of its strong background in mechatronic technology in positioning stages with the optical image processing techniques. The market requirements are huge not only in domestic need but also in global need. This is the main reason to promote the AOI research for the coming years in Taiwan. Focused industrial applications will be in IC, PCB, LCD, communication, and MEMS parts. This paper will analyze the domestic and global AOI equipment market, summarize the necessary fish bone technology diagrams, survey the actual industrial needs, and propose the strategic plan to be promoted in Taiwan.

OCT for industrial applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Guiju; Harding, Kevin

2012-11-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT), as an interferometric method, has been studied as a distance ranger. As a technology capable of producing high-resolution, depth-resolved images of biological tissue, OCT had been widely used for the application of ophthalmology and has been commercialized in the market today. Enlightened by the emerging research interest in biomedical domain, the applications of OCT in industrial inspection were rejuvenated by a few groups to explore its potential for characterizing new materials, imaging or inspecting industrial parts as a service solution[3]. Benefiting from novel photonics components and devices, the industrial application of the older concepts in OCT can be re-visited with respect to the unique performance and availability. Commercial OCT developers such as Michelson Diagnostics (MDL; Orpington, U.K.) and Thorlabs (Newton, NJ) are actively exploring the application of OCT to industrial applications and they have outlined meaningful path toward the metrology application in emerging industry[3]. In this chapter, we will introduce the fundamental concepts of OCT and discuss its current and potential industrial applications.

Advanced optical 3D scanners using DMD technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muenstermann, P.; Godding, R.; Hermstein, M.

2017-02-01

Optical 3D measurement techniques are state-of-the-art for highly precise, non-contact surface scanners - not only in industrial development, but also in near-production and even in-line configurations. The need for automated systems with very high accuracy and clear implementation of national precision standards is growing extremely due to expanding international quality guidelines, increasing production transparency and new concepts related to the demands of the fourth industrial revolution. The presentation gives an overview about the present technical concepts for optical 3D scanners and their benefit for customers and various different applications - not only in quality control, but also in design centers or in medical applications. The advantages of DMD-based systems will be discussed and compared to other approaches. Looking at today's 3D scanner market, there is a confusing amount of solutions varying from lowprice solutions to high end systems. Many of them are linked to a very special target group or to special applications. The article will clarify the differences of the approaches and will discuss some key features which are necessary to render optical measurement systems suitable for industrial environments. The paper will be completed by examples for DMDbased systems, e. g. RGB true-color systems with very high accuracy like the StereoScan neo of AICON 3D Systems. Typical applications and the benefits for customers using such systems are described.

Computer Tomography and Hybrid Optical/Digital Methods for Aerodynamic Measurements.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-12-28

Industrial Applications of Corn- on Axisymnnietric Flame ’Iempnlw res Measured by Holo- puted Tornographv arid NMI? Imiaging (Optical Society of graphic...Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. Escuela de Ingenieria . Santiago, equal. The optical path length difference (OPD) be- Chile. tween the two rays

Proposal of optical farming: development of several optical sensing instruments for agricultural use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, Y.; Kobayashi, K.

2013-05-01

We propose the use of "Optical Farming," which is the leading application of all types of optical technologies, in agriculture and agriculture-related industries. This paper focuses on the optical sensing instruments named "Agriserver," "Agrigadget" and "LIFS Monitor" developed in our laboratory. They are considered major factors in utilizing Optical Farming. Agriserver is a sensor network system that uses the Internet to collect information on agricultural products growing in fields. Agrigadget contains several optical devices, such as a smartphone-based spectroscopic device and a hand framing camera. LIFS Monitor is an advanced monitoring instrument that makes it possible to obtain physiological information of living plants. They are strongly associated with information communication technology. Their field and data usage performance in agricultural industries are reported.

Chip-Scale Trace-Gas Spectrometers for Methane Leak Detection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Green, William

Panelists from industry, academia, government laboratories and venture capital community will discuss opportunities driven by miniaturization of spectroscopic sensing systems and optical sensor applications. The speakers will discuss industry needs for wide-range commercial, security and defense applications. Listen and interact with leaders in the spectroscopy and sensing community, and come to share your ideas.

Diffractive optics in industry and research: novel components for optical security systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laakkonen, Pasi; Turunen, Jari; Pietarinen, Juha; Siitonen, Samuli; Laukkanen, Janne; Jefimovs, Konstantins; Orava, Joni; Ritala, Mikko; Pilvi, Tero; Tuovinen, Hemmo; Ventola, Kalle; Vallius, Tuomas; Kaipiainen, Matti; Kuittinen, Markku

2005-09-01

Design and manufacturing of diffractive optical elements (DOEs) are presented. Mass replication methods for DOEs are explained including UV-replication, micro-injection moulding and reel-to-reel production. Novel applications of diffractive optics including spectroscopic surface relief gratings, antireflection surfaces, infrared light rejection gratings, light incoupling into thin waveguides, and additive diffractive colour mixing are presented.

Development of smart textiles with embedded fiber optic chemical sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khalil, Saif E.; Yuan, Jianming; El-Sherif, Mahmoud A.

2004-03-01

Smart textiles are defined as textiles capable of monitoring their own health conditions or structural behavior, as well as sensing external environmental conditions. Smart textiles appear to be a future focus of the textile industry. As technology accelerates, textiles are found to be more useful and practical for potential advanced technologies. The majority of textiles are used in the clothing industry, which set up the idea of inventing smart clothes for various applications. Examples of such applications are medical trauma assessment and medical patients monitoring (heart and respiration rates), and environmental monitoring for public safety officials. Fiber optics have played a major role in the development of smart textiles as they have in smart structures in general. Optical fiber integration into textile structures (knitted, woven, and non-woven) is presented, and defines the proper methodology for the manufacturing of smart textiles. Samples of fabrics with integrated optical fibers were processed and tested for optical signal transmission. This was done in order to investigate the effect of textile production procedures on optical fiber performance. The tests proved the effectiveness of the developed methodology for integration of optical fibers without changing their optical performance or structural integrity.

Undersea fiber optic technology for the offshore community

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mariano, J.J.

The explosive growth in demand for global communications has been met by a rapid evolution in the undersea fiber-optic technology, which in just a few years has become the predominant method of communication across the world`s oceans and seas. As the scope of applications has become broader, the technology has become more diverse, and now comprises a range of products capable of providing economical, reliable service in any subsea environment, from ocean depths to coastal lagoons. In this paper, the authors discuss how undersea lightwave technology is being applied to meet the communication and production control needs of the offshoremore » oil and gas industry. They discuss the trends and technology developments that are changing the economics of undersea fiber-optic communication networks, as well as synergies in the offshore industry. They consider various applications for the industry and means of enhancing the profitability of platform operations through reduced downtime, reduced operating cost, and enhanced safety. Finally, they discuss extensions to exploratory drilling and land-based operations.« less

Precision Control Module For UV Laser 3D Micromachining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Wen-Hong; Hung, Min-Wei; Chang, Chun-Li

2011-01-01

UV laser has been widely used in various micromachining such as micro-scribing or patterning processing. At present, most of the semiconductors, LEDs, photovoltaic solar panels and touch panels industries need the UV laser processing system. However, most of the UV laser processing applications in the industries utilize two dimensional (2D) plane processing. And there are tremendous business opportunities that can be developed, such as three dimensional (3D) structures of micro-electromechanical (MEMS) sensor or the precision depth control of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films edge insulation in touch panels. This research aims to develop a UV laser 3D micromachining module that can create the novel applications for industries. By special designed beam expender in optical system, the focal point of UV laser can be adjusted quickly and accurately through the optical path control lens of laser beam expender optical system. Furthermore, the integrated software for galvanometric scanner and focal point adjustment mechanism is developed as well, so as to carry out the precise 3D microstructure machining.

Binary optics: Trends and limitations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farn, Michael W.; Veldkamp, Wilfrid B.

1993-01-01

We describe the current state of binary optics, addressing both the technology and the industry (i.e., marketplace). With respect to the technology, the two dominant aspects are optical design methods and fabrication capabilities, with the optical design problem being limited by human innovation in the search for new applications and the fabrication issue being limited by the availability of resources required to improve fabrication capabilities. With respect to the industry, the current marketplace does not favor binary optics as a separate product line and so we expect that companies whose primary purpose is the production of binary optics will not represent the bulk of binary optics production. Rather, binary optics' more natural role is as an enabling technology - a technology which will directly result in a competitive advantage in a company's other business areas - and so we expect that the majority of binary optics will be produced for internal use.

In situ control of industrial processes using laser light scattering and optical rotation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendoza Sanchez, Patricia Judith; López Echevarria, Daniel; Huerta Ruelas, Jorge Adalberto

2006-02-01

We present results of optical measurements in products or processes usually found in industrial processes, which can be used to control them. Laser light scattering was employed during semiconductor epitaxial growth by molecular beam epitaxy. With this technique, it was possible to determine growth rate, roughness and critical temperatures related to substrate degradation. With the same scattering technique, oil degradation as function of temperature was monitored for different automotive lubricants. Clear differences can be studied between monograde and multigrade oils. Optical rotation measurements as function of temperature were performed in apple juice in a pasteurization process like. Average variations related to optical rotation dependence of sugars were measured and monitored during heating and cooling process, finding a reversible behavior. As opposite behavior, sugar-protein solution was measured in a similar heating and cooling process. Final result showed a non-reversible behavior related to protein denaturation. Potential applications are discussed for metal-mechanic, electronic, food, and pharmaceutical industry. Future improvements in optical systems to make them more portable and easily implemented under typical industry conditions are mentioned.

360 degree vision system: opportunities in transportation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thibault, Simon

2007-09-01

Panoramic technologies are experiencing new and exciting opportunities in the transportation industries. The advantages of panoramic imagers are numerous: increased areas coverage with fewer cameras, imaging of multiple target simultaneously, instantaneous full horizon detection, easier integration of various applications on the same imager and others. This paper reports our work on panomorph optics and potential usage in transportation applications. The novel panomorph lens is a new type of high resolution panoramic imager perfectly suitable for the transportation industries. The panomorph lens uses optimization techniques to improve the performance of a customized optical system for specific applications. By adding a custom angle to pixel relation at the optical design stage, the optical system provides an ideal image coverage which is designed to reduce and optimize the processing. The optics can be customized for the visible, near infra-red (NIR) or infra-red (IR) wavebands. The panomorph lens is designed to optimize the cost per pixel which is particularly important in the IR. We discuss the use of the 360 vision system which can enhance on board collision avoidance systems, intelligent cruise controls and parking assistance. 360 panoramic vision systems might enable safer highways and significant reduction in casualties.

Developing Articulated Human Models from Laser Scan Data for Use as Avatars in Real-Time Networked Virtual Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-09-01

structure model, motion model, physical model, and possibly many other characteristics depending on the application [Ref. 4]. While the film industry has...applications. The film industry relies on this technology almost exclusively, as it is highly reliable under controlled conditions. Since optical tracking...Wavefront. Maya has been used extensively in the film industry to provide lifelike animation, and is adept at handling 3D objects [Ref. 27]. Maya can

Spectrally encoded optical fibre sensor systems and their application in process control, environmental and structural monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willsch, Reinhardt; Ecke, Wolfgang; Schwotzer, Gunter

2005-09-01

Different types of advanced optical fibre sensor systems using similar spectral interrogation principles and potential low-cost polychromator optoelectronic signal processing instrumentation will be presented, and examples of their industrial application are demonstrated. These are such sensors as multimode fibre based humidity, temperature, and pressure sensors with extrinsic microoptical Fabry-Perot transducers for process control in gas industry, UV absorption evanescent field sensors for organic pollution monitoring in groundwater, and single mode fibre Bragg grating (FBG) multiplexed strain & vibration and temperature sensor networks for structural health monitoring applications in electric power facilities, aerospace, railways, geotechnical and civil engineering. Recent results of current investigations applying FBGs and microstructured fibres for chemical sensing will be discussed.

Laser figuring for the generation of analog micro-optics and kineform surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gratrix, Edward J.

1993-01-01

To date, there have been many techniques used to generate micro-optic structures in glass or other materials. Using methods common to the lithographic industry, the manufacturing technique known as 'binary optics,' has demonstrated the use of diffractive optics in a variety of micro-optic applications. It is well established that diffractive structures have limited capability when applied in a design more suited for a refractive element. For applications that demand fast, highly efficient, broadband designs, we have developed a technique which uses laser figuring to generate the refractive micro-optical surface. This paper describes the technique used to fabricate refractive micro-optics. Recent results of micro-optics in CdZnTe focal planes are shown.

Pressure Measurement Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

FFPI Industries Inc. is the manufacturer of fiber-optic sensors that furnish accurate pressure measurements in internal combustion chambers. Such an assessment can help reduce pollution emitted by these engines. A chief component in the sensor owes its seven year- long development to Lewis Research Center funding to embed optical fibers and sensors in metal parts. NASA support to Texas A&M University played a critical role in developing this fiber optic technology and led to the formation of FFPI Industries and the production of fiber sensor products. The simple, rugged design of the sensor offers the potential for mass production at low cost. Widespread application of the new technology is forseen, from natural gas transmission, oil refining and electrical power generation to rail transport and the petrochemical paper product industry.

Beam shaping optics to enhance performance of interferometry techniques in grating manufacture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laskin, Alexander; Laskin, Vadim; Ostrun, Aleksei

2018-02-01

Improving of industrial holographic and interferometry techniques is of great importance in interference lithography, computer-generated holography, holographic data storage, interferometry recording of Bragg gratings as well as gratings of various types in semiconductor industry. Performance of mentioned techniques is essentially enhanced by providing a light beam with flat phase front and flat-top irradiance distribution. Therefore, transformation of Gaussian distribution of a TEM00 laser to flat-top (top hat, uniform) distribution is an important optical task. There are different refractive and diffractive beam shaping approaches used in laser industrial and scientific applications, but only few of them are capable to fulfil the optimum conditions for beam quality demanding holography and interferometry. As a solution it is suggested to apply refractive field mapping beam shaping optics πShaper, which operational principle presumes almost lossless transformation of Gaussian to flat-top beam with flatness of output wavefront, conserving of beam consistency, providing collimated low divergent output beam, high transmittance, extended depth of field, negligible wave aberration, and achromatic design provides capability to work with several lasers with different wavelengths simultaneously. High optical quality of resulting flat-top beam allows applying additional optical components to build various imaging optical systems for variation of beam size and shape to fulfil requirements of a particular application. This paper will describe design basics of refractive beam shapers and optical layouts of their applying in holography and laser interference lithography. Examples of real implementations and experimental results will be presented as well.

Chemical Effects on Vegetation Detectable in Optical Bands 350-2500 nm

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-31

Environmental stresses 2 3.4 Application of toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) 4 4. Spectral data and ancillary data 6 4.1 Data...experiments listed as H2O. 4 3.4 Application of toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) We exposed plant species to the following five TICs: ammonia...exposure (i.e. fumigation) of whole plants as the exclusive method of application of TICs, since this is directly relevant to the field situation

Injection molding of high precision optics for LED applications made of liquid silicone rubber

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hopmann, Christian; Röbig, Malte

Light Emitting Diodes (LED) conquer the growing global market of lighting technologies. Due to their advantages, they are increasingly used in consumer products, in lighting applications in the home and in the mobility sector as well as in industrial applications. Particularly, with regard to the increasing use of high-power LED (HP-LED) the materials in the surrounding area of the light emitting semiconductor chip are of utmost importance. While the materials behind the semiconductor chip are optimized for maximum heat dissipation, the materials currently used for the encapsulation of the semiconductor chip (primary optics) and the secondary optics encounter their limitsmore » due to the high temperatures. In addition certain amounts of blue UV radiation degrade the currently used materials such as epoxy resins or polyurethanes for primary optics. In the context of an ongoing joint research project with various partners from the industry, an innovative manufacturing method for high precision optics for LED applications made of liquid silicone rubber (LSR) is analyzed at the Institut of Plastics Processing (IKV), Aachen. The aim of this project is to utilize the material-specific advantages of high transparent LSR, especially the excellent high temperature resistance and the great freedom in design. Therefore, a high integrated injection molding process is developed. For the production of combined LED primary and secondary optics a LED board is placed in an injection mold and overmolded with LSR. Due to the integrated process and the reduction of subcomponents like the secondary optics the economics of the production process can be improved significantly. Furthermore combined LED optics offer an improved effectiveness, because there are no losses of the light power at the transition of the primary and secondary optics.« less

Optical media standards for industry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hallam, Kenneth J.

1993-01-01

Optical storage is a new and growing area of technology that can serve to meet some of the mass storage needs of the computer industry. Optical storage is characterized by information being stored and retrieved by means of diode lasers. When most people refer to optical storage, they mean rotating disk media, but there are 1 or 2 products that use lasers to read and write to tape. Optical media also usually means removable media. Because of its removability, there is a recognized need for standardization, both of the media and of the recording method. Industry standards can come about in one or more different ways. An industry supported body can sanction and publish a formal standard. A company may ship enough of a product that it so dominates an application or industry that it acquires 'standard' status without an official sanction. Such de facto standards are almost always copied by other companies with varying degrees of success. A governmental body can issue a rule or law that requires conformance to a standard. The standard may have been created by the government, or adopted from among many proposed by industry. These are often known as de jure standards. Standards are either open or proprietary. If approved by a government or sanctioning body, the standard is open. A de facto standard may be either open or proprietary. Optical media is too new to have de facto standards accepted by the marketplace yet. The proliferation of non-compatible media types in the last 5 years of optical market development have convinced many of the need for recognized media standards.

Digital diffractive optics: Have diffractive optics entered mainstream industry yet?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kress, Bernard; Hejmadi, Vic

2010-05-01

When a new technology is integrated into industry commodity products and consumer electronic devices, and sold worldwide in retail stores, it is usually understood that this technology has then entered the realm of mainstream technology and therefore mainstream industry. Such a leap however does not come cheap, as it has a double edge sword effect: first it becomes democratized and thus massively developed by numerous companies for various applications, but also it becomes a commodity, and thus gets under tremendous pressure to cut down its production and integration costs while not sacrificing to performance. We will show, based on numerous examples extracted from recent industry history, that the field of Diffractive Optics is about to undergo such a major transformation. Such a move has many impacts on all facets of digital diffractive optics technology, from the optical design houses to the micro-optics foundries (for both mastering and volume replication), to the final product integrators or contract manufacturers. The main causes of such a transformation are, as they have been for many other technologies in industry, successive technological bubbles which have carried and lifted up diffractive optics technology within the last decades. These various technological bubbles have been triggered either by real industry needs or by virtual investment hype. Both of these causes will be discussed in the paper. The adjective ""digital"" in "digital diffractive optics" does not refer only, as it is done in digital electronics, to the digital functionality of the element (digital signal processing), but rather to the digital way they are designed (by a digital computer) and fabricated (as wafer level optics using digital masking techniques). However, we can still trace a very strong similarity between the emergence of micro-electronics from analog electronics half a century ago, and the emergence of digital optics from conventional optics today.

EDITORIAL: Special section: Selected papers from OMS'05, the 1st Topical Meeting of the European Optical Society on Optical Microsystems (OMS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rendina, Ivo; Fazio, Eugenio; Ferraro, Pietro

2006-07-01

OMS'05 is the first international conference wholly dedicated to optical microsystems. It was organized by the European Optical Society (EOS) in the frame of its international topical meeting activity and was held in Italy, September 2005, amidst the wonderful scenery of the Island of Capri. A possible definition of an optical microsystem is a complex system, able to perform one or more sensing and actuation functions, where optical devices are integrated in a smart way with electronic, mechanical and sensing components by taking advantage of the progress in micro- and nano-technologies. The increasing interest in this field arises from the expected applications that would significantly improve the quality of life. The list of possibilities offered by the optical microsystem enabling technologies is very long and seems to increase day by day. We are not only thinking about the next generation of optical telecommunication networks and computers, but also about low-cost, compact microsystems for environmental monitoring, in order to improve safety in the avionic and automotive fields, medical diagnostics and proteomic/genomic studies, or just finding general applications in several industrial fields. The goal of the conference was to involve scientists and young researchers from the main public and private laboratories, giving them the opportunity to present new scientific results and compare their know-how in the exciting and emerging field of optical microsystems. We believe that we succeeded in this. More than 200 scientists from all over the world attended the conference. We had more than 100 oral presentations and approximately 20 from the keynote lectures and invited speeches. It was an opportunity to define the most recent progress carried out in the field and to outline the possible road-map leading to the expected results in the industrial and social fields. We strongly believe that research and technology are closely interconnected at present and cannot move forward separately. Thus, we wanted the meeting to encourage the cross-fertilization of ideas of all the people involved and active in the areas of optics, photonics, microelectronics and materials, by gathering together theoreticians, experimentalists and those interested in industrial applications. For these reasons the conference programme focused on fundamental as well as more applied topics. Photonic crystals, non-linear and quantum optics in micro-devices, nanophotonic-based devices, silicon-based optoelectronics and MOEMS, microsensors, biochips and the new characterization methods for materials and devices were among the hot topics of the conference. Special emphasis was also given to industrial applications and to technologies enabling the production of microsytems and their sub-components. In this special section of Journal of Optics A: Pure and Applied Optics, a series of interesting papers has been collected, reporting progress in the different aspects of microsystems design, production, characterization and testing. The papers embrace most of the various topics that were debated during the conference. We hope that these papers will not only report the most up-to-date research progress made in this field, but will also involve and stimulate everyone working in these areas to continue in the effort of developing more and better optical microsystems in the future. We would like to thank all the members of the Scientific and Industrial Committees for the high scientific content of the meeting and the European Optical Society for its support of the conference organization.

Optical fibers and their applications 2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romaniuk, Ryszard S.; Wójcik, Waldemar

2013-01-01

XIVth Conference on Optical Fibers and Their Applications, Nałęczów 2012, which has been organized since more than 35 years, has summarized the achievements of the local optical fiber technology community, for the last year and a half. The conference specializes in developments of optical fiber technology, glass and polymer, classical and microstructured, passive and active. The event gathered around 100 participants. There were shown 60 presentations from 20 research and application groups active in fiber photonics, originating from academia and industry. Topical tracks of the Conference were: photonic materials, planar waveguides, passive and active optical fibers, propagation theory in nonstandard optical fibers, and new constructions of optical fibers. A panel discussion concerned teaching in fiber photonics. The conference was accompanied by a school on Optical Fiber Technology. The paper summarizes the chosen main topical tracks of the conference on Optical Fibers and Their Applications, Nałęczów 2012. The papers from the conference presentations will be published in Proc.SPIE. The next conference from this series is scheduled for January 2014 in Białowieża.

Influence of technology on magnetic tape storage device characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gniewek, John J.; Vogel, Stephen M.

1994-01-01

There are available today many data storage devices that serve the diverse application requirements of the consumer, professional entertainment, and computer data processing industries. Storage technologies include semiconductors, several varieties of optical disk, optical tape, magnetic disk, and many varieties of magnetic tape. In some cases, devices are developed with specific characteristics to meet specification requirements. In other cases, an existing storage device is modified and adapted to a different application. For magnetic tape storage devices, examples of the former case are 3480/3490 and QIC device types developed for the high end and low end segments of the data processing industry respectively, VHS, Beta, and 8 mm formats developed for consumer video applications, and D-1, D-2, D-3 formats developed for professional video applications. Examples of modified and adapted devices include 4 mm, 8 mm, 12.7 mm and 19 mm computer data storage devices derived from consumer and professional audio and video applications. With the conversion of the consumer and professional entertainment industries from analog to digital storage and signal processing, there have been increasing references to the 'convergence' of the computer data processing and entertainment industry technologies. There has yet to be seen, however, any evidence of convergence of data storage device types. There are several reasons for this. The diversity of application requirements results in varying degrees of importance for each of the tape storage characteristics.

Photonics Applications and Web Engineering: WILGA 2017

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

2017-08-01

XLth Wilga Summer 2017 Symposium on Photonics Applications and Web Engineering was held on 28 May-4 June 2017. The Symposium gathered over 350 participants, mainly young researchers active in optics, optoelectronics, photonics, modern optics, mechatronics, applied physics, electronics technologies and applications. There were presented around 300 oral and poster papers in a few main topical tracks, which are traditional for Wilga, including: bio-photonics, optical sensory networks, photonics-electronics-mechatronics co-design and integration, large functional system design and maintenance, Internet of Things, measurement systems for astronomy, high energy physics experiments, and other. The paper is a traditional introduction to the 2017 WILGA Summer Symposium Proceedings, and digests some of the Symposium chosen key presentations. This year Symposium was divided to the following topical sessions/conferences: Optics, Optoelectronics and Photonics, Computational and Artificial Intelligence, Biomedical Applications, Astronomical and High Energy Physics Experiments Applications, Material Research and Engineering, and Advanced Photonics and Electronics Applications in Research and Industry.

Dimensional measuring techniques in the automotive and aircraft industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muench, K. H.; Baertlein, Hugh

1994-03-01

Optical tooling methods used in industry are rapidly being replaced by new electronic sensor techniques. The impact of new measuring technologies on the production process has caused major changes on the industrial shop floor as well as within industrial measurement systems. The paper deals with one particular industrial measuring system, the manual theodolite measuring system (TMS), within the aircraft and automobile industry. With TMS, setup, data capture, and data analysis are flexible enough to suit industry's demands regarding speed, accuracy, and mobility. Examples show the efficiency and the wide range of TMS applications. In cooperation with industry, the Video Theodolite System was developed. Its origin, functions, capabilities, and future plans are briefly described. With the VTS a major step has been realized in direction to vision systems for industrial applications.

Smart optical writing head design for laser-based manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amin, M. Junaid; Riza, Nabeel A.

2014-03-01

Proposed is a smart optical writing head design suitable for high precision industrial laser based machining and manufacturing applications. The design uses an Electronically Controlled Variable Focus Lens (ECVFL) which enables the highest achievable spatial resolution of writing head spot sizes for axial target distances reaching 8 meters. A proof-of-concept experiment is conducted using a visible wavelength laser with a collimated beam that is coupled to beam conditioning optics which includes an electromagnetically actuated deformable membrane liquid ECVFL cascaded with a bias convex lens of fixed focal length. Electronic tuning and control of the ECVFL keeps the laser writing head far-field spot beam radii under 1 mm that is demonstrated over a target range of 20 cm to 800 cm. Applications for the proposed writing head design, which can accommodate both continuous wave and pulsed wave sources, include laser machining, high precision industrial molding of components, as well as materials processing requiring material sensitive optical power density control.

Innovative hybrid optics: combining the thermal stability of glass with low manufacturing cost of polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doushkina, Valentina

2010-08-01

Innovative hybrid glass-polymer optical solutions on a component, module, or system level offer thermal stability of glass with low manufacturing cost of polymers reducing component weight, enhancing the safety and appeal of the products. Narrow choice of polymer materials is compensated by utilizing sophisticated optical surfaces such as refractive, reflective, and diffractive substrates with spherical, aspherical, cylindrical, and freeform prescriptions. Current advancements in polymer technology and injection molding capabilities placed polymer optics in the heart of many high tech devices and applications including Automotive Industry, Defense & Aerospace; Medical/Bio Science; Projection Displays, Sensors, Information Technology, Commercial and Industrial. This paper is about integration of polymer and glass optics for enhanced optical performance with reduced number of components, thermal stability, and low manufacturing cost. The listed advantages are not achievable when polymers or glass optics are used as stand-alone. The author demonstrates that integration of polymer and glass on component or optical system level on one hand offers high resolution and diffraction limited image quality, similar to the glass optics with stable refractive index and stable thermal performance when design is athermalized within the temperature range. On the other hand, the integrated hybrid solution significantly reduces cost, weight, and complexity, just like the polymer optics. The author will describe the design and analyzes process of combining glass and polymer optics for variety of challenging applications such as fast optics with low F/#, wide field of view lenses or systems, free form optics, etc.

Ion source design for industrial applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaufman, H. R.; Robinson, R. S.

1981-01-01

The design of broad-beam industrial ion sources is described. The approach used emphasizes refractory metal cathodes and permanent-magnet multipole discharge chambers. Design procedures and sample calculations are given for the discharge chamber, ion optics, cathodes, and magnetic circuit. Hardware designs are included for the isolator, cathode supports, anode supports, pole-piece assembly, and ion-optics supports. There are other ways of designing most ion source components, but the designs presented are representative of current technology and adaptable to a wide range of configurations.

photonic sensors review progress of optical fiber sensors and its application in harsh environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Min; Ma, Xiaohong; Wang, Liwei; Lai, Shurong; Zhou, Hongpu; Zhao, Huafeng; Liao, Yanbiao

2011-03-01

Fiber sensors have been developed for industry application with significant advantages. In this paper, Fiber sensors for oil field service and harsh environment monitoring which have been investigated in Tsinghua University are demonstrated. By discussing the requirements of practical applications, the key technologies of long-period fiber grating (LPFG) based fiber sensor, optical spectrum analyzer for oil detection, laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system for soil contamination monitoring, and seismic sensor arrays are described.

Thickness and microstructure effects in the optical and electrical properties of silver thin films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ding, Guowen, E-mail: gding@intermolecular.com; Clavero, César; Schweigert, Daniel

The optical and electrical response of metal thin films approaching thicknesses in the range of the electron mean free path is highly affected by electronic scattering with the interfaces and defects. Here, we present a theoretical and experimental study on how thickness and microstructure affect the properties of Ag thin films. We are able to successfully model the electrical resistivity and IR optical response using a thickness dependent electronic scattering time. Remarkably, the product of electronic scattering time and resistivity remains constant regardless of the thickness (τx ρ = C), with a value of 59 ± 2 μΩ cm ⋅more » fs for Ag films in the investigated range from 3 to 74 nm. Our findings enable us to develop a theoretically framework that allows calculating the optical response of metal thin films in the IR by using their measured thickness and resistivity. An excellent agreement is found between experimental measurements and predicted values. This study also shows the theoretical lower limit for emissivity in Ag thin films according to their microstructure and thickness. Application of the model presented here will allow rapid characterization of the IR optical response of metal thin films, with important application in a broad spectrum of fundamental and industrial applications, including optical coatings, low-emissivity windows and semiconductor industry.« less

Field-Sensitive Materials for Optical Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, Sang H.; Little, Mark

2002-01-01

The purpose of investigation is to develop the fundamental materials and fabrication technology for field-controlled spectrally active optics that are essential for industry, NASA, and DOD (Department of Defense) applications such as: membrane optics, filters for LIDARs (Light Detection and Ranging), windows for sensors and probes, telescopes, spectroscopes, cameras, light valves, light switches, flat-panel displays, etc. The proposed idea is based on the quantum-dots (QD) array or thin-film of field-sensitive Stark and Zeeman materials and the bound excitonic state of organic crystals that will offer optical adaptability and reconfigurability. Major tasks are the development of concept demonstration article and test data of field-controlled spectrally smart active optics (FCSAO) for optical multi-functional capabilities on a selected spectral range.

The European project Hippo high-power photonics for satellite laser communications and on-board optical processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kehayas, E.; Stampoulidis, L.; Henderson, P.; Robertson, Andrew; Van Dijk, F.; Achouche, M.; Le Kernec, A.; Sotom, M.; Schuberts, F.; Brabant, T.

2017-11-01

Photonics is progressively transforming from a highly- focused technology applicable to digital communication networks into a pervasive "enabling" technology with diverse non-telecom applications. However, the centre of mass on the R&D level is still mostly driven by, and invested in, by stakeholders active in the telecoms domain. This is due to the high level of investments necessary that in turn require a large and established market for reaching break-even and generation of revenues. Photonics technology and more specifically, fibre-optic technology is moving into non-telecom business areas with great success in terms of markets captured and penetration rates. One example that cannot be overlooked is the application of fibre-optics to industrial applications, where double-digit growth rates are recorded with fibre lasers and amplifiers constantly gaining momentum. In this example, several years of R&D efforts in creating high-power amplification solutions and fibre-laser sources by the telecom sector, were piggy-backed into industrial applications and laser cutting/welding equipment that is now a strong R&D sector on its own and commercially now displacing some conventional free space laser cutting/welding.

Gyroscope Technology and Applications: A Review in the Industrial Perspective

PubMed Central

Cuccovillo, Antonello; Vaiani, Lorenzo; De Carlo, Martino

2017-01-01

This paper is an overview of current gyroscopes and their roles based on their applications. The considered gyroscopes include mechanical gyroscopes and optical gyroscopes at macro- and micro-scale. Particularly, gyroscope technologies commercially available, such as Mechanical Gyroscopes, silicon MEMS Gyroscopes, Ring Laser Gyroscopes (RLGs) and Fiber-Optic Gyroscopes (FOGs), are discussed. The main features of these gyroscopes and their technologies are linked to their performance. PMID:28991175

Characterization of Industrial Coolant Fluids and Continuous Ageing Monitoring by Wireless Node-Enabled Fiber Optic Sensors.

PubMed

Sachat, Alexandros El; Meristoudi, Anastasia; Markos, Christos; Sakellariou, Andreas; Papadopoulos, Aggelos; Katsikas, Serafim; Riziotis, Christos

2017-03-11

Environmentally robust chemical sensors for monitoring industrial processes or infrastructures are lately becoming important devices in industry. Low complexity and wireless enabled characteristics can offer the required flexibility for sensor deployment in adaptable sensing networks for continuous monitoring and management of industrial assets. Here are presented the design, development and operation of a class of low cost photonic sensors for monitoring the ageing process and the operational characteristics of coolant fluids used in an industrial heavy machinery infrastructure. The chemical, physical and spectroscopic characteristics of specific industrial-grade coolant fluids were analyzed along their entire life cycle range, and proper parameters for their efficient monitoring were identified. Based on multimode polymer or silica optical fibers, wide range (3-11) pH sensors were developed by employing sol-gel derived pH sensitive coatings. The performances of the developed sensors were characterized and compared, towards their coolants' ageing monitoring capability, proving their efficiency in such a demanding application scenario and harsh industrial environment. The operating characteristics of this type of sensors allowed their integration in an autonomous wireless sensing node, thus enabling the future use of the demonstrated platform in wireless sensor networks for a variety of industrial and environmental monitoring applications.

Characterization of Industrial Coolant Fluids and Continuous Ageing Monitoring by Wireless Node—Enabled Fiber Optic Sensors

PubMed Central

El Sachat, Alexandros; Meristoudi, Anastasia; Markos, Christos; Sakellariou, Andreas; Papadopoulos, Aggelos; Katsikas, Serafim; Riziotis, Christos

2017-01-01

Environmentally robust chemical sensors for monitoring industrial processes or infrastructures are lately becoming important devices in industry. Low complexity and wireless enabled characteristics can offer the required flexibility for sensor deployment in adaptable sensing networks for continuous monitoring and management of industrial assets. Here are presented the design, development and operation of a class of low cost photonic sensors for monitoring the ageing process and the operational characteristics of coolant fluids used in an industrial heavy machinery infrastructure. The chemical, physical and spectroscopic characteristics of specific industrial-grade coolant fluids were analyzed along their entire life cycle range, and proper parameters for their efficient monitoring were identified. Based on multimode polymer or silica optical fibers, wide range (3–11) pH sensors were developed by employing sol-gel derived pH sensitive coatings. The performances of the developed sensors were characterized and compared, towards their coolants’ ageing monitoring capability, proving their efficiency in such a demanding application scenario and harsh industrial environment. The operating characteristics of this type of sensors allowed their integration in an autonomous wireless sensing node, thus enabling the future use of the demonstrated platform in wireless sensor networks for a variety of industrial and environmental monitoring applications. PMID:28287488

Applications of ultrafast laser direct writing: from polarization control to data storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donko, A.; Gertus, T.; Brambilla, G.; Beresna, M.

2018-02-01

Ultrafast laser direct writing is a fascinating technology which emerged more than two decades from fundamental studies of material resistance to high-intensity optical fields. Its development saw the discovery of many puzzling phenomena and demonstration of useful applications. Today, ultrafast laser writing is seen as a technology with great potential and is rapidly entering the industrial environment. Whereas, less than 10 years ago, ultrafast lasers were still confined within the research labs. This talk will overview some of the unique features of ultrafast lasers and give examples of its applications in optical data storage, polarization control and optical fibers.

Testing of Cerex Open-Path Ultraviolet Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy Systems for Fenceline Monitoring Applications

EPA Science Inventory

Development of cost-effective, time-resolved fenceline measurement methods that facilitate improved emissions mitigation strategies is of growing interest to both industry and regulators. Ground-based optical remote sensing (ORS) is a well-known class of technical approaches use...

Testing of Cerex Open-Path Ultraviolet Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy System for Fenceline Monitoring Applications

EPA Science Inventory

Development of cost-effective, time-resolved fenceline measurement methods that facilitate improved emissions mitigation strategies is of growing interest to both industry and regulators. Ground-based optical remote sensing (ORS) is a well-known class of technical approaches use...

Fiber optic and laser sensors X; Proceedings of the Meeting, Boston, MA, Sept. 8-11, 1992

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Udd, Eric (Editor); Depaula, Ramon P. (Editor)

1993-01-01

Topics addressed include acoustic and pressure sensors; fiber optic gyros; electric and magnetic field sensors; bend, strain, and temperature sensors; industrial applications of sensors; and processing techniques. Particular attention is given to fiber optic interferometric acoustic sensors for wind tunnel applications, polished coupler and resonator fabrication, second-harmonic detection for rotation sensing in fiber optic gyros, simplified control theory in closed-loop fiber optic gyroscopes, and a Fabry-Perot sensor with digital signal processing for the measurement of magnetostriction. Also discussed are a Bragg fiber laser sensor, commercialization of fiber optic strain gauge systems, thermal ignition in hazardous environments due to stray light from optical fibers, a system for absolute measurements by interferometric sensors, and high-performance interferometric demodulation techniques.

Broadly tunable thin-film intereference coatings: active thin films for telecom applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domash, Lawrence H.; Ma, Eugene Y.; Lourie, Mark T.; Sharfin, Wayne F.; Wagner, Matthias

2003-06-01

Thin film interference coatings (TFIC) are the most widely used optical technology for telecom filtering, but until recently no tunable versions have been known except for mechanically rotated filters. We describe a new approach to broadly tunable TFIC components based on the thermo-optic properties of semiconductor thin films with large thermo-optic coefficients 3.6X10[-4]/K. The technology is based on amorphous silicon thin films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), a process adapted for telecom applications from its origins in the flat-panel display and solar cell industries. Unlike MEMS devices, tunable TFIC can be designed as sophisticated multi-cavity, multi-layer optical designs. Applications include flat-top passband filters for add-drop multiplexing, tunable dispersion compensators, tunable gain equalizers and variable optical attenuators. Extremely compact tunable devices may be integrated into modules such as optical channel monitors, tunable lasers, gain-equalized amplifiers, and tunable detectors.

Ultrafast optical ranging using microresonator soliton frequency combs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trocha, P.; Karpov, M.; Ganin, D.; Pfeiffer, M. H. P.; Kordts, A.; Wolf, S.; Krockenberger, J.; Marin-Palomo, P.; Weimann, C.; Randel, S.; Freude, W.; Kippenberg, T. J.; Koos, C.

2018-02-01

Light detection and ranging is widely used in science and industry. Over the past decade, optical frequency combs were shown to offer advantages in optical ranging, enabling fast distance acquisition with high accuracy. Driven by emerging high-volume applications such as industrial sensing, drone navigation, or autonomous driving, there is now a growing demand for compact ranging systems. Here, we show that soliton Kerr comb generation in integrated silicon nitride microresonators provides a route to high-performance chip-scale ranging systems. We demonstrate dual-comb distance measurements with Allan deviations down to 12 nanometers at averaging times of 13 microseconds along with ultrafast ranging at acquisition rates of 100 megahertz, allowing for in-flight sampling of gun projectiles moving at 150 meters per second. Combining integrated soliton-comb ranging systems with chip-scale nanophotonic phased arrays could enable compact ultrafast ranging systems for emerging mass applications.

Testing of Cerex Open Path Ultraviolet Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy Systems for Fenceline Monitoring Applications

EPA Science Inventory

Industrial facilities, energy production, and refining operations can be significant sources of gas-phase air pollutants. Some industrial emissions originate from fugitive sources (leaks) or process malfunctions and can be mitigated if identified. In recent amendments to the Nati...

A Short Distance CW-Radar Sensor at 77 GHz in LTCC for Industrial Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusch, Christian; Klein, Tobias; Beer, Stefan; Zwick, Thomas

2013-12-01

The paper presents a Continuous-Wave(CW)-Radar sensor for high accuracy distance measurements in industrial applications. The usage of radar sensors in industrial scenarios has the advantage of a robust functionality in wet or dusty environments where optical systems reach their limits. This publication shows that accuracies of a few micro-meters are possible with millimeter-wave systems. In addition to distance measurement results the paper describes the sensor concept, the experimental set-up with the measurement process and possibilities to increase the accuracy even further.

Archaeal Enzymes and Applications in Industrial Biocatalysts.

PubMed

Littlechild, Jennifer A

2015-01-01

Archaeal enzymes are playing an important role in industrial biotechnology. Many representatives of organisms living in "extreme" conditions, the so-called Extremophiles, belong to the archaeal kingdom of life. This paper will review studies carried by the Exeter group and others regarding archaeal enzymes that have important applications in commercial biocatalysis. Some of these biocatalysts are already being used in large scale industrial processes for the production of optically pure drug intermediates and amino acids and their analogues. Other enzymes have been characterised at laboratory scale regarding their substrate specificity and properties for potential industrial application. The increasing availability of DNA sequences from new archaeal species and metagenomes will provide a continuing resource to identify new enzymes of commercial interest using both bioinformatics and screening approaches.

Silver nanoparticles: Synthesis methods, bio-applications and properties.

PubMed

Abbasi, Elham; Milani, Morteza; Fekri Aval, Sedigheh; Kouhi, Mohammad; Akbarzadeh, Abolfazl; Tayefi Nasrabadi, Hamid; Nikasa, Parisa; Joo, San Woo; Hanifehpour, Younes; Nejati-Koshki, Kazem; Samiei, Mohammad

2016-01-01

Silver nanoparticles size makes wide range of new applications in various fields of industry. Synthesis of noble metal nanoparticles for applications such as catalysis, electronics, optics, environmental and biotechnology is an area of constant interest. Two main methods for Silver nanoparticles are the physical and chemical methods. The problem with these methods is absorption of toxic substances onto them. Green synthesis approaches overcome this limitation. Silver nanoparticles size makes wide range of new applications in various fields of industry. This article summarizes exclusively scalable techniques and focuses on strengths, respectively, limitations with respect to the biomedical applicability and regulatory requirements concerning silver nanoparticles.

Development of a coherent optical particle spectrometer for industrial applications: a feasibility investigation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, H.T.; Bachalo, W.D.

1984-10-01

The feasibility of developing a particle-sizing instrument for in-situ measurements in industrial environments, based on the method of optical heterodyne or coherent detection, was investigated. The instrument, a coherent optical particle spectrometer, or COPS, is potentially capable of measuring several important particle parameters, such as particle size, number density, and speed, because of the versatility of the optical heterodyne method. Water droplets generated by an aerosol/particle generator were used to test the performance of the COPS. Study findings have shown that the optical setup of the COPS is extremely sensitive to even minute mechanical or acoustic vibrations. At the optimalmore » setup, the COPS performs satisfactorily and has more than adequate signal-to-noise even with a 0.5 mW He-Ne laser.« less

A new European small platform: Proteus and prospected optical application missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubois, J.-B.; Paoli, F.

2018-04-01

Progress in technology in recent years and new industrial approaches now make it possible to design valuable optical missions using a small-class satellite, like the PROTEUS multi mission platform. Some future space optical missions using existing or planned instruments, combined with the PROTEUS platform, have been assessed by AEROSPATIALE / SPACE and DEFENSE and/or the CNES (French National Space Agency).

Electro-Optics and Millimeter-Wave Technology in Japan.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-05-01

and communication set is about the price of a car airconditioner . a The GPS could be used in an interferometer application for seismic studies to...COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM.................. 2-16 10 BATTLE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS ....................... 2-17 11 OPTICAL MODULE PARAMETERS .............. 2-18 12...Conduct follow-up visits to Japanese industries in high interest areas (e.g., displays, radar modules , detectors, and fiber optics), * Visit additional

Electronic, magnetic and optical properties of B, C, N and F doped MgO monolayer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moghadam, A. Dashti; Maskane, P.; Esfandiari, S.

2018-06-01

MgO as one of the alkaline earth oxides has various applications in industry. In this work, we aim to investigate the electronic, optical and magnetic properties of MgO monolayers. Furthermore, monolayer structures with substituted B, N, C and F atoms instead of O atom are studied. These results indicate that MgO layer has possessed potential application in optoelectronic and spintronic nano-devices.

Minimal-effort planning of active alignment processes for beam-shaping optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haag, Sebastian; Schranner, Matthias; Müller, Tobias; Zontar, Daniel; Schlette, Christian; Losch, Daniel; Brecher, Christian; Roßmann, Jürgen

2015-03-01

In science and industry, the alignment of beam-shaping optics is usually a manual procedure. Many industrial applications utilizing beam-shaping optical systems require more scalable production solutions and therefore effort has been invested in research regarding the automation of optics assembly. In previous works, the authors and other researchers have proven the feasibility of automated alignment of beam-shaping optics such as collimation lenses or homogenization optics. Nevertheless, the planning efforts as well as additional knowledge from the fields of automation and control required for such alignment processes are immense. This paper presents a novel approach of planning active alignment processes of beam-shaping optics with the focus of minimizing the planning efforts for active alignment. The approach utilizes optical simulation and the genetic programming paradigm from computer science for automatically extracting features from a simulated data basis with a high correlation coefficient regarding the individual degrees of freedom of alignment. The strategy is capable of finding active alignment strategies that can be executed by an automated assembly system. The paper presents a tool making the algorithm available to end-users and it discusses the results of planning the active alignment of the well-known assembly of a fast-axis collimator. The paper concludes with an outlook on the transferability to other use cases such as application specific intensity distributions which will benefit from reduced planning efforts.

Optical fiber-based fluorescent viscosity sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haidekker, Mark A.; Akers, Walter J.; Fischer, Derek; Theodorakis, Emmanuel A.

2006-09-01

Molecular rotors are a unique group of viscosity-sensitive fluorescent probes. Several recent studies have shown their applicability as nonmechanical fluid viscosity sensors, particularly in biofluids containing proteins. To date, molecular rotors have had to be dissolved in the fluid for the measurement to be taken. We now show that molecular rotors may be covalently bound to a fiber-optic tip without loss of viscosity sensitivity. The optical fiber itself may be used as a light guide for emission light (external illumination of the tip) as well as for both emission and excitation light. Covalently bound molecular rotors exhibit a viscosity-dependent intensity increase similar to molecular rotors in solution. An optical fiber-based fluorescent viscosity sensor may be used in real-time measurement applications ranging from biomedical applications to the food industry.

Optical fiber-based fluorescent viscosity sensor.

PubMed

Haidekker, Mark A; Akers, Walter J; Fischer, Derek; Theodorakis, Emmanuel A

2006-09-01

Molecular rotors are a unique group of viscosity-sensitive fluorescent probes. Several recent studies have shown their applicability as nonmechanical fluid viscosity sensors, particularly in biofluids containing proteins. To date, molecular rotors have had to be dissolved in the fluid for the measurement to be taken. We now show that molecular rotors may be covalently bound to a fiber-optic tip without loss of viscosity sensitivity. The optical fiber itself may be used as a light guide for emission light (external illumination of the tip) as well as for both emission and excitation light. Covalently bound molecular rotors exhibit a viscosity-dependent intensity increase similar to molecular rotors in solution. An optical fiber-based fluorescent viscosity sensor may be used in real-time measurement applications ranging from biomedical applications to the food industry.

Phase shifting white light interferometry using colour CCD for optical metrology and bio-imaging applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Upputuri, Paul Kumar; Pramanik, Manojit

2018-02-01

Phase shifting white light interferometry (PSWLI) has been widely used for optical metrology applications because of their precision, reliability, and versatility. White light interferometry using monochrome CCD makes the measurement process slow for metrology applications. WLI integrated with Red-Green-Blue (RGB) CCD camera is finding imaging applications in the fields optical metrology and bio-imaging. Wavelength dependent refractive index profiles of biological samples were computed from colour white light interferograms. In recent years, whole-filed refractive index profiles of red blood cells (RBCs), onion skin, fish cornea, etc. were measured from RGB interferograms. In this paper, we discuss the bio-imaging applications of colour CCD based white light interferometry. The approach makes the measurement faster, easier, cost-effective, and even dynamic by using single fringe analysis methods, for industrial applications.

Photonics: Maintaining competitiveness in the information era

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Photonics concerns the use of photons to work with or to replace electrons in certain communications, computer, or control applications traditionally carried out by electronics. It is a key high-technology area, well established in long-distance fiber-optic telecommunications and rapidly growing in other areas of great importance to society. This report concentrates on technical areas where the overall worldwide market for equipment approaches $400 billion per year, i.e., Telecommunications; Information processing; Optical storage and display; Optical sensors; and Policy Issues. It is essential to increase our industrial competitiveness in product development, manufacturing skills, and marketing; There must be continuing industrial effort in long-range research and innovation; The photonics industry should consider the advantages of an industry association that could help organize consortia to conduct cooperative research and address technical problems and policy issues beyond the scope of any one organization; and Government contractors who receive a percentage of sales for their independent research should devote a sizable fraction to projects with a life span of 5 to 10 years.

Fiber optic interferometry for industrial process monitoring and control applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcus, Michael A.

2002-02-01

Over the past few years we have been developing applications for a high-resolution (sub-micron accuracy) fiber optic coupled dual Michelson interferometer-based instrument. It is being utilized in a variety of applications including monitoring liquid layer thickness uniformity on coating hoppers, film base thickness uniformity measurement, digital camera focus assessment, optical cell path length assessment and imager and wafer surface profile mapping. The instrument includes both coherent and non-coherent light sources, custom application dependent optical probes and sample interfaces, a Michelson interferometer, custom electronics, a Pentium-based PC with data acquisition cards and LabWindows CVI or LabView based application specific software. This paper describes the development evolution of this instrument platform and applications highlighting robust instrument design, hardware, software, and user interfaces development. The talk concludes with a discussion of a new high-speed instrument configuration, which can be utilized for high speed surface profiling and as an on-line web thickness gauge.

Nonlinear optical THz generation and sensing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawase, Kodo

2012-03-01

We have suggested a wide range of real-life applications using novel terahertz imaging techniques. A high-resolution terahertz tomography was demonstrated by ultra short terahertz pulses using optical fiber and a nonlinear organic crystal. We also report on the thickness measurement of very thin films using high-sensitivity metal mesh filter. Further we have succeeded in a non-destructive inspection that can monitor the soot distribution in the ceramic filter using millimeter-to-terahertz wave computed tomography. These techniques are directly applicable to the non-destructive testing in industries.

Optical design applications for enhanced illumination performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilray, Carl; Lewin, Ian

1995-08-01

Nonimaging optical design techniques have been applied in the illumination industry for many years. Recently however, powerful software has been developed which allows accurate simulation and optimization of illumination devices. Wide experience has been obtained in using such design techniques for practical situations. These include automotive lighting where safety is of greatest importance, commercial lighting systems designed for energy efficiency, and numerous specialized applications. This presentation will discuss the performance requirements of a variety of illumination devices. It will further cover design methodology and present a variety of examples of practical applications for enhanced system performance.

High throughput optical lithography by scanning a massive array of bowtie aperture antennas at near-field

PubMed Central

Wen, X.; Datta, A.; Traverso, L. M.; Pan, L.; Xu, X.; Moon, E. E.

2015-01-01

Optical lithography, the enabling process for defining features, has been widely used in semiconductor industry and many other nanotechnology applications. Advances of nanotechnology require developments of high-throughput optical lithography capabilities to overcome the optical diffraction limit and meet the ever-decreasing device dimensions. We report our recent experimental advancements to scale up diffraction unlimited optical lithography in a massive scale using the near field nanolithography capabilities of bowtie apertures. A record number of near-field optical elements, an array of 1,024 bowtie antenna apertures, are simultaneously employed to generate a large number of patterns by carefully controlling their working distances over the entire array using an optical gap metrology system. Our experimental results reiterated the ability of using massively-parallel near-field devices to achieve high-throughput optical nanolithography, which can be promising for many important nanotechnology applications such as computation, data storage, communication, and energy. PMID:26525906

Introduction to fiber optics: Sensors for biomedical applications.

PubMed

Shah, R Y; Agrawal, Y K

2011-01-01

The paper focuses on the introduction of fiber optics, a fusion of science and engineering and describes the materials generally used for its construction along with the procedure used to design the fibers. It gives an idea of the materials used for the construction along with the pros and cons associated with them and various factors governing the emission of ultraviolet, infrared or visible radiations. The central core revolves around the applications of optical fibers in the medical and biomedical field and extending the use of the same in pharmaceutical industry as probes in quality control and dosage form analysis.

Optics industry in Spain: a cluster approach to increasing competitiveness through collaboration in R&D and innovation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cifuentes, Andrés F.

2011-10-01

The optics industry in Spain pooled together to create the Southern European Cluster in Photonics and Optics - SECPhO, founded in April 2009, with the mission to help the sector increase competitiveness, specially through collaboration. From 10 founding members, SECPhO no incorporates over 40 members, which is nearly 40% of the optics industry in the region. From the beginning of operations the cluster has focused on three strategic challenges: R&D+i and Productivity, Visibility and Internationalization, and Betterment and Retention of Talent. A brief summary of the clusters activities is given. In this article, the focus will be on R&D and innovation, through industry driven collaborative initiatives and the tools and actions that lead to successful partnerships. Topics discussed in this work are will be a cluster's role in promoting strategic change, the value chain approach to partnerships, international collaboration in projects and specific cluster activities. Some practical examples of initiatives relating to effective collaboration are described, focusing on one of the mayor challenges of our time: the greening of the planet. Examples will be addressed in smart cities, efficient LASER applications and lightweight optical sensors for civil security. In all cases the collaboration between the public and private sectors is shown.

Optical silicones for use in harsh operating environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riegler, Bill; Bruner, Stephen J.; Elgin, Randall

2004-12-01

The optics industry widely uses silcones for various fiber optic cable potting applications and light emitting diode protection. Optics manufacturers know traditional silicone elastomers, gels, thixotropic gels, and fluids not only perform extremely well in high temperature applications, but also offer refractive index matching so that silicones can transmit light with admirable efficiency. However, because environmental conditions may affect a material's performance over time, one must also consider the conditions the device operates in to ensure long-term reliability. External environments may include exposure to a combination of UV light and temperature, while other environments may expose devices to hydrocarbon based fuels. This paper will delve into the chemistry of silicones and functional groups that lend themselves to properties such as temperature, fuel, and radiation resistance to show shy silicone is the material of choice for optic applications under normally harmful forms of exposure. Data will be presented to examine silicone's performance in these environment.

Archaeal Enzymes and Applications in Industrial Biocatalysts

PubMed Central

Littlechild, Jennifer A.

2015-01-01

Archaeal enzymes are playing an important role in industrial biotechnology. Many representatives of organisms living in “extreme” conditions, the so-called Extremophiles, belong to the archaeal kingdom of life. This paper will review studies carried by the Exeter group and others regarding archaeal enzymes that have important applications in commercial biocatalysis. Some of these biocatalysts are already being used in large scale industrial processes for the production of optically pure drug intermediates and amino acids and their analogues. Other enzymes have been characterised at laboratory scale regarding their substrate specificity and properties for potential industrial application. The increasing availability of DNA sequences from new archaeal species and metagenomes will provide a continuing resource to identify new enzymes of commercial interest using both bioinformatics and screening approaches. PMID:26494981

Optical emission from a small scale model electric arc furnace in 250-600 nm region.

PubMed

Mäkinen, A; Niskanen, J; Tikkala, H; Aksela, H

2013-04-01

Optical emission spectroscopy has been for long proposed for monitoring and studying industrial steel making processes. Whereas the radiative decay of thermal excitations is always taking place in high temperatures needed in steel production, one of the most promising environment for such studies are electric arc furnaces, creating plasma in excited electronic states that relax with intense characteristic emission in the optical regime. Unfortunately, large industrial scale electric arc furnaces also present a challenging environment for optical emission studies and application of the method is not straightforward. To study the usability of optical emission spectroscopy in real electric arc furnaces, we have developed a laboratory scale DC electric arc furnace presented in this paper. With the setup, optical emission spectra of Fe, Cr, Cr2O3, Ni, SiO2, Al2O3, CaO, and MgO were recorded in the wavelength range 250-600 nm and the results were analyzed with the help of reference data. The work demonstrates that using characteristic optical emission, obtaining in situ chemical information from oscillating plasma of electric arc furnaces is indeed possible. In spite of complications, the method could possibly be applied to industrial scale steel making process in order to improve its efficiency.

Air-Coupled Vibrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Döring, D.; Solodov, I.; Busse, G.

Sound and ultrasound in air are the products of a multitude of different processes and thus can be favorable or undesirable phenomena. Development of experimental tools for non-invasive measurements and imaging of airborne sound fields is of importance for linear and nonlinear nondestructive material testing as well as noise control in industrial or civil engineering applications. One possible solution is based on acousto-optic interaction, like light diffraction imaging. The diffraction approach usually requires a sophisticated setup with fine optical alignment barely applicable in industrial environment. This paper focuses on the application of the robust experimental tool of scanning laser vibrometry, which utilizes commercial off-the-shelf equipment. The imaging technique of air-coupled vibrometry (ACV) is based on the modulation of the optical path length by the acoustic pressure of the sound wave. The theoretical considerations focus on the analysis of acousto-optical phase modulation. The sensitivity of the ACV in detecting vibration velocity was estimated as ~1 mm/s. The ACV applications to imaging of linear airborne fields are demonstrated for leaky wave propagation and measurements of ultrasonic air-coupled transducers. For higher-intensity ultrasound, the classical nonlinear effect of the second harmonic generation was measured in air. Another nonlinear application includes a direct observation of the nonlinear air-coupled emission (NACE) from the damaged areas in solid materials. The source of the NACE is shown to be strongly localized around the damage and proposed as a nonlinear "tag" to discern and image the defects.

Breakthroughs in photonics 2013: X-ray optics

DOE PAGES

Soufli, Regina

2014-04-01

Here, this review discusses the latest advances in extreme ultraviolet/X-ray optics development, which are motivated by the availability and demands of new X-ray sources and scientific and industrial applications. Among the breakthroughs highlighted are the following: i) fabrication, metrology, and mounting technologies for large-area optical substrates with improved figure, roughness, and focusing properties; ii) multilayer coatings with especially optimized layer properties, achieving improved reflectance, stability, and out-of-band suppression; and iii) nanodiffractive optics with improved efficiency and resolution.

Application and testing of additive manufacturing for mirrors and precision structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sweeney, Michael; Acreman, Martyn; Vettese, Tom; Myatt, Ray; Thompson, Mike

2015-09-01

Additive Manufacturing (aka AM, and 3-D printing) is widely touted in the media as the foundation for the next industrial revolution. Beneath the hype, AM does indeed offer profound advantages in lead-time, dramatically reduced consumption of expensive raw materials, while enabling new and innovative design forms that cannot be produced by other means. General Dynamics and their industry partners have begun to embrace this technology for mirrors and precision structures used in the aerospace, defense, and precision optical instrumentation industries. Aggressively lightweighted, open and closed back test mirror designs, 75-150 mm in size, were first produced by AM from several different materials. Subsequent optical finishing and test experiments have exceeded expectations for density, surface finish, dimensional stability and isotropy of thermal expansion on the optical scale of measurement. Materials currently under examination include aluminum, titanium, beryllium, aluminum beryllium, Inconel 625, stainless steel/bronze, and PEKK polymer.

Fiber optic TV direct

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kassak, John E.

1991-01-01

The objective of the operational television (OTV) technology was to develop a multiple camera system (up to 256 cameras) for NASA Kennedy installations where camera video, synchronization, control, and status data are transmitted bidirectionally via a single fiber cable at distances in excess of five miles. It is shown that the benefits (such as improved video performance, immunity from electromagnetic interference and radio frequency interference, elimination of repeater stations, and more system configuration flexibility) can be realized if application of the proven fiber optic transmission concept is used. The control system will marry the lens, pan and tilt, and camera control functions into a modular based Local Area Network (LAN) control network. Such a system does not exist commercially at present since the Television Broadcast Industry's current practice is to divorce the positional controls from the camera control system. The application software developed for this system will have direct applicability to similar systems in industry using LAN based control systems.

Advanced Spatial-Division Multiplexed Measurement Systems Propositions—From Telecommunication to Sensing Applications: A Review

PubMed Central

Weng, Yi; Ip, Ezra; Pan, Zhongqi; Wang, Ting

2016-01-01

The concepts of spatial-division multiplexing (SDM) technology were first proposed in the telecommunications industry as an indispensable solution to reduce the cost-per-bit of optical fiber transmission. Recently, such spatial channels and modes have been applied in optical sensing applications where the returned echo is analyzed for the collection of essential environmental information. The key advantages of implementing SDM techniques in optical measurement systems include the multi-parameter discriminative capability and accuracy improvement. In this paper, to help readers without a telecommunication background better understand how the SDM-based sensing systems can be incorporated, the crucial components of SDM techniques, such as laser beam shaping, mode generation and conversion, multimode or multicore elements using special fibers and multiplexers are introduced, along with the recent developments in SDM amplifiers, opto-electronic sources and detection units of sensing systems. The examples of SDM-based sensing systems not only include Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometry or Brillouin optical time-domain analysis (BOTDR/BOTDA) using few-mode fibers (FMF) and the multicore fiber (MCF) based integrated fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, but also involve the widely used components with their whole information used in the full multimode constructions, such as the whispering gallery modes for fiber profiling and chemical species measurements, the screw/twisted modes for examining water quality, as well as the optical beam shaping to improve cantilever deflection measurements. Besides, the various applications of SDM sensors, the cost efficiency issue, as well as how these complex mode multiplexing techniques might improve the standard fiber-optic sensor approaches using single-mode fibers (SMF) and photonic crystal fibers (PCF) have also been summarized. Finally, we conclude with a prospective outlook for the opportunities and challenges of SDM technologies in optical sensing industry. PMID:27589754

Thin combiner optics utilizing volume holographic optical elements (vHOEs) using Bayfol HX photopolymer film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruder, Friedrich-Karl; Fäcke, Thomas; Hagen, Rainer; Hansen, Sven; Manecke, Christel; Orselli, Enrico; Rewitz, Christian; Rölle, Thomas; Walze, Günther

2017-06-01

The main function of any augmented reality system is to seamlessly merge the real world perception of a viewer with computer generated images and information. Besides real-time head-tracking and room-scanning capabilities the combiner optics, which optically merge the natural with the artificial visual information, represent a key component for those systems. Various types of combiner optics are known to the industry, all with their specific advantages and disadvantages. Beside the well-established solutions based on refractive optics or surface gratings, volume Holographic Optical Elements (vHOEs) are a very attractive alternative in this field. The unique characteristics of these diffractive grating structures - being lightweight, thin, flat and invisible in Off Bragg conditions - make them perfectly suitable for their use in integrated and compact combiners. For any consumer application it is paramount to build unobtrusive and lightweight augmented reality displays, for which those volume holographic combiners are ideally suited. Due to processing challenges of (historic) holographic recording materials mass production of vHOE holographic combiners was not possible. Therefore vHOE based combiners found use in military applications only by now. The new Bayfol® HX instant developing holographic photopolymer film provides an ideal technology platform to optimize the performance of vHOEs in a wide range of applications. Bayfol® HX provides full color capability and adjustable diffraction efficiency as well as an unprecedented optical clarity when compared to classical holographic recording materials like silver halide emulsions (AgHX) or dichromated gelatin (DCG). Bayfol® HX film is available in industrial scale and quality. Its properties can be tailored for various diffractive performances and integration methods. Bayfol® HX film is easy to process without any need for chemical or thermal development steps, offering simplified contact-copy mass production schemes.

Advanced Spatial-Division Multiplexed Measurement Systems Propositions-From Telecommunication to Sensing Applications: A Review.

PubMed

Weng, Yi; Ip, Ezra; Pan, Zhongqi; Wang, Ting

2016-08-30

The concepts of spatial-division multiplexing (SDM) technology were first proposed in the telecommunications industry as an indispensable solution to reduce the cost-per-bit of optical fiber transmission. Recently, such spatial channels and modes have been applied in optical sensing applications where the returned echo is analyzed for the collection of essential environmental information. The key advantages of implementing SDM techniques in optical measurement systems include the multi-parameter discriminative capability and accuracy improvement. In this paper, to help readers without a telecommunication background better understand how the SDM-based sensing systems can be incorporated, the crucial components of SDM techniques, such as laser beam shaping, mode generation and conversion, multimode or multicore elements using special fibers and multiplexers are introduced, along with the recent developments in SDM amplifiers, opto-electronic sources and detection units of sensing systems. The examples of SDM-based sensing systems not only include Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometry or Brillouin optical time-domain analysis (BOTDR/BOTDA) using few-mode fibers (FMF) and the multicore fiber (MCF) based integrated fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, but also involve the widely used components with their whole information used in the full multimode constructions, such as the whispering gallery modes for fiber profiling and chemical species measurements, the screw/twisted modes for examining water quality, as well as the optical beam shaping to improve cantilever deflection measurements. Besides, the various applications of SDM sensors, the cost efficiency issue, as well as how these complex mode multiplexing techniques might improve the standard fiber-optic sensor approaches using single-mode fibers (SMF) and photonic crystal fibers (PCF) have also been summarized. Finally, we conclude with a prospective outlook for the opportunities and challenges of SDM technologies in optical sensing industry.

Compact multispectral photodiode arrays using micropatterned dichroic filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandler, Eric V.; Fish, David E.

2014-05-01

The next generation of multispectral instruments requires significant improvements in both spectral band customization and portability to support the widespread deployment of application-specific optical sensors. The benefits of spectroscopy are well established for numerous applications including biomedical instrumentation, industrial sorting and sensing, chemical detection, and environmental monitoring. In this paper, spectroscopic (and by extension hyperspectral) and multispectral measurements are considered. The technology, tradeoffs, and application fits of each are evaluated. In the majority of applications, monitoring 4-8 targeted spectral bands of optimized wavelength and bandwidth provides the necessary spectral contrast and correlation. An innovative approach integrates precision spectral filters at the photodetector level to enable smaller sensors, simplify optical designs, and reduce device integration costs. This method supports user-defined spectral bands to create application-specific sensors in a small footprint with scalable cost efficiencies. A range of design configurations, filter options and combinations are presented together with typical applications ranging from basic multi-band detection to stringent multi-channel fluorescence measurement. An example implementation packages 8 narrowband silicon photodiodes into a 9x9mm ceramic LCC (leadless chip carrier) footprint. This package is designed for multispectral applications ranging from portable color monitors to purpose- built OEM industrial and scientific instruments. Use of an eight-channel multispectral photodiode array typically eliminates 10-20 components from a device bill-of-materials (BOM), streamlining the optical path and shrinking the footprint by 50% or more. A stepwise design approach for multispectral sensors is discussed - including spectral band definition, optical design tradeoffs and constraints, and device integration from prototype through scalable volume production. Additional customization options are explored for application-specific OEM sensors integrated into portable devices using multispectral photodiode arrays.

Nondestructive sensing technologies using micro-optical elements for applications in the NIR-MIR spectral regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otto, Thomas; Saupe, Ray; Bruch, Reinhard F.; Fritzsch, Uwe; Stock, Volker; Gessner, Thomas; Afanasyeva, Natalia I.

2001-11-01

The field of microtechnology is an important industrial and scientific resource for the 21st century. There is a great interest in spectroscopic sensors in the near and middle infrared (NIR-MIR) wavelength regions (1 - 2.5 micrometers ; 2.5 - 4.5 micrometers ; 4 - 6 micrometers ). The potential for cheap and small devices for nondestructive, remote sensing techniques at a molecular level has stimulated the design and development of more compact analyzer systems. Therefore we will try to build analyzers using micro optical components such as micromirrors and embossed micro gratings optimized for the above mentioned spectral ranges. Potentially, infrared sensors can be used for rapid nondestructive diagnostics of surfaces, liquids, gases, polymers and complex biological systems including proteins, blood, cells and cellular debris as well as body tissue. Furthermore, NIR-MIR microsensing spectroscopy will be utilized to monitor the chemical composition of petrochemical products like gasoline and diesel. In addition, miniature analyzers will be used for rapid measuring of food, in particular oil, starch and meat. In this paper we will present an overview of several new approaches for subsurface and surface sensing technologies based on the integration of optical micro devices, the most promising sensors for biomedical, environmental and industrial applications, data processing and evaluation algorithms for classification of the results. Both scientific and industrial applications will be discussed.

Injection moulding of plastic parts with laser textured surfaces with optical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pina-Estany, J.; García-Granada, A. A.; Corull-Massana, E.

2018-05-01

The purpose of this work is to manufacture micro and nanotextured surfaces on plastic injection moulds with the aim of replicating them and obtaining plastic parts with optical applications. Different patterns are manufactured with nanosecond and femtosecond lasers in order to obtain three different optical applications: (i) homogeneous light diffusion (ii) 1D light directionality and (iii) 2D light directionality. Induction heating is used in the injections in order to improve the textures degree of replication. The steel mould and the plastic parts are analyzed with a confocal/focus variation microscope and with a surface roughness tester. A mock-up and a luminance camera are used to evaluate the homogeneity and luminance of the homogeneous light diffusion application in comparison with the current industrial solutions.

Long-period fiber phase grating devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stegall, David Brian

In recent years, the explosive growth of the internet has virtually surpassed the limits of the global communications infrastructure. As a result, the fiber- optic communications industry is spearheading research and development to transmit information at ever increasing rates and over longer distances. The industry faces several obstacles to improving the performance of these systems. One problem is dispersion, which manifests at faster transmission rates when pulse spreading and distortion scramble the signal. Furthermore, high transmission powers needed for longer distances introduce deleterious optical nonlinearity phenomenon. Several waveguide and bulk devices have been implemented to address these issues, but each have shortcomings. Many of these problems and challenges have also impacted other fiber-optic industries, such as sensor systems. Long- period optical fiber gratings pose simple solutions to these problems and offer novel applications previously impractical through any other means. In this dissertation, research is presented in which modeling and fabrication of long-period gratings is improved over existing techniques by incorporating the effects of waveguide dispersion. An arbitrary dispersion also can be introduced into a long-period grating intentionally and a theoretical examination is made relating the chirp of a long-period grating and the resulting dispersion. In addition, several device applications such as a biological sensor and the concept of an actively controlled transmission spectrum of a long-period grating are explored. Finally, multiple in-series Bragg and long- period gratings are investigated for novel device configurations.

Recent progress of obliquely deposited thin films for industrial applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Motofumi; Itoh, Tadayoshi; Taga, Yasunori

1999-06-01

More than 10 years ago, birefringent films of metal oxides were formed by oblique vapor deposition and investigated with a view of their application to optical retardation plates. The retardation function of the films was explained in terms of the birefringence caused by the characteristic anisotropic nanostructure inside the films. These films are now classified in the genre of the so-called sculptured thin films. However, the birefringent films thus prepared are not yet industrialized even now due to the crucial lack of the durability and the yield of products. In this review paper, we describe the present status of application process of the retardation films to the information systems such as compact disc and digital versatile disc devices with a special emphasis on the uniformity of retardation properties in a large area and the stability of the optical properties of the obliquely deposited thin films. Finally, further challenges for wide application of the obliquely deposited thin films are also discussed.

Applications of the chemical oxygen-iodine laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Latham, W. Pete; Kendrick, Kip R.; Quillen, Brian

2000-01-01

The Chemical Oxygen-Iodine Laser (COIL) has been developed at the Air Force Research Laboratory for military applications. For example, the COIL is to be use as the laser device for the ABL. A high power laser is useful for applications that require the delivery of a substantial amount of energy to a very small focused laser spot. The COIL is a member of the class of high power lasers that are also useful for industrial applications, including the materials processing task of high speed cutting and drilling. COIL technology has received considerable interest over the last several years due to its short, fiber- deliverable wavelength, scalability to very high powers, and demonstrated nearly diffraction-limited optical quality. These unique abilities make it an ideal candidate for nuclear reactor decommissioning and nuclear warhead dismantlement. Japanese researchers envision using a COIL for disaster cleanup and survivor rescue. It is also being studied by the oil and gas industry for well drilling. Any commercial or industrial application that requires very rapid, precise, and noninvasive cutting or drilling, could be readily accomplished with a COIL. Because of the substantial power levels available with a COIL, the laser could also be used for broad area applications such as paint stripping. This paper includes a collection of experiments accomplished at the Air Force Research Laboratory Chemical Laser Facility, including metal cutting, hole drilling, high power fiber optic transmission, and rock crushing.

Education in applied and instrumental optics at the University of Helsinki

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stenman, Folke

1997-12-01

The teaching of applied and instrumental optics at the University of Helsinki Department of Physics originally grew out of the needs of the research group of molecular physics as a basis for the experimental work in the group. The training program starts with a one-year course for senior undergraduates and graduates comprising geometrical optics, eikonal theory, image forming components, matrix methods, optical instruments, the optics of laser beams, radiometry and photometry, ray tracing methods, optics of anisotropic media, diffraction theory, general image formation theory and Fourier optics. The course starts from fundamentals, but the mathematical level is kept adequate for serious work. Further applications are treated in courses on molecular spectroscopy, where ruled and holographic diffraction gratings (both plane and spherical), interferometric spectroscopy and imaging properties of spectral equipment are treated. Aspects of image analysis, information in optics, signal-to-noise ratio, etc. are treated in separate courses on Fourier method and digital spectral analysis. The applicability of optical techniques to various fields of physics and engineering and the analogies with them are especially brought out. Experimental and calculational and skills are stressed throughout. Computer programming is introduced as an indispensable tool for the optics practitioner, and the students are required to write programs of their own. The students gain practical experience, e.g., by working in the molecular physics group. Close cooperation is maintained with other research groups in laser physics, ultrasonics and physical chemistry. The training in optics has proved very useful, with students frequently ending up working in the industry on optics and spectroscopy problems. Parts of these courses have also been given at other universities and to engineers and scientists working in the industry.

Asymmetric bioreduction of activated alkenes to industrially relevant optically active compounds

PubMed Central

Winkler, Christoph K.; Tasnádi, Gábor; Clay, Dorina; Hall, Mélanie; Faber, Kurt

2012-01-01

Ene-reductases from the ‘Old Yellow Enzyme’ family of flavoproteins catalyze the asymmetric reduction of various α,β-unsaturated compounds at the expense of a nicotinamide cofactor. They have been applied to the synthesis of valuable enantiopure products, including chiral building blocks with broad industrial applications, terpenoids, amino acid derivatives and fragrances. The combination of these highly stereoselective biocatalysts with a cofactor recycling system has allowed the development of cost-effective methods for the generation of optically active molecules, which is strengthened by the availability of stereo-complementary enzyme homologues. PMID:22498437

An emerging network storage management standard: Media error monitoring and reporting information (MEMRI) - to determine optical tape data integrity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Podio, Fernando; Vollrath, William; Williams, Joel; Kobler, Ben; Crouse, Don

1998-01-01

Sophisticated network storage management applications are rapidly evolving to satisfy a market demand for highly reliable data storage systems with large data storage capacities and performance requirements. To preserve a high degree of data integrity, these applications must rely on intelligent data storage devices that can provide reliable indicators of data degradation. Error correction activity generally occurs within storage devices without notification to the host. Early indicators of degradation and media error monitoring 333 and reporting (MEMR) techniques implemented in data storage devices allow network storage management applications to notify system administrators of these events and to take appropriate corrective actions before catastrophic errors occur. Although MEMR techniques have been implemented in data storage devices for many years, until 1996 no MEMR standards existed. In 1996 the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved the only known (world-wide) industry standard specifying MEMR techniques to verify stored data on optical disks. This industry standard was developed under the auspices of the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM). A recently formed AIIM Optical Tape Subcommittee initiated the development of another data integrity standard specifying a set of media error monitoring tools and media error monitoring information (MEMRI) to verify stored data on optical tape media. This paper discusses the need for intelligent storage devices that can provide data integrity metadata, the content of the existing data integrity standard for optical disks, and the content of the MEMRI standard being developed by the AIIM Optical Tape Subcommittee.

Mini and micro spectrometers pave the way to on-field advanced analytics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouyé, Clémentine; Kolb, Hugo; d'Humières, Benoît.

2016-03-01

First introduced in the 1990's, miniature optical spectrometers were compact, portable devices brought on the market by the desire to move from time-consuming lab-based analyses to on-field and in situ measurements. This goal of getting spectroscopy into the hands of non-specialists is driving current technical and application developments, the ultimate goal being, in a far future, the integration of a spectrometer into a smartphone or any other smart device (tablet, watch, …). In this article, we present the results of our study on the evolution of the compact spectrometers market towards widespread industrial use and consumer applications. Presently, the main market of compact spectrometers remains academic labs. However, they have been adopted on some industrial applications such as optical source characterization (mainly laser and LEDs). In a near future, manufacturers of compact spectrometers target the following industrial applications: agriculture crop monitoring, food process control or pharmaceuticals quality control. Next steps will be to get closer to the consumer market with point-of-care applications such as glucose detection for diabetics, for example. To reach these objectives, technological breakthroughs will be necessary. Recent progresses have already allowed the release of micro-spectrometers. They take advantage of new micro-technologies such as MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems), MOEMS (Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems), micro-mirrors arrays to reduce cost and size while allowing good performance and high volume manufacturability. Integrated photonics is being investigated for future developments. It will also require new business models and new market approaches. Indeed, spreading spectroscopy to more industrial and consumer applications will require spectrometers manufacturers to get closer to the end-users and develop application-oriented products.

Applications of lasers and electro-optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, B. C.; Low, K. S.; Chen, Y. H.; Ahmad, Harith; Tou, T. Y.

Supported by the IRPA Programme on Laser Technology and Applications, many types of lasers have been designed, constructed and applied in various areas of science, medicine and industries. Amongst these lasers constructed were high power carbon dioxide lasers, rare gas halide excimer lasers, solid state Neodymium-YAG lasers, nitrogen lasers, flashlamp pumped dye lasers and nitrogen and excimer laser pumped dye lasers. These lasers and the associated electro-optics system, some with computer controlled, are designed and developed for the following areas of applications: (1) industrial applications of high power carbon dioxide lasers for making of i.c. components and other materials processing purposes -- prototype operational systems have been developed; (2) Medical applications of lasers for cancer treatment using the technique of photodynamic therapy -- a new and more effective treatment protocol has been proposed; (3) agricultural applications of lasers in palm oil and palm fruit-fluorescence diagnostic studies -- fruit ripeness signature has been developed and palm oil oxidation level were investigated; (4) development of atmospheric pollution monitoring systems using laser lidar techniques -- laboratory scale systems were developed; and (5) other applications of lasers including laser holographic and interferometric methods for the non destructive testing of materials.

Compact DFB laser modules with integrated isolator at 935 nm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reggentin, M.; Thiem, H.; Tsianos, G.; Malach, M.; Hofmann, J.; Plocke, T.; Kneier, M.; Richter, L.

2018-02-01

New developments in industrial applications and applications under rough environmental conditions within the field of spectroscopy and quantum technology in the 935 nm wavelength regime demand new compact, stable and robust laser systems. Beside a stable laser source the integration of a compact optical isolator is necessary to reduce size and power consumption for the whole laser system. The integration of a suitable optical isolator suppresses back reflections from the following optical system efficiently. However, the miniaturization of the optics inside the package leads to high optical power density levels that make a more detailed analysis of the components and their laser damage threshold necessary. We present test results on compact stable DFB laser sources (butterfly style packages) with newly integrated optical isolators operating around 935 nm. The presented data includes performance and lifetime tests for the laser diodes as well as package components. Overall performance data of the packaged laser diodes will be shown as well.

Thin plastic foil X-ray optics with spiral geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbera, Marco; Mineo, Teresa; Perinati, Emanuele; Schnopper, Herbert W.; Taibi, Angelo

2007-09-01

Winding a plastic foil ribbon into spiral cylinder or spiral cones we can design and build single or multiple reflection X-ray grazing incidence focusing optics with potential applications in Astronomy as well as experimental physics. The use of thin plastic foils from common industrial applications and of a mounting technique which does not require the construction of mandrels make these optics very cost effective. A spiral geometry focusing optic produces an annular image of a point source with the angular size of the annulus depending mainly on the pitch of the winding and the focal length. We use a ray-tracing code to evaluate the performances of cylindrical, and double conical spiral geometry as a function of the design parameters e.g. focal length, diameter, optic length. Some preliminary results are presented on X-ray imaging tests performed on spiral cylindrical optics.

Sensing systems using chip-based spectrometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nitkowski, Arthur; Preston, Kyle J.; Sherwood-Droz, Nicolás.; Behr, Bradford B.; Bismilla, Yusuf; Cenko, Andrew T.; DesRoches, Brandon; Meade, Jeffrey T.; Munro, Elizabeth A.; Slaa, Jared; Schmidt, Bradley S.; Hajian, Arsen R.

2014-06-01

Tornado Spectral Systems has developed a new chip-based spectrometer called OCTANE, the Optical Coherence Tomography Advanced Nanophotonic Engine, built using a planar lightwave circuit with integrated waveguides fabricated on a silicon wafer. While designed for spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) systems, the same miniaturized technology can be applied to many other spectroscopic applications. The field of integrated optics enables the design of complex optical systems which are monolithically integrated on silicon chips. The form factors of these systems can be significantly smaller, more robust and less expensive than their equivalent free-space counterparts. Fabrication techniques and material systems developed for microelectronics have previously been adapted for integrated optics in the telecom industry, where millions of chip-based components are used to power the optical backbone of the internet. We have further adapted the photonic technology platform for spectroscopy applications, allowing unheard-of economies of scale for these types of optical devices. Instead of changing lenses and aligning systems, these devices are accurately designed programmatically and are easily customized for specific applications. Spectrometers using integrated optics have large advantages in systems where size, robustness and cost matter: field-deployable devices, UAVs, UUVs, satellites, handheld scanning and more. We will discuss the performance characteristics of our chip-based spectrometers and the type of spectral sensing applications enabled by this technology.

Development of optical sciences in Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

2013-10-01

Research and technical communities for optics, photonics and optoelectronics is grouped in this country in several organizations and institutions. These are: Photonics Society of Poland (PSP), Polish Committee of Optoelectronics of SEP, Photonics Section of KEiT PAN, Laser Club at WAT, and Optics Section of PTF. Each of these communities keeps slightly different specificity. PSP publishes a quarterly journal Photonics Letters of Poland, stimulates international cooperation, and organizes conferences during Industrial Fairs on Innovativeness. PKOpto SEP organizes didactic diploma competitions in optoelectronics. KEiT PAN takes patronage over national conferences in laser technology, optical fiber technology and communications, and photonics applications. SO-PTF has recently taken a decision to organize a cyclic event "Polish Optical Conference". The third edition of this conference PKO'2013 was held in Sandomierz on 30.06-04.07.2013. The conference scientific and technical topics include: quantum and nonlinear optics, photon physics, optic and technology of lasers and other sources of coherent radiation, optoelectronics, optical integrated circuits, optical fibers, medical optics, instrumental optics, optical spectroscopy, optical metrology, new optical materials, applications of optics, teaching in optics. This paper reviews chosen works presented during the III Polish Optical Conference (PKO'2013), representing the research efforts at different national institutions.

Replicated x-ray optics for space applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudec, René; Pína, Ladislav; Inneman, Adolf

2017-11-01

We report on the program of design and development of X-ray optics for space applications in the Czech Republic. Having more than 30 years background in X-ray optics development for space applications (for use in astronomical X-ray telescopes onboard spacecrafts, before 1989 mostly for Soviet and East European INTERKOSMOS program), we focus nowadays on novel technologies and approaches, thin shell replicated mirrors, as well as studies of light-weight mirrors based on innovative materials such as ceramics. The collaboration includes teams from the Academy of Sciences, Universities, and industry. We will describe and discuss both the history of the development of Xray optics in the Czech Republic and the developed technologies and approaches (with focus on replication technology) as well as recent activities and developments including our participation on the ESA XEUS mirror technology development based on the Agreement between ESA and Czech Government.

Optical coherence tomography as an accurate inspection and quality evaluation technique in paper industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prykäri, Tuukka; Czajkowski, Jakub; Alarousu, Erkki; Myllylä, Risto

2010-05-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT), a technique for the noninvasive imaging of turbid media, based on low-coherence interferometry, was originally developed for the imaging of biological tissues. Since the development of the technique, most of its applications have been related to the area of biomedicine. However, from early stages, the vertical resolution of the technique has already been improved to a submicron scale. This enables new possibilities and applications. This article presents the possible applications of OCT in paper industry, where submicron or at least a resolution close to one micron is required. This requirement comes from the layered structure of paper products, where layer thickness may vary from single microns to tens of micrometers. This is especially similar to the case with high-quality paper products, where several different coating layers are used to obtain a smooth surface structure and a high gloss. In this study, we demonstrate that optical coherence tomography can be used to measure and evaluate the quality of the coating layer of a premium glossy photopaper. In addition, we show that for some paper products, it is possible to measure across the entire thickness range of a paper sheet. Furthermore, we suggest that in addition to topography and tomography images of objects, it is possible to obtain information similar to gloss by tracking the magnitude of individual interference signals in optical coherence tomography.

Optical response of strongly absorbing inhomogeneous materials: Application to paper degradation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Missori, M.; Pulci, O.; Teodonio, L.; Violante, C.; Kupchak, I.; Bagniuk, J.; Łojewska, J.; Conte, A. Mosca

2014-02-01

In this paper, we present a new noninvasive and nondestructive approach to recover scattering and absorption coefficients from reflectance measurements of highly absorbing and optically inhomogeneous media. Our approach is based on the Yang and Miklavcic theoretical model of light propagation through turbid media, which is a generalization of the Kubelka-Munk theory, extended to accommodate optically thick samples. We show its applications to paper, a material primarily composed of a web of fibers of cellulose, whose optical properties are strongly governed by light scattering effects. Samples studied were ancient and industrial paper sheets, aged in different conditions and highly absorbing in the ultraviolet region. The recovered experimental absorptions of cellulose fibers have been compared to theoretical ab initio quantum-mechanical computational simulations carried out within time-dependent density functional theory. In this way, for each sample, we evaluate the absolute concentration of different kinds of oxidized groups formed upon aging and acting as chromophores causing paper discoloration. We found that the relative concentration of different chromophores in cellulose fibers depends on the aging temperature endured by samples. This clearly indicates that the oxidation of cellulose follows temperature-dependent reaction pathways. Our approach has a wide range of applications for cellulose-based materials, like paper, textiles, and other manufactured products of great industrial and cultural interest, and can potentially be extended to other strongly absorbing inhomogeneous materials.

Material Processing Laser Systems In Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taeusch, David R.

1988-11-01

The laser processing system is now a respected, productive machine tool in the manufacturing industries. Systems in use today are proving their cost effectiveness and capabilities of processing quality parts. Several types of industrial lasers are described and their applications are discussed, with emphasis being placed on the production environment and methods of protection required for optical equipment against this normally hostile environment.

The importance of optical methods for non-invasive measurements in the skin care industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stamatas, Georgios N.

2010-02-01

Pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries are concerned with treating skin disease, as well as maintaining and promoting skin health. They are dealing with a unique tissue that defines our body in space. As such, skin provides not only the natural boundary with the environment inhibiting body dehydration as well as penetration of exogenous aggressors to the body, it is also ideally situated for optical measurements. A plurality of spectroscopic and imaging methods is being used to understand skin physiology and pathology and document the effects of topically applied products on the skin. The obvious advantage of such methods over traditional biopsy techniques is the ability to measure the cutaneous tissue in vivo and non-invasively. In this work, we will review such applications of various spectroscopy and imaging methods in skin research that is of interest the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry. Examples will be given on the importance of optical techniques in acquiring new insights about acne pathogenesis and infant skin development.

Using misconceptions research in the design of optics instructional materials and teacher professional development programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pompea, Stephen M.; Dokter, Erin F.; Walker, Constance E.; Sparks, Robert T.

2007-06-01

To create the Hands-On Optics program and its associated instructional materials, we needed to understand a number of basic optics misconceptions held by children (and adults) and how to address them through a proper educational approach. The activities have been built with an understanding of the naïve concepts many people have about light, color, and optical phenomena in general. Our own experience is that the concepts that children and adults have of light are often not that different from each other. This paper explores the most common misconceptions about light and color, according to educational research, and describes how they can be addressed in optics education programs. This understanding of misconceptions was useful as well in the professional development component of the program where educators were trained on the Hands-On Optics modules. The professional development work for the optics industry volunteers who worked with the educators was also based on research on how an optics professional can work more effectively in multi-cultural settings-an area with great applicability to industry volunteers working in the very different culture of science centers or after-school programs.

Ultra-sonic motor for the actuators of space optical communications terminal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Araki, T.; Kobayashi, Y.; Kawashima, N.; Maniwa, K.; Obara, S.; Zakoji, T.; Kubota, A.

2017-02-01

The main advantages of space optical communication technologies compared with RF communications are 1) Wide bandwidth that enables a much higher data rate and 2) Smaller antenna and hardware due to the ultra-short wavelength characteristics. The cost and weight of each spacecraft has been decreasing year by year. Space optical communication technologies, that are being established, have been required to reduce cost and weight recently. The general rotational actuators of spacecraft are magnetic motors. However, it is difficult to reduce it's weight and cost dramatically since magnetic motors include iron core and metal coil. In addition, we do not have the flexibility of magnetic motor's shape. JAXA is interested in optical data relay including LEO-GEO optical communication. In this application, space optical communication equipment must equip rotational actuators as a coarse pointing mechanism. Therefore, the authors have focused on ultra-sonic motors (USM) for the equipment of space optical communication so that we will achieve lower cost, lower weight and a more-flexible-shape of actuators than magnetic motors. In this presentation, the authors propose applications of USM as actuators of space optical communications. USM has been widely used in our life and industry. Usage in industry includes vacuum environments of the semiconductor manufacturing process. So, the authors estimated the usage of USM can be applied to actuators of spacecraft. At first, the authors discuss the advantages and disadvantages of USM compared to traditional magnetic motors. Then, driving performance of USM under vacuum, high and low-temperature conditions are shown. At last, results of life estimation test of USM are discussed.

Holography as a tool for widespread industrial applications: analysis and comments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smigielski, Paul

1991-10-01

During the last national meeting of the Holographic Club of the French Optical Society held at SAUMUR, 22-23 November 1990, on `Vibration analysis with the help of holographic and associated methods,' more than 80% of attendees were industrialists. Some scientists who specialized in coherent optics said that it is not necessary to be an optician to use holography in the industry. That means that veritable progress has been achieved since the discovery of holographic interferometry in 1965. But, on the other hand, too few industrialists use holographic techniques. This paper critically examines the evolution of holographic interferometry through concrete examples and shows that hopes of industrial uses of holography are more credible today than yesterday because of new developments expected in hardwares (lasers, recording materials, etc.) and softwares.

Selective and reversible ammonia gas detection with nanoporous film functionalized silicon photonic micro-ring resonator.

PubMed

Yebo, Nebiyu A; Sree, Sreeprasanth Pulinthanathu; Levrau, Elisabeth; Detavernier, Christophe; Hens, Zeger; Martens, Johan A; Baets, Roel

2012-05-21

Portable, low cost and real-time gas sensors have a considerable potential in various biomedical and industrial applications. For such applications, nano-photonic gas sensors based on standard silicon fabrication technology offer attractive opportunities. Deposition of high surface area nano-porous coatings on silicon photonic sensors is a means to achieve selective, highly sensitive and multiplexed gas detection on an optical chip. Here we demonstrate selective and reversible ammonia gas detection with functionalized silicon-on-insulator optical micro-ring resonators. The micro-ring resonators are coated with acidic nano-porous aluminosilicate films for specific ammonia sensing, which results in a reversible response to NH(3)with selectivity relative to CO(2). The ammonia detection limit is estimated at about 5 ppm. The detectors reach a steady response to NH(3) within 30 and return to their base level within 60 to 90 seconds. The work opens perspectives on development of nano-photonic sensors for real-time, non-invasive, low cost and light weight biomedical and industrial sensing applications.

Silicon-nanomembrane-based photonic crystal nanostructures for chip-integrated open sensor systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakravarty, Swapnajit; Lai, Wei-Cheng; Zou, Yi; Lin, Cheyun; Wang, Xiaolong; Chen, Ray T.

2011-11-01

We experimentally demonstrate two devices on the photonic crystal platform for chip-integrated optical absorption spectroscopy and chip-integrated biomolecular microarray assays. Infrared optical absorption spectroscopy and biomolecular assays based on conjugate-specific binding principles represent two dominant sensing mechanisms for a wide spectrum of applications in environmental pollution sensing in air and water, chem-bio agents and explosives detection for national security, microbial contamination sensing in food and beverages to name a few. The easy scalability of photonic crystal devices to any wavelength ensures that the sensing principles hold across a wide electromagnetic spectrum. Silicon, the workhorse of the electronics industry, is an ideal platform for the above optical sensing applications.

Introduction to the virtual special issue on super-resolution imaging techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Liangcai; Liu, Zhengjun

2017-12-01

Until quite recently, the resolution of optical imaging instruments, including telescopes, cameras and microscopes, was considered to be limited by the diffraction of light and by image sensors. In the past few years, many exciting super-resolution approaches have emerged that demonstrate intriguing ways to bypass the classical limit in optics and detectors. More and more research groups are engaged in the study of advanced super-resolution schemes, devices, algorithms, systems, and applications [1-6]. Super-resolution techniques involve new methods in science and engineering of optics [7,8], measurements [9,10], chemistry [11,12] and information [13,14]. Promising applications, particularly in biomedical research and semiconductor industry, have been successfully demonstrated.

Rainbow holography and its applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vlasov, N. G.; Ivanov, Vladimir S.

1993-09-01

The general equations of the rainbow holography are deduced. Their analysis makes it possible to offer different methods of the rainbow holographic images production. A new way of using the rainbow holograms as optical elements for effective color illuminating of transparent, specular, and polished objects is proposed. Application fields are the advertising industry, shop windows design, etc.

Nanocomposites of polymer and inorganic nanoparticles for optical and magnetic applications

PubMed Central

Li, Shanghua; Meng Lin, Meng; Toprak, Muhammet S.; Kim, Do Kyung; Muhammed, Mamoun

2010-01-01

This article provides an up-to-date review on nanocomposites composed of inorganic nanoparticles and the polymer matrix for optical and magnetic applications. Optical or magnetic characteristics can change upon the decrease of particle sizes to very small dimensions, which are, in general, of major interest in the area of nanocomposite materials. The use of inorganic nanoparticles into the polymer matrix can provide high-performance novel materials that find applications in many industrial fields. With this respect, frequently considered features are optical properties such as light absorption (UV and color), and the extent of light scattering or, in the case of metal particles, photoluminescence, dichroism, and so on, and magnetic properties such as superparamagnetism, electromagnetic wave absorption, and electromagnetic interference shielding. A general introduction, definition, and historical development of polymer–inorganic nanocomposites as well as a comprehensive review of synthetic techniques for polymer–inorganic nanocomposites will be given. Future possibilities for the development of nanocomposites for optical and magnetic applications are also introduced. It is expected that the use of new functional inorganic nano-fillers will lead to new polymer–inorganic nanocomposites with unique combinations of material properties. By careful selection of synthetic techniques and understanding/exploiting the unique physics of the polymeric nanocomposites in such materials, novel functional polymer–inorganic nanocomposites can be designed and fabricated for new interesting applications such as optoelectronic and magneto-optic applications. PMID:22110855

Wafer-level micro-optics: trends in manufacturing, testing, packaging, and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voelkel, Reinhard; Gong, Li; Rieck, Juergen; Zheng, Alan

2012-11-01

Micro-optics is an indispensable key enabling technology (KET) for many products and applications today. Probably the most prestigious examples are the diffractive light shaping elements used in high-end DUV lithography steppers. Highly efficient refractive and diffractive micro-optical elements are used for precise beam and pupil shaping. Micro-optics had a major impact on the reduction of aberrations and diffraction effects in projection lithography, allowing a resolution enhancement from 250 nm to 45 nm within the last decade. Micro-optics also plays a decisive role in medical devices (endoscopes, ophthalmology), in all laser-based devices and fiber communication networks (supercomputer, ROADM), bringing high-speed internet to our homes (FTTH). Even our modern smart phones contain a variety of micro-optical elements. For example, LED flashlight shaping elements, the secondary camera, and ambient light and proximity sensors. Wherever light is involved, micro-optics offers the chance to further miniaturize a device, to improve its performance, or to reduce manufacturing and packaging costs. Wafer-scale micro-optics fabrication is based on technology established by semiconductor industry. Thousands of components are fabricated in parallel on a wafer. We report on the state of the art in wafer-based manufacturing, testing, packaging and present examples and applications for micro-optical components and systems.

Optically Transparent Ferromagnetic Nanogranular Films with Tunable Transmittance

PubMed Central

Kobayashi, Nobukiyo; Masumoto, Hiroshi; Takahashi, Saburo; Maekawa, Sadamichi

2016-01-01

Developing optically transparent magnets at room temperature is an important challenge. They would bring many innovations to various industries, not only for electronic and magnetic devices but also for optical applications. Here we introduce FeCo-(Al-fluoride) nanogranular films exhibiting ferromagnetic properties with high optical transparency in the visible light region. These films have a nanocomposite structure, in which nanometer-sized FeCo ferromagnetic granules are dispersed in an Al-fluoride crystallized matrix. The optical transmittance of these films is controlled by changing the magnetization. This is a new type of magneto-optical effect and is explained by spin-dependent charge oscillation between ferromagnetic granules due to quantum-mechanical tunneling. PMID:27677710

Optical remote measurement of toxic gases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grant, W. B.; Kagann, R. H.; McClenny, W. A.

1992-01-01

Enactment of the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) of 1990 has resulted in increased ambient air monitoring needs for industry, some of which may be met efficiently using open-path optical remote sensing techniques. These techniques include Fourier transform spectroscopy, differential optical absorption spectroscopy, laser long-path absorption, differential absorption lidar, and gas cell correlation spectroscopy. With this regulatory impetus, it is an opportune time to consider applying these technologies to the remote and/or path-averaged measurement and monitoring of toxic gases covered by the CAAA. This article reviews the optical remote sensing technology and literature for that application.

Fiber optic and laser sensors IX; Proceedings of the Meeting, Boston, MA, Sept. 3-5, 1991

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Depaula, Ramon P. (Editor); Udd, Eric (Editor)

1991-01-01

The present volume on fiber-optic and laser sensors discusses industrial applications of fiber-optic sensors, fiber-optic temperature sensors, fiber-optic current sensors, fiber-optic pressure/displacement/vibration sensors, and generic fiber-optic systems. Attention is given to a fiber-sensor design for turbine engines, fiber-optic remote Fourier transform IR spectroscopy, near-IR fiber-optic temperature sensors, and an intensity-type fiber-optic electric current sensor. Topics addressed include fiber-optic magnetic field sensors based on the Faraday effect in new materials, diaphragm size and sensitivity for fiber-optic pressure sensors, a microbend pressure sensor for high-temperature environments, and linear position sensing by light exchange between two lossy waveguides. Also discussed are two-mode elliptical-core fiber sensors for measurement of strain and temperature, a fiber-optic interferometric X-ray dosimeter, fiber-optic interferometric sensors using multimode fibers, and optical fiber sensing of corona discharges.

Hyperspectral imaging for diagnosis and quality control in agri-food and industrial sectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Allende, P. Beatriz; Conde, Olga M.; Mirapeix, Jesus; Cobo, Adolfo; Lopez-Higuera, Jose M.

2010-04-01

Optical spectroscopy has been utilized in various fields of science, industry and medicine, since each substance is discernible from all others by its spectral properties. However, optical spectroscopy traditionally generates information on the bulk properties of the whole sample, and mainly in the agri-food industry some product properties result from the heterogeneity in its composition. This monitoring is considerably more challenging and can be successfully achieved by the so-called hyperspectral imaging technology, which allows the simultaneous determination of the optical spectrum and the spatial location of an object in a surface. In addition, it is a nonintrusive and non-contact technique which gives rise to a great potential for industrial applications and it does not require any particular preparation of the samples, which is a primary concern in food monitoring. This work illustrates an overview of approaches based on this technology to address different problems in agri-food and industrial sectors. The hyperspectral system was originally designed and tested for raw material on-line discrimination, which is a key factor in the input stages of many industrial sectors. The combination of the acquisition of the spectral information across transversal lines while materials are being transported on a conveyor belt, and appropriate image analyses have been successfully validated in the tobacco industry. Lastly, the use of imaging spectroscopy applied to online welding quality monitoring is discussed and compared with traditional spectroscopic approaches in this regard.

New Challenges in Tribology: Wear Assessment Using 3D Optical Scanners

PubMed Central

Valigi, Maria Cristina; Logozzo, Silvia; Affatato, Saverio

2017-01-01

Wear is a significant mechanical and clinical problem. To acquire further knowledge on the tribological phenomena that involve freeform mechanical components or medical prostheses, wear tests are performed on biomedical and industrial materials in order to solve or reduce failures or malfunctions due to material loss. Scientific and technological advances in the field of optical scanning allow the application of innovative devices for wear measurements, leading to improvements that were unimaginable until a few years ago. It is therefore important to develop techniques, based on new instrumentations, for more accurate and reproducible measurements of wear. The aim of this work is to discuss the use of innovative 3D optical scanners and an experimental procedure to detect and evaluate wear, comparing this technique with other wear evaluation methods for industrial components and biomedical devices. PMID:28772905

New Challenges in Tribology: Wear Assessment Using 3D Optical Scanners.

PubMed

Valigi, Maria Cristina; Logozzo, Silvia; Affatato, Saverio

2017-05-18

Wear is a significant mechanical and clinical problem. To acquire further knowledge on the tribological phenomena that involve freeform mechanical components or medical prostheses, wear tests are performed on biomedical and industrial materials in order to solve or reduce failures or malfunctions due to material loss. Scientific and technological advances in the field of optical scanning allow the application of innovative devices for wear measurements, leading to improvements that were unimaginable until a few years ago. It is therefore important to develop techniques, based on new instrumentations, for more accurate and reproducible measurements of wear. The aim of this work is to discuss the use of innovative 3D optical scanners and an experimental procedure to detect and evaluate wear, comparing this technique with other wear evaluation methods for industrial components and biomedical devices.

Survey of holographic security systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kontnik, Lewis T.; Lancaster, Ian M.

1990-04-01

The counterfeiting of products and financial instruments is a major problem throughout the world today. The dimensions of the problem are growing, accelerated by the expanding availability of production technologies to sophisticated counterfeiters and the increasing capabilities of these technologies. Various optical techniques, including holography, are beingused in efforts to mark authentic products and to distinguish them from copies. Industry is recognizing that the effectiveness of these techniques depends on such factors as the economics of the counterfeiting process and the distribution channels for the products involved, in addition to the performance of the particular optical security technologies used. This paper surveys the nature of the growing counterfeit market place and reviews the utility of holographic optical security systems. In particular, we review the use of holograms on credit cards and other products; and outline certain steps the holography industry should take to promote these application.

Device for the alternative option of temperature measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jargus, Jan; Nedoma, Jan; Fajkus, Marcel; Novak, Martin; Cubik, Jakub; Cvejn, Daniel; Vasinek, Vladimir

2017-10-01

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has good optical properties, and its composition offers the possibility of use in many applications (industry, security device, medicine applications and etc.). We focused on the alternative option of temperature measurement in this article. Our approach is based on measuring changes of chromaticity correlated temperature corresponding to changes in temperature. Described device uses an optical fiber with a defined layer of PDMS and luminophore and we assume that it can find use also in the field of security. The article describes the process of making the prototype of the device and its verification based on laboratory results. The measured temperature depends mainly on the type of optical fiber and the measured temperature range is determined by the thermal resistance of used optical fiber. Using a calibration measurement can determine the value of temperature with an accuracy of +/- 2,5 %.

Recent Development in Optical Chemical Sensors Coupling with Flow Injection Analysis

PubMed Central

Ojeda, Catalina Bosch; Rojas, Fuensanta Sánchez

2006-01-01

Optical techniques for chemical analysis are well established and sensors based on these techniques are now attracting considerable attention because of their importance in applications such as environmental monitoring, biomedical sensing, and industrial process control. On the other hand, flow injection analysis (FIA) is advisable for the rapid analysis of microliter volume samples and can be interfaced directly to the chemical process. The FIA has become a widespread automatic analytical method for more reasons; mainly due to the simplicity and low cost of the setups, their versatility, and ease of assembling. In this paper, an overview of flow injection determinations by using optical chemical sensors is provided, and instrumentation, sensor design, and applications are discussed. This work summarizes the most relevant manuscripts from 1980 to date referred to analysis using optical chemical sensors in FIA.

Investigations on laser transmission welding of absorber-free thermoplastics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mamuschkin, Viktor; Olowinsky, Alexander; Britten, Simon W.; Engelmann, Christoph

2014-03-01

Within the plastic industry laser transmission welding ranks among the most important joining techniques and opens up new application areas continuously. So far, a big disadvantage of the process was the fact that the joining partners need different optical properties. Since thermoplastics are transparent for the radiation of conventional beam sources (800- 1100 nm) the absorbance of one of the joining partners has to be enhanced by adding an infrared absorber (IR-absorber). Until recently, welding of absorber-free parts has not been possible. New diode lasers provide a broad variety of wavelengths which allows exploiting intrinsic absorption bands of thermoplastics. The use of a proper wavelength in combination with special optics enables laser welding of two optically identical polymer parts without absorbers which can be utilized in a large number of applications primarily in the medical and food industry, where the use of absorbers usually entails costly and time-consuming authorization processes. In this paper some aspects of the process are considered as the influence of the focal position, which is crucial when both joining partners have equal optical properties. After a theoretical consideration, an evaluation is carried out based on welding trials with polycarbonate (PC). Further aspects such as gap bridging capability and the influence of thickness of the upper joining partner are investigated as well.

High-precision laser microcutting and laser microdrilling using diffractive beam-splitting and high-precision flexible beam alignment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zibner, F.; Fornaroli, C.; Holtkamp, J.; Shachaf, Lior; Kaplan, Natan; Gillner, A.

2017-08-01

High-precision laser micro machining gains more importance in industrial applications every month. Optical systems like the helical optics offer highest quality together with controllable and adjustable drilling geometry, thus as taper angle, aspect ratio and heat effected zone. The helical optics is based on a rotating Dove-prism which is mounted in a hollow shaft engine together with other optical elements like wedge prisms and plane plates. Although the achieved quality can be interpreted as extremely high the low process efficiency is a main reason that this manufacturing technology has only limited demand within the industrial market. The objective of the research studies presented in this paper is to dramatically increase process efficiency as well as process flexibility. During the last years, the average power of commercial ultra-short pulsed laser sources has increased significantly. The efficient utilization of the high average laser power in the field of material processing requires an effective distribution of the laser power onto the work piece. One approach to increase the efficiency is the application of beam splitting devices to enable parallel processing. Multi beam processing is used to parallelize the fabrication of periodic structures as most application only require a partial amount of the emitted ultra-short pulsed laser power. In order to achieve highest flexibility while using multi beam processing the single beams are diverted and re-guided in a way that enables the opportunity to process with each partial beam on locally apart probes or semimanufactures.

Fiber-Optical Sensors: Basics and Applications in Multiphase Reactors

PubMed Central

Li, Xiangyang; Yang, Chao; Yang, Shifang; Li, Guozheng

2012-01-01

This work presents a brief introduction on the basics of fiber-optical sensors and an overview focused on the applications to measurements in multiphase reactors. The most commonly principle utilized is laser back scattering, which is also the foundation for almost all current probes used in multiphase reactors. The fiber-optical probe techniques in two-phase reactors are more developed than those in three-phase reactors. There are many studies on the measurement of gas holdup using fiber-optical probes in three-phase fluidized beds, but negative interference of particles on probe function was less studied. The interactions between solids and probe tips were less studied because glass beads etc. were always used as the solid phase. The vision probes may be the most promising for simultaneous measurements of gas dispersion and solids suspension in three-phase reactors. Thus, the following techniques of the fiber-optical probes in multiphase reactors should be developed further: (1) online measuring techniques under nearly industrial operating conditions; (2) corresponding signal data processing techniques; (3) joint application with other measuring techniques.

Photonics for aerospace sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pellegrino, John; Adler, Eric D.; Filipov, Andree N.; Harrison, Lorna J.; van der Gracht, Joseph; Smith, Dale J.; Tayag, Tristan J.; Viveiros, Edward A.

1992-11-01

The maturation in the state-of-the-art of optical components is enabling increased applications for the technology. Most notable is the ever-expanding market for fiber optic data and communications links, familiar in both commercial and military markets. The inherent properties of optics and photonics, however, have suggested that components and processors may be designed that offer advantages over more commonly considered digital approaches for a variety of airborne sensor and signal processing applications. Various academic, industrial, and governmental research groups have been actively investigating and exploiting these properties of high bandwidth, large degree of parallelism in computation (e.g., processing in parallel over a two-dimensional field), and interconnectivity, and have succeeded in advancing the technology to the stage of systems demonstration. Such advantages as computational throughput and low operating power consumption are highly attractive for many computationally intensive problems. This review covers the key devices necessary for optical signal and image processors, some of the system application demonstration programs currently in progress, and active research directions for the implementation of next-generation architectures.

Compact microwave ion source for industrial applications.

PubMed

Cho, Yong-Sub; Kim, Dae-Il; Kim, Han-Sung; Seol, Kyung-Tae; Kwon, Hyeok-Jung; Hong, In-Seok

2012-02-01

A 2.45 GHz microwave ion source for ion implanters has many good properties for industrial application, such as easy maintenance and long lifetime, and it should be compact for budget and space. But, it has a dc current supply for the solenoid and a rf generator for plasma generation. Usually, they are located on high voltage platform because they are electrically connected with beam extraction power supply. Using permanent magnet solenoid and multi-layer dc break, high voltage deck and high voltage isolation transformer can be eliminated, and the dose rate on targets can be controlled by pulse duty control with semiconductor high voltage switch. Because the beam optics does not change, beam transfer components, such as focusing elements and beam shutter, can be eliminated. It has shown the good performances in budget and space for industrial applications of ion beams.

The evolution and exploitation of the fiber-optic hydrophone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, David J.

2007-07-01

In the late 1970s one of the first applications identified for fibre-optic sensing was the fibre-optic hydrophone. It was recognised that the technology had the potential to provide a cost effective solution for large-scale arrays of highly sensitive hydrophones which could be interrogated over large distances. Consequently both the United Kingdom and United States navies funded the development of this sonar technology to the point that it is now deployed on submarines and as seabed arrays. The basic design of a fibre-optic hydrophone has changed little; comprising a coil of optical fibre wound on a compliant mandrel, interrogated using interferometric techniques. Although other approaches are being investigated, including the development of fibre-laser hydrophones, the interferometric approach remains the most efficient way to create highly multiplexed arrays of acoustic sensors. So much so, that the underlying technology is now being exploited in civil applications. Recently the exploration and production sector of the oil and gas industry has begun funding the development of fibre-optic seismic sensing using seabed mounted, very large-scale arrays of four component (three accelerometers and a hydrophone) packages based upon the original technology developed for sonar systems. This has given new impetus to the development of the sensors and the associated interrogation systems which has led to the technology being adopted for other commercial uses. These include the development of networked in-road fibre-optic Weigh-in-Motion sensors and of intruder detection systems which are able to acoustically monitor long lengths of border, on both land and at sea. After two decades, the fibre-optic hydrophone and associated technology has matured and evolved into a number of highly capable sensing solutions used by a range of industries.

Fiber optic systems for colorimetry and scattered colorimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mignani, Anna G.; Mencaglia, Andrea A.; Ciaccheri, Leonardo

2005-09-01

An innovative series of optical fiber sensors based on spectroscopic interrogation is presented. The sensors are custom-designed for a wide range of applications, including gasoline colorimetry, chromium monitoring of sewage, museum lighting control, for use with a platform for interrogating an array of absorption-based chemical sensors, as well as for color and turbidity measurements. Two types of custom-design instrumentation have been developed, both making use of LED light sources and a low-cost optical fiber spectrometer to perform broadband spectral measurements in the visible spectral range. The first was designed especially to address color-based sensors, while the second assessed the combined color and turbidity of edible liquids such as olive oil. Both are potentially exploitable in other industrial and environmental applications.

Downhole fiber optic sensing: the oilfield service provider's perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skinner, Neal G.; Maida, John L., Jr.

2004-12-01

There is increasing interest in the petroleum industry in the application of fiber-optic sensing techniques. In this paper, we review which sensing technologies are being adopted downhole and the drivers for this deployment. We describe the performance expectations (accuracy, resolution, stability and operational lifetime) that the oil companies and the oil service companies have for fiber-optic sensing systems. We also describe the environmental conditions (high hydrostatic pressures, high temperatures, shock, vibration, crush, and chemical attack) that these systems must tolerate in order to provide reliable and economically attractive reservoir-performance monitoring solutions.

Ion source design for industrial applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaufman, H. R.; Robinson, R. S.

1981-01-01

The more frequently used design techniques for the components of broad-beam electron bombardment ion sources are discussed. The approach used emphasizes refractory metal cathodes and permanent-magnet multipole discharge chambers. Design procedures and sample calculations are given for the discharge chamber, ion optics, the cathodes, and the magnetic circuit. Hardware designs are included for the isolator, cathode supports, anode supports, pole-piece assembly, and ion-optics supports. A comparison is made between two-grid and three-grid optics. The designs presented are representative of current technology and are adaptable to a wide range of configurations.

Fiber Bragg grating sensors in harsh environments: considerations and industrial monitoring applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Méndez, Alexis

2017-06-01

Over the last few years, fiber optic sensors (FOS) have seen an increased acceptance and widespread use in industrial sensing and in structural monitoring in civil, aerospace, marine, oil & gas, composites and other applications. One of the most prevalent types in use today are fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. Historically, FOS have been an attractive solution because of their EM immunity and suitability for use in harsh environments and rugged applications with extreme temperatures, radiation exposure, EM fields, high voltages, water contact, flammable atmospheres, or other hazards. FBG sensors have demonstrated that can operate reliably in many different harsh environment applications but proper type and fabrication process are needed, along with suitable packaging and installation procedure. In this paper, we review the impact that external factors and environmental conditions play on FBG's performance and reliability, and describe the appropriate sensor types and protection requirements suitable for a variety of harsh environment applications in industrial furnaces, cryogenic coolers, nuclear plants, maritime vessels, oil & gas wells, aerospace crafts, automobiles, and others.

Functionality Enhancement of Industrialized Optical Fiber Sensors and System Developed for Full-Scale Pavement Monitoring

PubMed Central

Wang, Huaping; Liu, Wanqiu; He, Jianping; Xing, Xiaoying; Cao, Dandan; Gao, Xipeng; Hao, Xiaowei; Cheng, Hongwei; Zhou, Zhi

2014-01-01

Pavements always play a predominant role in transportation. Health monitoring of pavements is becoming more and more significant, as frequently suffering from cracks, rutting, and slippage renders them prematurely out of service. Effective and reliable sensing elements are thus in high demand to make prognosis on the mechanical properties and occurrence of damage to pavements. Therefore, in this paper, various types of functionality enhancement of industrialized optical fiber sensors for pavement monitoring are developed, with the corresponding operational principles clarified in theory and the performance double checked by basic experiments. Furthermore, a self-healing optical fiber sensing network system is adopted to accomplish full-scale monitoring of pavements. The application of optical fiber sensors assembly and self-healing network system in pavement has been carried out to validate the feasibility. It has been proved that the research in this article provides a valuable method and meaningful guidance for the integrity monitoring of civil structures, especially pavements. PMID:24854060

Functionality enhancement of industrialized optical fiber sensors and system developed for full-scale pavement monitoring.

PubMed

Wang, Huaping; Liu, Wanqiu; He, Jianping; Xing, Xiaoying; Cao, Dandan; Gao, Xipeng; Hao, Xiaowei; Cheng, Hongwei; Zhou, Zhi

2014-05-19

Pavements always play a predominant role in transportation. Health monitoring of pavements is becoming more and more significant, as frequently suffering from cracks, rutting, and slippage renders them prematurely out of service. Effective and reliable sensing elements are thus in high demand to make prognosis on the mechanical properties and occurrence of damage to pavements. Therefore, in this paper, various types of functionality enhancement of industrialized optical fiber sensors for pavement monitoring are developed, with the corresponding operational principles clarified in theory and the performance double checked by basic experiments. Furthermore, a self-healing optical fiber sensing network system is adopted to accomplish full-scale monitoring of pavements. The application of optical fiber sensors assembly and self-healing network system in pavement has been carried out to validate the feasibility. It has been proved that the research in this article provides a valuable method and meaningful guidance for the integrity monitoring of civil structures, especially pavements.

Process science development at the Center for Optics Manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pollicove, Harvey M.; Moore, Duncan T.; Golini, Donald

1992-01-01

The Center for Optics Manufacturing (COM) has organized a volunteer Process Science Committee that will cooperate in advancing the optical manufacturing sciences. The objective is to develop technical information and processes that improve manufacturing capability, especially in grinding and polishing technology. Chaired by Donald Golini of Litton Itek Optical Systems, the committee members are volunteers from several American Precision Optics Manufacturers Association (APOMA) companies and institutions. Many of the companies are also funding project elements. The committee will accelerate industry progress by integrating the research and development activities of cooperating APOMA companies and institutions involved in both COM and independent programs. In the short term, the effort concentrates on grinding and polishing process innovation. In later phases, the effort will aid in the design future generations of machines and processes. While the developments are directly adaptable to COM's OPTICAM program, the results will influence a wide range of innovation and application in all methods of optical fabrication. Several leaders in the field are participating in the research and development effort--Boston University, Eastman Kodak Company, Hughes Leitz Optical Technologies, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Litton Itek Optical Systems, Melles Griot, Optical Components Inc., Precision Optical, Rank Pneumo, Schott Glass Technologies, Solution Technology, Texas Instruments, Tropel, and the universities of Arizona and Rochester. Other APOMA member companies will participate as resource needs grow. The collaboration is unique in the industry's history.

Fast gas spectroscopy using pulsed quantum cascade lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beyer, T.; Braun, M.; Lambrecht, A.

2003-03-01

Laser spectroscopy has found many industrial applications, e.g., control of automotive exhaust and process monitoring. The midinfrared region is of special interest because it has stronger absorption lines compared to the near infrared (NIR). However, in the NIR high quality reliable laser sources, detectors, and passive optical components are available. A quantum cascade laser could change this situation if fundamental advantages can be exploited with compact and reliable systems. It will be shown that, using pulsed lasers and available fast detectors, lower residual sensitivity levels than in corresponding NIR systems can be achieved. The stability is sufficient for industrial applications.

Fiber-Optic Anemometer Based on Silicon Fabry-Perot Interferometer

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-05

finding vast applications in all kinds of industrial processes, such as process control, food quality surveillance, wind turbines , environment...stronger flow ( wind ), which induces a decrease in the optical path of the silicon FPI, which lead to blueshifts the output spectrum. A higher wind ...Experimental results demonstrate that a wavelength shift -0.574 nm was observed for a wind speed of 4 m/s. Better sensitivity is to be expected when

Optical Docking Aid Containing Fresnel Lenses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pierce, Cole J.

1995-01-01

Proposed device provides self-contained visual cues to aid in docking. Similar to devices used to guide pilots in landing on aircraft carriers. Positions and directions of beams of light give observer visual cues of position relative to docking target point. Optical assemblies generate directed, diverging beams of light that, together, mark approach path to docking point. Conceived for use in docking spacecraft at Space Station Freedom, device adapted to numerous industrial docking and alignment applications.

Synthesis and Characterization of a Chitosan Derivative for Electro-Optical Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prastofer, Thomas

1996-01-01

Chitin is a naturally occurring polymer of alpha(1-4) poly N-acetylglucosamine found primarily in the shells of crustaceans and insects. This polymer is chemically and thermally stable and physically durable as a consequence of hydrogen bonding which causes the alignment and ordering of the polymer chains into microcrystals which aggregate into sheets with chiral nematic order. Industry has attempted to take advantage of chitin's properties and low cost (chitin is a waste product of the shellfish industry) to produce durable fibers and other products. This has been largely unsuccessful because of chitin's non reactivity and insolubility. Chitosan is the deacetylation product of chitin and retains many of the structural properties of chitin. Unlike chitin, chitosan is soluble in aqueous solution at reduced pH making it easier to be processed into fibers and films than chitin. Chitosan and its derivatives are now used in such commercial applications as wound dressings, waste water treatment, and in pharmaceuticals. In this study, we have synthesized a chitosan derivative, N-para-nitrophenyl chitosan (NPNPC), as a model material with potential applications in electro optics.

Combining shearography and interferometric fringe projection in a single device for complete control of industrial applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blain, Pascal; Michel, Fabrice; Piron, Pierre; Renotte, Yvon; Habraken, Serge

2013-08-01

Noncontact optical measurement methods are essential tools in many industrial and research domains. A family of new noncontact optical measurement methods based on the polarization states splitting technique and monochromatic light projection as a way to overcome ambient lighting for in-situ measurement has been developed. Recent works on a birefringent element, a Savart plate, allow one to build a more flexible and robust interferometer. This interferometer is a multipurpose metrological device. On one hand the interferometer can be set in front of a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. This optical measurement system is called a shearography interferometer and allows one to measure microdisplacements between two states of the studied object under coherent lighting. On the other hand, by producing and shifting multiple sinusoidal Young's interference patterns with this interferometer, and using a CCD camera, it is possible to build a three-dimensional structured light profilometer.

Microspectrometers: an industry and instrumentation overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neece, Gregory A.

2008-08-01

Microspectrometers, miniature spectrometers, portable spectrometers, or Fiber Optic Spectrometers are some of the names typically given to the class small spectrometers that are derived from simple, fixed optics, and low cost detector arrays. The author will use these terms interchangeably. This class of instrument has been available for over 18 years, gaining industry acceptance with each year. From a very basic optical platform to sophisticated instrumentation for scientific investigation and process control, this class of instrument has evolved substantially since its introduction to the market. For instance it is now possible to cover the range from 200 - 2,500 nm utilizing only two channels of spectrometers with either synchronous or asynchronous channel control. On board processing and memory have enabled the instruments to become fully automated, stand alone sensors communicating with their environment via analog, digital, USB2 and even wireless protocols. New detectors have entered the market enabling solutions "tuned" to the demands of specific applications.

Ultrasensitive plano-concave optical microresonators for ultrasound sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guggenheim, James A.; Li, Jing; Allen, Thomas J.; Colchester, Richard J.; Noimark, Sacha; Ogunlade, Olumide; Parkin, Ivan P.; Papakonstantinou, Ioannis; Desjardins, Adrien E.; Zhang, Edward Z.; Beard, Paul C.

2017-11-01

Highly sensitive broadband ultrasound detectors are needed to expand the capabilities of biomedical ultrasound, photoacoustic imaging and industrial ultrasonic non-destructive testing techniques. Here, a generic optical ultrasound sensing concept based on a novel plano-concave polymer microresonator is described. This achieves strong optical confinement (Q-factors > 105) resulting in very high sensitivity with excellent broadband acoustic frequency response and wide directivity. The concept is highly scalable in terms of bandwidth and sensitivity. To illustrate this, a family of microresonator sensors with broadband acoustic responses up to 40 MHz and noise-equivalent pressures as low as 1.6 mPa per √Hz have been fabricated and comprehensively characterized in terms of their acoustic performance. In addition, their practical application to high-resolution photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging is demonstrated. The favourable acoustic performance and design flexibility of the technology offers new opportunities to advance biomedical and industrial ultrasound-based techniques.

Luminescent sensing and imaging of oxygen: Fierce competition to the Clark electrode

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Luminescence‐based sensing schemes for oxygen have experienced a fast growth and are in the process of replacing the Clark electrode in many fields. Unlike electrodes, sensing is not limited to point measurements via fiber optic microsensors, but includes additional features such as planar sensing, imaging, and intracellular assays using nanosized sensor particles. In this essay, I review and discuss the essentials of (i) common solid‐state sensor approaches based on the use of luminescent indicator dyes and host polymers; (ii) fiber optic and planar sensing schemes; (iii) nanoparticle‐based intracellular sensing; and (iv) common spectroscopies. Optical sensors are also capable of multiple simultaneous sensing (such as O2 and temperature). Sensors for O2 are produced nowadays in large quantities in industry. Fields of application include sensing of O2 in plant and animal physiology, in clinical chemistry, in marine sciences, in the chemical industry and in process biotechnology. PMID:26113255

Nanoporous Metallic Networks: Fabrication, Optical Properties, and Applications.

PubMed

Ron, Racheli; Haleva, Emir; Salomon, Adi

2018-05-17

Nanoporous metallic networks are a group of porous materials made of solid metals with suboptical wavelength sizes of both particles and voids. They are characterized by unique optical properties, as well as high surface area and permeability of guest materials. As such, they attract a great focus as novel materials for photonics, catalysis, sensing, and renewable energy. Their properties together with the ability for scaling-up evoke an increased interest also in the industrial field. Here, fabrication techniques of large-scale metallic networks are discussed, and their interesting optical properties as well as their applications are considered. In particular, the focus is on disordered systems, which may facilitate the fabrication technique, yet, endow the three-dimensional (3D) network with distinct optical properties. These metallic networks bridge the nanoworld into the macroscopic world, and therefore pave the way to the fabrication of innovative materials with unique optoelectronic properties. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Physics through the 1990s: Scientific interfaces and technological applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

The volume examines the scientific interfaces and technological applications of physics. Twelve areas are dealt with: biological physics-biophysics, the brain, and theoretical biology; the physics-chemistry interface-instrumentation, surfaces, neutron and synchrotron radiation, polymers, organic electronic materials; materials science; geophysics-tectonics, the atmosphere and oceans, planets, drilling and seismic exploration, and remote sensing; computational physics-complex systems and applications in basic research; mathematics-field theory and chaos; microelectronics-integrated circuits, miniaturization, future trends; optical information technologies-fiber optics and photonics; instrumentation; physics applications to energy needs and the environment; national security-devices, weapons, and arms control; medical physics-radiology, ultrasonics, MNR, and photonics. An executive summary and many chapters contain recommendations regarding funding, education, industry participation, small-group university research and large facility programs, government agency programs, and computer database needs.

Precision optical device of freeform defects inspection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meguellati, S.

2015-09-01

This method of optical scanning presented in this paper is used for precision measurement deformation in shape or absolute forms in comparison with a reference component form, of optical or mechanical components, on reduced surfaces area that are of the order of some mm2 and more. The principle of the method is to project the image of the source grating to palpate optically surface to be inspected, after reflection; the image of the source grating is printed by the object topography and is then projected onto the plane of reference grating for generate moiré fringe for defects detection. The optical device used allows a significant dimensional surface magnification of up to 1000 times the area inspected for micro-surfaces, which allows easy processing and reaches an exceptional nanometric imprecision of measurements. According to the measurement principle, the sensitivity for displacement measurement using moiré technique depends on the frequency grating, for increase the detection resolution. This measurement technique can be used advantageously to measure the deformations generated by the production process or constraints on functional parts and the influence of these variations on the function. The optical device and optical principle, on which it is based, can be used for automated inspection of industrially produced goods. It can also be used for dimensional control when, for example, to quantify the error as to whether a piece is good or rubbish. It then suffices to compare a figure of moiré fringes with another previously recorded from a piece considered standard; which saves time, money and accuracy. The technique has found various applications in diverse fields, from biomedical to industrial and scientific applications.

Metabolomic Analysis of Liver Cells Exposed to Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene Oxide

EPA Science Inventory

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and other graphenic nanomaterials are being used extensively in industrial, consumer, and mechanical applications based in part on their unique structural, optical and electronic properties. Due to the widespread use of these nanoparticles (NPs), human and...

INSCAN PRO: a fast ultraviolet spectrometer design approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myer, Brian Walker; Dias, João. Mendanha

2013-11-01

Spectroscopy diagnostic techniques have applications in such diverse areas as mechanical and aerospace engineering, physical chemistry, optics, food and pharmaceutical industries. However, the technological state-of-the-art spectrometers do not allow very fast processes to be evaluated or controlled. This ability is crucial in the optimization of industrial processes (welding, burning flames, spark ignition, pulsed radiolysis…) where more theoretical-experimental analysis should be performed. The INSCAN project aims to overcome this technological limitation, to satisfy needs in academia and industrial markets, by developing a compact spectrometer with focal lengths less than 200 mm, taking into account three important aspects: acquisition rate of approximately 10 kHz spectra, spectral resolution on the order of 0.1 nm and operating in the spectral range 200 nm to 700 nm. Initial work is described on the optical design of the device and several possible approaches to achieve the specifications are considered. To guide the first order design, we relate the optical linewidth, spectral bandwidth and imaging properties to component characteristics. The symmetrical Czerny-Turner optical mount was chosen for its flexibility and elaborated using ZEMAX. Predictions made based on the simulated system are compared with calibration and characterization measurements on an experimental test bench used to refine the model assumptions.

DLP-based 3D metrology by structured light or projected fringe technology for life sciences and industrial metrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frankowski, G.; Hainich, R.

2009-02-01

Since the mid-eighties, a fundamental idea for achieving measuring accuracy in projected fringe technology was to consider the projected fringe pattern as an interferogram and evaluate it on the basis of advanced algorithms widely used for phase measuring in real-time interferometry. A fundamental requirement for obtaining a sufficiently high degree of measuring accuracy with this so-called "phase measuring projected fringe technology" is that the projected fringes, analogous to interference fringes, must have a cos2-shaped intensity distribution. Until the mid-nineties, this requirement for the projected fringe pattern measurement technology presented a basic handicap for its wide application in 3D metrology. This situation changed abruptly, when in the nineties Texas Instruments introduced to the market advanced digital light projection on the basis of micro mirror based projection systems, socalled DLP technology, which also facilitated the generation and projection of cos2-shaped intensity and/or fringe patterns. With this DLP technology, which from its original approach was actually oriented towards completely different applications such as multimedia projection, Texas Instruments boosted phase-measuring fringe projection in optical 3D metrology to a worldwide breakthrough both for medical as well as industrial applications. A subject matter of the lecture will be to present the fundamental principles and the resulting advantages of optical 3D metrology based on phase-measuring fringe projection using DLP technology. Further will be presented and discussed applications of the measurement technology in medical engineering and industrial metrology.

Luminescent nanodiamonds for biomedical applications.

PubMed

Say, Jana M; van Vreden, Caryn; Reilly, David J; Brown, Louise J; Rabeau, James R; King, Nicholas J C

2011-12-01

In recent years, nanodiamonds have emerged from primarily an industrial and mechanical applications base, to potentially underpinning sophisticated new technologies in biomedical and quantum science. Nanodiamonds are relatively inexpensive, biocompatible, easy to surface functionalise and optically stable. This combination of physical properties are ideally suited to biological applications, including intracellular labelling and tracking, extracellular drug delivery and adsorptive detection of bioactive molecules. Here we describe some of the methods and challenges for processing nanodiamond materials, detection schemes and some of the leading applications currently under investigation.

Pulse Holography: Review Of Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smigielski, Paul

1990-04-01

Pulse Holography includes studies concerning time-varying phase objects as well as time-varying reflective objects involving the use of pulse ruby- and YAG-lasers. The paper is divided in two parts. One part concerns the direct use of 3-1) images reconstructed from holograms, i.e. applications to particle size analysis, 3-I) velocity measurements, 3-I) cinematography ... The second part describes applications using holographic interferometry in laboratory or in an industrial environment, i.e. applications to fluid mechanics, vibration analysis, non-destructive testing ... Recent developments including interferornetric cineholography, fiber optics, measurement of non-interferometric displacements ... , are also described. The future of holography depends to a great extent on data processing and interpretation of informations contained in holograms or holographic intericrograms. Therefore, we give the state of art in this field in Europe illustrated with some industrial applications.

FTIR Monitoring Of Curing Of Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Druy, Mark A.; Stevenson, William A.; Young, Philip R.

1990-01-01

Infrared-sensing optical fiber system developed to monitor principal infrared absorption bands resulting from vibrations of atoms and molecules as chemical bonds form when resin cured. System monitors resin chemistry more directly. Used to obtain Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum from graphite fiber/polyimide matrix resin prepreg. Embedded fiber optic FTIR sensor used to indicate state of cure of thermosetting composite material. Developed primarily to improve quality of advanced composites, many additional potential applications exist because principal of operation applicable to all organic materials and most inorganic gases. Includes monitoring integrities of composite materials in service, remote sensing of hazardous materials, and examination of processes in industrial reactors and furnaces.

Stack-and-Draw Manufacture Process of a Seven-Core Optical Fiber for Fluorescence Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samir, Ahmed; Batagelj, Bostjan

2018-01-01

Multi-core, optical-fiber technology is expected to be used in telecommunications and sensory systems in a relatively short amount of time. However, a successful transition from research laboratories to industry applications will only be possible with an optimized design and manufacturing process. The fabrication process is an important aspect in designing and developing new multi-applicable, multi-core fibers, where the best candidate is a seven-core fiber. Here, the basics for designing and manufacturing a single-mode, seven-core fiber using the stack-and-draw process is described for the example of a fluorescence sensory system.

Physics and Industrial Development - Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Physics and Industrial Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gazzinelli, R.; Moreira, R. L.; Rodrigues, W. N.

1997-04-01

The Table of Contents for the full book PDF is as follows: * Preface * Sponsors * Committees * Opening Lecture * Relations between Science and Industry in Brazil * Technological Change and Economic Development * Science and Economic Development * Recent Technological Change and Industrial Dynamics * Technology and Economic Development: Suitability of the Institutional System of Minais Gerais * Bridging the Gap * Transfer of Scientific Results into Industry: A Controversial Problem in Central and Eastern Europe * Bridging the Gap Between Basic Research and Industrial Development at the J. STEFAN Institute * Liquid Crystals: A Case Study of the Interaction Between Science and Application * Role of Physics in the Modern Industrialization Process of Korea * Research in Industry * A Theoretical Physicist's 21-Year Experience in the Argentine Industry * Four Characters in Search of a Profession * Status and Prospects for the Use of Renewable Sources of Energy in Minas Gerais State-Brazil * University-Industry Cooperation I * Development and Industrialization of Fiber Optics Metrology Equipment * Finnish Experiences on University-Industry Collaboration in Materials Science and Physical Metallurgy * A Conceptual Framework for Understanding the Interaction between Academic Research and Industry * Technological Modernization of the Alkaline Cooking Process for the Production of Masa and Tortilla * The Fapergs Program on University Versus Private Enterprise * Integral Development Centers: Tying Mexican Industry With the National Polytechnic Institute * Materials Characterization and Applied Physics * Imaging Manganese Sulfide Inclusions in Grain Oriented Silicon Steels * Electrical Resistivity Changes Associated to Static Strain Aging in High Carbon Steel * PVD Hard Coatings for Wear Applications * Scanning Acoustic Microscopy: Application to Porous Materials * Indentation Testing of Thennal Sprayed WC-Co * Applications of Capillary Electrophoresis with Laserinduced Fluorescence Detector in Biological Sciences and Chemistry * Quality Assessment of Solder Bonds of Printed Circuit Boards by Metallography * Observation of InAs Nanostructures on (100)-GaAs Substrate with Atomic Force Microscopy * In Situ Observations By Atomic Force Microscopy of Corrosion of An Aluminium Film in a Solution of HCl * Atomic Force Microscopy of Metallurgical Interactions in Integrated Circuit Contacts * Atomic Force Microscopy of Microcavity Semiconductor Devices * Characterization of the Emitted Air Particies By Steel Industries * A Comparative Study of the Anodic Behavior of Duplex Stainless Steels - Din 1.4462-In Synthetic Sea-water * Study of the Corrosion Resistance of Duplex Stainless Steels in Solutions Containing Chlorides, Compared with other Stainless Steels * Development of New Materials and Devices * Development of the Electronic Signal in Proportional Detectors * Development of a Portable Ultrasound Equipment for Backfat Evaluation of Live Pigs * Thermal Barrier Coatings by Plasma Spraying * Scaling in Fragmentation Phenomena * A Study of Sn:In2O3 (ITO)/CuInSe2 Heterojunction for Solar Energy Applications * Organising a Ceramic Powder Shape Electronic Database * Feasibility of a Mixer Using the Negative Resistance of a SNS Junction * Characteristics of v-SiO2 Melted in Refractory Metal Furnace * Lasers for Industrial and Medical Applications * Portable Cat Scanner Applied to Collapsible Soil Studies * Experiments with Slip Casting of Fine Ceramics and v-SiO2 * R2Fe17 Halides: The Birth of a Material for Potential Hard Magnetic Applications * Computerized System for Embryos Freezing Protocols Development * Ferroelectric Parent Materials as Possible High-Tc Superconductors: High Temperature Magnetic and Electric Properties of Modified BNN and SBN * CVD Diamond: Emerging Technology for Many Applications * Development of New Techniques and Processes * Application of Mechanical Relaxation Spectroscopy to the Development of Low Carbon Steels * Measurement of Root Length by Digital Image Analysis * A Simple Model of a Glow Discharge Electron Beam for Materials Processing * Decorative Colored Oxide Coatings on Stainless Steel * Strengthening of Steel-Thermal-Sprayed -We-Co Interface * Protein Crystallography Station at LNLS * Fast Neural Systems for Experimental Physics and Industrial Applications: The Sennape Project * Automatic System for Measuring Myopia, Hyperopia and Astigmatism * The Feasibility of Pumping the He/Ne/H2, 585.3 nm Laser with the IPRl Steady State Triga Reactor * Optical and Mechanical Design of an Ophthalmic lnstrument: Slit Lamp * A Simple Model for Laser Ablation * University-Industry Cooperation II * From Basic Research in Plasma Physics to Applications in the Metal Mechanic Industry in Santa FE, Argentina * Role of the State in Bridging the Gap Between the Scientific and the Industrial Sectors. Experience in Province of Santa FE, Argentina * Physics in the BEM Program: Biomass-Energy-Materials * Production of Advanced Hard Materials - An Experience of Physical Research for Industry

Clear Castable Polyurethane Elastomer for Fabrication of Microfluidic Devices

PubMed Central

Domansky, Karel; Leslie, Daniel C.; McKinney, James; Fraser, Jacob P.; Sliz, Josiah D.; Hamkins-Indik, Tiama; Hamilton, Geraldine A.; Bahinski, Anthony; Ingber, Donald E.

2013-01-01

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has numerous desirable properties for fabricating microfluidic devices, including optical transparency, flexibility, biocompatibility, and fabrication by casting; however, partitioning of small hydrophobic molecules into the bulk of PDMS hinders industrial acceptance of PDMS microfluidic devices for chemical processing and drug development applications. Here we describe an attractive alternative material that is similar to PDMS in terms of optical transparency, flexibility and castability, but that is also resistant to absorption of small hydrophobic molecules. PMID:23954953

Fiber optic hydrogen sensors: a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Minghong; Dai, Jixiang

2014-12-01

Hydrogen is one of the next generation energies in the future, which shows promising applications in aerospace and chemical industries. Hydrogen leakage monitoring is very dangerous and important because of its low ignition energy, high combustion efficiency, and smallest molecule. This paper reviews the state-of-art development of the fiber optic hydrogen sensing technology. The main developing trends of fiber optic hydrogen sensors are based on two kinds of hydrogen sensitive materials, i.e. palladium-alloy thin films and Pt-doped WO3 coatings. In this review work, the advantages and disadvantages of these two kinds of sensing technologies will be evaluated.

Deep Proton Writing for the rapid prototyping of polymer micro-components for optical interconnects and optofluidics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Erps, Jürgen; Vervaeke, Michael; Ottevaere, Heidi; Hermanne, Alex; Thienpont, Hugo

2013-07-01

The use of photonics in data communication and numerous other industrial applications brought plenty of prospects for innovation and opened up different unexplored market opportunities. This is a major driving force for the fabrication of micro-optical and micro-mechanical structures and their accurate alignment and integration into opto-mechanical modules and systems. To this end, we present Deep Proton Writing (DPW) as a powerful rapid prototyping technology for such micro-components. The DPW process consists of bombarding polymer samples (PMMA or SU-8) with swift protons, which results after chemical processing steps in high-quality micro-optical components. One of the strengths of the DPW micro-fabrication technology is the ability to fabricate monolithic building blocks that include micro-optical and mechanical functionalities which can be precisely integrated into more complex photonic systems. In this paper we comment on how we shifted from using 8.3 to 16.5 MeV protons for DPW and give some examples of micro-optical and micro-mechanical components recently fabricated through DPW, targeting applications in optical interconnections and in optofluidics.

Multiline radar scan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levinson, S.

1977-01-01

Scanning scheme is more efficient than conventional scanning. Originally designed for optical radar in space vehicles, scheme may also find uses in site-surveillance security systems and in other industrial applications. It should be particularly useful when system must run on battery energy, as would be case in power outages.

Biomarker analysis of liver cells exposed to surfactant-wrapped and oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)

EPA Science Inventory

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have great potential in industrial, consumer, and mechanical applications, based partly on their unique structural, optical and electronic properties. CNTs are commonly oxidized or treated with surfactants to facilitate aqueous solution processing, and the...

Advanced glossmeters for industrial applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuivalainen, Kalle; Oksman, Antti; Juuti, Mikko; Myller, Kari; Peiponen, Kai-Erik

2010-05-01

In this paper, we present three new types of diffractive-optical-element (DOE)-based glossmeters (DOGs) that have been developed for both laboratory and online local specular gloss measurements of objects in industrial processes. The three are denoted as the handheld wireless glossmeter, µDOG two-dimensional (2D) and µDOG one-dimensional (1D), respectively. These glossmeters are designed to operate under conditions where gloss measurement with conventional glossmeters is impossible or difficult, or when fine structures of the gloss over a surface are an issue. Here, we show the applicability of the handheld glossmeter and µDOG 2D in the inspection of gloss from rough stainless steel plates finished by different machining methods. We also briefly introduce the concept of online gauge µDOG 1D for gloss assessment in industrial measurement environments.

Electron trapping optical data storage system and applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brower, Daniel; Earman, Allen; Chaffin, M. H.

1993-01-01

A new technology developed at Optex Corporation out-performs all other existing data storage technologies. The Electron Trapping Optical Memory (ETOM) media stores 14 gigabytes of uncompressed data on a single, double-sided 130 mm disk with a data transfer rate of up to 120 megabits per second. The disk is removable, compact, lightweight, environmentally stable, and robust. Since the Write/Read/Erase (W/R/E) processes are carried out photonically, no heating of the recording media is required. Therefore, the storage media suffers no deleterious effects from repeated W/R/E cycling. This rewritable data storage technology has been developed for use as a basis for numerous data storage products. Industries that can benefit from the ETOM data storage technologies include: satellite data and information systems, broadcasting, video distribution, image processing and enhancement, and telecommunications. Products developed for these industries are well suited for the demanding store-and-forward buffer systems, data storage, and digital video systems needed for these applications.

Laser and optics activities at CREOL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stickley, C.M.

1995-06-01

CREOL is an interdisciplinary institute with a mission to foster and support research and education in the optical and laser sciences and engineering. CREOL`s principal members are its 21-strong faculty. The faculty are encouraged and supported in developing, maintaining, and expanding innovative and sponsored research programs, especially ones that are coupled to industry`s needs. The CREOL Director and Assistant Director, through empowerment by the CREOL faculty, coordinate and oversee the interactive, interdisciplinary projects of the faculty, the 85 graduate students and the 39 research staff. CREOL integrates these research efforts with the general educational mission and goals of the university,more » develops comprehensive course work in the optical and laser sciences and engineering, provides guidance and instruction to graduate students, administers MS and PhD programs, and provides facilities, funds, and administrative support to assist the faculty in carrying out CREOL`s mission and obtaining financial support for the research projects. CREOL`s specific areas of research activity include the following: IR systems; nonlinear optics; crystal growth; nonlinear integrated optics; new solid-state lasers; tunable far-infrared lasers; thin-film optics; theory; semiconductor lasers; x-ray/optical scattering; laser-induced damage; free-electron lasers; solid-state spectroscopy; x-ray sources and applications; laser propagation; laser processing of materials; optical design; optical limiting/sensor protection; diffractive optics; quantum well optoelectronics; dense plasmas/high-field physics; laser radar and remote sensing; diode-based lasers; and glass science.« less

Thermo-optically tunable thin film devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domash, Lawrence H.

2003-10-01

We report advances in tunable thin film technology and demonstration of multi-cavity tunable filters. Thin film interference coatings are the most widely used optical technology for telecom filtering, but until recently no tunable versions have been known except for mechanically rotated filters. We describe a new approach to broadly tunable components based on the properties of semiconductor thin films with large thermo-optic coefficients. The technology is based on amorphous silicon deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), a process adapted for telecom applications from its origins in the flat-panel display and solar cell industries. Unlike MEMS devices, tunable thin films can be constructed in sophisticated multi-cavity, multi-layer optical designs.

Roadmap on silicon photonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomson, David; Zilkie, Aaron; Bowers, John E.; Komljenovic, Tin; Reed, Graham T.; Vivien, Laurent; Marris-Morini, Delphine; Cassan, Eric; Virot, Léopold; Fédéli, Jean-Marc; Hartmann, Jean-Michel; Schmid, Jens H.; Xu, Dan-Xia; Boeuf, Frédéric; O'Brien, Peter; Mashanovich, Goran Z.; Nedeljkovic, M.

2016-07-01

Silicon photonics research can be dated back to the 1980s. However, the previous decade has witnessed an explosive growth in the field. Silicon photonics is a disruptive technology that is poised to revolutionize a number of application areas, for example, data centers, high-performance computing and sensing. The key driving force behind silicon photonics is the ability to use CMOS-like fabrication resulting in high-volume production at low cost. This is a key enabling factor for bringing photonics to a range of technology areas where the costs of implementation using traditional photonic elements such as those used for the telecommunications industry would be prohibitive. Silicon does however have a number of shortcomings as a photonic material. In its basic form it is not an ideal material in which to produce light sources, optical modulators or photodetectors for example. A wealth of research effort from both academia and industry in recent years has fueled the demonstration of multiple solutions to these and other problems, and as time progresses new approaches are increasingly being conceived. It is clear that silicon photonics has a bright future. However, with a growing number of approaches available, what will the silicon photonic integrated circuit of the future look like? This roadmap on silicon photonics delves into the different technology and application areas of the field giving an insight into the state-of-the-art as well as current and future challenges faced by researchers worldwide. Contributions authored by experts from both industry and academia provide an overview and outlook for the silicon waveguide platform, optical sources, optical modulators, photodetectors, integration approaches, packaging, applications of silicon photonics and approaches required to satisfy applications at mid-infrared wavelengths. Advances in science and technology required to meet challenges faced by the field in each of these areas are also addressed together with predictions of where the field is destined to reach.

Nanotechnology: current uses and future applications in the food industry.

PubMed

Thiruvengadam, Muthu; Rajakumar, Govindasamy; Chung, Ill-Min

2018-01-01

Recent advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology intend new and innovative applications in the food industry. Nanotechnology exposed to be an efficient method in many fields, particularly the food industry and the area of functional foods. Though as is the circumstance with the growth of any novel food processing technology, food packaging material, or food ingredient, additional studies are needed to demonstrate the potential benefits of nanotechnologies and engineered nanomaterials designed for use in foods without adverse health effects. Nanoemulsions display numerous advantages over conventional emulsions due to the small droplets size they contain: high optical clarity, excellent physical constancy against gravitational partition and droplet accumulation, and improved bioavailability of encapsulated materials, which make them suitable for food applications. Nano-encapsulation is the most significant favorable technologies having the possibility to ensnare bioactive chemicals. This review highlights the applications of current nanotechnology research in food technology and agriculture, including nanoemulsion, nanocomposites, nanosensors, nano-encapsulation, food packaging, and propose future developments in the developing field of agrifood nanotechnology. Also, an overview of nanostructured materials, and their current applications and future perspectives in food science are also presented.

High-power fiber optic cable with integrated active sensors for live process monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blomster, Ola; Blomqvist, Mats; Bergstrand, Hans; Pålsson, Magnus

2012-03-01

In industrial applications using high-brilliance lasers at power levels up to and exceeding 20 kW and similarly direct diode lasers of 10 kW, there is an increasing demand to continuously monitor component status even in passive components such as fiber-optic cables. With fiber-optic cables designed according to the European Automotive Industry fiber standard interface there is room for integrating active sensors inside the connectors. In this paper we present the integrated active sensors in the new Optoskand QD fiber-optic cable designed to handle extreme levels of power losses, and how these sensors can be employed in industrial manufacturing. The sensors include photo diodes for detection of scattered light inside the fiber connector, absolute temperature of the fiber connector, difference in temperature of incoming and outgoing cooling water, and humidity measurement inside the fiber connector. All these sensors are connected to the fiber interlock system, where interlock break enable functions can be activated when measured signals are higher than threshold levels. It is a very fast interlock break system as the control of the signals is integrated in the electronics inside the fiber connector. Also, since all signals can be logged it is possible to evaluate what happened inside the connector before the interlock break instance. The communication to the fiber-optic connectors is via a CAN interface. Thus it is straightforward to develop the existing laser host control to also control the CAN-messages from the QD sensors.

Evaluating a novel application of optical fibre evanescent field absorbance: rapid measurement of red colour in winegrape homogenates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lye, Peter G.; Bradbury, Ronald; Lamb, David W.

Silica optical fibres were used to measure colour (mg anthocyanin/g fresh berry weight) in samples of red wine grape homogenates via optical Fibre Evanescent Field Absorbance (FEFA). Colour measurements from 126 samples of grape homogenate were compared against the standard industry spectrophotometric reference method that involves chemical extraction and subsequent optical absorption measurements of clarified samples at 520 nm. FEFA absorbance on homogenates at 520 nm (FEFA520h) was correlated with the industry reference method measurements of colour (R2 = 0.46, n = 126). Using a simple regression equation colour could be predicted with a standard error of cross-validation (SECV) of 0.21 mg/g, with a range of 0.6 to 2.2 mg anthocyanin/g and a standard deviation of 0.33 mg/g. With a Ratio of Performance Deviation (RPD) of 1.6, the technique when utilizing only a single detection wavelength, is not robust enough to apply in a diagnostic sense, however the results do demonstrate the potential of the FEFA method as a fast and low-cost assay of colour in homogenized samples.

Optical fiber extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric (EFPI)-based biosensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elster, Jennifer L.; Jones, Mark E.; Evans, Mishell K.; Lenahan, Shannon M.; Boyce, Christopher A.; Velander, William H.; VanTassell, Roger

2000-05-01

A novel system incorporating optical fiber extrinsic Fabry- Perot interferometric (EFPI)-based sensors for rapid detection of biological targets is presented. With the appropriate configuration, the EFPI senor is able to measure key environmental parameters by monitoring the interferometric fringes resulting from an optical path differences of reflected signals. The optical fiber EFPI sensor has been demonstrated for strain, pressure, and temperature measurements and can be readily modified for refractive index measurements by allowing solutions to flow into an open cavity. The sensor allows for highly sensitive, real-time, refractive index measurements and by applying affinity coatings containing ligands within this cavity, specific binding of target molecules can be accomplished. As target molecules bind to the coating, there is an increased density within the film, causing a measurable refractive index change that correlates to the concentration of detected target molecules. This sensor platform offers enhanced sensing capabilities for clinical diagnostics, pharmaceutical screening, environmental monitoring, food pathogen detection, biological warfare agent detection, and industrial bioprocessing. Promising applications also exist for process monitoring within the food/beverage, petroleum, and chemical industry.

Programmable logic controller optical fibre sensor interface module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allwood, Gary; Wild, Graham; Hinckley, Steven

2011-12-01

Most automated industrial processes use Distributed Control Systems (DCSs) or Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) for automated control. PLCs tend to be more common as they have much of the functionality of DCSs, although they are generally cheaper to install and maintain. PLCs in conjunction with a human machine interface form the basis of Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, combined with communication infrastructure and Remote Terminal Units (RTUs). RTU's basically convert different sensor measurands in to digital data that is sent back to the PLC or supervisory system. Optical fibre sensors are becoming more common in industrial processes because of their many advantageous properties. Being small, lightweight, highly sensitive, and immune to electromagnetic interference, means they are an ideal solution for a variety of diverse sensing applications. Here, we have developed a PLC Optical Fibre Sensor Interface Module (OFSIM), in which an optical fibre is connected directly to the OFSIM located next to the PLC. The embedded fibre Bragg grating sensors, are highly sensitive and can detect a number of different measurands such as temperature, pressure and strain without the need for a power supply.

The Role of Rendering in the Competence Project in Measurement Science for Optical Reflection and Scattering

PubMed Central

Westlund, Harold B.; Meyer, Gary W.; Hunt, Fern Y.

2002-01-01

Computer rendering is used to simulate the appearance of lighted objects for applications in architectural design, for animation and simulation in the entertainment industry, and for display and design in the automobile industry. Rapid advances in computer graphics technology suggest that in the near future it will be possible to produce photorealistic images of coated surfaces from scattering data. This could enable the identification of important parameters in the coatings manufacturing process that lead to desirable appearance, and to the design of virtual surfaces by visualizing prospective coating formulations once their optical properties are known. Here we report the results of our work to produce visually and radiometrically accurate renderings of selected appearance attributes of sample coated surfaces. It required changes in the rendering programs, which in general are not designed to accept high quality optical and material measurements, and changes in the optical measurement protocols. An outcome of this research is that some current ASTM standards can be replaced or enhanced by computer based standards of appearance. PMID:27446729

CD-ROMs Proliferate--Part 2: Business/Science/Government CD-ROM Disks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Desmarais, Norman

1989-01-01

This second of a two-part article on CD-ROM products highlights applications relating to business, medicine, law, government, education, science, geography, linguistics, aviation, florists, and newsreel summaries. The names and addresses of 45 vendors connected with the optical publishing industry are listed. (LRW)

Developments in optical modeling methods for metrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davidson, Mark P.

1999-06-01

Despite the fact that in recent years the scanning electron microscope has come to dominate the linewidth measurement application for wafer manufacturing, there are still many applications for optical metrology and alignment. These include mask metrology, stepper alignment, and overlay metrology. Most advanced non-optical lithographic technologies are also considering using topics for alignment. In addition, there have been a number of in-situ technologies proposed which use optical measurements to control one aspect or another of the semiconductor process. So optics is definitely not dying out in the semiconductor industry. In this paper a description of recent advances in optical metrology and alignment modeling is presented. The theory of high numerical aperture image simulation for partially coherent illumination is discussed. The implications of telecentric optics on the image simulation is also presented. Reciprocity tests are proposed as an important measure of numerical accuracy. Diffraction efficiencies for chrome gratings on reticles are one good way to test Kirchoff's approximation as compared to rigorous calculations. We find significant differences between the predictions of Kirchoff's approximation and rigorous methods. The methods for simulating brightfield, confocal, and coherence probe microscope imags are outlined, as are methods for describing aberrations such as coma, spherical aberration, and illumination aperture decentering.

Optical engine initiation: multiple compartment applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunt, Jeffrey H.

2009-05-01

Modern day propulsion systems are used in aerospace applications for different purposes. The aerospace industry typically requires propulsion systems to operate in a rocket mode in order to drive large boost vehicles. The defense industry generally requires propulsion systems to operate in an air-breathing mode in order to drive missiles. A mixed system could use an air-breathing first stage and a rocket-mode upper stage for space access. Thus, propulsion systems can be used for high mass payloads and where the payload is dominated by the fuel/oxidizer mass being used by the propulsion system. The pulse detonation wave engine (PDWE) uses an alternative type of detonation cycle to achieve the same propulsion results. The primary component of the PDWE is the combustion chamber (or detonation tube). The PDWE represents an attractive propulsion source since its engine cycle is thermodynamically closest to that of a constant volume reaction. This characteristic leads to the inference that a maximum of the potential energy of the PDWE is put into thrust and not into flow work. Consequently, the volume must be increased. The technical community has increasingly adopted the alternative choice of increasing total volume by designing the engine to include a set of banks of smaller combustion chambers. This technique increases the complexity of the ignition subsystem because the inter-chamber timing must be considered. Current approaches to igniting the PDWE have involved separate shock or blast wave initiators and chemical additives designed to enhance detonatibility. An optical ignition subsystem generates a series of optical pulses, where the optical pulses ignite the fuel/oxidizer mixture such that the chambers detonate in a desired order. The detonation system also has an optical transport subsystem for transporting the optical pulses from the optical ignition subsystem to the chambers. The use of optical ignition and transport provides a non-toxic, small, lightweight, precisely controlled detonation system.

Search for technological advantages and commercial success in sensor applications: lessons of industrial trials for fiber multianalyzer technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McMillan, Norman D.; Baker, M.; O'Neill, M.; Smith, Stuart; Augousti, Andreas T.; Mason, Julian; Ryan, Bernard; Ryan, R. A.

1999-01-01

The multianalyzer is a powerful amplitude modulated fiber optic sensor which is perhaps quite typical of so many sensor innovations in that it is a technology looking for an application. Consequently, a series of collaborations with fruit juice, brewing, distilling, biotechnology and polymer industries were made with the objective of identifying potential applications of the multianalyzer. An assessment of these interactions is made for each of the industrial fields explored, by giving for each, just one positive result from the work. The results are then critically assessed. While these studies have illustrated the universal nature of the technology, in every case, lessons have been drawn of a general nature. This experience in particular underlined the difficulty in acceptance of a fiber based technology in industrial process monitoring, against the backdrop of the conservative practice of industry with long established instrumentation. The hard won experience of this product development has shown the vital important of technologists understanding the difference between the marketing concepts of features, benefits and advantages. Three categories of conclusions are drawn, the technical, the commercial, and finally, conclusions drawn from generalizations of the project by the Kingston partners based on their own independent experience in sensor development involving industrial and medical collaborations.

MEMS and FOG Technologies for Tactical and Navigation Grade Inertial Sensors—Recent Improvements and Comparison

PubMed Central

Deppe, Olaf; Dorner, Georg; König, Stefan; Martin, Tim; Voigt, Sven; Zimmermann, Steffen

2017-01-01

In the following paper, we present an industry perspective of inertial sensors for navigation purposes driven by applications and customer needs. Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) inertial sensors have revolutionized consumer, automotive, and industrial applications and they have started to fulfill the high end tactical grade performance requirements of hybrid navigation systems on a series production scale. The Fiber Optic Gyroscope (FOG) technology, on the other hand, is further pushed into the near navigation grade performance region and beyond. Each technology has its special pros and cons making it more or less suitable for specific applications. In our overview paper, we present latest improvements at NG LITEF in tactical and navigation grade MEMS accelerometers, MEMS gyroscopes, and Fiber Optic Gyroscopes, based on our long-term experience in the field. We demonstrate how accelerometer performance has improved by switching from wet etching to deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) technology. For MEMS gyroscopes, we show that better than 1°/h series production devices are within reach, and for FOGs we present how limitations in noise performance were overcome by signal processing. The paper also intends a comparison of the different technologies, emphasizing suitability for different navigation applications, thus providing guidance to system engineers. PMID:28287483

Application of Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing technology to transmissive optic metrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rammage, Ron R.; Neal, Daniel R.; Copland, Richard J.

2002-11-01

Human vision correction optics must be produced in quantity to be economical. At the same time every human eye is unique and requires a custom corrective solution. For this reason the vision industries need fast, versatile and accurate methodologies for characterizing optics for production and research. Current methods for measuring these optics generally yield a cubic spline taken from less than 10 points across the surface of the lens. As corrective optics have grown in complexity this has become inadequate. The Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor is a device that measures phase and irradiance of light in a single snapshot using geometric properties of light. Advantages of the Shack-Hartmann sensor include small size, ruggedness, accuracy, and vibration insensitivity. This paper discusses a methodology for designing instruments based on Shack-Hartmann sensors. The method is then applied to the development of an instrument for accurate measurement of transmissive optics such as gradient bifocal spectacle lenses, progressive addition bifocal lenses, intrarocular devices, contact lenses, and human corneal tissue. In addition, this instrument may be configured to provide hundreds of points across the surface of the lens giving improved spatial resolution. Methods are explored for extending the dynamic range and accuracy to meet the expanding needs of the ophthalmic and optometric industries. Data is presented demonstrating the accuracy and repeatability of this technique for the target optics.

VCSEL proliferation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tatum, Jim

2007-02-01

Since the commercialization of Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) in 1996, Finisar's Advanced Optical Components Division has shipped well over 50 Million VCSELs. The vast majority of these were shipped into the data communications industry, which was essentially the only volume application until 2005. The driver for VCSEL manufacturing might well shift to the increasingly popular laser based optical mouse. The advantages of the laser based mouse over traditional LED mice include operation on a wider range of surfaces, higher resolution, and increased battery lifetime. What is the next application that will drive growth in VCSELs? This paper will offer a historical perspective on the emergence of VCSELs from the laboratory to reality, and the companies that have played key roles in VCSEL commercialization. Furthermore, a perspective on the market needs of future VCSEL development and applications is described.

Noncontacting Optical Measurement And Inspection Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asher, Jeffrey A.; Jackson, Robert L.

1986-10-01

Product inspection continues to play a growing role in the improvement of quality and reduction of scrap. Recent emphasis on precision measurements and in-process inspection have been a driving force for the development of noncontacting sensors. Noncontacting sensors can provide long term, unattended use due to the lack of sensor wear. Further, in applications where, sensor contact can damage or geometrically change the part to be measured or inspected, noncontacting sensors are the only technical approach available. MTI is involved in the development and sale of noncontacting sensors and custom inspection systems. This paper will review the recent advances in noncontacting sensor development. Machine vision and fiber optics sensor systems are finding a wide variety of industrial inspection applications. This paper will provide detailed examples of several state-of-the-art applications for these noncontacting sensors.

Probing the Interplay of Size, Shape, and Solution Environment in Macromolecular Diffusion Using a Simple Refraction Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mankidy, Bijith D.; Coutinho, Cecil A.; Gupta, Vinay K.

2010-01-01

The diffusion coefficient of polymers is a critical parameter in biomedicine, catalysis, chemical separations, nanotechnology, and other industrial applications. Here, measurement of macromolecular diffusion in solutions is described using a visually instructive, undergraduate-level optical refraction experiment based on Weiner's method. To…

Gas Lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dixit, S. K.

The field of gas lasers, started with the invention of He-Ne laser in 1961, has witnessed tremendous growth in terms of technology development, research into gaseous gain medium, resonator physics and application in widely diverse arenas. This was possible due to high versatility of gas lasers in terms of operating wavelengths, power, beam quality and mode of operation. In recent years, there is a definite trend to replace the gas lasers, wherever possible, by more efficient and compact solid-state lasers. However, for many industrial, medical and military applications, the gas lasers still rule the roost due to their high-power capabilities with good beam quality at specific wavelengths. This chapter presents a short review covering the operating principle, important technical details and application potential of all the important gas lasers such as He-Ne, CO2, argon ion, copper vapour, excimer and chemical lasers. These neutral atoms, ions and molecule gas lasers are discussed as per applicable electrical, chemical and optical excitation schemes. The optically pumped gas lasers, recently experiencing resurgence, are discussed in the context of far infrared THz molecular lasers, diode-pumped alkali lasers and optically pumped gas-filled hollow-core fibre lasers.

Broadband interference lithography at extreme ultraviolet and soft x-ray wavelengths.

PubMed

Mojarad, Nassir; Fan, Daniel; Gobrecht, Jens; Ekinci, Yasin

2014-04-15

Manufacturing efficient and broadband optics is of high technological importance for various applications in all wavelength regimes. Particularly in the extreme ultraviolet and soft x-ray spectra, this becomes challenging due to the involved atomic absorption edges that rapidly change the optical constants in these ranges. Here we demonstrate a new interference lithography grating mask that can be used for nanopatterning in this spectral range. We demonstrate photolithography with cutting-edge resolution at 6.5 and 13.5 nm wavelengths, relevant to the semiconductor industry, as well as using 2.5 and 4.5 nm wavelength for patterning thick photoresists and fabricating high-aspect-ratio metal nanostructures for plasmonics and sensing applications.

Next generation information communication infrastructure and case studies for future power systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Bin

As power industry enters the new century, powerful driving forces, uncertainties and new functions are compelling electric utilities to make dramatic changes in their information communication infrastructure. Expanding network services such as real time measurement and monitoring are also driving the need for more bandwidth in the communication network. These needs will grow further as new remote real-time protection and control applications become more feasible and pervasive. This dissertation addresses two main issues for the future power system information infrastructure: communication network infrastructure and associated power system applications. Optical networks no doubt will become the predominant data transmission media for next generation power system communication. The rapid development of fiber optic network technology poses new challenges in the areas of topology design, network management and real time applications. Based on advanced fiber optic technologies, an all-fiber network is investigated and proposed. The study will cover the system architecture and data exchange protocol aspects. High bandwidth, robust optical networks could provide great opportunities to the power system for better service and efficient operation. In the dissertation, different applications are investigated. One of the typical applications is the SCADA information accessing system. An Internet-based application for the substation automation system will be presented. VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) technology is also used for one-line diagrams auto-generation. High transition rate and low latency optical network is especially suitable for power system real time control. In the dissertation, a new local area network based Load Shedding Controller (LSC) for isolated power system will be presented. By using PMU (Phasor Measurement Unit) and fiber optic network, an AGE (Area Generation Error) based accurate wide area load shedding scheme will also be proposed. The objective is to shed the load in the limited area with minimum disturbance.

Design of graded refractive index profile for silica multimode optical fibers with improved effective modal bandwidth for short-distance laser-based multi-Gigabit data transmission over "O"-band

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourdine, Anton V.; Zhukov, Alexander E.

2017-04-01

High bit rate laser-based data transmission over silica optical fibers with enlarged core diameter in comparison with standard singlemode fibers is found variety infocommunication applications. Since IEEE 802.3z standard was ratified on 1998 this technique started to be widely used for short-range in-premises distributed multi-Gigabit networks based on new generation laser optimized multimode fibers 50/125 of Cat. OM2…OM4. Nowadays it becomes to be in demand for on-board cable systems and industrial network applications requiring 1Gps and more bit rates over fibers with extremely enlarged core diameter up to 100 μm. This work presents an alternative method for design the special refractive index profiles of silica few-mode fibers with extremely enlarged core diameter, that provides modal bandwidth enhancing under a few-mode regime of laser-based data optical transmission. Here some results are presented concerning with refractive index profile synthesis for few-mode fibers with reduced differential mode delay for "O"-band central region, as well as computed differential mode delay spectral curves corresponding to profiles for fibers 50/125 and 100/125 for in-premises and on-board/industrial cable systems.

Computationally effective solution of the inverse problem in time-of-flight spectroscopy.

PubMed

Kamran, Faisal; Abildgaard, Otto H A; Subash, Arman A; Andersen, Peter E; Andersson-Engels, Stefan; Khoptyar, Dmitry

2015-03-09

Photon time-of-flight (PTOF) spectroscopy enables the estimation of absorption and reduced scattering coefficients of turbid media by measuring the propagation time of short light pulses through turbid medium. The present investigation provides a comparison of the assessed absorption and reduced scattering coefficients from PTOF measurements of intralipid 20% and India ink-based optical phantoms covering a wide range of optical properties relevant for biological tissues and dairy products. Three different models are used to obtain the optical properties by fitting to measured temporal profiles: the Liemert-Kienle model (LKM), the diffusion model (DM) and a white Monte-Carlo (WMC) simulation-based algorithm. For the infinite space geometry, a very good agreement is found between the LKM and WMC, while the results obtained by the DM differ, indicating that the LKM can provide accurate estimation of the optical parameters beyond the limits of the diffusion approximation in a computational effective and accurate manner. This result increases the potential range of applications for PTOF spectroscopy within industrial and biomedical applications.

Luminescent sensing and imaging of oxygen: fierce competition to the Clark electrode.

PubMed

Wolfbeis, Otto S

2015-08-01

Luminescence-based sensing schemes for oxygen have experienced a fast growth and are in the process of replacing the Clark electrode in many fields. Unlike electrodes, sensing is not limited to point measurements via fiber optic microsensors, but includes additional features such as planar sensing, imaging, and intracellular assays using nanosized sensor particles. In this essay, I review and discuss the essentials of (i) common solid-state sensor approaches based on the use of luminescent indicator dyes and host polymers; (ii) fiber optic and planar sensing schemes; (iii) nanoparticle-based intracellular sensing; and (iv) common spectroscopies. Optical sensors are also capable of multiple simultaneous sensing (such as O2 and temperature). Sensors for O2 are produced nowadays in large quantities in industry. Fields of application include sensing of O2 in plant and animal physiology, in clinical chemistry, in marine sciences, in the chemical industry and in process biotechnology. © 2015 The Author. Bioessays published by WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

MEMS-based microprojection system with a 1.5cc optical engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilcher, Lucio; Abelé, Nicolas

2012-03-01

Lemoptix develops next-generation of Micro-Opto-Electromechanical Systems (MOEMS)-based laser scanning and microprojection technologies and products for professional and industrial applications. Lemoptix LSCAN laser scanning micromirrors are designed to be integrated by OEM (original equipment manufacturer) customers into a number of applications such as printers and industrial sensors, enhancing performances and enabling the development of smaller, higher resolution and lower cost products. Lemoptix MVIEW, world's smallest laser microprojection systems are ideal for integration by OEMs and ODMs (original design manufacturers) into various demanding applications such as headup displays in cars or mobile devices. Embedded MVIEW modules will enable the projection of content and information directly from the device on any nearby surface, enabling users to conveniently view and share information and content without the typical limitations of physical displays.

DNA-based nonlinear photonic materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heckman, Emily M.; Grote, James G.; Yaney, Perry P.; Hopkins, F. K.

2004-10-01

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), extracted from salmon sperm through an enzyme isolation process, is a by-product of Japan"s fishing industry. To make DNA a suitable material for nonlinear optic (NLO) applications, it is precipitated with a surfactant complex, hexadecyltrimethlammonium chloride (CTMA). Preliminary characterization studies suggest DNA-CTMA may be a suitable host material for guest-host NLO polymer based electro-optic (EO) waveguide devices. The optical and electromagnetic properties of DNA-CTMA, as well as the development and EO measurement of a disperse red 1 (DR1) guest / DNA/CTMA host NLO material, are reported. Comparisons to a DR1 guest / poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) host NLO material are made.

Conformal self-assembled thin films for optical pH sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Topasna, Daniela M.; Topasna, Gregory A.; Liu, Minghanbo; Tseng, Ching-Hung

2016-04-01

Simple, reliable, lightweight, and inexpensive thin films based sensors are still in intense development and high demand in many applications such as biomedical, industrial, environmental, military, and consumer products. One important class of sensors is the optical pH sensor. In addition, conformal thin film based sensors extend the range of application for pH optical sensors. We present the results on the fabrication and characterization of optical pH sensing coatings made through ionic self-assembled technique. These thin films are based on the combination of a polyelectrolyte and water-soluble organic dye molecule Direct Yellow 4. A series of films was fabricated and characterized in order to determine the optimized parameters of the polymer and of the organic dye solutions. The optical pH responses of these films were also studied. The transparent films were immersed in solutions at various temperature and pH values. The films are stable when immersed in solutions with pH below 9.0 and temperatures below 90 °C and they maintain their performance after longer immersion times. We also demonstrate the functionality of these coatings as conformal films.

Application of visible/near infrared spectroscopy to quality control of fresh fruits and vegetables in large-scale mass distribution channels: a preliminary test on carrots and tomatoes.

PubMed

Beghi, Roberto; Giovenzana, Valentina; Tugnolo, Alessio; Guidetti, Riccardo

2018-05-01

The market for fruits and vegetables is mainly controlled by the mass distribution channel (MDC). MDC buyers do not have useful instruments to rapidly evaluate the quality of the products. Decisions by the buyers are driven primarily by pricing strategies rather than product quality. Simple, rapid and easy-to-use methods for objectively evaluating the quality of postharvest products are needed. The present study aimed to use visible and near-infrared (vis/NIR) spectroscopy to estimate some qualitative parameters of two low-price products (carrots and tomatoes) of various brands, as well as evaluate the applicability of this technique for use in stores. A non-destructive optical system (vis/NIR spectrophotometer with a reflection probe, spectral range 450-1650 nm) was tested. The differences in quality among carrots and tomatoes purchased from 13 stores on various dates were examined. The reference quality parameters (firmness, water content, soluble solids content, pH and colour) were correlated with the spectral readings. The models derived from the optical data gave positive results, in particular for the prediction of the soluble solids content and the colour, with better results for tomatoes than for carrots. The application of optical techniques may help MDC buyers to monitor the quality of postharvest products, leading to an effective optimization of the entire supply chain. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Industrial graphene metrology.

PubMed

Kyle, Jennifer Reiber; Ozkan, Cengiz S; Ozkan, Mihrimah

2012-07-07

Graphene is an allotrope of carbon whose structure is based on one-atom-thick planar sheets of carbon atoms that are densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice. Its unique electrical and optical properties raised worldwide interest towards the design and fabrication of future electronic and optical devices with unmatched performance. At the moment, extensive efforts are underway to evaluate the reliability and performance of a number of such devices. With the recent advances in synthesizing large-area graphene sheets, engineers have begun investigating viable methodologies for conducting graphene metrology and quality control at industrial scales to understand a variety of reliability issues including defects, patternability, electrical, and physical properties. This review summarizes the current state of industrial graphene metrology and provides an overview of graphene metrology techniques. In addition, a recently developed large-area graphene metrology technique based on fluorescence quenching is introduced. For each metrology technique, the industrial metrics it measures are identified--layer thickness, edge structure, defects, Fermi level, and thermal conductivity--and a detailed description is provided as to how the measurements are performed. Additionally, the potential advantages of each technique for industrial use are identified, including throughput, scalability, sensitivity to substrate/environment, and on their demonstrated ability to achieve quantified results. The recently developed fluorescence-quenching metrology technique is shown to meet all the necessary criteria for industrial applications, rendering it the first industry-ready graphene metrology technique.

High spatial resolution fiber optical sensors for simultaneous temperature and chemical sensing for energy industries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Aidong; Huang, Sheng; Li, Shuo; Zaghloul, Mohamed; Ohodnicki, Paul; Buric, Michael; Chen, Kevin P.

2017-05-01

This paper demonstrates optical fibers as high-temperature sensor platforms. Through engineering and onfiber integration of functional metal oxide sensory materials, we report the development of an integrated sensor solution to perform temperature and chemical measurements for high-temperature energy applications. Using the Rayleigh optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) distributed sensing scheme, the temperature and hydrogen concentration were measured along the fiber. To overcome the weak Rayleighbackscattering intensity exhibited by conventional optical fibers, an ultrafast laser was used to enhance the Rayleigh scattering by a direct laser writing method. Using the Rayleigh-enhanced fiber as sensor platform, both temperature and hydrogen reaction were monitored at high temperature up to 750°C with 4-mm spatial resolution.

Summary record of presentations to the Federal Telecommunication Standards Committee/Fiber optics task group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanson, A. G.

1987-03-01

The learning experience of a group of Federal-agency planners who face upgrading or augmenting existing on-premises communication systems and building wiring is documented. In July 1984, an interagency Fiber Optics Task Group was formed under the aegis of the Federal Telecommunication Standards Committee to study on-premises distribution systems, with emphasis on optical fiber implementation, sharing mutual problems and potential solutions for them. Chronological summary records of technical content of 11 Task Group meetings through September 1986 are summarized. Also condensed are the engineering presentations to the Task Group by industry on applicable state-of-the-art technology, including local area networks, private automatic branch exchanges, building wiring architecture, and optic fiber systems and components.

Use of 3000 Bragg Grating Strain Sensors Distributed on Four Eight-meter Optical Fibers During Static Load Tests of a Composite Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Childers, Brooks A.; Froggatt, Mark E.; Allison, Sidney G.; Moore, Thomas C., Sr.; Hare, David A.; Batten, Christopher F.; Jegley, Dawn C.

2001-01-01

This paper describes the use of a fiber optic system to measure strain at thousands of locations along optical fibers where weakly reflecting Bragg gratings have been photoetched. The optical fibers were applied to an advanced composite transport wing along with conventional foil strain gages. A comparison of the fiber optic and foil gage systems used for this test will be presented including: a brief description of both strain data systems; a discussion of the process used for installation of the optical fiber; comparative data from the composite wing test; the processes used for the location and display of the high density fiber optic data. Calibration data demonstrating the potential accuracy of the fiber optic system will also be presented. The opportunities for industrial and commercial applications will be discussed. The fiber optic technique is shown to be a valuable augmentation to foil strain gages providing insight to structural behavior previously requiring reliance on modeling.

Optical MEMS: past, present and future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramani, Chandra Mouli

2005-09-01

Spurred by the growth of the internet, Optical Telecommunications bandwidth, experienced unprecedented growth during late 1990's. During this time of great economic expansion, the creation of new enterprises was vast and the expansion of established component, system and services companies was breathtaking. Unfortunately, this positive economic state was short-lived. This period was followed in 2001-2004 by one of the most significant market crashes in history. During those 10 years of economic growth, about $20B in venture capital was invested in the optical telecom industry, most of this investment was lost in recent years. Many start-up industries which experienced unprecedented growth at the end of the 20th century were lost at the start of the 21st. (1) During this time many, innovative technologies were born and buried. However, many new capabilities emerged from this period of unrest; one such example is the advent of Optical MEMS (MOEMS). Many academics and corporate laboratories pursued the development of MOEMS during the economic boom and, in the author's view; MOEMS surfaced as a powerful and versatile tool set that has proved invaluable and in the last few years during economic downturn, stood the test of time. In the Telecommunications industry, for optical switching and wavelength management applications MOEMS has proven to be the technology of choice. (2) Variable Optical Attenuators (VOA), Wavelength Blockers (WB), Dynamic Gain Equalizers (DGE), and most recently Wavelength Selective Switches (WSS) are being used in the numerous recent network deployments. Moreover, agile networks of the future will have MOEMS at every node. This presentation will provide an overview of the history of MOEMS in Telecommunications, discuss its byproducts and offer a window into the future of the technology.

Nonlinear silicon photonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borghi, M.; Castellan, C.; Signorini, S.; Trenti, A.; Pavesi, L.

2017-09-01

Silicon photonics is a technology based on fabricating integrated optical circuits by using the same paradigms as the dominant electronics industry. After twenty years of fervid development, silicon photonics is entering the market with low cost, high performance and mass-manufacturable optical devices. Until now, most silicon photonic devices have been based on linear optical effects, despite the many phenomenologies associated with nonlinear optics in both bulk materials and integrated waveguides. Silicon and silicon-based materials have strong optical nonlinearities which are enhanced in integrated devices by the small cross-section of the high-index contrast silicon waveguides or photonic crystals. Here the photons are made to strongly interact with the medium where they propagate. This is the central argument of nonlinear silicon photonics. It is the aim of this review to describe the state-of-the-art in the field. Starting from the basic nonlinearities in a silicon waveguide or in optical resonator geometries, many phenomena and applications are described—including frequency generation, frequency conversion, frequency-comb generation, supercontinuum generation, soliton formation, temporal imaging and time lensing, Raman lasing, and comb spectroscopy. Emerging quantum photonics applications, such as entangled photon sources, heralded single-photon sources and integrated quantum photonic circuits are also addressed at the end of this review.

TruMicro Series 2000 sub-400 fs class industrial fiber lasers: adjustment of laser parameters to process requirements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanal, Florian; Kahmann, Max; Tan, Chuong; Diekamp, Holger; Jansen, Florian; Scelle, Raphael; Budnicki, Aleksander; Sutter, Dirk

2017-02-01

The matchless properties of ultrashort laser pulses, such as the enabling of cold processing and non-linear absorption, pave the way to numerous novel applications. Ultrafast lasers arrived in the last decade at a level of reliability suitable for the industrial environment.1 Within the next years many industrial manufacturing processes in several markets will be replaced by laser-based processes due to their well-known benefits: These are non-contact wear-free processing, higher process accuracy or an increase of processing speed and often improved economic efficiency compared to conventional processes. Furthermore, new processes will arise with novel sources, addressing previously unsolved challenges. One technical requirement for these exciting new applications will be to optimize the large number of available parameters to the requirements of the application. In this work we present an ultrafast laser system distinguished by its capability to combine high flexibility and real time process-inherent adjustments of the parameters with industry-ready reliability. This industry-ready reliability is ensured by a long experience in designing and building ultrashort-pulse lasers in combination with rigorous optimization of the mechanical construction, optical components and the entire laser head for continuous performance. By introducing a new generation of mechanical design in the last few years, TRUMPF enabled its ultrashort-laser platforms to fulfill the very demanding requirements for passively coupling high-energy single-mode radiation into a hollow-core transport fiber. The laser architecture presented here is based on the all fiber MOPA (master oscillator power amplifier) CPA (chirped pulse amplification) technology. The pulses are generated in a high repetition rate mode-locked fiber oscillator also enabling flexible pulse bursts (groups of multiple pulses) with 20 ns intra-burst pulse separation. An external acousto-optic modulator (XAOM) enables linearization and multi-level quad-loop stabilization of the output power of the laser.2 In addition to the well-established platform latest developments addressed single-pulse energies up to 50 μJ and made femtosecond pulse durations available for the TruMicro Series 2000. Beyond these stabilization aspects this laser architecture together with other optical modules and combined with smart laser control software enables process-driven adjustments of the parameters (e. g. repetition rate, multi-pulse functionalities, pulse energy, pulse duration) by external signals, which will be presented in this work.

PECASE: Nanostructure Hybrid Organic/Inorganic Materials for Active Opto-Electronic Devices

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-03

FWHM= 30 nm), green-emitting core–shell material ( 4 nm in diameter) suitable for QD- LED display applications (Figure 1b). An alloyed material for...electroluminescence (EL) that can be of use in fields as diverse as optical communications, spectroscopy, and environmental and industrial sensing. The RC structure...variety of QD size distributions (of Gaussian size profile). Such QD monoalyers have already been utilized in a number of thin-film applications , QD

Photonomics: automation approaches yield economic aikido for photonics device manufacture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordan, Scott

2002-09-01

In the glory days of photonics, with exponentiating demand for photonics devices came exponentiating competition, with new ventures commencing deliveries seemingly weekly. Suddenly the industry was faced with a commodity marketplace well before a commodity cost structure was in place. Economic issues like cost, scalability, yield-call it all "Photonomics" -now drive the industry. Automation and throughput-optimization are obvious answers, but until now, suitable modular tools had not been introduced. Available solutions were barely compatible with typical transverse alignment tolerances and could not automate angular alignments of collimated devices and arrays. And settling physics served as the insoluble bottleneck to throughput and resolution advancement in packaging, characterization and fabrication processes. The industry has addressed these needs in several ways, ranging from special configurations of catalog motion devices to integrated microrobots based on a novel mini-hexapod configuration. This intriguing approach allows tip/tilt alignments to be automated about any point in space, such as a beam waist, a focal point, the cleaved face of a fiber, or the optical axis of a waveguide- ideal for MEMS packaging automation and array alignment. Meanwhile, patented new low-cost settling-enhancement technology has been applied in applications ranging from air-bearing long-travel stages to subnanometer-resolution piezo positioners to advance resolution and process cycle-times in sensitive applications such as optical coupling characterization and fiber Bragg grating generation. Background, examples and metrics are discussed, providing an up-to-date industry overview of available solutions.

Accuracy assessment for a multi-parameter optical calliper in on line automotive applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Emilia, G.; Di Gasbarro, D.; Gaspari, A.; Natale, E.

2017-08-01

In this work, a methodological approach based on the evaluation of the measurement uncertainty is applied to an experimental test case, related to the automotive sector. The uncertainty model for different measurement procedures of a high-accuracy optical gauge is discussed in order to individuate the best measuring performances of the system for on-line applications and when the measurement requirements are becoming more stringent. In particular, with reference to the industrial production and control strategies of high-performing turbochargers, two uncertainty models are proposed, discussed and compared, to be used by the optical calliper. Models are based on an integrated approach between measurement methods and production best practices to emphasize their mutual coherence. The paper shows the possible advantages deriving from the considerations that the measurement uncertainty modelling provides, in order to keep control of the uncertainty propagation on all the indirect measurements useful for production statistical control, on which basing further improvements.

Research of pressure sensor based on the fiber Bragg grating for permanent downwell monitoring application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Lina; Long, Pin; Liu, Tiegen

2004-11-01

Timely, accurate and reliable pressure information about how the reservoir is performing is an important component to optimizing oil yield and production rates. This paper reviews the use of fiber optical pressure sensor for downhole monitoring in the oil industry. Several types of pressure transducer with different characteristics have been introduced. Due to their multiplexing capabilities and versatility ,the use of Bragg grating sensors appears to be particularly suited for this application. A sensor for accurate and long term fluid pressure monitoring based on optical fiber Bragg gratings(FBGs) is developed. The sensor converts fluid pressure into optical fiber strain by means of a mechanical transducer to enhance its sensitivity to pressure. It can also implement distributed or multiplexed sensing. The sensor operation is studied at pressure up to 100 Mpa(1000bar) and the tested temperature to ~175°. It is possible to be used in the well.

Photodetection and Photoswitch Based On Polarized Optical Response of Macroscopically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes.

PubMed

Zhang, Ling; Wu, Yang; Deng, Lei; Zhou, Yi; Liu, Changhong; Fan, Shoushan

2016-10-12

Light polarization is extensively applied in optical detection, industry processing and telecommunication. Although aligned carbon nanotube naturally suppresses the transmittance of light polarized parallel to its axial direction, there is little application regarding the photodetection of carbon nanotube based on this anisotropic interaction with linearly polarized light. Here, we report a photodetection device realized by aligned carbon nanotube. Because of the different absorption behavior of polarized light with respect to polarization angles, such device delivers an explicit response to specific light wavelength regardless of its intensity. Furthermore, combining both experimental and mathematical analysis, we found that the light absorption of different wavelength causes characteristic thermoelectric voltage generation, which makes aligned carbon nanotube promising in optical detection. This work can also be utilized directly in developing new types of photoswitch that features a broad spectrum application from near-ultraviolet to intermediate infrared with easy integration into practical electric devices, for instance, a "wavelength lock".

Infrared-fiber-optic fire sensor developments - Role of measurement uncertainty in evaluation of background limited range. [in spacecraft safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tapphorn, Ralph M.; Kays, Randy; Porter, Alan

1989-01-01

Fire-detector systems based on distributed infrared fiber-sensors have been investigated for potential applications in the aerospace industry. Responsivities to blackbody and flame radiations were measured with various design configurations of an infrared fiber-optic sensor. Signal processing techniques were also investigated, and the results show significant differences in the fire-sensor performance depending on the design configuration. Measurement uncertainties were used to determine the background-limited ranges for the various fire-sensor concepts, and the probability of producing false alarms caused by fluctuations in the background signals were determined using extreme probability theory. The results of the research show that infrared fiber-optic fire sensors are feasible for application on manned spacecraft; however, additional development work will be required to eliminate false alarms caused by high temperature objects such as incandescent lamps.

All fiber magnetic field sensor with Ferrofluid-filled tapered microstructured optical fiber interferometer.

PubMed

Deng, Ming; Huang, Can; Liu, Danhui; Jin, Wei; Zhu, Tao

2015-08-10

An ultra-compact optical fiber magnetic field sensor based on a microstructured optical fiber (MOF) modal interference and ferrofluid (FF) has been proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The magnetic field sensor was fabricated by splicing a tapered germanium-doped index guided MOF with six big holes injected with FF to two conventional single-mode fibers. The transmission spectra of the proposed sensor under different magnetic field intensities have been measured and theoretically analyzed. Due to an efficient interaction between the magnetic nanoparticles in FF and the excited cladding mode, the magnetic field sensitivity reaches up to117.9pm/mT with a linear range from 0mT to 30mT. Moreover, the fabrication process of the proposed sensor is simple, easy and cost-effective. Therefore, it will be a promising candidate for military, aviation industry, and biomedical applications, especially, for the applications where the space is limited.

Contributed Review: A review of the investigation of rare-earth dopant profiles in optical fibers.

PubMed

Sidiroglou, F; Roberts, A; Baxter, G

2016-04-01

Rare-earth doped optical fibers have captivated the interest of many researchers around the world across the past three decades. The growth of this research field has been stimulated primarily through their application in optical communications as fiber lasers and amplifiers, although rare-earth doped optical fiber based devices are now finding important uses in many other scientific and industrial areas (for example, medicine, sensing, the military, and material processing). Such wide commercial interest has provided a strong incentive for innovative fiber designs, alternative glass compositions, and novel fabrication processes. A prerequisite for the ongoing progress of this research field is developing the capacity to provide high resolution information about the rare-earth dopant distribution profiles within the optical fibers. This paper constitutes a comprehensive review of the imaging techniques that have been utilized in the analysis of the distribution of the rare-earth ion erbium within the core of optical fibers.

A Procedure For Evaluation Of Non-Ionizing Photocopier Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehman, Richard; Edmunds, H. D.

1980-10-01

Recent consumer awareness of previously unquestioned devices, tne misuse of products and developments in optical technology have created a demand for a better understanding of the potentially adverse effects from intense optical sources. The commercial application of lasers and the various standards for laser product performance have also accelerated this demand for an understanding of the effects of broad band optical sources. The potential for adverse eye changes while viewing the sun during solar eclipse has been recorded since early timer and the reddening of skin and sunburn have been experienced by most people. The Biomedical studies to quantify the effects of spectral emission and dose relationship from manmade sources has recently been undertaken. It is only within the last several decades that the need for understanding the biological effects of optical radiation upon man has become of interest. Much of the early work in understanding these effects resulted from interest in therapeutic application. It is only within the last decade that research has considered the non-therapeutic effects. To our knowledge only a few organizations have thus far established exposure criteria from broad band optical sources to prevent the harmful effects of overexposure. This paper will detail the techniques used by the Xerox Corporation to evaluate broad band optical sources for use in office machines. While the specific examples will be for fluorescent lamp sources, the limits and procedures are equally valid for other broad band optical sources such as arc, flash and lamp arrays found in most industrial, commercial and military applications.

Optical HMI with biomechanical energy harvesters integrated in textile supports

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Pasquale, G.; Kim, SG; De Pasquale, D.

2015-12-01

This paper reports the design, prototyping and experimental validation of a human-machine interface (HMI), named GoldFinger, integrated into a glove with energy harvesting from fingers motion. The device is addressed to medical applications, design tools, virtual reality field and to industrial applications where the interaction with machines is restricted by safety procedures. The HMI prototype includes four piezoelectric transducers applied to the fingers backside at PIP (proximal inter-phalangeal) joints, electric wires embedded in the fabric connecting the transducers, aluminum case for the electronics, wearable switch made with conductive fabrics to turn the communication channel on and off, and a LED. The electronic circuit used to manage the power and to control the light emitter includes a diodes bridge, leveling capacitors, storage battery and switch made by conductive fabric. The communication with the machine is managed by dedicated software, which includes the user interface, the optical tracking, and the continuous updating of the machine microcontroller. The energetic benefit of energy harvester on the battery lifetime is inversely proportional to the activation time of the optical emitter. In most applications, the optical port is active for 1 to 5% of the time, corresponding to battery lifetime increasing between about 14% and 70%.

In-flight fiber optic acoustic emission sensor (FAESense) system for the real time detection, localization, and classification of damage in composite aircraft structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendoza, Edgar; Prohaska, John; Kempen, Connie; Esterkin, Yan; Sun, Sunjian

2013-05-01

Acoustic emission sensing is a leading structural health monitoring technique use for the early warning detection of structural damage associated with impacts, cracks, fracture, and delaminations in advanced materials. Current AE systems based on electronic PZT transducers suffer from various limitations that prevent its wide dynamic use in practical avionics and aerospace applications where weight, size and power are critical for operation. This paper describes progress towards the development of a wireless in-flight distributed fiber optic acoustic emission monitoring system (FAESense™) suitable for the onboard-unattended detection, localization, and classification of damage in avionics and aerospace structures. Fiber optic AE sensors offer significant advantages over its counterpart electronic AE sensors by using a high-density array of micron-size AE transducers distributed and multiplex over long lengths of a standard single mode optical fiber. Immediate SHM applications are found in commercial and military aircraft, helicopters, spacecraft, wind mil turbine blades, and in next generation weapon systems, as well as in the petrochemical and aerospace industries, civil structures, power utilities, and a wide spectrum of other applications.

Precision laser processing for micro electronics and fiber optic manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, Andrew; Osborne, Mike; Foster-Turner, Gideon; Dinkel, Duane W.

2008-02-01

The application of laser based materials processing for precision micro scale manufacturing in the electronics and fiber optic industry is becoming increasingly widespread and accepted. This presentation will review latest laser technologies available and discuss the issues to be considered in choosing the most appropriate laser and processing parameters. High repetition rate, short duration pulsed lasers have improved rapidly in recent years in terms of both performance and reliability enabling flexible, cost effective processing of many material types including metal, silicon, plastic, ceramic and glass. Demonstrating the relevance of laser micromachining, application examples where laser processing is in use for production will be presented, including miniaturization of surface mount capacitors by applying a laser technique for demetalization of tracks in the capacitor manufacturing process and high quality laser machining of fiber optics including stripping, cleaving and lensing, resulting in optical quality finishes without the need for traditional polishing. Applications include telecoms, biomedical and sensing. OpTek Systems was formed in 2000 and provide fully integrated systems and sub contract services for laser processes. They are headquartered in the UK and are establishing a presence in North America through a laser processing facility in South Carolina and sales office in the North East.

Internal Reflection Spectra of Surface Compounds and Adsorbed Molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zolotarev, V. M.; Lygin, V. I.; Tarasevich, B. N.

1981-01-01

The application of attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectroscopy in surface studies of inorganic adsorbents and catalysts, polymers, and optically transparent electrodes is discussed. The basic principles of ATR spectroscopy as applied to surface phenomena are considered, with special reference to thin films, industrial adsorbents and catalysts, and polymer degradation processes. 276 references.

Controlling the scattering properties of thin, particle-doped coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, William; Corbett, Madeleine; Manoharan, Vinothan

2013-03-01

Coatings and thin films of small particles suspended in a matrix possess optical properties that are important in several industries from cosmetics and paints to polymer composites. Many of the most interesting applications require coatings that produce several bulk effects simultaneously, but it is often difficult to rationally formulate materials with these desired optical properties. Here, we focus on the specific challenge of designing a thin colloidal film that maximizes both diffuse and total hemispherical transmission. We demonstrate that these bulk optical properties follow a simple scaling with two microscopic length scales: the scattering and transport mean free paths. Using these length scales and Mie scattering calculations, we generate basic design rules that relate scattering at the single particle level to the film's bulk optical properties. These ideas will be useful in the rational design of future optically active coatings.

Downhole fiber optic sensing: the oilfield service provider's perspective: from the cradle to the grave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skinner, Neal G.; Maida, John L.

2014-06-01

For almost three decades, interest has continued to increase with respect to the application of fiber-optic sensing techniques for the upstream oil and gas industry. This paper reviews optical sensing technologies that have been and are being adopted downhole, as well as their drivers. A brief description of the life of a well, from the cradle to the grave, and the roles fiber-optic sensing can play in optimizing production, safety, and protection of the environment are also presented. The performance expectations (accuracy, resolution, stability, and operational lifetime) that oil companies and oil service companies have for fiber-optic sensing systems is described. Additionally, the environmental conditions (high hydrostatic pressures, high temperatures, shock, vibration, crush, and chemical exposure) that these systems must tolerate to provide reliable and economically attractive oilfield monitoring solutions are described.

Microemulsions based transdermal drug delivery systems.

PubMed

Vadlamudi, Harini C; Narendran, Hyndavi; Nagaswaram, Tejeswari; Yaga, Gowri; Thanniru, Jyotsna; Yalavarthi, Prasanna R

2014-01-01

Since the discovery of microemulsions by Jack H Schulman, there has been huge progress made in applying microemulsion systems in plethora of research and industrial process. Microemulsions are optically isotropic systems consisting of water, oil and amphiphile. These systems are beneficial due to their thermodynamic stability, optical clarity, ease of preparation, higher diffusion and absorption rates. Moreover, it has been reported that the ingredients of microemulsion can effectively overcome the diffusion barrier and penetrate through the stratum corneum of the skin. Hence it becomes promising for both transdermal and dermal drug delivery. However, low viscosity of microemulsion restrains its applicability in pharmaceutical industry. To overcome the above drawback, the low viscous microemulsions were added to viscous gel bases to potentiate its applications as topical drug delivery systems so that various drug related toxic effects and erratic drug absorption can be avoided. The present review deals with the microemulsions, various techniques involved in the development of organic nanoparticles. The review emphasized on microemulsion based systems such as hydrogels and organogels. The physicochemical characteristics, mechanical properties, rheological and stability principles involved in microemulsion based viscous gels were also explored.

CONFERENCE NOTE: European Optical Society, Topical Meeting Optical Metrology and Nanotechnology, Engelberg, Switzerland, 27 30 March 1994

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1993-01-01

This meeting, organized by the Paul Scherrer Institute's Department of Applied Solid State Physics, will be held from 27 30 March 1994 at the Hotel Regina-Titlis, Engelberg, Switzerland. The aim is to bring together scientists from two important fields of current research and increasing industrial relevance. Optical metrology is a traditional discipline of applied optics which reached the nanometre scale a long time ago. Nanotechnology is setting new limits and represents a major challenge to metrology, as well as offering new opportunities to optics. The meeting is intended to help define a common future for optical metrology and nanotechnology. Topics to be covered include: nanometre position control and measuring techniques ultrahigh precision interferometry scanning probe microscopy (AFM, SNOM, etc.) surface modification by scanning probe methods precision surface fabrication and characterization nanolithography micro-optics, diffractive optics components, including systems and applications subwavelength optical structures synthetic optical materials structures and technologies for X-ray optics. For further information please contact: Jens Gobrecht (Secretary), Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen-PSI, Switzerland.Tel. (41)56992529; Fax (41) 5698 2635.

Surface texture measurement for dental wear applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Austin, R. S.; Mullen, F.; Bartlett, D. W.

2015-06-01

The application of surface topography measurement and characterization within dental materials science is highly active and rapidly developing, in line with many modern industries. Surface measurement and structuring is used extensively within oral and dental science to optimize the optical, tribological and biological performance of natural and biomimetic dental materials. Although there has historically been little standardization in the use and reporting of surface metrology instrumentation and software, the dental industry is beginning to adopt modern areal measurement and characterization techniques, especially as the dental industry is increasingly adopting digital impressioning techniques in order to leverage CAD/CAM technologies for the design and construction of dental restorations. As dental treatment becomes increasingly digitized and reliant on advanced technologies such as dental implants, wider adoption of standardized surface topography and characterization techniques will become evermore essential. The dental research community welcomes the advances that are being made in surface topography measurement science towards realizing this ultimate goal.

IR in Norway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haakenaasen, Randi; Lovold, Stian

2003-01-01

Infrared technology in Norway started at the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment (FFI) in the 1960s, and has since then spread to universities, other research institutes and industry. FFI has a large, integrated IR activity that includes research and development in IR detectors, optics design, optical coatings, advanced dewar design, modelling/simulation of IR scenes, and image analysis. Part of the integrated activity is a laboratory for more basic research in materials science and semiconductor physics, in which thin films of CdHgTe are grown by molecular beam epitaxy and processed into IR detectors by various techniques. FFI also has a lot of experience in research and development of tunable infrared lasers for various applications. Norwegian industrial activities include production of infrared homing anti-ship missiles, laser rangefinders, various infrared gas sensors, hyperspectral cameras, and fiberoptic sensor systems for structural health monitoring and offshore oil well diagnostics.

In-situ ellipsometry: applications to thin film research, development, and production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kief, Mark T.

1999-07-01

Many industries including the optics industry, semiconductor industry, and magnetic storage industry are deeply rooted in the science and technology of the film materials and thin film based devices. Research in novel thin film systems and the engineering of artificial structures increasingly requires a control on the atomic scale in both thickness and lateral order. Development of the deposition and fabrication processes for these thin film structures requires technical sophistication and efficiency combined with an understanding of the multi-faceted process interactions. The production of these materials necessitates a remarkable degree of control to minimize scrap and assure good performance. Furthermore, in today's industry these operations must occur at an ever accelerating pace. In this article, we will review one technique which can make these challenges more tractable-- insitu ellipsometry. This is a very powerful tool which is capable of characterizing thin film processes in real-time. We review the art and illustrate with novel applications to metal thin film growth. In addition, we will illustrate how information obtained with insitu ellipsometry can predict the end use thin film properties such as the transport properties. In conclusion, further advances in insitu ellipsometry and its applications will be discussed in terms of needs and trends as a tool for thin film research, development and production.

In-situ ellipsometry: applications to thin film research, development, and production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kief, M. T.

1999-07-01

Many industries including the optics industry, semiconductor industry, and magnetic storage industry are deeply rooted in the science and technology of thin film materials and thin film based devices. Research in novel thin film systems and the engineering of artificial structures increasingly requires a control on the atomic scale in both thickness and lateral order. Development of the deposition and fabrication processes for these thin film structures requires technical sophistication and efficiency combined with an understanding of the multi-faceted process interactions. The production of these materials necessitates a remarkable degree of control to minimize scrap and assure good performance. Furthermore, in today's industry these operations must occur at an ever accelerating pace. In this article, we will review one technique which can make these challenges more tractable - insitu ellipsometry. This is a very powerful tool which is capable of characterizing thin film processes in real-time. We review the art and illustrate with novel applications to metal thin film growth. In addition, we will illustrate how information obtained with insitu ellipsometry can predict the end use thin film properties such as the transport properties. In conclusion, further advances in insitu ellipsometry and its applications will be discussed in terms of needs and trends as a tool for thin film research, development and production.

Excimer-laser-induced surface treatments on metal and ceramic materials: applications to automotive, aerospace, and microelectronic industries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Autric, Michel L.

1999-09-01

Surface treatments by laser irradiation can improve materials properties in terms of mechanical and physico- chemical behaviors, these improvements being related to the topography, the hardness, the microstructure, the chemical composition. Up to now, the use of excimer lasers for industrial applications remained marginal in spite of the interest related to the short wavelength (high photon energy and better energetic coupling with materials and reduced thermal effects in the bulk material). Up to now, the main limitations concerned the beam quality, the beam delivery, the gas handling and the relatively high investment cost. At this time, the cost of laser devices is going down and the ultraviolet radiation can be conducted through optical fibers. These two elements give new interest in using excimer laser for industrial applications. The main objective of this research program which we are involved in, is to underline some materials processing applications for automotive, aerospace or microelectronic industries for which it could be more interesting to use excimer lasers (minimized thermal effects). This paper concerns the modifications of the roughness, porosity, hardness, structure, phase, residual stresses, chemical composition of the surface of materials such as metallic alloys (aluminum, steel, cast iron, titanium, and ceramics (oxide, nitride, carbide,...) irradiated by KrF and XeCl excimer lasers.

PREFACE: 3rd International Symposium ''Optics and its Applications''

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calvo, M. L.; Dolganova, I. N.; Gevorgyan, N.; Guzman, A.; Papoyan, A.; Sarkisyan, H.; Yurchenko, S.

2016-01-01

The SPIE.FOCUS Armenia: 3rd International Symposium ''Optics and its Applications'' (OPTICS-2015) http://rau.am/optics2015/ was held in Yerevan, Armenia, in the period October 1 - 5, 2015. The symposium was organized by the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), the Armenian SPIE student chapter with collaboration of the Armenian TC of ICO, the Russian-Armenian University (RAU), the Institute for Physical Research of National Academy of Sciences of Armenia (IPR of NAS), the Greek-Armenian industrial company LT-PYRKAL, and the Yerevan State University (YSU). The Symposium was co-organized by the SPIE & OSA student chapters of BMSTU, the Armenian OSA student chapter, and the SPIE student chapters of Lund University and Wroclaw University of Technology. The symposium OPTICS-2015 was dedicated to the International Year of Light and Light-Based Technologies. OPTICS-2015 was devoted to modern topics and optical technologies such as: optical properties of nanostructures, silicon photonics, quantum optics, singular optics & its applications, laser spectroscopy, strong field optics, biomedical optics, nonlinear & ultrafast optics, photonics & fiber optics, and mathematical methods in optics. OPTICS-2015 was attended by 100 scientists and students representing 17 countries: Armenia, China, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Latvia, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Ukraine, and USA. Such a broad international community confirmed the important mission of science to be a uniting force between different countries, religions, and nations. We hope that OPTICS-2015 inspired and motivated students and young scientists to work in optics and in science in general. The present volume of Journal of Physics: Conference Series includes proceedings of the symposium covering various aspects of modern problems in optics. We are grateful to all people who were involved in the organization process. We gratefully acknowledge support from SPIE under the Federation of Optics College and University Students (FOCUS) conference grant, as well as contributions from other organizations: the Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), the Optical Society (OSA), the Laboratory of Terahertz Technology of Bauman Moscow State Technical University (BMSTU), the RAU, the LT-Pyrkal, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), IPR of NAS, and Ritea.

Integration and manufacture of multifunctional planar lightwave circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lipscomb, George F.; Ticknor, Anthony J.; Stiller, Marc A.; Chen, Wenjie; Schroeter, Paul

2001-11-01

The demands of exponentially growing Internet traffic, coupled with the advent of Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) fiber optic systems to meet those demands, have triggered a revolution in the telecommunications industry. This dramatic change has been built upon, and has driven, improvements in fiber optic component technology. The next generation of systems for the all optical network will require higher performance components coupled with dramatically lower costs. One approach to achieve significantly lower costs per function is to employ Planar Lightwave Circuits (PLC) to integrate multiple optical functions in a single package. PLCs are optical circuits laid out on a silicon wafer, and are made using tools and techniques developed to extremely high levels by the semi-conductor industry. In this way multiple components can be fabricated and interconnected at once, significantly reducing both the manufacturing and the packaging/assembly costs. Currently, the predominant commercial application of PLC technology is arrayed-waveguide gratings (AWG's) for multiplexing and demultiplexing multiple wavelength channels in a DWDM system. Although this is generally perceived as a single-function device, it can be performing the function of more than 100 discrete fiber-optic components and already represents a considerable degree of integration. Furthermore, programmable functions such as variable-optical attenuators (VOAs) and switches made with compatible PLC technology are now moving into commercial production. In this paper, we present results on the integration of active and passive functions together using PLC technology, e.g. a 40 channel AWG multiplexer with 40 individually controllable VOAs.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nabeel A. Riza

The goals of the Year 2006 Continuation Phase 2 three months period (April 1 to Sept. 30) of this project were to (a) conduct a probe elements industrial environment feasibility study and (b) fabricate embedded optical phase or microstructured SiC chips for individual gas species sensing. Specifically, SiC chips for temperature and pressure probe industrial applications were batch fabricated. Next, these chips were subject to a quality test for use in the probe sensor. A batch of the best chips for probe design were selected and subject to further tests that included sensor performance based on corrosive chemical exposure, powermore » plant soot exposure, light polarization variations, and extreme temperature soaking. Experimental data were investigated in detail to analyze these mentioned industrial parameters relevant to a power plant. Probe design was provided to overcome mechanical vibrations. All these goals have been achieved and are described in detail in the report. The other main focus of the reported work is to modify the SiC chip by fabricating an embedded optical phase or microstructures within the chip to enable gas species sensing under high temperature and pressure. This has been done in the Kar UCF Lab. using a laser-based system whose design and operation is explained. Experimental data from the embedded optical phase-based chip for changing temperatures is provided and shown to be isolated from gas pressure and species. These design and experimentation results are summarized to give positive conclusions on the proposed high temperature high pressure gas species detection optical sensor technology.« less

Coherent beam combiner for a high power laser

DOEpatents

Dane, C. Brent; Hackel, Lloyd A.

2002-01-01

A phase conjugate laser mirror employing Brillouin-enhanced four wave mixing allows multiple independent laser apertures to be phase locked producing an array of diffraction-limited beams with no piston phase errors. The beam combiner has application in laser and optical systems requiring high average power, high pulse energy, and low beam divergence. A broad range of applications exist in laser systems for industrial processing, especially in the field of metal surface treatment and laser shot peening.

Implementation of 3D Optical Scanning Technology for Automotive Applications

PubMed Central

Kuş, Abdil

2009-01-01

Reverse engineering (RE) is a powerful tool for generating a CAD model from the 3D scan data of a physical part that lacks documentation or has changed from the original CAD design of the part. The process of digitizing a part and creating a CAD model from 3D scan data is less time consuming and provides greater accuracy than manually measuring the part and designing the part from scratch in CAD. 3D optical scanning technology is one of the measurement methods which have evolved over the last few years and it is used in a wide range of areas from industrial applications to art and cultural heritage. It is also used extensively in the automotive industry for applications such as part inspections, scanning of tools without CAD definition, scanning the casting for definition of the stock (i.e. the amount of material to be removed from the surface of the castings) model for CAM programs and reverse engineering. In this study two scanning experiments of automotive applications are illustrated. The first one examines the processes from scanning to re-manufacturing the damaged sheet metal cutting die, using a 3D scanning technique and the second study compares the scanned point clouds data to 3D CAD data for inspection purposes. Furthermore, the deviations of the part holes are determined by using different lenses and scanning parameters. PMID:22573995

Low concentrator PV optics optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharp, Leonard; Chang, Ben

2008-08-01

Purpose: Cost reduction is a major focus of the solar industry. Thin film technologies and concentration systems are viable ways to reducing cost, with unique strengths and weakness for both. Most of the concentrating PV work focuses on high concentration systems for reducing energy cost. Meanwhile, many believe that low concentrators provide significant cost reduction potential while addressing the mainstream PV market with a product that acts as a flat panel replacement. This paper analyzes the relative benefit of asymmetric vs. symmetric optics for low-concentrators in light of specific PV applications. Approach: Symmetric and asymmetric concentrating PV module performance is evaluated using computer simulation to determine potential value across various geographic locations and applications. The selected optic design is modeled against standard cSi flat panels and thin film to determine application fit, system level energy density and economic value. Results: While symmetric designs may seem ideal, asymmetric designs have an advantage in energy density. Both designs are assessed for aperture, optimum concentration ratio, and ideal system array configuration. Analysis of performance across climate specific effects (diffuse, direct and circumsolar) and location specific effects (sunpath) are also presented. The energy density and energy production of low concentrators provide a compelling value proposition. More significantly, the choice of optics for a low concentrating design can affect real world performance. With the goal of maximizing energy density and return on investment, this paper presents the advantages of asymmetric optic concentration and illustrates the value of this design within specific PV applications.

Digital optical tape: Technology and standardization issues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Podio, Fernando L.

1996-01-01

During the coming years, digital data storage technologies will continue an aggressive growth to satisfy the user's need for higher storage capacities, higher data transfer rates and long-term archival media properties. Digital optical tape is a promising technology to satisfy these user's needs. As any emerging data storage technology, the industry faces many technological and standardization challenges. The technological challenges are great, but feasible to overcome. Although it is too early to consider formal industry standards, the optical tape industry has decided to work together by initiating prestandardization efforts that may lead in the future to formal voluntary industry standards. This paper will discuss current industry optical tape drive developments and the types of standards that will be required for the technology. The status of current industry prestandardization efforts will also be discussed.

DEFI Photonique: a French national training project for optics and photonics industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boéri, E.; Cormier, E.

2014-07-01

The French government supports a structuring project for French Photonics. This project name DEFI Photonique is carried by the CNOP (National Committee for Optics and Photonics) for a period of 5 years (2013-2017). One of the most important tasks is dedicated to training for industry, particularly SMEs. The project aims at elaborating a training offer based on the experience of PYLA, the Bordeaux training facility for Optics and Photonics, and create a national network throughout all the French Photonics clusters. The project plans to initiate, develop and coordinate training courses based on the players skills in the sector, in particular regional clusters, depending on their field of excellence. This deployment of training courses should enable a mesh structure both thematically and geographically. Collaborative work between training players in each pole, including joint actions, will facilitate access to training courses for companies, especially SMEs. A market survey is already being conducted in 2013 in photonics industry and application sectors. Implementation of actions involves all French photonics clusters as well as professional organizations. We will rely on the feedback we have with PYLA to show how training courses can be a strategic tool for development of technologies and industries. At this stage of the DEFI Photonique project we will be able to present the results of different analyses that have been conducted in key sectors and plans that will be implemented for the realization of the first actions.

Development of graphene process control by industrial optical spectroscopy setup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fursenko, O.; Lukosius, M.; Lupina, G.; Bauer, J.; Villringer, C.; Mai, A.

2017-06-01

The successful integration of graphene into microelectronic devices depends strongly on the availability of fast and nondestructive characterization methods of graphene grown by CVD on large diameter production wafers [1-3] which are in the interest of the semiconductor industry. Here, a high-throughput optical metrology method for measuring the thickness and uniformity of large-area graphene sheets is demonstrated. The method is based on the combination of spectroscopic ellipsometry and normal incidence reflectometry in UV-Vis wavelength range (200-800 nm) with small light spots ( 30 μm2) realized in wafer optical metrology tool. In the first step graphene layers were transferred on a SiO2/Si substrate in order to determine the optical constants of graphene by the combination of multi-angle ellipsometry and reflectometry. Then these data were used for the development of a process control recipe of CVD graphene on 200 mm Ge(100)/Si(100) wafers. The graphene layer quality was additionally monitored by Raman spectroscopy. Atomic force microscopy measurements were performed for micro topography evaluation. In consequence, a robust recipe for unambiguous thickness monitoring of all components of a multilayer film stack, including graphene, surface residuals or interface layer underneath graphene and surface roughness is developed. Optical monitoring of graphene thickness uniformity over a wafer has shown an excellent long term stability (s=0.004 nm) regardless of the growth of interfacial GeO2 and surface roughness. The sensitivity of the optical identification of graphene during microelectronic processing was evaluated. This optical metrology technique with combined data collection exhibit a fast and highly precise method allowing one an unambiguous detection of graphene after transferring as well as after the CVD deposition process on a Ge(100)/Si(100) wafer. This approach is well suited for industrial applications due to its repeatability and flexibility.

Automatic optical inspection of regular grid patterns with an inspection camera used below the Shannon-Nyquist criterion for optical resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferreira, Flávio P.; Forte, Paulo M. F.; Felgueiras, Paulo E. R.; Bret, Boris P. J.; Belsley, Michael S.; Nunes-Pereira, Eduardo J.

2017-02-01

An Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI) system for optical inspection of imaging devices used in automotive industry using an inspecting optics of lower spatial resolution than the device under inspection is described. This system is robust and with no moving parts. The cycle time is small. Its main advantage is that it is capable of detecting and quantifying defects in regular patterns, working below the Shannon-Nyquist criterion for optical resolution, using a single low resolution image sensor. It is easily scalable, which is an important advantage in industrial applications, since the same inspecting sensor can be reused for increasingly higher spatial resolutions of the devices to be inspected. The optical inspection is implemented with a notch multi-band Fourier filter, making the procedure especially fitted for regular patterns, like the ones that can be produced in image displays and Head Up Displays (HUDs). The regular patterns are used in production line only, for inspection purposes. For image displays, functional defects are detected at the level of a sub-image display grid element unit. Functional defects are the ones impairing the function of the display, and are preferred in AOI to the direct geometric imaging, since those are the ones directly related with the end-user experience. The shift in emphasis from geometric imaging to functional imaging is critical, since it is this that allows quantitative inspection, below Shannon-Nyquist. For HUDs, the functional detect detection addresses defects resulting from the combined effect of the image display and the image forming optics.

Noncovalent Protein and Peptide Functionalization of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Biodelivery and Optical Sensing Applications.

PubMed

Antonucci, Alessandra; Kupis-Rozmysłowicz, Justyna; Boghossian, Ardemis A

2017-04-05

The exquisite structural and optical characteristics of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), combined with the tunable specificities of proteins and peptides, can be exploited to strongly benefit technologies with applications in fields ranging from biomedicine to industrial biocatalysis. The key to exploiting the synergism of these materials is designing protein/peptide-SWCNT conjugation schemes that preserve biomolecule activity while keeping the near-infrared optical and electronic properties of SWCNTs intact. Since sp 2 bond-breaking disrupts the optoelectronic properties of SWCNTs, noncovalent conjugation strategies are needed to interface biomolecules to the nanotube surface for optical biosensing and delivery applications. An underlying understanding of the forces contributing to protein and peptide interaction with the nanotube is thus necessary to identify the appropriate conjugation design rules for specific applications. This article explores the molecular interactions that govern the adsorption of peptides and proteins on SWCNT surfaces, elucidating contributions from individual amino acids as well as secondary and tertiary protein structure and conformation. Various noncovalent conjugation strategies for immobilizing peptides, homopolypeptides, and soluble and membrane proteins on SWCNT surfaces are presented, highlighting studies focused on developing near-infrared optical sensors and molecular scaffolds for self-assembly and biochemical analysis. The analysis presented herein suggests that though direct adsorption of proteins and peptides onto SWCNTs can be principally applied to drug and gene delivery, in vivo imaging and targeting, or cancer therapy, nondirect conjugation strategies using artificial or natural membranes, polymers, or linker molecules are often better suited for biosensing applications that require conservation of biomolecular functionality or precise control of the biomolecule's orientation. These design rules are intended to provide the reader with a rational approach to engineering biomolecule-SWCNT platforms, broadening the breadth and accessibility of both wild-type and engineered biomolecules for SWCNT-based applications.

Programmable diffractive optic for multi-beam processing: applications and limitations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gretzki, Patrick; Gillner, Arnold

2017-08-01

In the field of laser ablation, especially in the field of micro-structuring, the current challenge is the improvement of productivity. While many applications, e.g. surface fictionalization and structuring, drilling and thin film ablation, use relatively low pulse energies, industrial laser sources provide considerably higher average powers and pulse energies. The main challenge consist of the effective energy distribution and depositions. There are essential two complementary approaches for the up-scaling of (ultra) short pulse laser processes: Higher repetition frequency or higher pulse energies. Using lasers with high repetition rates in the MHz region can cause thermal issues like overheating, melt production and low ablation quality. In this paper we pursuit the second approach by using diffractive optics for parallel processing. We will discuss, which technologies can be used and which applications will benefit from the multi-beam approach and which increase in productivity can be expected. Additionally we will show, which quality attributes can be used to rate the performance of a diffractive optic and and which limitations and restrictions this technology has.

Optical fiber evanescent absorption sensors for high-temperature gas sensing in advanced coal-fired power plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buric, Michael P.; Ohodnicky, Paul R.; Duy, Janice

2012-10-01

Modern advanced energy systems such as coal-fired power plants, gasifiers, or similar infrastructure present some of the most challenging harsh environments for sensors. The power industry would benefit from new, ultra-high temperature devices capable of surviving in hot and corrosive environments for embedded sensing at the highest value locations. For these applications, we are currently exploring optical fiber evanescent wave absorption spectroscopy (EWAS) based sensors consisting of high temperature core materials integrated with novel high temperature gas sensitive cladding materials. Mathematical simulations can be used to assist in sensor development efforts, and we describe a simulation code that assumes a single thick cladding layer with gas sensitive optical constants. Recent work has demonstrated that Au nanoparticle-incorporated metal oxides show a potentially useful response for high temperature optical gas sensing applications through the sensitivity of the localized surface plasmon resonance absorption peak to ambient atmospheric conditions. Hence, the simulation code has been applied to understand how such a response can be exploited in an optical fiber based EWAS sensor configuration. We demonstrate that interrogation can be used to optimize the sensing response in such materials.

Space Applications Industrial Laser System (SAILS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccay, T. D.; Bible, J. B.; Mueller, R. E.

1993-01-01

A program is underway to develop a YAG laser based materials processing workstation to fly in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle. This workstation, called Space Applications Industrial Laser System (SAILS), will be capable of cutting and welding steel, aluminum, and Inconel alloys of the type planned for use in constructing the Space Station Freedom. As well as demonstrating the ability of a YAG laser to perform remote (fiber-optic delivered) repair and fabrication operations in space, fundamental data will be collected on these interactions for comparison with terrestrial data and models. The flight system, scheduled to fly in 1996, will be constructed as three modules using standard Get-Away-Special (GAS) canisters. The first module holds the laser head and cooling system, while the second contains a high peak power electrical supply. The third module houses the materials processing workstation and the command and data acquisition subsystems. The laser head and workstation cansisters are linked by a fiber-optic cable to transmit the laser light. The team assembled to carry out this project includes Lumonics Industrial Products (laser), Tennessee Technological University (structural analysis and fabrication), Auburn University Center for Space Power (electrical engineering), University of Waterloo (low-g laser process consulting), and CSTAR/UTSI (data acquisition, control, software, integration, experiment design). This report describes the SAILS program and highlights recent activities undertaken at CSTAR.

Optical properties of in-vitro biomineralised silica.

PubMed

Polini, Alessandro; Pagliara, Stefano; Camposeo, Andrea; Cingolani, Roberto; Wang, Xiaohong; Schröder, Heinz C; Müller, Werner E G; Pisignano, Dario

2012-01-01

Silicon is the second most common element on the Earth's crust and its oxide (SiO(2)) the most abundant mineral. Silica and silicates are widely used in medicine and industry as well as in micro- and nano-optics and electronics. However, the fabrication of glass fibres and components requires high temperature and non-physiological conditions, in contrast to biosilica structures in animals and plants. Here, we show for the first time the use of recombinant silicatein-α, the most abundant subunit of sponge proteins catalyzing biosilicification reactions, to direct the formation of optical waveguides in-vitro through soft microlithography. The artificial biosilica fibres mimic the natural sponge spicules, exhibiting refractive index values suitable for confinement of light within waveguides, with optical losses in the range of 5-10 cm(-1), suitable for application in lab-on-chips systems. This method extends biosilicification to the controlled fabrication of optical components by physiological processing conditions, hardly addressed by conventional technologies.

In situ industrial applications of optics; Proceedings of the Meeting, Brussels, Belgium, June 25-27, 1986

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebbeni, Jean

Included in this volume are papers on real-time image enhancement by simple video systems, automatic identification and data collection via barcode laser scanning, the optimization of the cutting up of a strip of float glass, optical sensors for factory automation, and the use of a digital theodolite with infrared radiation. Attention is also given to ISIS (integrated shape imaging system), a new system for follow-up of scoliosis; optical diffraction extensometers; a cross-spectrum technique for high-sensitivity remote vibration analysis by optical interferometry; the compensation and measurement of any motion of three-dimensional objects in holographic interferometry; and stereoscreen. Additional papers are on holographic double pulse YAG lasers, miniature optic connectors, stress-field analysis in an adhesively bonded joint with laser photoelasticimetry, and the locking of the light pulse delay in externally triggered gas lasers.

MTF measurement of IR optics in different temperature ranges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Alexander; Duncker, Hannes; Dumitrescu, Eugen

2017-10-01

Infrared (IR) optical systems are at the core of many military, civilian and manufacturing applications and perform mission critical functions. To reliably fulfill the demanding requirements imposed on today's high performance IR optics, highly accurate, reproducible and fast lens testing is of crucial importance. Testing the optical performance within different temperature ranges becomes key in many military applications. Due to highly complex IR-Applications in the fields of aerospace, military and automotive industries, MTF Measurement under realistic environmental conditions become more and more relevant. A Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) test bench with an integrated thermal chamber allows measuring several sample sizes in a temperature range from -40 °C to +120°C. To reach reliable measurement results under these difficult conditions, a specially developed temperature stable design including an insulating vacuum are used. The main function of this instrument is the measurement of the MTF both on- and off-axis at up to +/-70° field angle, as well as measurement of effective focal length, flange focal length and distortion. The vertical configuration of the system guarantees a small overall footprint. By integrating a high-resolution IR camera with focal plane array (FPA) in the detection unit, time consuming measurement procedures such as scanning slit with liquid nitrogen cooled detectors can be avoided. The specified absolute accuracy of +/- 3% MTF is validated using internationally traceable reference optics. Together with a complete and intuitive software solution, this makes the instrument a turn-key device for today's state-of- the-art optical testing.

High power parallel ultrashort pulse laser processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gillner, Arnold; Gretzki, Patrick; Büsing, Lasse

2016-03-01

The class of ultra-short-pulse (USP) laser sources are used, whenever high precession and high quality material processing is demanded. These laser sources deliver pulse duration in the range of ps to fs and are characterized with high peak intensities leading to a direct vaporization of the material with a minimum thermal damage. With the availability of industrial laser source with an average power of up to 1000W, the main challenge consist of the effective energy distribution and disposition. Using lasers with high repetition rates in the MHz region can cause thermal issues like overheating, melt production and low ablation quality. In this paper, we will discuss different approaches for multibeam processing for utilization of high pulse energies. The combination of diffractive optics and conventional galvometer scanner can be used for high throughput laser ablation, but are limited in the optical qualities. We will show which applications can benefit from this hybrid optic and which improvements in productivity are expected. In addition, the optical limitations of the system will be compiled, in order to evaluate the suitability of this approach for any given application.

Accelerated optical polymer aging studies for LED luminaire applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Estupiñán, Edgar; Wendling, Peter; Kostrun, Marijan; Garner, Richard

2013-09-01

There is a need in the lighting industry to design and implement accelerated aging methods that accurately simulate the aging process of LED luminaire components. In response to this need, we have built a flexible and reliable system to study the aging characteristics of optical polymer materials, and we have employed it to study a commercially available LED luminaire diffuser made of PMMA. The experimental system consists of a "Blue LED Emitter" and a working surface. Both the temperatures of the samples and the optical powers of the LEDs are appropriately characterized in the system. Several accelerated aging experiments are carried out at different temperatures and optical powers over a 90 hour period and the measured transmission values are used as inputs to a degradation model derived using plausibility arguments. This model seems capable of predicting the behavior of the material as a function of time, temperature and optical power. The model satisfactorily predicts the measured transmission values of diffusers aged in luminaires at two different times and thus can be used to make application recommendations for this material. Specifically, at 35000 hours (the manufacturer's stated life of the luminaire) and at the typical operational temperature of the diffuser, the model predicts a transmission loss of only a few percent over the original transmission of the material at 450 nm, which renders this material suitable for this application.

Three-Dimensional High-Resolution Optical/X-Ray Stereoscopic Tracking Velocimetry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cha, Soyoung S.; Ramachandran, Narayanan

2004-01-01

Measurement of three-dimensional (3-D) three-component velocity fields is of great importance in a variety of research and industrial applications for understanding materials processing, fluid physics, and strain/displacement measurements. The 3-D experiments in these fields most likely inhibit the use of conventional techniques, which are based only on planar and optically-transparent-field observation. Here, we briefly review the current status of 3-D diagnostics for motion/velocity detection, for both optical and x-ray systems. As an initial step for providing 3-D capabilities, we nave developed stereoscopic tracking velocimetry (STV) to measure 3-D flow/deformation through optical observation. The STV is advantageous in system simplicity, for continually observing 3- D phenomena in near real-time. In an effort to enhance the data processing through automation and to avoid the confusion in tracking numerous markers or particles, artificial neural networks are employed to incorporate human intelligence. Our initial optical investigations have proven the STV to be a very viable candidate for reliably measuring 3-D flow motions. With previous activities are focused on improving the processing efficiency, overall accuracy, and automation based on the optical system, the current efforts is directed to the concurrent expansion to the x-ray system for broader experimental applications.

Three-Dimensional High-Resolution Optical/X-Ray Stereoscopic Tracking Velocimetry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cha, Soyoung S.; Ramachandran, Naryanan

2005-01-01

Measurement of three-dimensional (3-D) three-component velocity fields is of great importance in a variety of research and industrial applications for understanding materials processing, fluid physics, and strain/displacement measurements. The 3-D experiments in these fields most likely inhibit the use of conventional techniques, which are based only on planar and optically-transparent-field observation. Here, we briefly review the current status of 3-D diagnostics for motion/velocity detection, for both optical and x-ray systems. As an initial step for providing 3-D capabilities, we have developed stereoscopic tracking velocimetry (STV) to measure 3-D flow/deformation through optical observation. The STV is advantageous in system simplicity, for continually observing 3-D phenomena in near real-time. In an effort to enhance the data processing through automation and to avoid the confusion in tracking numerous markers or particles, artificial neural networks are employed to incorporate human intelligence. Our initial optical investigations have proven the STV to be a very viable candidate for reliably measuring 3-D flow motions. With previous activities focused on improving the processing efficiency, overall accuracy, and automation based on the optical system, the current efforts is directed to the concurrent expansion to the x-ray system for broader experimental applications.

VIBRATIONAL SPECTROSCOPIC SENSORS Fundamentals, Instrumentation and Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraft, Martin

In textbook descriptions of chemical sensors, almost invariably a chemical sensor is described as a combination of a (dumb) transducer and a (smart) recognition layer. The reason for this is that most transducers, while (reasonably) sensitive, have limited analyte specificity. This is in particular true for non-optical, e.g. mass-sensitive or electrochemical systems, but also many optical transducers are as such incapable of distinguishing between different substances. Consequently, to build sensors operational in multicomponent environments, such transducers must be combined with physicochemical, chemical or biochemical recognition systems providing the required analyte specificity. Although advancements have been made in this field over the last years, selective layers are frequently not (yet) up to the demands set by industrial or environmental applications, in particular when operated over prolonged periods of time. Another significant obstacle are cross-sensitivities that may interfere with the analytical accuracy. Together, these limitations restrict the real-world applicability of many otherwise promising chemical sensors.

Process Diagnostics and Monitoring Using the Multipole Resonance Probe (MRP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harhausen, J.; Awakowicz, P.; Brinkmann, R. P.; Foest, R.; Lapke, M.; Musch, T.; Mussenbrock, T.; Oberrath, J.; Ohl, A.; Rolfes, I.; Schulz, Ch.; Storch, R.; Styrnoll, T.

2011-10-01

In this contribution we present the application of the MRP in an industrial plasma ion assisted deposition (PIAD) chamber (Leybold optics SYRUS-pro). The MRP is a novel plasma diagnostic which is suitable for an industrial environment - which means that the proposed method is robust, calibration free, and economical, and can be used for ideal and reactive plasmas alike. In order to employ the MRP as process diagnostics we mounted the probe on a manipulator to obtain spatially resolved information on the electron density and temperature. As monitoring tool the MRP is installed at a fixed position. Even during the deposition process it provides stable measurement results while other diagnostic methods, e.g. the Langmuir probe, may suffer from dielectric coatings. In this contribution we present the application of the MRP in an industrial plasma ion assisted deposition (PIAD) chamber (Leybold optics SYRUS-pro). The MRP is a novel plasma diagnostic which is suitable for an industrial environment - which means that the proposed method is robust, calibration free, and economical, and can be used for ideal and reactive plasmas alike. In order to employ the MRP as process diagnostics we mounted the probe on a manipulator to obtain spatially resolved information on the electron density and temperature. As monitoring tool the MRP is installed at a fixed position. Even during the deposition process it provides stable measurement results while other diagnostic methods, e.g. the Langmuir probe, may suffer from dielectric coatings. Funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF, Fkz. 13N10462).

Space Applications of Industrial Laser Systems (SAILS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mueller, Robert E.; McCay, T. Dwayne; McCay, Mary Helen; Bible, Brice

1992-01-01

A program is under way to develop a YAG laser based materials processing workstation to fly in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle. The system will be capable of cutting and welding steel, aluminum and Inconel alloys of the type planned for use on the Space Station Freedom. As well as demonstrating the ability of a YAG laser to perform remote (fiber-optic delivered) repair and fabrication operations in space, fundamental data will be collected on these interactions for comparison with terrestrial data and models. The flight system, scheduled to fly in 1995, will be constructed as two modules to fit into standard Get Away Special (GAS) canisters. The first can holds the laser and its power supply, to be constructed by our industrial partner, Lumonics Industrial Processing Division. The second canister has the materials processing workstation and the command and data acquisition subsystems. These components will be provided by groups at UTSI and the University of Waterloo. The cans are linked by a fiber-optic cable which transmits the beam from the laser head to the workstation.

Space Applications of Industrial Laser Systems (SAILS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mueller, Robert E.; McCay, T. Dwayne; McCay, Mary Helen; Bible, Brice

1995-01-01

A program is under way to develop a YAG laser based materials processing workstation to fly in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle. The system will be capable of cutting and welding steel, aluminum, and Inconel alloys of the type planned for use on Space Station Freedom. As well as demonstrating the ability of a YAG laser to perform remote (fiber-optic delivered) repair and fabrication operations in space, fundamental data will be collected on these interactions for comparison with terrestrial data and models. The flight system, scheduled to fly in 1995, will be constructed as two modules to fit into the standard Get Away Special (GAS) canisters. The first can holds the laser and its power supply, to be constructed by our industrial partner, Lumonics Industrial Processing Division. The second canister has the materials processing workstation and the command and data acquisition subsystems. These components will be provided by groups at the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI) and the University of Waterloo. The cans are linked by a fiber-optic cable which transmits the beam from the laser head to the workstation.

Carbon-Based Nanomaterials: Multi-Functional Materials for Biomedical Engineering

PubMed Central

Cha, Chaenyung; Shin, Su Ryon; Annabi, Nasim; Dokmeci, Mehmet R.; Khademhosseini, Ali

2013-01-01

Functional carbon-based nanomaterials (CBNs) have become important due to their unique combinations of chemical and physical properties (i.e., thermal and electrical conductivity, high mechanical strength, and optical properties), extensive research efforts are being made to utilize these materials for various industrial applications, such as high-strength materials and electronics. These advantageous properties of CBNs are also actively investigated in several areas of biomedical engineering. This Perspective highlights different types of carbon-based nanomaterials currently used in biomedical applications. PMID:23560817

Carbon-based nanomaterials: multifunctional materials for biomedical engineering.

PubMed

Cha, Chaenyung; Shin, Su Ryon; Annabi, Nasim; Dokmeci, Mehmet R; Khademhosseini, Ali

2013-04-23

Functional carbon-based nanomaterials (CBNs) have become important due to their unique combinations of chemical and physical properties (i.e., thermal and electrical conductivity, high mechanical strength, and optical properties), and extensive research efforts are being made to utilize these materials for various industrial applications, such as high-strength materials and electronics. These advantageous properties of CBNs are also actively investigated in several areas of biomedical engineering. This Perspective highlights different types of carbon-based nanomaterials currently used in biomedical applications.

Optical measurement of high-temperature melt flow rate.

PubMed

Bizjan, Benjamin; Širok, Brane; Chen, Jinpeng

2018-05-20

This paper presents an optical method and system for contactless measurement of the mass flow rate of melts by digital cameras. The proposed method is based on reconstruction of melt stream geometry and flow velocity calculation by cross correlation, and is very cost-effective due its modest hardware requirements. Using a laboratory test rig with a small inductive melting pot and reference mass flow rate measurement by weighing, the proposed method was demonstrated to have an excellent dynamic response (0.1 s order of magnitude) while producing deviations from the reference of about 5% in the steady-state flow regime. Similar results were obtained in an industrial stone wool production line for two repeated measurements. Our method was tested in a wide range of melt flow rates (0.05-1.2 kg/s) and did not require very fast cameras (120 frames per second would be sufficient for most industrial applications).

Microfluidic Model Porous Media: Fabrication and Applications.

PubMed

Anbari, Alimohammad; Chien, Hung-Ta; Datta, Sujit S; Deng, Wen; Weitz, David A; Fan, Jing

2018-05-01

Complex fluid flow in porous media is ubiquitous in many natural and industrial processes. Direct visualization of the fluid structure and flow dynamics is critical for understanding and eventually manipulating these processes. However, the opacity of realistic porous media makes such visualization very challenging. Micromodels, microfluidic model porous media systems, have been developed to address this challenge. They provide a transparent interconnected porous network that enables the optical visualization of the complex fluid flow occurring inside at the pore scale. In this Review, the materials and fabrication methods to make micromodels, the main research activities that are conducted with micromodels and their applications in petroleum, geologic, and environmental engineering, as well as in the food and wood industries, are discussed. The potential applications of micromodels in other areas are also discussed and the key issues that should be addressed in the near future are proposed. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Development of the infrared instrument for gas detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Ching-Wei; Chen, Chia-Ray

2017-08-01

MWIR (Mid-Wave Infrared) spectroscopy shows a large potential in the current IR devices market, due to its multiple applications, such as gas detection, chemical analysis, industrial monitoring, combustion and flame characterization. It opens this technique to the fields of application, such as industrial monitoring and control, agriculture and environmental monitoring. However, a major barrier, which is the lack of affordable specific key elements such a MWIR light sources and low cost uncooled detectors, have held it back from its widespread use. In this paper an uncooled MWIR detector combined with image enhancement technique is reported. This investigation shows good results in gas leakage detection test. It also verify the functions of self-developed MWIR lens and optics. A good agreement in theoretical design and experiment give us the lessons learned for the potential application in infrared satellite technology. A brief discussions will also be presented in this paper.

Towards on-chip time-resolved thermal mapping with micro-/nanosensor arrays

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

In recent years, thin-film thermocouple (TFTC) array emerged as a versatile candidate in micro-/nanoscale local temperature sensing for its high resolution, passive working mode, and easy fabrication. However, some key issues need to be taken into consideration before real instrumentation and industrial applications of TFTC array. In this work, we will demonstrate that TFTC array can be highly scalable from micrometers to nanometers and that there are potential applications of TFTC array in integrated circuits, including time-resolvable two-dimensional thermal mapping and tracing the heat source of a device. Some potential problems and relevant solutions from a view of industrial applications will be discussed in terms of material selection, multiplexer reading, pattern designing, and cold-junction compensation. We show that the TFTC array is a powerful tool for research fields such as chip thermal management, lab-on-a-chip, and other novel electrical, optical, or thermal devices. PMID:22931306

High peak power solid-state laser for micromachining of hard materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herbst, Ludolf; Quitter, John P.; Ray, Gregory M.; Kuntze, Thomas; Wiessner, Alexander O.; Govorkov, Sergei V.; Heglin, Mike

2003-06-01

Laser micromachining has become a key enabling technology in the ever-continuing trend of miniaturization in microelectronics, micro-optics, and micromechanics. New applications have become commercially viable due to the emergence of innovative laser sources, such as diode pumped solid-state lasers (DPSSL), and the progress in processing technology. Examples of industrial applications are laser-drilled micro-injection nozzles for highly efficient automobile engines, or manufacturing of complex spinnerets for production of synthetic fibers. The unique advantages of laser-based techniques stem from their ability to produce high aspect ratio holes, while yielding low heat affected zones with exceptional surface quality, roundness and taper tolerances. Additionally, the ability to drill blind holes and slots in very hard materials such as diamond, silicon, sapphire, ceramics and steel is of great interest for many applications in microelectronics, semiconductor and automotive industry. This kind of high quality, high aspect ratio micromachining requires high peak power and short pulse durations.

Surface profile measurement by using the integrated Linnik WLSI and confocal microscope system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wei-Chung; Shen, Ming-Hsing; Hwang, Chi-Hung; Yu, Yun-Ting; Wang, Tzu-Fong

2017-06-01

The white-light scanning interferometer (WLSI) and confocal microscope (CM) are the two major optical inspection systems for measuring three-dimensional (3D) surface profile (SP) of micro specimens. Nevertheless, in practical applications, WLSI is more suitable for measuring smooth and low-slope surfaces. On the other hand, CM is more suitable for measuring uneven-reflective and low-reflective surfaces. As for aspect of surface profiles to be measured, the characteristics of WLSI and CM are also different. WLSI is generally used in semiconductor industry while CM is more popular in printed circuit board industry. In this paper, a self-assembled multi-function optical system was integrated to perform Linnik white-light scanning interferometer (Linnik WLSI) and CM. A connecting part composed of tubes, lenses and interferometer was used to conjunct finite and infinite optical systems for Linnik WLSI and CM in the self-assembled optical system. By adopting the flexibility of tubes and lenses, switching to perform two different optical measurements can be easily achieved. Furthermore, based on the shape from focus method with energy of Laplacian filter, the CM was developed to enhance the on focal information of each pixel so that the CM can provide all-in-focus image for performing the 3D SP measurement and analysis simultaneously. As for Linnik WLSI, eleven-step phase shifting algorithm was used to analyze vertical scanning signals and determine the 3D SP.

Fabrication of Extremely Short Length Fiber Bragg Gratings for Sensor Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, Meng-Chou; Rogowski, Robert S.; Tedjojuwono, Ken K.

2002-01-01

A new technique and a physical model for writing extremely short length Bragg gratings in optical fibers have been developed. The model describes the effects of diffraction on the spatial spectra and therefore, the wavelength spectra of the Bragg gratings. Using an interferometric technique and a variable aperture, short gratings of various lengths and center wavelengths were written in optical fibers. By selecting the related parameters, the Bragg gratings with typical length of several hundred microns and bandwidth of several nanometers can be obtained. These short gratings can be apodized with selected diffraction patterns and hence their broadband spectra have a well-defined bell shape. They are suitable for use as miniaturized distributed strain sensors, which have broad applications to aerospace research and industry as well.

Measurement of the fluid-velocity profile using a self-mixing superluminescent diode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rovati, Luigi; Cattini, Stefano; Palanisamy, Nithiyanantham

2011-02-01

A novel optical Doppler velocimeter using a self-mixing superluminescent diode is proposed and demonstrated. The operation mechanism uses the photodiode on the back-face of a commercial superluminescent diode to detect the Doppler signal from an interferometer. Thanks to the low coherence length of the optical source, the position of the measuring volume can be easily moved into the sample under test by adjusting the reference arm length, thus allowing us to measure the velocity profile of the flowing scatterers even in turbid media. The proposed velocimeter is expected to have several industrial as well as medical applications.

Etched optical fiber vibration sensor to monitor health condition of beam like structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putha, Kishore; Dantala, Dinakar; Kamineni, Srimannarayana; Pachava, Vengal Rao

2013-06-01

Using a center etched single mode optical fiber, a simple vibration senor is designed to monitor the vibrations of a simply supported beam. The sensor has high linear response to the axial displacement of about 0.8 mm with a sensitivity of 32 mV/10 μm strain. The sensor is tested for periodic and suddenly released forces, and the results are found to coincide with the theoretical values. This simple design, small in size and low cost sensor may find applications in industry and civil engineering to monitor the vibrations of the beam structures and bridges.

Achromatical Optical Correlator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chao, Tien-Hsin; Liu, Hua-Kuang

1989-01-01

Signal-to-noise ratio exceeds that of monochromatic correlator. Achromatical optical correlator uses multiple-pinhole diffraction of dispersed white light to form superposed multiple correlations of input and reference images in output plane. Set of matched spatial filters made by multiple-exposure holographic process, each exposure using suitably-scaled input image and suitable angle of reference beam. Recording-aperture mask translated to appropriate horizontal position for each exposure. Noncoherent illumination suitable for applications involving recognition of color and determination of scale. When fully developed achromatical correlators will be useful for recognition of patterns; for example, in industrial inspection and search for selected features in aerial photographs.

Overview of Fiber Optic Sensor Technologies for Strain/Temperature Sensing Applications in Composite Materials

PubMed Central

Ramakrishnan, Manjusha; Rajan, Ginu; Semenova, Yuliya; Farrell, Gerald

2016-01-01

This paper provides an overview of the different types of fiber optic sensors (FOS) that can be used with composite materials and also their compatibility with and suitability for embedding inside a composite material. An overview of the different types of FOS used for strain/temperature sensing in composite materials is presented. Recent trends, and future challenges for FOS technology for condition monitoring in smart composite materials are also discussed. This comprehensive review provides essential information for the smart materials industry in selecting of appropriate types of FOS in accordance with end-user requirements. PMID:26784192

Contributed Review: A review of the investigation of rare-earth dopant profiles in optical fibers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sidiroglou, F.; Baxter, G.; Roberts, A.

Rare-earth doped optical fibers have captivated the interest of many researchers around the world across the past three decades. The growth of this research field has been stimulated primarily through their application in optical communications as fiber lasers and amplifiers, although rare-earth doped optical fiber based devices are now finding important uses in many other scientific and industrial areas (for example, medicine, sensing, the military, and material processing). Such wide commercial interest has provided a strong incentive for innovative fiber designs, alternative glass compositions, and novel fabrication processes. A prerequisite for the ongoing progress of this research field is developingmore » the capacity to provide high resolution information about the rare-earth dopant distribution profiles within the optical fibers. This paper constitutes a comprehensive review of the imaging techniques that have been utilized in the analysis of the distribution of the rare-earth ion erbium within the core of optical fibers.« less

Universal discrete Fourier optics RF photonic integrated circuit architecture.

PubMed

Hall, Trevor J; Hasan, Mehedi

2016-04-04

This paper describes a coherent electro-optic circuit architecture that generates a frequency comb consisting of N spatially separated orders using a generalised Mach-Zenhder interferometer (MZI) with its N × 1 combiner replaced by an optical N × N Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT). Advantage may be taken of the tight optical path-length control, component and circuit symmetries and emerging trimming algorithms offered by photonic integration in any platform that offers linear electro-optic phase modulation such as LiNbO_3, silicon, III-V or hybrid technology. The circuit architecture subsumes all MZI-based RF photonic circuit architectures in the prior art given an appropriate choice of output port(s) and dimension N although the principal application envisaged is phase correlated subcarrier generation for all optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing. A transfer matrix approach is used to model the operation of the architecture. The predictions of the model are validated by simulations performed using an industry standard software tool. Implementation is found to be practical.

Quantum optical rotatory dispersion

PubMed Central

Tischler, Nora; Krenn, Mario; Fickler, Robert; Vidal, Xavier; Zeilinger, Anton; Molina-Terriza, Gabriel

2016-01-01

The phenomenon of molecular optical activity manifests itself as the rotation of the plane of linear polarization when light passes through chiral media. Measurements of optical activity and its wavelength dependence, that is, optical rotatory dispersion, can reveal information about intricate properties of molecules, such as the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms comprising a molecule. Given a limited probe power, quantum metrology offers the possibility of outperforming classical measurements. This has particular appeal when samples may be damaged by high power, which is a potential concern for chiroptical studies. We present the first experiment in which multiwavelength polarization-entangled photon pairs are used to measure the optical activity and optical rotatory dispersion exhibited by a solution of chiral molecules. Our work paves the way for quantum-enhanced measurements of chirality, with potential applications in chemistry, biology, materials science, and the pharmaceutical industry. The scheme that we use for probing wavelength dependence not only allows one to surpass the information extracted per photon in a classical measurement but also can be used for more general differential measurements. PMID:27713928

Overview of Fiber-Optical Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Depaula, Ramon P.; Moore, Emery L.

1987-01-01

Design, development, and sensitivity of sensors using fiber optics reviewed. State-of-the-art and probable future developments of sensors using fiber optics described in report including references to work in field. Serves to update previously published surveys. Systems incorporating fiber-optic sensors used in medical diagnosis, navigation, robotics, sonar, power industry, and industrial controls.

An efficient mosaic algorithm considering seasonal variation: application to KOMPSAT-2 satellite images.

PubMed

Choi, Jaewon; Jung, Hyung-Sup; Yun, Sang-Ho

2015-03-09

As the aerospace industry grows, images obtained from Earth observation satellites have been successfully used in various fields. Specifically, the demand for a high-resolution (HR) optical images is gradually increasing, and hence the generation of a high-quality mosaic image is being magnified as an interesting issue. In this paper, we have proposed an efficient mosaic algorithm for HR optical images that are significantly different due to seasonal change. The algorithm includes main steps such as: (1) seamline extraction from gradient magnitude and seam images; (2) histogram matching; and (3) image feathering. Eleven Kompsat-2 images characterized by seasonal variations are used for the performance validation of the proposed method. The results of the performance test show that the proposed method effectively mosaics Kompsat-2 adjacent images including severe seasonal changes. Moreover, the results reveal that the proposed method is applicable to HR optic images such as GeoEye, IKONOS, QuickBird, RapidEye, SPOT, WorldView, etc.

Pressure-induced nano-crystallization of silicate garnets from glass

PubMed Central

Irifune, T.; Kawakami, K.; Arimoto, T.; Ohfuji, H.; Kunimoto, T.; Shinmei, T.

2016-01-01

Transparent ceramics are important for scientific and industrial applications because of the superior optical and mechanical properties. It has been suggested that optical transparency and mechanical strength are substantially enhanced if transparent ceramics with nano-crystals are available. However, synthesis of the highly transparent nano-crystalline ceramics has been difficult using conventional sintering techniques at relatively low pressures. Here we show direct conversion from bulk glass starting material in mutianvil high-pressure apparatus leads to pore-free nano-polycrystalline silicate garnet at pressures above ∼10 GPa in a limited temperature range around 1,400 °C. The synthesized nano-polycrystalline garnet is optically as transparent as the single crystal for almost the entire visible light range and harder than the single crystal by ∼30%. The ultrahigh-pressure conversion technique should provide novel functional ceramics having various crystal structures, including those of high-pressure phases, as well as ideal specimens for some mineral physics applications. PMID:27924866

Optical Instruments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Precision Lapping and Optical Co. has developed a wide variety of hollow retroreflector systems for applications involving the entire optical spectrum; they are, according to company literature, cheaper, more accurate, lighter and capable of greater size than solid prisms. Precision Lapping's major customers are aerospace and defense companies, government organizations, R&D and commercial instrument companies. For example, Precision Lapping supplies hollow retroreflectors for the laser fire control system of the Army's Abrams tank, and retroreflectors have been and are being used in a number of space tests relative to the Air Force's Strategic Defense Initiative research program. An example of a customer/user is Chesapeake Laser Systems, producer of the Laser Tracker System CMS-2000, which has applications in SDI research and industrial robotics. Another customer is MDA Scientific, Inc., manufacturer of a line of toxic gas detection systems used to monitor hazardous gases present in oil fields, refineries, offshore platforms, chemical plants, waste storage sites and other locations where gases are released into the environment.

[Urotechnology: a new interdisciplinary platform for promoting and managing of technical innovations in urology].

PubMed

Miernik, A; Becker, C; Wullich, B; Schoenthaler, M; Arnolds, B J; Wetterauer, U

2015-01-01

The innovative power in medical engineering and technology development requires a close cooperation between universities and non-university research institutions and a collaboration with industrial partners. German knowledge in the fields of video and micro-optics, microsystem technology and of informational technology and software applications seem to be highly competitive at international level. Germany's previous leadership in the development of technical equipment will be challenged by today's requirements and difficulties in medical engineering. Research and expenses demands for the development of novel medical instruments, products and applications will increase continuously. Transparency and coordinated collaboration between universities and industrial partners will contribute to a substantial improvement in surgical therapy. Medical technology of the future, including urotechnology, requires professional structures and coordination and will have to be based on evidence.

Phases transitions and interfaces in temperature-sensitive colloidal systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Duc; Schall, Peter

2013-03-01

Colloids are widely used because of their exceptional properties. Beside their own applications in food, petrol, cosmetics and drug industries, photonic, optical filters and chemical sensor, they are also known as powerful model systems to study molecular phase behavior. Here, we examine both aspects of colloids using temperature-sensitive colloidal systems to fully investigate colloidal phase behavior and colloidal assembly.

760nm: a new laser diode wavelength for hair removal modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wölz, Martin; Zorn, Martin; Pietrzak, Agnieszka; Kindsvater, Alex; Meusel, Jens; Hülsewede, Ralf; Sebastian, Jürgen

2015-02-01

A new high-power semiconductor laser diode module, emitting at 760 nm is introduced. This wavelength permits optimum treatment results for fair skin individuals, as demonstrated by the use of Alexandrite lasers in dermatology. Hair removal applications benefit from the industry-standard diode laser design utilizing highly efficient, portable and light-weight construction. We show the performance of a tap-water-cooled encapsulated laser diode stack with a window for use in dermatological hand-pieces. The stack design takes into account the pulse lengths required for selectivity in heating the hair follicle vs. the skin. Super-long pulse durations place the hair removal laser between industry-standard CW and QCW applications. The new 760 nm laser diode bars are 30% fill factor devices with 1.5 mm long resonator cavities. At CW operation, these units provide 40 W of optical power at 43 A with wall-plug-efficiency greater than 50%. The maximum output power before COMD is 90 W. Lifetime measurements starting at 40 W show an optical power loss of 20% after about 3000 h. The hair removal modules are available in 1x3, 1x8 and 2x8 bar configurations.

Overview of technical trend of optical fiber/cable and research and development strategy of Samsung

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jin H.

2005-01-01

Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP), a keyword in the current fiber and cable industry, leads us variegated directions of the research and development activities. In fact, this momentum of industry seems to be weak yet, since the bandwidth demand by market is still unbalanced to the capacity in the several market segments. However, the recent gradual recovery in metro and access network indicates a positive sign for FTTP deployment projects. It is the very preferable for us to optimize R&D strategy applicable to the current market trend of sequential investment.

Development of high power UV irradiance meter calibration device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Ming; Gao, Jianqiang; Yin, Dejin; Li, Tiecheng

2016-09-01

With the rapid development of China's economy, many industries have more requirements for UV light applications, such as machinery manufacturing, aircraft manufacturing using high power UV light for detection, IT industry using high power UV light for curing component assembly, building materials, ink, paint and other industries using high power UV light for material aging test etc. In these industries, there are many measuring instruments for high power UV irradiance which are need to traceability. But these instruments are mostly imported instruments, these imported UV radiation meter are large range, wide wavelength range and high accuracy. They have exceeded our existing calibration capability. Expand the measuring range and improve the measurement accuracy of UV irradiance calibration device is a pressing matter of the moment. The newly developed high power UV irradiance calibration device is mainly composed of high power UV light, UV filter, condenser, UV light guide, optical alignment system, standard cavity absolute radiometer. The calibration device is using optical alignment system to form uniform light radiation field. The standard is standard cavity absolute radiometer, which can through the electrical substitution method, by means of adjusting and measuring the applied DC electric power at the receiver on a heating wire, which is equivalent to the thermo-electromotive force generated by the light radiation power, to achieve absolute optical radiation measurement. This method is the commonly used effective method for accurate measurement of light irradiation. The measuring range of calibration device is (0.2 200) mW/cm2, and the uncertainty of measurement results can reached 2.5% (k=2).

Theoretical Design of a Depolarized Interferometric Fiber-Optic Gyroscope (IFOG) on SMF-28 Single-Mode Standard Optical Fiber Based on Closed-Loop Sinusoidal Phase Modulation with Serrodyne Feedback Phase Modulation Using Simulation Tools for Tactical and Industrial Grade Applications

PubMed Central

Pérez, Ramón José; Álvarez, Ignacio; Enguita, José María

2016-01-01

This article presents, by means of computational simulation tools, a full analysis and design of an Interferometric Fiber-Optic Gyroscope (IFOG) prototype based on a closed-loop configuration with sinusoidal bias phase- modulation. The complete design of the different blocks, optical and electronic, is presented, including some novelties as the sinusoidal bias phase-modulation and the use of an integrator to generate the serrodyne phase-modulation signal. The paper includes detailed calculation of most parameter values, and the plots of the resulting signals obtained from simulation tools. The design is focused in the use of a standard single-mode optical fiber, allowing a cost competitive implementation compared to commercial IFOG, at the expense of reduced sensitivity. The design contains an IFOG model that accomplishes tactical and industrial grade applications (sensitivity ≤ 0.055 °/h). This design presents two important properties: (1) an optical subsystem with advanced conception: depolarization of the optical wave by means of Lyot depolarizers, which allows to use a sensing coil made by standard optical fiber, instead by polarization maintaining fiber, which supposes consequent cost savings and (2) a novel and simple electronic design that incorporates a linear analog integrator with reset in feedback chain, this integrator generating a serrodyne voltage-wave to apply to Phase-Modulator (PM), so that it will be obtained the interferometric phase cancellation. This particular feedback design with sawtooth-wave generated signal for a closed-loop configuration with sinusoidal bias phase modulation has not been reported till now in the scientific literature and supposes a considerable simplification with regard to previous designs based on similar configurations. The sensing coil consists of an 8 cm average diameter spool that contains 300 m of standard single-mode optical-fiber (SMF-28 type) realized by quadrupolar winding. The working wavelength will be 1310 nm. The theoretical calculated values of threshold sensitivity and dynamic range for this prototype are 0.052 °/h and 101.38 dB (from ±1.164 × 10−5 °/s up to ±78.19 °/s), respectively. The Scale-Factor (SF) non-linearity for this model is 5.404% relative to full scale, this value being obtained from data simulation results. PMID:27128924

Theoretical Design of a Depolarized Interferometric Fiber-Optic Gyroscope (IFOG) on SMF-28 Single-Mode Standard Optical Fiber Based on Closed-Loop Sinusoidal Phase Modulation with Serrodyne Feedback Phase Modulation Using Simulation Tools for Tactical and Industrial Grade Applications.

PubMed

Pérez, Ramón José; Álvarez, Ignacio; Enguita, José María

2016-04-27

This article presents, by means of computational simulation tools, a full analysis and design of an Interferometric Fiber-Optic Gyroscope (IFOG) prototype based on a closed-loop configuration with sinusoidal bias phase- modulation. The complete design of the different blocks, optical and electronic, is presented, including some novelties as the sinusoidal bias phase-modulation and the use of an integrator to generate the serrodyne phase-modulation signal. The paper includes detailed calculation of most parameter values, and the plots of the resulting signals obtained from simulation tools. The design is focused in the use of a standard single-mode optical fiber, allowing a cost competitive implementation compared to commercial IFOG, at the expense of reduced sensitivity. The design contains an IFOG model that accomplishes tactical and industrial grade applications (sensitivity ≤ 0.055 °/h). This design presents two important properties: (1) an optical subsystem with advanced conception: depolarization of the optical wave by means of Lyot depolarizers, which allows to use a sensing coil made by standard optical fiber, instead by polarization maintaining fiber, which supposes consequent cost savings and (2) a novel and simple electronic design that incorporates a linear analog integrator with reset in feedback chain, this integrator generating a serrodyne voltage-wave to apply to Phase-Modulator (PM), so that it will be obtained the interferometric phase cancellation. This particular feedback design with sawtooth-wave generated signal for a closed-loop configuration with sinusoidal bias phase modulation has not been reported till now in the scientific literature and supposes a considerable simplification with regard to previous designs based on similar configurations. The sensing coil consists of an 8 cm average diameter spool that contains 300 m of standard single-mode optical-fiber (SMF-28 type) realized by quadrupolar winding. The working wavelength will be 1310 nm. The theoretical calculated values of threshold sensitivity and dynamic range for this prototype are 0.052 °/h and 101.38 dB (from ±1.164 × 10(-5) °/s up to ±78.19 °/s), respectively. The Scale-Factor (SF) non-linearity for this model is 5.404% relative to full scale, this value being obtained from data simulation results.

Perspective and potential of smart optical materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Sang H.; Duzik, Adam J.; Kim, Hyun-Jung; Park, Yeonjoon; Kim, Jaehwan; Ko, Hyun-U.; Kim, Hyun-Chan; Yun, Sungryul; Kyung, Ki-Uk

2017-09-01

The increasing requirements of hyperspectral imaging optics, electro/photo-chromic materials, negative refractive index metamaterial optics, and miniaturized optical components from micro-scale to quantum-scale optics have all contributed to new features and advancements in optics technology. Development of multifunctional capable optics has pushed the boundaries of optics into new fields that require new disciplines and materials to maximize the potential benefits. The purpose of this study is to understand and show the fundamental materials and fabrication technology for field-controlled spectrally active optics (referred to as smart optics) that are essential for future industrial, scientific, military, and space applications, such as membrane optics, filters, windows for sensors and probes, telescopes, spectroscopes, cameras, light valves, light switches, and flat-panel displays. The proposed smart optics are based on the Stark and Zeeman effects in materials tailored with quantum dot arrays and thin films made from readily polarizable materials via ferroelectricity or ferromagnetism. Bound excitonic states of organic crystals are also capable of optical adaptability, tunability, and reconfigurability. To show the benefits of smart optics, this paper reviews spectral characteristics of smart optical materials and device technology. Experiments testing the quantum-confined Stark effect, arising from rare earth element doping effects in semiconductors, and applied electric field effects on spectral and refractive index are discussed. Other bulk and dopant materials were also discovered to have the same aspect of shifts in spectrum and refractive index. Other efforts focus on materials for creating field-controlled spectrally smart active optics on a selected spectral range. Surface plasmon polariton transmission of light through apertures is also discussed, along with potential applications. New breakthroughs in micro scale multiple zone plate optics as a micro convex lens are reviewed, along with the newly discovered pseudo-focal point not predicted with conventional optics modeling. Micron-sized solid state beam scanner chips for laser waveguides are reviewed as well.

Case studies in machine vision integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahlers, Rolf-Juergen

1991-09-01

Many countries in the world, e.g. Germany and Japan, depend on high export rates. It is therefore necessary for them to strive for a high degree of quality in the products and processes exported. The example of Japan shows in a significant manner that a competitor should not be feared just because he can offer cheaper products. They become a "source of danger" when these products also achieve a high degree of quality. Thus, survival in the market depends on the ability to recognize the implications of technical and economic developments, to draw the perhaps unpopular conclusions for production, and to make the right decisions. This particularly applies to measurement and inspection equipment for quality control. Here, besides electro-optical sensors in general, image processing systems play an important role because they can emulate the conventional form of visual inspection by a human operator — i.e., the methods used in industry when dealing with quality inspection and control. In combination with precision indexing tables and industrial robots, image processing systems can be extended to new fields of application. The great awareness of the potential applications of vision and image processing systems has led to a variety of realized applications, some of which will be described below under three topics: • electro-optical measurement systems, • automation of visual inspection tasks, and • robot guidance.

Optical device for sensing the index of refraction of liquids with high turbidity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pena-Gomar, M.; Fajardo-Lira, C.; Rosete-Aguilar, Martha; Garcia-Valenzuela, Augusto

2000-12-01

We discuss the use of photo-reflectance near the critical angle (PRCA) to monitor small changes of the RI of highly turbid liquids. The theory of the reflectance of a laser beam near the critical angle for an external medium with a complex RI is summarized. The applicability of PRCA to sense highly turbid media is demonstrated experimentally on bovine milk samples. We give experimental results showing the temporal variation of the refractive index (RI) during three different processes in bovine milk: (1) Mechanical stirring, (2) temperature changes, and (3) pH variations around the isoelectric point of the casein micelles (micelle aggregation). RI changes in the order of a few times 1 X 10-3 are observed during the experiments. The experimental results show that the RI of milk can be used to track physico-chemical changes in time allowing one to measure the time constant of the different process. The design of a compact RI probe for in situ applications is discussed. The miniaturization of such a probe will probably limited by factors other than the loss of sensitivity. A novel angle-of-incidence control which requires only linear displacements of some of the optical components (no rotation) is proposed and shown to be feasible. Such an optical probe may be used in the dairy industry and in general in the food industry or food science research laboratories. It could give additional analytical power to the food scientist, engineer, or technician.

New approach for identifying the zero-order fringe in variable wavelength interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galas, Jacek; Litwin, Dariusz; Daszkiewicz, Marek

2016-12-01

The family of VAWI techniques (for transmitted and reflected light) is especially efficient for characterizing objects, when in the interference system the optical path difference exceeds a few wavelengths. The classical approach that consists in measuring the deflection of interference fringes fails because of strong edge effects. Broken continuity of interference fringes prevents from correct identification of the zero order fringe, which leads to significant errors. The family of these methods has been proposed originally by Professor Pluta in the 1980s but that time image processing facilities and computers were hardly available. Automated devices unfold a completely new approach to the classical measurement procedures. The Institute team has taken that new opportunity and transformed the technique into fully automated measurement devices offering commercial readiness of industry-grade quality. The method itself has been modified and new solutions and algorithms simultaneously have extended the field of application. This has concerned both construction aspects of the systems and software development in context of creating computerized instruments. The VAWI collection of instruments constitutes now the core of the Institute commercial offer. It is now practically applicable in industrial environment for measuring textile and optical fibers, strips of thin films, testing of wave plates and nonlinear affects in different materials. This paper describes new algorithms for identifying the zero order fringe, which increases the performance of the system as a whole and presents some examples of measurements of optical elements.

Scalable cell alignment on optical media substrates.

PubMed

Anene-Nzelu, Chukwuemeka G; Choudhury, Deepak; Li, Huipeng; Fraiszudeen, Azmall; Peh, Kah-Yim; Toh, Yi-Chin; Ng, Sum Huan; Leo, Hwa Liang; Yu, Hanry

2013-07-01

Cell alignment by underlying topographical cues has been shown to affect important biological processes such as differentiation and functional maturation in vitro. However, the routine use of cell culture substrates with micro- or nano-topographies, such as grooves, is currently hampered by the high cost and specialized facilities required to produce these substrates. Here we present cost-effective commercially available optical media as substrates for aligning cells in culture. These optical media, including CD-R, DVD-R and optical grating, allow different cell types to attach and grow well on them. The physical dimension of the grooves in these optical media allowed cells to be aligned in confluent cell culture with maximal cell-cell interaction and these cell alignment affect the morphology and differentiation of cardiac (H9C2), skeletal muscle (C2C12) and neuronal (PC12) cell lines. The optical media is amenable to various chemical modifications with fibronectin, laminin and gelatin for culturing different cell types. These low-cost commercially available optical media can serve as scalable substrates for research or drug safety screening applications in industry scales. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MPO4:Nd3+ (M=Ca, Gd), Luminomagnetic Nanophosphors with Optical and Magnetic Features for Multimodal Imaging Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rightsell, Chris; Mimun, Lawrence C.; Kumar, Ajith G.; Sardar, Dhiraj K.

2015-03-01

Nanomaterials with multiple functionalities play a very important role in several high technology applications. A major area of such applications is the biomedical industry, where contrast agents with multiple imaging modalities can provide better results than conventional materials. Many of the contrast agents available now have drawbacks such as toxicity, photobleaching, low contrast, size restrictions, and overall cost of the imaging system. Rare-earth doped inorganic nanophosphors are alternatives to circumvent several of these issues, together with the added advantage of super high resolution imaging due to the excellent near infrared sensitivity of the phosphors. In addition to optical imaging features, by adding a magnetic ion such as Gd3+ at suitable lattice positions, the phosphor can be made magnetic, yielding dual imaging functionalities. In this research, we are presenting the optical and magnetic imaging features of sub-nanometer size MPO4:Nd3+ (M=Ca, Gd) phosphors for the potential application of these nanophosphors as multimodal contrast agents. Cytotoxicity, in vitro and in vivo imaging, penetration depth etc. are studied for various phosphor compositions, and optimized compositions are explored. This research was funded by the National Science Foundation Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (NSF-PREM) Grant N0-DMR-0934218.

An optoelectronic framework enabled by low-dimensional phase-change films.

PubMed

Hosseini, Peiman; Wright, C David; Bhaskaran, Harish

2014-07-10

The development of materials whose refractive index can be optically transformed as desired, such as chalcogenide-based phase-change materials, has revolutionized the media and data storage industries by providing inexpensive, high-speed, portable and reliable platforms able to store vast quantities of data. Phase-change materials switch between two solid states--amorphous and crystalline--in response to a stimulus, such as heat, with an associated change in the physical properties of the material, including optical absorption, electrical conductance and Young's modulus. The initial applications of these materials (particularly the germanium antimony tellurium alloy Ge2Sb2Te5) exploited the reversible change in their optical properties in rewritable optical data storage technologies. More recently, the change in their electrical conductivity has also been extensively studied in the development of non-volatile phase-change memories. Here we show that by combining the optical and electronic property modulation of such materials, display and data visualization applications that go beyond data storage can be created. Using extremely thin phase-change materials and transparent conductors, we demonstrate electrically induced stable colour changes in both reflective and semi-transparent modes. Further, we show how a pixelated approach can be used in displays on both rigid and flexible films. This optoelectronic framework using low-dimensional phase-change materials has many likely applications, such as ultrafast, entirely solid-state displays with nanometre-scale pixels, semi-transparent 'smart' glasses, 'smart' contact lenses and artificial retina devices.

Performance verification of network function virtualization in software defined optical transport networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yongli; Hu, Liyazhou; Wang, Wei; Li, Yajie; Zhang, Jie

2017-01-01

With the continuous opening of resource acquisition and application, there are a large variety of network hardware appliances deployed as the communication infrastructure. To lunch a new network application always implies to replace the obsolete devices and needs the related space and power to accommodate it, which will increase the energy and capital investment. Network function virtualization1 (NFV) aims to address these problems by consolidating many network equipment onto industry standard elements such as servers, switches and storage. Many types of IT resources have been deployed to run Virtual Network Functions (vNFs), such as virtual switches and routers. Then how to deploy NFV in optical transport networks is a of great importance problem. This paper focuses on this problem, and gives an implementation architecture of NFV-enabled optical transport networks based on Software Defined Optical Networking (SDON) with the procedure of vNFs call and return. Especially, an implementation solution of NFV-enabled optical transport node is designed, and a parallel processing method for NFV-enabled OTN nodes is proposed. To verify the performance of NFV-enabled SDON, the protocol interaction procedures of control function virtualization and node function virtualization are demonstrated on SDON testbed. Finally, the benefits and challenges of the parallel processing method for NFV-enabled OTN nodes are simulated and analyzed.

Design of a photonic integrated based optical interrogator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibrahim, Selwan K.; Farnan, Martin; Karabacak, Devrez M.

2017-02-01

Optical sensors based on Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) are used in several applications and industries. In order for fiber optic sensors to compete with electrical sensors, several critical parameters of both the sensors and sensor interrogators need to be in place such as performance, cost, size, reliability relevant to the target application. Here we have developed a tunable laser based optical interrogator which delivers high performance (up to 8kHz sweep-rate and 120dB dynamic range) and precision (<100fm) by optimizing the laser calibration of a telecom tunable laser and incorporating optical periodic wavelength references (e.g. MZI) to correct and compensate for wavelength non-linearity and noise during operation. Scaling up optical sensing systems to deliver high level of performance over a large number of sensors is enabled by synchronizing multiple interrogators. Further improvements can be achieved by using photonic integrated circuit (PIC) technology which reduces the footprint, cost, and improves performance. There exists several PIC technology platforms (e.g. InP, Si, TriPlex) that could be used to develop different optical building blocks used in the interrogator. Such building blocks include the tunable laser, couplers, photodiodes, MZIs, etc. are available on the InP platform. Here we have demonstrated the operation of an interrogator using PIC technology to replace many of the discrete optical components. The design and chip manufacturing was carried out as part of an InP multi-project wafer (MPW) run under the EU PARADIGM project. A custom package supporting fiber arrays was designed and manufactured to demonstrate the PIC functionality in an optical interrogator.

Wafer-scale micro-optics fabrication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voelkel, Reinhard

2012-07-01

Micro-optics is an indispensable key enabling technology for many products and applications today. Probably the most prestigious examples are the diffractive light shaping elements used in high-end DUV lithography steppers. Highly-efficient refractive and diffractive micro-optical elements are used for precise beam and pupil shaping. Micro-optics had a major impact on the reduction of aberrations and diffraction effects in projection lithography, allowing a resolution enhancement from 250 nm to 45 nm within the past decade. Micro-optics also plays a decisive role in medical devices (endoscopes, ophthalmology), in all laser-based devices and fiber communication networks, bringing high-speed internet to our homes. Even our modern smart phones contain a variety of micro-optical elements. For example, LED flash light shaping elements, the secondary camera, ambient light and proximity sensors. Wherever light is involved, micro-optics offers the chance to further miniaturize a device, to improve its performance, or to reduce manufacturing and packaging costs. Wafer-scale micro-optics fabrication is based on technology established by the semiconductor industry. Thousands of components are fabricated in parallel on a wafer. This review paper recapitulates major steps and inventions in wafer-scale micro-optics technology. The state-of-the-art of fabrication, testing and packaging technology is summarized.

Optimizing laser beam profiles using micro-lens arrays for efficient material processing: applications to solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hauschild, Dirk; Homburg, Oliver; Mitra, Thomas; Ivanenko, Mikhail; Jarczynski, Manfred; Meinschien, Jens; Bayer, Andreas; Lissotschenko, Vitalij

2009-02-01

High power laser sources are used in various production tools for microelectronic products and solar cells, including the applications annealing, lithography, edge isolation as well as dicing and patterning. Besides the right choice of the laser source suitable high performance optics for generating the appropriate beam profile and intensity distribution are of high importance for the right processing speed, quality and yield. For industrial applications equally important is an adequate understanding of the physics of the light-matter interaction behind the process. In advance simulations of the tool performance can minimize technical and financial risk as well as lead times for prototyping and introduction into series production. LIMO has developed its own software founded on the Maxwell equations taking into account all important physical aspects of the laser based process: the light source, the beam shaping optical system and the light-matter interaction. Based on this knowledge together with a unique free-form micro-lens array production technology and patented micro-optics beam shaping designs a number of novel solar cell production tool sub-systems have been built. The basic functionalities, design principles and performance results are presented with a special emphasis on resilience, cost reduction and process reliability.

Low cost paths to binary optics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Arthur; Domash, Lawrence

1993-01-01

Application of binary optics has been limited to a few major laboratories because of the limited availability of fabrication facilities such as e-beam machines and the lack of standardized design software. Foster-Miller has attempted to identify low cost approaches to medium-resolution binary optics using readily available computer and fabrication tools, primarily for the use of students and experimenters in optical computing. An early version of our system, MacBEEP, made use of an optimized laser film recorder from the commercial typesetting industry with 10 micron resolution. This report is an update on our current efforts to design and build a second generation MacBEEP, which aims at 1 micron resolution and multiple phase levels. Trails included a low cost scanning electron microscope in microlithography mode, and alternative laser inscribers or photomask generators. Our current software approach is based on Mathematica and PostScript compatibility.

Optical fiber sensors: Accelerating applications in Navy ships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Day, G. W.; Lovely, P. S.; Whitesel, H. K.; Hickernell, R. K.

1994-05-01

The Navy needs new sensors for shipboard machinery monitoring and control, condition-based maintenance, and damage assessment. Optical fiber sensors are strongly preferred because of their immunity to electrical disturbances, as well as potential size, weight, and performance advantages. But despite well over a decade of development and promise, relatively few optical fiber sensors available today can meet the Navy's needs with acceptable performance and cost. This report examines the reasons and recommends strategies to help the Navy achieve its goals. Some of the recommendations confirm approaches that the Navy is already implementing. Optical fiber sensors have very valuable potential advantages, but those that the Navy can use may remain too expensive to be deployed if the Navy uses traditional methods of writing specifications and soliciting development and procurement bids. For this reason, the study focuses on cooperation with industry and promoting commercial off-the-shelf and dual-use technology.

Volatile Organic Compound Optical Fiber Sensors: A Review

PubMed Central

Elosua, Cesar; Matias, Ignacio R.; Bariain, Candido; Arregui, Francisco J.

2006-01-01

Volatile organic compound (VOC) detection is a topic of growing interest with applications in diverse fields, ranging from environmental uses to the food or chemical industries. Optical fiber VOC sensors offering new and interesting properties which overcame some of the inconveniences found on traditional gas sensors appeared over two decades ago. Thanks to its minimum invasive nature and the advantages that optical fiber offers such as light weight, passive nature, low attenuation and the possibility of multiplexing, among others, these sensors are a real alternative to electronic ones in electrically noisy environments where electronic sensors cannot operate correctly. In the present work, a classification of these devices has been made according to the sensing mechanism and taking also into account the sensing materials or the different methods of fabrication. In addition, some solutions already implemented for the detection of VOCs using optical fiber sensors will be described with detail.

Development of TMA-based imaging system for hyperspectral application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Young-Wan; Yang, Seung-Uk; Kang, Myung-Seok; Kim, Ee-Eul

2017-11-01

Funded by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Energy of Korea, SI initiated the development of the prototype model of TMA-based electro-optical system as part of the national space research and development program. Its optical aperture diameter is 120 mm, the effective focal length is 462 mm, and its full field-of-view is 5.08 degrees. The dimension is of about 600 mm × 400 mm × 400 mm and the weight is less than 15 kg. To demonstrate its performance, hyper-spectral imaging based on linear spectral filter is selected for the application of the prototype. The spectral resolution will be less than 10 nm and the number of channels will be more than 40 in visible and nearinfrared region. In this paper, the progress made so far on the prototype development will be presented

Dual-comb spectroscopy of water vapor with a free-running semiconductor disk laser.

PubMed

Link, S M; Maas, D J H C; Waldburger, D; Keller, U

2017-06-16

Dual-comb spectroscopy offers the potential for high accuracy combined with fast data acquisition. Applications are often limited, however, by the complexity of optical comb systems. Here we present dual-comb spectroscopy of water vapor using a substantially simplified single-laser system. Very good spectroscopy measurements with fast sampling rates are achieved with a free-running dual-comb mode-locked semiconductor disk laser. The absolute stability of the optical comb modes is characterized both for free-running operation and with simple microwave stabilization. This approach drastically reduces the complexity for dual-comb spectroscopy. Band-gap engineering to tune the center wavelength from the ultraviolet to the mid-infrared could optimize frequency combs for specific gas targets, further enabling dual-comb spectroscopy for a wider range of industrial applications. Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Growth and characterization of pure and Cadmium chloride doped KDP Crystals grown by gel medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalaivani, M. S.; Asaithambi, T.

2016-10-01

Crystal growth technology provides an important basis for many industrial branches. Crystals are the unrecognized pillars of modern technology. Without crystals, there is no electronic industry, no photonic industry, and no fiber optic communications. Single crystals play a major role and form the strongest base for the fast growing field of engineering, science and technology. Crystal growth is an interdisciplinary subject covering physics, chemistry, material science, chemical engineering, metallurgy, crystallography, mineralogy, etc. In past few decades, there has been a keen interest on crystal growth processes, particularly in view of the increasing demand of materials for technological applications. Optically good quality pure and metal doped KDP crystals have been grown by gel method at room temperature and their characterization have been studied. Gel method is a much uncomplicated method and can be utilized to synthesize crystals which are having low solubility. Potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate KH2PO4 (KDP) continues to be an interesting material both academically and industrially. KDP is a representative of hydrogen bonded materials which possess very good electro - optic and nonlinear optical properties in addition to interesting electrical properties. Due to this interesting properties, we made an attempt to grow pure and cadmium chloride doped KDP crystals in various concentrations (0.002, 0.004, 0.006, 0.008 and 0.010) using gel method. The grown crystals were collected after 20 days. We get crystals with good quality and shaped. The dc electrical conductivity (resistance, capacitance and dielectric constant) values were measured at frequencies in the range of 1 KHZ and 100 HZ of pure and cadmium chloride added crystal with a temperature range of 400C to 1300C using simple two probe setup with Q band digital LCR meter present in our lab. The electrical conductivity increases with increase of temperature. The dielectric constants of metal doped KDP crystals were slightly decreased compared to pure KDP crystals.

Customizable Optical Force Sensor for Fast Prototyping and Cost-Effective Applications.

PubMed

Díez, Jorge A; Catalán, José M; Blanco, Andrea; García-Perez, José V; Badesa, Francisco J; Gacía-Aracil, Nicolás

2018-02-07

This paper presents the development of an optical force sensor architecture directed to prototyping and cost-effective applications, where the actual force requirements are still not well defined or the most suitable commercial technologies would highly increase the cost of the device. The working principle of this sensor consists of determining the displacement of a lens by measuring the distortion of a refracted light beam. This lens is attached to an elastic interface whose elastic constant is known, allowing the estimation of the force that disturbs the optical system. In order to satisfy the requirements of the design process in an inexpensive way, this sensor can be built by fast prototyping technologies and using non-optical grade elements. To deal with the imperfections of this kind of manufacturing procedures and materials, four fitting models are proposed to calibrate the implemented sensor. In order to validate the system, two different sensor implementations with measurement ranges of ±45 N and ±10 N are tested with the proposed models, comparing the resulting force estimation with respect to an industrial-grade load cell. Results show that all models can estimate the loads with an error of about 6% of the measurement range.

Customizable Optical Force Sensor for Fast Prototyping and Cost-Effective Applications

PubMed Central

Díez, Jorge A.; Catalán, José M.; Blanco, Andrea; García-Perez, José V.; Badesa, Francisco J.

2018-01-01

This paper presents the development of an optical force sensor architecture directed to prototyping and cost-effective applications, where the actual force requirements are still not well defined or the most suitable commercial technologies would highly increase the cost of the device. The working principle of this sensor consists of determining the displacement of a lens by measuring the distortion of a refracted light beam. This lens is attached to an elastic interface whose elastic constant is known, allowing the estimation of the force that disturbs the optical system. In order to satisfy the requirements of the design process in an inexpensive way, this sensor can be built by fast prototyping technologies and using non-optical grade elements. To deal with the imperfections of this kind of manufacturing procedures and materials, four fitting models are proposed to calibrate the implemented sensor. In order to validate the system, two different sensor implementations with measurement ranges of ±45 N and ±10 N are tested with the proposed models, comparing the resulting force estimation with respect to an industrial-grade load cell. Results show that all models can estimate the loads with an error of about 6% of the measurement range. PMID:29414861

Fiber optic evanescent wave biosensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duveneck, Gert L.; Ehrat, Markus; Widmer, H. M.

1991-09-01

The role of modern analytical chemistry is not restricted to quality control and environmental surveillance, but has been extended to process control using on-line analytical techniques. Besides industrial applications, highly specific, ultra-sensitive biochemical analysis becomes increasingly important as a diagnostic tool, both in central clinical laboratories and in the doctor's office. Fiber optic sensor technology can fulfill many of the requirements for both types of applications. As an example, the experimental arrangement of a fiber optic sensor for biochemical affinity assays is presented. The evanescent electromagnetic field, associated with a light ray guided in an optical fiber, is used for the excitation of luminescence labels attached to the biomolecules in solution to be analyzed. Due to the small penetration depth of the evanescent field into the medium, the generation of luminescence is restricted to the close proximity of the fiber, where, e.g., the luminescent analyte molecules combine with their affinity partners, which are immobilized on the fiber. Both cw- and pulsed light excitation can be used in evanescent wave sensor technology, enabling the on-line observation of an affinity assay on a macroscopic time scale (seconds and minutes), as well as on a microscopic, molecular time scale (nanoseconds or microseconds).

Implications of diamond-turned versus diamond-ground mold fabrication techniques on precision-molded optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mertus, Lou; Symmons, Alan

2012-10-01

In recent years, the trend within the molded optics community has been an overall advancement in the capability to diamond grind molds using a variety of grinding techniques. Improvements in grinding equipment, materials and tooling have enabled higher quality ceramic and carbide molds and thereby lenses. Diamond turned molds from ductile metals are still used prevalently throughout the molding industry. Each technology presents a unique set of advantages and disadvantages whether used for precision injection molding of plastic optics or precision glass molding. This paper reviews the manufacturing techniques for each approach and applicable molding process. The advantages and disadvantages of each are compared and analyzed. The subtle differences that exist in optics molded from each technique and the impact they have on the performance in various applications is reviewed. Differences stemming from tooling material properties, material-specific minor defects, as well as cutting and grinding process-induced artifacts are described in detail as well as their influence on the roughness, waviness, and form errors present on the molded surface. A comparison with results between similar surfaces for both diamond grinding and diamond turning is presented.

Optimization of a Fabry-Perot Q-switch fiber optic laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armas Rivera, Ivan; Beltrán Pérez, Georgina; Kuzin, Evgene; Castillo Mixcóatl, Juan; Muñoz Aguirre, Severino

2013-11-01

Optical fiber Q-Switch lasers have been used in a variety of application areas in science as well as in industry owing to their multiple characteristics. A possible application is that owing to their high output power they can be used as pumping sources for supercontinuum generation. Such source can be employed in optical coherence tomography (OCT) focused to dermatology. Therefore it is important to develop sources with emission wavelength that are not injurious to human skin. In the present work erbium doped fiber (EDF) was used owing that its emission wavelength (1550 nm) is adequate for this purpose. The most efficient way of achieving high power in a Q-Switch laser is optimizing all the parameters involved in the pulses generation, such as pumping power, active medium length and modulation frequency. The results show that using a fiber length of 7 meters is possible to get 10 μJ of energy, a peak power of 140 W, an average power of 27.5mW with temporal widths of 500 ns. The laser uses an acousto-optic device to modulate the internal loses inside the cavity. As highly reflecting mirrors, a Sagnac Interferometer and a Fiber Bragg Grating was employed.

Economic analysis of the unified heliostat array. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1981-01-31

The Unified Heliostat Array (UHA) was investigated as to cost and optical performance. Two heliostats, the Veda Industrial Heliostat (VIH) and the Repowering Heliostat were investigated in conjunction with the UHA. The UHA was found to be a viable candidate for solar thermal central receiver applications. The UHA-VIH combination was shown to provide very high flux densities and to be suitable for high temperature applications in the 1000/sup 0/K to 2000/sup 0/K range. These temperatures were shown to be achievable even with very small (1 MWt) collector fields.

Workmanship Training Industry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson, Ashley; Sikes, Larry; Corbin, Cheryl; Rucka, Rebecca

2015-01-01

Special processes require special skills, knowledge and experienced application. For over 15 years, the NASA Johnson Space Center's Receiving, Inspection and Test Facility (RITF) has provided Workmanship Standards compliance training, issuing more than 500 to 800 training completion certificates annually. It is critical that technicians and inspectors are trained and that they maintain their proficiency to implement the applicable standards and specifications. Training services include 'hands-on' training to engineers, technicians, and inspectors in the areas of electrostatic discharge (ESD), soldering, fiber optics, lithium battery handling, torque and wire safety, and wire wrapping.

A summary report on the Flat-Plate Solar Array Project Workshop on Transparent Conducting Polymers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kachare, R.; Moacanin, J.

1985-01-01

The proceedings and technical discussions of a workshop on Transparent Conducting Polymers (TCP) for solar cell applications are reported. This is in support of the Device Research Task of the Flat-Flate Solar Array Project. The workshop took place on January 11 and 12, 1985, in Santa Barbara, California. Participants included university and industry researchers. The discussions focused on the electronic and optical properties of TCP, and on experimental issues and problems that should be addressed for high-efficiency solar cell application.

Fulfilling the promise of holographic optical elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moss, Gaylord E.

1990-05-01

Consider the whole class of holographic optical elements which either contain pictorial image information or have the ability to modify wavefronts. Even after many years of development, there are pitifully few marketable applications. The visionary promises that holography would create a revolution in the optics and display industries have not been fulfilled. Time has shown that, while it was relatively simple to dream up ideas for myriad applications, these ideas have generally not moved beyond laboratory demonstrations. Exceptions are a few items such as optical elements for supermarket scanners, head-up displays and laser diode lenses. This paper addresses: 1. The many promises of holographic elements 2. The difficulties of practical implementation 3. A reassessment of research and development priorities To give simple examples of these points, they are discussed mainly as they apply to one type of holographic application: automotive displays. These familiar displays give a clear example of both the promises and difficulties that holographic elements present in the world of high volume, low-costproduction. Automotive displays could be considered as a trivial application alongside more interesting fundamental research programs or high cost, sophisticated military applications. One might even consider "trivial" automotive displays to be a disreputable subject for serious researchers. The case is made that exactly the opposite is true. The resources for large scale development exist only in a healthy commercial market. An example is the Japanese funding of high technology through commercial product development. This has been shown to be effective in the development of other technologies, such as ceramics, semiconductors, solar cells and composite materials. In like manner, if holography is to become an economically important technology, more and more competent researchers must start looking outside the universities and military laboratories for support. They must involve themselves in some of the "trivial" commercial applications.

Dispersion dependence of second-order refractive index and complex third-order optical susceptibility in oxide glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdel Wahab, F. A.; El-Diasty, Fouad; Abdel-Baki, Manal

2009-10-01

A method correlates Fresnel-based spectrophotometric measurements and Lorentz dispersion theory is presented to study the dispersion of nonlinear optical parameters in particularly oxide glasses in a very wide range of angular frequency. The second-order refractive index and third-order optical susceptibility of Cr-doped glasses are determined from linear refractive index. Furthermore, both real and imaginary components of the complex susceptibility are carried out. The study reveals the importance of determining the dispersion of nonlinear absorption (two-photon absorption coefficient) to find the maximum resonant and nonresonant susceptibilities of investigated glasses. The present method is applied on Cr-doped lithium aluminum silicate (LAS) glasses due to their semiconductor-like behavior and also to their application in laser industry.

Optical properties of in-vitro biomineralised silica

PubMed Central

Polini, Alessandro; Pagliara, Stefano; Camposeo, Andrea; Cingolani, Roberto; Wang, Xiaohong; Schröder, Heinz C.; Müller, Werner E. G.; Pisignano, Dario

2012-01-01

Silicon is the second most common element on the Earth's crust and its oxide (SiO2) the most abundant mineral. Silica and silicates are widely used in medicine and industry as well as in micro- and nano-optics and electronics. However, the fabrication of glass fibres and components requires high temperature and non-physiological conditions, in contrast to biosilica structures in animals and plants. Here, we show for the first time the use of recombinant silicatein-α, the most abundant subunit of sponge proteins catalyzing biosilicification reactions, to direct the formation of optical waveguides in-vitro through soft microlithography. The artificial biosilica fibres mimic the natural sponge spicules, exhibiting refractive index values suitable for confinement of light within waveguides, with optical losses in the range of 5–10 cm−1, suitable for application in lab-on-chips systems. This method extends biosilicification to the controlled fabrication of optical components by physiological processing conditions, hardly addressed by conventional technologies. PMID:22934130

Research on distributed optical fiber sensing data processing method based on LabVIEW

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhonghu; Yang, Meifang; Wang, Luling; Wang, Jinming; Yan, Junhong; Zuo, Jing

2018-01-01

The pipeline leak detection and leak location problem have gotten extensive attention in the industry. In this paper, the distributed optical fiber sensing system is designed based on the heat supply pipeline. The data processing method of distributed optical fiber sensing based on LabVIEW is studied emphatically. The hardware system includes laser, sensing optical fiber, wavelength division multiplexer, photoelectric detector, data acquisition card and computer etc. The software system is developed using LabVIEW. The software system adopts wavelet denoising method to deal with the temperature information, which improved the SNR. By extracting the characteristic value of the fiber temperature information, the system can realize the functions of temperature measurement, leak location and measurement signal storage and inquiry etc. Compared with traditional negative pressure wave method or acoustic signal method, the distributed optical fiber temperature measuring system can measure several temperatures in one measurement and locate the leak point accurately. It has a broad application prospect.

Computational Design of Tunable UV-Vis-IR Filters Based on Silver Nanoparticle Arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waters, Michael; Shi, Guangsha; Kioupakis, Emmanouil

We propose design strategies to develop selective optical filters in the UV-Vis-IR spectrum using the surface plasmon response of silver nanoparticle arrays. Our finite-difference time-domain simulations allow us to rapidly evaluate many nanostructures comprising simple geometries while varying their shape, height, width, and spacing. Our results allow us to identify trends in the filtering spectra as well as the relative amount of absorption and reflection. Optical filtering with nanoparticles is applicable to any transparent substrate and can be easily adapted to existing manufacturing processes while keeping the total cost of materials low. This work was supported by Guardian Industries Corp.

Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording: Fundamental Limits to Inverse Electromagnetic Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhargava, Samarth

In this dissertation, we address the burgeoning fields of diffractive optics, metals-optics and plasmonics, and computational inverse problems in the engineering design of electromagnetic structures. We focus on the application of the optical nano-focusing system that will enable Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR), a higher density magnetic recording technology that will fulfill the exploding worldwide demand of digital data storage. The heart of HAMR is a system that focuses light to a nano- sub-diffraction-limit spot with an extremely high power density via an optical antenna. We approach this engineering problem by first discussing the fundamental limits of nano-focusing and the material limits for metal-optics and plasmonics. Then, we use efficient gradient-based optimization algorithms to computationally design shapes of 3D nanostructures that outperform human designs on the basis of mass-market product requirements. In 2014, the world manufactured ˜1 zettabyte (ZB), ie. 1 Billion terabytes (TBs), of data storage devices, including ˜560 million magnetic hard disk drives (HDDs). Global demand of storage will likely increase by 10x in the next 5-10 years, and manufacturing capacity cannot keep up with demand alone. We discuss the state-of-art HDD and why industry invented Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) to overcome the data density limitations. HAMR leverages the temperature sensitivity of magnets, in which the coercivity suddenly and non-linearly falls at the Curie temperature. Data recording to high-density hard disks can be achieved by locally heating one bit of information while co-applying a magnetic field. The heating can be achieved by focusing 100 microW of light to a 30nm diameter spot on the hard disk. This is an enormous light intensity, roughly ˜100,000,000x the intensity of sunlight on the earth's surface! This power density is ˜1,000x the output of gold-coated tapered optical fibers used in Near-field Scanning Optical Microscopes (NSOM), which is the incumbent technology allowing the focus of light to the nano-scale. Even in these lower power NSOM probe tips, optical self-heating and deformation of the nano- gold tips are significant reliability and performance bottlenecks. Hence, the design and manufacture of the higher power optical nano-focusing system for HAMR must overcome great engineering challenges in optical and thermal performance. There has been much debate about alternative materials for metal-optics and plasmonics to cure the current plague of optical loss and thermal reliability in this burgeoning field. We clear the air. For an application like HAMR, where intense self-heating occurs, refractory metals and metals nitrides with high melting points but low optical and thermal conductivities are inferior to noble metals. This conclusion is contradictory to several claims and may be counter-intuitive to some, but the analysis is simple, evident and relevant to any engineer working on metal-optics and plasmonics. Indeed, the best metals for DC and RF electronics are also the best at optical frequencies. We also argue that the geometric design of electromagnetic structures (especially sub-wavelength devices) is too cumbersome for human designers, because the wave nature of light necessitates that this inverse problem be non-convex and non-linear. When the computation for one forward simulation is extremely demanding (hours on a high-performance computing cluster), typical designers constrain themselves to only 2 or 3 degrees of freedom. We attack the inverse electromagnetic design problem using gradient-based optimization after leveraging the adjoint-method to efficiently calculate the gradient (ie. the sensitivity) of an objective function with respect to thousands to millions of parameters. This approach results in creative computational designs of electromagnetic structures that human designers could not have conceived yet yield better optical performance. After gaining key insights from the fundamental limits and building our Inverse Electromagnetic Design software, we finally attempt to solve the challenges in enabling HAMR and the future supply of digital data storage hardware. In 2014, the hard disk industry spent ˜$200 million dollars in R&D but poor optical and thermal performance of the metallic nano-transducer continues to prevent commercial HAMR product. Via our design process, we successfully computationally-generated designs for the nano-focusing system that meets specifications for higher data density, lower adjacent track interference, lower laser power requirements and, most notably, lower self-heating of the crucial metallic nano-antenna. We believe that computational design will be a crucial component in commercial HAMR as well as many other commercially significant applications of micro- and nano- optics. If successful in commercializing HAMR, the hard disk industry may sell 1 billion HDDs per year by 2025, with an average of 6 semiconductor diode lasers and 6 optical chips per drive. The key players will become the largest manufacturers of integrated optical chips and nano-antennas in the world. This industry will perform millions of single-mode laser alignments per day. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

External amplification of OCT swept-sources for challenging applications: from 10 mW to more than 120 mW

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivard, Maxime; Villeneuve, Alain; Lamouche, Guy

2017-02-01

For bioimaging applications, commercial swept-sources currently provide enough power (tens of milliwatts) insuring good imaging condition without damaging the tissues. For industrial applications, more power is needed since the amount of light collected can be very low due to challenging measurement conditions or due to poor sample reflectivity. To address this challenge, we explore three different setups to externally amplify the output of a commercial swept-source: a booster semiconductor optical amplifier (BOA), an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) and a combination of both. These external amplification setups allow the exploration of emerging OCT applications without the need to develop new hardware.

Diode lasers: From laboratory to industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasim, Hira; Jamil, Yasir

2014-03-01

The invention of first laser in 1960 triggered the discovery of several new families of lasers. A rich interplay of different lasing materials resulted in a far better understanding of the phenomena particularly linked with atomic and molecular spectroscopy. Diode lasers have gone through tremendous developments on the forefront of applied physics that have shown novel ways to the researchers. Some interesting attributes of the diode lasers like cost effectiveness, miniature size, high reliability and relative simplicity of use make them good candidates for utilization in various practical applications. Diode lasers are being used by a variety of professionals and in several spectroscopic techniques covering many areas of pure and applied sciences. Diode lasers have revolutionized many fields like optical communication industry, medical science, trace gas monitoring, studies related to biology, analytical chemistry including elemental analysis, war fare studies etc. In this paper the diode laser based technologies and measurement techniques ranging from laboratory research to automated field and industry have been reviewed. The application specific developments of diode lasers and various methods of their utilization particularly during the last decade are discussed comprehensively. A detailed snapshot of the current state of the art diode laser applications is given along with a detailed discussion on the upcoming challenges.

Fused smart sensor network for multi-axis forward kinematics estimation in industrial robots.

PubMed

Rodriguez-Donate, Carlos; Osornio-Rios, Roque Alfredo; Rivera-Guillen, Jesus Rooney; Romero-Troncoso, Rene de Jesus

2011-01-01

Flexible manipulator robots have a wide industrial application. Robot performance requires sensing its position and orientation adequately, known as forward kinematics. Commercially available, motion controllers use high-resolution optical encoders to sense the position of each joint which cannot detect some mechanical deformations that decrease the accuracy of the robot position and orientation. To overcome those problems, several sensor fusion methods have been proposed but at expenses of high-computational load, which avoids the online measurement of the joint's angular position and the online forward kinematics estimation. The contribution of this work is to propose a fused smart sensor network to estimate the forward kinematics of an industrial robot. The developed smart processor uses Kalman filters to filter and to fuse the information of the sensor network. Two primary sensors are used: an optical encoder, and a 3-axis accelerometer. In order to obtain the position and orientation of each joint online a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is used in the hardware implementation taking advantage of the parallel computation capabilities and reconfigurability of this device. With the aim of evaluating the smart sensor network performance, three real-operation-oriented paths are executed and monitored in a 6-degree of freedom robot.

A fiber optic sensor with a metal organic framework as a sensing material for trace levels of water in industrial gases.

PubMed

Ohira, Shin-Ichi; Miki, Yusuke; Matsuzaki, Toru; Nakamura, Nao; Sato, Yu-ki; Hirose, Yasuo; Toda, Kei

2015-07-30

Industrial gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and helium are easily contaminated with water during production, transfer and use, because there is a high volume fraction of water in the atmosphere (approximately 1.2% estimated with the average annual atmospheric temperature and relative humidity). Even trace water (<1 parts per million by volume (ppmv) of H2O, dew point < -76 °C) in the industrial gases can cause quality problems in the process such as production of semiconductors. Therefore, it is important to monitor and to control trace water levels in industrial gases at each supplying step, and especially during their use. In the present study, a fiber optic gas sensor was investigated for monitoring trace water levels in industrial gases. The sensor consists of a film containing a metal organic framework (MOF). MOFs are made of metals coordinated to organic ligands, and have mesoscale pores that adsorb gas molecules. When the MOF, copper benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (Cu-BTC), was used as a sensing material, we investigated the color of Cu-BTC with water adsorption changed both in depth and tone. Cu-BTC crystals appeared deep blue in dry gases, and then changed to light blue in wet gases. An optical gas sensor with the Cu-BTC film was developed using a light emitting diode as the light source and a photodiode as the light intensity detector. The sensor showed a reversible response to trace water, did not require heating to remove the adsorbed water molecules. The sample gas flow rate did not affect the sensitivity. The obtained limit of detection was 40 parts per billion by volume (ppbv). The response time for sample gas containing 2.5 ppmvH2O was 23 s. The standard deviation obtained for daily analysis of 1.0 ppmvH2O standard gas over 20 days was 9%. Furthermore, the type of industrial gas did not affect the sensitivity. These properties mean the sensor will be applicable to trace water detection in various industrial gases. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Original method to compute epipoles using variable homography: application to measure emergent fibers on textile fabrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jun; Cudel, Christophe; Kohler, Sophie; Fontaine, Stéphane; Haeberlé, Olivier; Klotz, Marie-Louise

2012-04-01

Fabric's smoothness is a key factor in determining the quality of finished textile products and has great influence on the functionality of industrial textiles and high-end textile products. With popularization of the zero defect industrial concept, identifying and measuring defective material in the early stage of production is of great interest to the industry. In the current market, many systems are able to achieve automatic monitoring and control of fabric, paper, and nonwoven material during the entire production process, however online measurement of hairiness is still an open topic and highly desirable for industrial applications. We propose a computer vision approach to compute epipole by using variable homography, which can be used to measure emergent fiber length on textile fabrics. The main challenges addressed in this paper are the application of variable homography on textile monitoring and measurement, as well as the accuracy of the estimated calculation. We propose that a fibrous structure can be considered as a two-layer structure, and then we show how variable homography combined with epipolar geometry can estimate the length of the fiber defects. Simulations are carried out to show the effectiveness of this method. The true length of selected fibers is measured precisely using a digital optical microscope, and then the same fibers are tested by our method. Our experimental results suggest that smoothness monitored by variable homography is an accurate and robust method of quality control for important industrial fabrics.

Lasers for industrial production processing: tailored tools with increasing flexibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rath, Wolfram

2012-03-01

High-power fiber lasers are the newest generation of diode-pumped solid-state lasers. Due to their all-fiber design they are compact, efficient and robust. Rofin's Fiber lasers are available with highest beam qualities but the use of different process fiber core sizes enables the user additionally to adapt the beam quality, focus size and Rayleigh length to his requirements for best processing results. Multi-mode fibers from 50μm to 600μm with corresponding beam qualities of 2.5 mm.mrad to 25 mm.mrad are typically used. The integrated beam switching modules can make the laser power available to 4 different manufacturing systems or can share the power to two processing heads for parallel processing. Also CO2 Slab lasers combine high power with either "single-mode" beam quality or higher order modes. The wellestablished technique is in use for a large number of industrial applications, processing either metals or non-metallic materials. For many of these applications CO2 lasers remain the best choice of possible laser sources either driven by the specific requirements of the application or because of the cost structure of the application. The actual technical properties of these lasers will be presented including an overview over the wavelength driven differences of application results, examples of current industrial practice as cutting, welding, surface processing including the flexible use of scanners and classical optics processing heads.

Integrated Mach-Zehnder interferometer on the end facet of multicore fiber for refractive index sensing application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Yanwen; Zhang, Siyao; Feng, Shengfei; Wang, Xinke; Sun, Wenfeng; Ye, Jiasheng; Han, Peng; Zhang, Yan

2018-01-01

A sensitive, real-time seven core optical fiber based Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) sensor for liquid refractive index detection is proposed, fabricated and characterized. A trapezoid body with an inverted wedge shape groove in the center is used to design the MZI. The two ends of the trapezoid body play the roles of micro-prisms, and the middle parts of the trapezoid body and the groove play the roles of reference and sensing arms. A series of performance tests were carried out by immersing the sensor in different kinds of solutions to verify the universal applicability of the sensor. The MZI sensor is as small as only 43 μm × 8 μm, and at the same time with sensitivity of 1616 nm/RIU. Nominally, we realized a completely integrated optical sensing system. And, this system actually could be the building block of more powerful integrated chemical sensing chip for health, security and industry application.

[Spectral investigation of atmospheric pressure plasma column].

PubMed

Li, Xue-Chen; Chang, Yuan-Yuan; Xu, Long-Fei

2012-07-01

Atmospheric pressure plasma column has many important applications in plasma stealth for aircraft. In the present paper, a plasma column with a length of 65 cm was generated in argon at atmospheric pressure by using dielectric barrier discharge device with water electrodes in coaxial configurations. The discharge mechanism of the plasma column was studied by optical method and the result indicates that a moving layer of light emission propagates in the upstream region. The propagation velocity of the plasma bullet is about 0.6 x 10(5) m x s(-1) through optical measurement. Spectral intensity ratios as functions of the applied voltage and driving frequency were also investigated by spectroscopic method. The variation in spectral intensity ratio implies a change in the averaged electron energy. Results show that the averaged electron energy increases with the increase in the applied voltage and the driving frequency. These results have significant values for industrial applications of the atmospheric pressure discharge and have extensive application potentials in stealth for military aircraft.

Multi-Tasking Non-Destructive Laser Technology in Conservation Diagnostic Procedures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tornari, V.; Tsiranidou, E.; Orphanos, Y.; Falldorf, C.; Klattenhof, R.; Esposito, E.; Agnani, A.; Dabu, R.; Stratan, A.; Anastassopoulos, A.; Schipper, D.; Hasperhoven, J.; Stefanaggi, M.; Bonnici, H.; Ursu, D.

Laser metrology provides techniques that have been successfully applied in industrial structural diagnostic fields but have not yet been refined and optimised for the special investigative requirements found in cultural heritage applications. A major impediment is the partial applicability of various optical coherent techniques, each one narrowing its use down to a specific application. This characteristic is not well suited for a field that encounters a great variety of diagnostic problems ranging from movable, multiple-composition museum objects, to immovable multi-layered wall paintings, statues and wood carvings, to monumental constructions and outdoor cultural heritage sites. Various diagnostic techniques have been suggested and are uniquely suited for each of the mentioned problems but it is this fragmented suitability that obstructs the technology transfer. Since optical coherent techniques for metrology are based on fundamental principles and take advantage of similar procedures for generation of informative signals for data collection, then the imposed limits elevate our aim to identify complementary capabilities to accomplish the needed functionality.

Ocean Colour Products from Remote Sensing Related to In-Situ Data for Supporting Management of Offshore Aquaculture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fragoso, Bruno Dias Duarte; Icely, John; Moore, Gerald; Laanen, Marnix; Ghbrehiwot, Semhar

2016-08-01

The EU funded "AQUAculture USEr driven operational Remote Sensing information services project" (AQUA- USERS grant number 607325) is a user driven project for the aquaculture industry that aims at providing this industry with relevant and timely information based on the most recent satellite data and innovative optical in- situ measurements. The Water Insight Spectrometer (WISP-3) is a hand held instrument which can provide measurements of the optical parameters Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), Total Suspended Matter (TSM), Coloured Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM), and the Spectral Diffuse Attenuation Coefficient (Kd). Sampling campaigns were carried out between March 2014 and September 2015, to collect water samples at the same time as taking optical reading from the WISP-3 at an offshore aquaculture site off Sagres on the SW Portugal, operated by Finisterra Lda, one of the "users" in the project. The estimates from the WISP-3 for Chla and TSM have been compared with in-situ measurements from the water samples for these two variables, with the objective of calibrating the algorithms used by the WISP-3 for estimation of Chla and TSM. At a later stage in the project, it is expected that WISP-3 readings can be related to remote sensing products developed from the Ocean Land Coloured Instrument (OLCI) from the Sentinel-3 satellite. The key purpose of AQUA- Users is to develop, in collaboration with "users" from the aquaculture industry, a mobile phone application (app) that collates satellite information on optical water quality and temperature together with in-situ data of these variables to develop a decision support system for daily management of the aquaculture.

Two new advanced forms of spectrometry for space and commercial applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlager, Kenneth J.

1991-01-01

Reagentless ultraviolet absorption spectrometry (UVAS) and Liquid Atomic Emission Spectrometry (LAES) represent new forms of spectrometry with extensive potential in both space and commercial applications. Originally developed under KSC sponsorship for monitoring nutrient solutions for the Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS), both UVAS and LAES have extensive analytical capabilities for both organic and inorganic chemical compounds. Both forms of instrumentation involve the use of remote fiber optic probes and real-time measurements for on-line process monitoring. Commercial applications exist primarily in environmental analysis and for process control in the chemical, pulp and paper, food processing, metal plating, and water/wastewater treatment industries.

Measurement and standardization of eye safety for optical radiation of LED products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mou, Tongsheng; Peng, Zhenjian

2013-06-01

The blue light hazard (BLH) to human eye's retina is now a new issue emerging in applications of artificial light sources. Especially for solid state lighting sources based on the blue chip-LED(GaN), the photons with their energy more than 2.4 eV show photochemical effects on the retina significantly, raising damage both in photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium. The photobiological safety of artificial light sources emitting optical radiation has gained more and more attention worldwide and addressed by international standards IEC 62471-2006(CIE S009/E: 2002). Meanwhile, it is involved in IEC safety specifications of LED lighting products and covered by European Directive 2006/25/EC on the minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of the workers to artificial optical radiation. In practical applications of the safety standards, the measuring methods of optical radiation from LED products to eyes are important in establishment of executable methods in the industry. In 2011, a new project to develop the international standard of IEC TR62471-4,that is "Measuring methods of optical radiation related to photobiological safety", was approved and are now under way. This paper presents the concerned methods for the assessment of optical radiation hazards in the standards. Furthermore, a retina radiance meter simulating eye's optical geometry is also described, which is a potential tool for blue light hazard assessment of retinal exposure to optical radiation. The spectroradiometric method integrated with charge-coupled device(CCD) imaging system is introduced to provide more reliable results.

Membrane dish analysis: A summary of structural and optical analysis capabilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Steele, C.R.; Balch, C.D.; Jorgensen, G.J.

Research at SERI within the Department of Energy's Solar Thermal Technology Program has focused on the development of membrane dish concentrators for space and terrestrial power applications. As potentially lightweight, inexpensive, high-performance structures, they are excellent candidates for space-deployable energy sources as well as cost-effective terrestrial energy concepts. A thorough engineering research treatment of these types of structures consists primarily of two parts: (1) structural mechanics of the membrane and ring support and (2) analysis and characterization of the concentrator optical performance. It is important to understand the effects of the membrane's structure and support system on the optical performancemore » of the concentrator. This requires an interface between appropriate structural and optical models. Until recently, such models and the required interface have not existed. This report documents research that has been conducted at SERI in this area. It is a compilation of several papers describing structural models of membrane dish structures and optical models used to predict dish concentrator optical and thermal performance. The structural models were developed under SERI subcontract by Dr. Steele and Dr. Balch of Stanford University. The optical model was developed in-house by SERI staff. In addition, the interface between the models is described. It allows easy and thorough characterization of membrane dish systems from the mechanics to the resulting optical performance. The models described herein have been and continue to be extremely useful to SERI, industry, and universities involved with the modeling and analysis of lightweight membrane concentrators for solar thermal applications.« less

Multi-focus beam shaping of high power multimode lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laskin, Alexander; Volpp, Joerg; Laskin, Vadim; Ostrun, Aleksei

2017-08-01

Beam shaping of powerful multimode fiber lasers, fiber-coupled solid-state and diode lasers is of great importance for improvements of industrial laser applications. Welding, cladding with millimetre scale working spots benefit from "inverseGauss" intensity profiles; performance of thick metal sheet cutting, deep penetration welding can be enhanced when distributing the laser energy along the optical axis as more efficient usage of laser energy, higher edge quality and reduction of the heat affected zone can be achieved. Building of beam shaping optics for multimode lasers encounters physical limitations due to the low beam spatial coherence of multimode fiber-coupled lasers resulting in big Beam Parameter Products (BPP) or M² values. The laser radiation emerging from a multimode fiber presents a mixture of wavefronts. The fiber end can be considered as a light source which optical properties are intermediate between a Lambertian source and a single mode laser beam. Imaging of the fiber end, using a collimator and a focusing objective, is a robust and widely used beam delivery approach. Beam shaping solutions are suggested in form of optics combining fiber end imaging and geometrical separation of focused spots either perpendicular to or along the optical axis. Thus, energy of high power lasers is distributed among multiple foci. In order to provide reliable operation with multi-kW lasers and avoid damages the optics are designed as refractive elements with smooth optical surfaces. The paper presents descriptions of multi-focus optics as well as examples of intensity profile measurements of beam caustics and application results.

Commercializing potassium terbium fluoride, KTF (KTb3F10) faraday crystals for high laser power optical isolator applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlichting, Wolfgang; Stevens, Kevin; Foundos, Greg; Payne, Alexis

2017-10-01

Many scientific lasers and increasingly industrial laser systems operate in <500W and kW output power regime, require high-performance optical isolators to prevent disruptive light feedback into the laser cavity. The optically active Faraday material is the key optical element inside the isolator. SYNOPTICS has been supplying the laser market with Terbium Gallium Garnet (TGG - Tb3Ga5O12) for many years. It is the most commonly used material for the 650-1100nm range and the key advantages for TGG include its cubic crystal structure for alignment free processing, little to no intrinsic birefringence, and ease of manufacture. However, for high-power laser applications TGG is limited by its absorption at 1064nm and its thermo-optic coefficient, dn/dT. Specifically, thermal lensing and depolarization effects become a limiting factor at high laser powers. While TGG absorption has improved significantly over the past few years, there is an intrinsic limit. Now, SYNOPTICS is commercializing the enhanced new crystal Potassium Terbium Fluoride KTF (KTb3F10) that exhibits much smaller nonlinear refractive index and thermo-optic coefficients, and still exhibits a Verdet constant near that of TGG. This cubic crystal has relatively low absorption and thermo-optic coefficients. It is now fully characterized and available for select production orders. At OPTIFAB in October 2017 we present recent results comparing the performance of KTF to TGG in optical isolators and show SYNOPTICS advances in large volume crystal growth and the production ramp up.

Semiconductor-based narrow-line and high-brilliance 193-nm laser system for industrial applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Opalevs, D.; Scholz, M.; Stuhler, J.; Gilfert, C.; Liu, L. J.; Wang, X. Y.; Vetter, A.; Kirner, R.; Scharf, T.; Noell, W.; Rockstuhl, C.; Li, R. K.; Chen, C. T.; Voelkel, R.; Leisching, P.

2018-02-01

We present a novel industrial-grade prototype version of a continuous-wave 193 nm laser system entirely based on solid state pump laser technology. Deep-ultraviolet emission is realized by frequency-quadrupling an amplified diode laser and up to 20 mW of optical power were generated using the nonlinear crystal KBBF. We demonstrate the lifetime of the laser system for different output power levels and environmental conditions. The high stability of our setup was proven in > 500 h measurements on a single spot, a crystal shifter multiplies the lifetime to match industrial requirements. This laser improves the relative intensity noise, brilliance, wall-plug efficiency and maintenance cost significantly. We discuss first lithographic experiments making use of this improvement in photon efficiency.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pradere, P.; Perol, A.

The requirements for the design of an XRII can be quite different depending on the application: medical; industrial; low or high energy. A specific need for industrial applications is to reduce image burn-in, a permanent marking of the tube related to the inspection of sharp contrast objects with high X-ray doses. Burn-in is mainly related to the darkening of the output screen which depends on the electron beam density in the tube. A first way to reduce burn-in is to reduce the tube gain. A more efficient solution now proposed by Thomson Tubes Electroniques is to use a non browning,more » radiation hard glass for the tube output window together with a more adapted screen process that will limit the darkening of the output phosphor itself. The new industrial tube will be proposed in 9 in. (215 mm useful) or 12 in. (290 mm) format and could be ideally combined with a new high resolution (1024 x 1024 pixels) 12 bits real time CCD camera. This camera includes a new interline CCD developed to avoid image smear and blooming. Integrated image heads with power supply and folded optics are available. Low energy, beryllium windowed 9 in. XRII is already available in industrial version.« less

The Privatization of Industrial Policy: Public Responses to the Rise of Photonic Technology in the United States.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sternberg, Ernest

1990-01-01

Photonics arose in the 1980s as a revolutionary technological development encompassing lasers, fiber optics, sensing devices, imaging systems, and optical applications in computing. It achieved worldwide commercial significance, affecting the productive activities of numerous industries. Despite considerable domestic investment, US industrial performance in the technology deteriorated in comparison to that of other nations, particularly Japan. This study examines the US public policy response to photonics. Photonics exemplifies a technological paradigm with integral properties: it comprises a body of knowledge and skill, systems of technical devices, and sets of technological interrelationships among industrial sectors. This study argues that private firms in themselves respond inefficiently to such technological interdependencies. Firms would operate more efficiently in the presence of industrial policies that recognize the integral properties of technology and plan for massive technological changes in the economy. Amid a widespread rejection of industrial policy as faulty economics, the US response to photonics occurred not through explicit policy but through a privatization of policy making. This privatization relegated technology policy making to private and unaccountable realms. Privatization took three forms. First, through disaggregation, government dispersed assets to interested parties through pork-barrel appropriations, business participation in agency operations, and review committees representing eventual beneficiaries. Second, through collaboration, committees of university faculty and corporate affiliates made technology policy decisions. Third, through sheltering, technological research was conducted under the military establishment. Privatization made for debilitating policy. Operating in the absence of vision, strategy, or plan, it failed to respond to the integral characteristics of photonics understood as a technological paradigm. US industrial retrogression in photonics reflected the domestic policy making inability to respond coherently to technological change.

Fiber Pulling Apparatus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Workman, Gary L.; Smith, Guy A.; OBrien, Sue; Adcock, Leonard

1998-01-01

The fiber optics industry has grown into a multi-billion marketplace that will continue to grow into the 21st century. Optical fiber communications is currently dominated by silica glass technology. Successful efforts to improve upon the low loss transmission characteristics of silica fibers have propelled the technology into the forefront of the communications industry. However, reaching the theoretical transmission capability of silica fiber through improved processing has still left a few application areas in which other fiber systems can provide an influential role due to specific characteristics of high theoretical transmission in the 2 - 3 micron wavelength region. One of the other major materials used for optical fibers is the systems based upon Heavy Metal Fluoride Glass (HMFG). Commercial interest is driven primarily by the potential for low loss repeaterless infrared fibers. An example of the major communications marketplace which would benefit from the long distance repeaterless capability of infrared fibers is the submarine cables which link the continents. When considering commercial interests, optical fiber systems provide a healthy industrial position which continues to expand. Major investments in the systems used for optical fiber communications have continued to increase each year and are predicted to continue well into the next century. Estimates of 8.5% compounded annually are predicted through 1999 for the North American market and 1 1 % worldwide. The growth for the optical fiber cable itself is expected to continue between 44 and 50 per cent of the optical fiber communications budget through 1999. The total budget in 1999 world-wide is expected to be in the neighborhood of $9 billion. Another survey predicts that long haul telecommunications represents 15% of a world-wide fiber optics market in 1998. The actual amount allotted to cable was not specified. However, another market research had predicted that the cable costs alone represents more than 50% of the total budget each year through 1998. A newly emerging activity is the commercial development of doped optical fibers which can be pumped by laser diodes to provide amplification of the communication signals. This technology is newly emerging and will be developed for commercial interests in the United States by Galileo Electro-optical Incorporated in Sturbridge, MA on a license from British Telecom. Long repeaterless communication links provide the biggest stimulus for this technology. As an example of the of the revenues involved in the optical fiber communications 3 industry, the current trade journal lists that for the fiscal years, 1991 - 1994, 185 separate undersea links were established. In addition, another 105 links are planned through 1998. The distribution of revenues involved in the undersea installations is roughly $8.5 billion through 1993 and another $13 billion planned through 1998. A large portion of the future activity (34%) is planned for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Region. Other examples of the commercial utility of optical fiber networks is given in a recent scientific symposium in which the outlook for HMFG infrared fiber was determined to be very bright.Another area of interest lies in the use of fiber optics for laser surgery delivery systems.

Natural photonics for industrial inspiration.

PubMed

Parker, Andrew R

2009-05-13

There are two considerations for optical biomimetics: the diversity of submicrometre architectures found in the natural world, and the industrial manufacture of these. A review exists on the latter subject, where current engineering methods are considered along with those of the natural cells. Here, on the other hand, I will provide a modern review of the different categories of reflectors and antireflectors found in animals, including their optical characterization. The purpose of this is to inspire designers within the $2 billion annual optics industry.

Detection of wavelengths in the visible range using fiber optic sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Díaz, Leonardo; Morales, Yailteh; Mattos, Lorenzo; Torres, Cesar O.

2013-11-01

This paper shows the design and implementation of a fiber optic sensor for detecting and identifying wavelengths in the visible range. The system consists of a diffuse optical fiber, a conventional laser diode 650nm, 2.5mW of power, an ambient light sensor LX1972, a PIC 18F2550 and LCD screen for viewing. The principle used in the detection of the lambda is based on specular reflection and absorption. The optoelectronic device designed and built used the absorption and reflection properties of the material under study, having as active optical medium a bifurcated optical fiber, which is optically coupled to an ambient light sensor, which makes the conversion of light signals to electricas, procedure performed by a microcontroller, which acquires and processes the signal. To verify correct operation of the assembly were utilized the color cards of sewing thread and nail polish as samples for analysis. This optoelectronic device can be used in many applications such as quality control of industrial processes, classification of corks or bottle caps, color quality of textiles, sugar solutions, polymers and food among others.

Detection and localization of building insulation faults using optical-fiber DTS system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papes, Martin; Liner, Andrej; Koudelka, Petr; Siska, Petr; Cubik, Jakub; Kepak, Stanislav; Jaros, Jakub; Vasinek, Vladimir

2013-05-01

Nowadays the trends in the construction industry are changing at an incredible speed. The new technologies are still emerging on the market. Sphere of building insulation is not an exception as well. One of the major problems in building insulation is usually its failure, whether caused by unwanted mechanical intervention or improper installation. The localization of these faults is quite difficult, often impossible without large intervention into the construction. As a proper solution for this problem might be utilization of Optical-Fiber DTS system based on stimulated Raman scattering. Used DTS system is primary designed for continuous measurement of the temperature along the optical fiber. This system is using standard optical fiber as a sensor, which brings several advantages in its application. First, the optical fiber is relatively inexpensive, which allows to cover a quite large area for a small cost. The other main advantages of the optical fiber are electromagnetic resistance, small size, safety operation in inflammable or explosive area, easy installation, etc. This article is dealing with the detection and localization of building insulation faults using mentioned system.

Precision production: enabling deterministic throughput for precision aspheres with MRF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maloney, Chris; Entezarian, Navid; Dumas, Paul

2017-10-01

Aspherical lenses offer advantages over spherical optics by improving image quality or reducing the number of elements necessary in an optical system. Aspheres are no longer being used exclusively by high-end optical systems but are now replacing spherical optics in many applications. The need for a method of production-manufacturing of precision aspheres has emerged and is part of the reason that the optics industry is shifting away from artisan-based techniques towards more deterministic methods. Not only does Magnetorheological Finishing (MRF) empower deterministic figure correction for the most demanding aspheres but it also enables deterministic and efficient throughput for series production of aspheres. The Q-flex MRF platform is designed to support batch production in a simple and user friendly manner. Thorlabs routinely utilizes the advancements of this platform and has provided results from using MRF to finish a batch of aspheres as a case study. We have developed an analysis notebook to evaluate necessary specifications for implementing quality control metrics. MRF brings confidence to optical manufacturing by ensuring high throughput for batch processing of aspheres.

1550 nm superluminescent diode and anti-Stokes effect CCD camera based optical coherence tomography for full-field optical metrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kredzinski, Lukasz; Connelly, Michael J.

2011-06-01

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a promising non-invasive imaging technology capable of carrying out 3D high-resolution cross-sectional images of the internal microstructure of examined material. However, almost all of these systems are expensive, requiring the use of complex optical setups, expensive light sources and complicated scanning of the sample under test. In addition most of these systems have not taken advantage of the competitively priced optical components available at wavelength within the main optical communications band located in the 1550 nm region. A comparatively simple and inexpensive full-field OCT system (FF-OCT), based on a superluminescent diode (SLD) light source and anti-stokes imaging device was constructed, to perform 3D cross-sectional imaging. This kind of inexpensive setup with moderate resolution could be easily applicable in low-level biomedical and industrial diagnostics. This paper involves calibration of the system and determines its suitability for imaging structures of biological tissues such as teeth, which has low absorption at 1550 nm.

Optical Fiber High Temperature Sensor Instrumentation for Energy Intensive Industries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cooper, Kristie L.; Wang, Anbo; Pickrell, Gary R.

2006-11-14

This report summarizes technical progress during the program “Optical Fiber High Temperature Sensor Instrumentation for Energy Intensive Industries”, performed by the Center for Photonics Technology of the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech. The objective of this program was to use technology recently invented at Virginia Tech to develop and demonstrate the application of self-calibrating optical fiber temperature and pressure sensors to several key energy-intensive industries where conventional, commercially available sensors exhibit greatly abbreviated lifetimes due primarily to environmental degradation. A number of significant technologies were developed under this program, including • a laser bonded silicamore » high temperature fiber sensor with a high temperature capability up to 700°C and a frequency response up to 150 kHz, • the world’s smallest fiber Fabry-Perot high temperature pressure sensor (125 x 20 μm) with 700°C capability, • UV-induced intrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric sensors for distributed measurement, • a single crystal sapphire fiber-based sensor with a temperature capability up to 1600°C. These technologies have been well demonstrated and laboratory tested. Our work plan included conducting major field tests of these technologies at EPRI, Corning, Pratt & Whitney, and Global Energy; field validation of the technology is critical to ensuring its usefulness to U.S. industries. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, DOE was unable to follow through with its funding commitment to support Energy Efficiency Science Initiative projects and this final phase was eliminated.« less

3D Printing Optical Engine for Controlling Material Microstructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Wei-Chin; Chang, Kuang-Po; Wu, Ping-Han; Wu, Chih-Hsien; Lin, Ching-Chih; Chuang, Chuan-Sheng; Lin, De-Yau; Liu, Sung-Ho; Horng, Ji-Bin; Tsau, Fang-Hei

Controlling the cooling rate of alloy during melting and resolidification is the most commonly used method for varying the material microstructure and consequently the resuling property. However, the cooling rate of a selective laser melting (SLM) production is restricted by a preset optimal parameter of a good dense product. The head room for locally manipulating material property in a process is marginal. In this study, we invent an Optical Engine for locally controlling material microstructure in a SLM process. It develops an invovative method to control and adjust thermal history of the solidification process to gain desired material microstucture and consequently drastically improving the quality. Process parameters selected locally for specific materials requirement according to designed characteristics by using thermal dynamic principles of solidification process. It utilize a technique of complex laser beam shape of adaptive irradiation profile to permit local control of material characteristics as desired. This technology could be useful for industrial application of medical implant, aerospace and automobile industries.

Automated mango fruit assessment using fuzzy logic approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, Suzanawati Abu; Kin, Teoh Yeong; Sauddin@Sa'duddin, Suraiya; Aziz, Azlan Abdul; Othman, Mahmod; Mansor, Ab Razak; Parnabas, Vincent

2014-06-01

In term of value and volume of production, mango is the third most important fruit product next to pineapple and banana. Accurate size assessment of mango fruits during harvesting is vital to ensure that they are classified to the grade accordingly. However, the current practice in mango industry is grading the mango fruit manually using human graders. This method is inconsistent, inefficient and labor intensive. In this project, a new method of automated mango size and grade assessment is developed using RGB fiber optic sensor and fuzzy logic approach. The calculation of maximum, minimum and mean values based on RGB fiber optic sensor and the decision making development using minimum entropy formulation to analyse the data and make the classification for the mango fruit. This proposed method is capable to differentiate three different grades of mango fruit automatically with 77.78% of overall accuracy compared to human graders sorting. This method was found to be helpful for the application in the current agricultural industry.

Priority design parameters of industrialized optical fiber sensors in civil engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Huaping; Jiang, Lizhong; Xiang, Ping

2018-03-01

Considering the mechanical effects and the different paths for transferring deformation, optical fiber sensors commonly used in civil engineering have been systematically classified. Based on the strain transfer theory, the relationship between the strain transfer coefficient and allowable testing error is established. The proposed relationship is regarded as the optimal control equation to obtain the optimal value of sensors that satisfy the requirement of measurement precision. Furthermore, specific optimization design methods and priority design parameters of the classified sensors are presented. This research indicates that (1) strain transfer theory-based optimization design method is much suitable for the sensor that depends on the interfacial shear stress to transfer the deformation; (2) the priority design parameters are bonded (sensing) length, interfacial bonded strength, elastic modulus and radius of protective layer and thickness of adhesive layer; (3) the optimization design of sensors with two anchor pieces at two ends is independent of strain transfer theory as the strain transfer coefficient can be conveniently calibrated by test, and this kind of sensors has no obvious priority design parameters. Improved calibration test is put forward to enhance the accuracy of the calibration coefficient of end-expanding sensors. By considering the practical state of sensors and the testing accuracy, comprehensive and systematic analyses on optical fiber sensors are provided from the perspective of mechanical actions, which could scientifically instruct the application design and calibration test of industrialized optical fiber sensors.

Light Controlling at Subwavelength Scales in Nanophotonic Systems: Physics and Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Yuecheng

The capability of controlling light at scales that are much smaller than the operating wave-length enables new optical functionalities, and opens up a wide range of applications. Such a capability is out of the realm of conventional optical approaches. This dissertation aims to explore the light-matter interactions at nanometer scale, and to investigate the novel scien-tific and industrial applications. In particular, we will explain how to detect nanoparticles using an ultra-sensitive nano-sensor; we will also describe a photonic diode which gener-ates a unidirectional flow of single photons; Moreover, in an one-dimensional waveguide QED system where the fermionic degree of freedom is present, we will show that strong photon-photon interactions can be generated through scattering means, leading to photonic bunching and anti-bunching with various applications. Finally, we will introduce a mecha-nism to achieve super-resolution to discern fine features that are orders of magnitude smaller than the illuminating wavelength. These research projects incorporate recent advances in quantum nanophotonics, nanotechnologies, imaging reconstruction techniques, and rigorous numerical simulations.

Report to Congress on the Activities of the DoD Office of Technology Transition

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-02-01

known as Magnetorheological Finishing (MRF), that provides significant cost savings in the manufacture of precision optical surfaces. Compared to...The programs included: - The Army’s Advanced Optics Manufacturing program developed a multi- axis, computer-controlled optical finishing technology...percent. The MRF finishing machine is commercially available, and has received industry-wide acclaim, winning two of the optical industry’s most

State-of-The-Art and Applications of 3D Imaging Sensors in Industry, Cultural Heritage, Medicine, and Criminal Investigation

PubMed Central

Sansoni, Giovanna; Trebeschi, Marco; Docchio, Franco

2009-01-01

3D imaging sensors for the acquisition of three dimensional (3D) shapes have created, in recent years, a considerable degree of interest for a number of applications. The miniaturization and integration of the optical and electronic components used to build them have played a crucial role in the achievement of compactness, robustness and flexibility of the sensors. Today, several 3D sensors are available on the market, even in combination with other sensors in a “sensor fusion” approach. An importance equal to that of physical miniaturization has the portability of the measurements, via suitable interfaces, into software environments designed for their elaboration, e.g., CAD-CAM systems, virtual renders, and rapid prototyping tools. In this paper, following an overview of the state-of-art of 3D imaging sensors, a number of significant examples of their use are presented, with particular reference to industry, heritage, medicine, and criminal investigation applications. PMID:22389618

State-of-The-Art and Applications of 3D Imaging Sensors in Industry, Cultural Heritage, Medicine, and Criminal Investigation.

PubMed

Sansoni, Giovanna; Trebeschi, Marco; Docchio, Franco

2009-01-01

3D imaging sensors for the acquisition of three dimensional (3D) shapes have created, in recent years, a considerable degree of interest for a number of applications. The miniaturization and integration of the optical and electronic components used to build them have played a crucial role in the achievement of compactness, robustness and flexibility of the sensors. Today, several 3D sensors are available on the market, even in combination with other sensors in a "sensor fusion" approach. An importance equal to that of physical miniaturization has the portability of the measurements, via suitable interfaces, into software environments designed for their elaboration, e.g., CAD-CAM systems, virtual renders, and rapid prototyping tools. In this paper, following an overview of the state-of-art of 3D imaging sensors, a number of significant examples of their use are presented, with particular reference to industry, heritage, medicine, and criminal investigation applications.

Optical Characterization of Molecular Contaminant Films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Visentine, James T.

2007-01-01

A semi-empirical method of optical characterization of thin contaminant films on surfaces of optical components has been conceived. The method was originally intended for application to films that become photochemically deposited on such optical components as science windows, lenses, prisms, thinfilm radiators, and glass solar-cell covers aboard spacecraft and satellites in orbit. The method should also be applicable, with suitable modifications, to thin optical films (whether deposited deliberately or formed as contaminants) on optical components used on Earth in the computer microchip laser communications and thin-film industries. The method is expected to satisfy the need for a means of understanding and predicting the reductions in spectral transmittance caused by contaminant films and the consequent deterioration of performances of sensitive optical systems. After further development, this method could become part of the basis of a method of designing optical systems to minimize or compensate for the deleterious effects of contaminant films. In the original outer-space application, these deleterious effects are especially pronounced because after photochemical deposition, the films become darkened by further exposure to solar vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation. In this method, thin contaminant films are theoretically modeled as thin optical films, characterized by known or assumed values of thickness, index of refraction, and absorption coefficient, that form on the outer surfaces of the original antireflection coating on affected optical components. The assumed values are adjusted as needed to make actual spectral transmittance values approximate observed ones as closely as possible and to correlate these values with amounts of VUV radiation to which the optical components have been exposed. In an initial study, the method was applied in correlating measured changes in transmittance of high-purity fused silica photochemically coated with silicone films of various measured thicknesses and exposed to various measured amounts of VUV radiation. In each case, it was found to be possible to select an index of refraction and absorption coefficient that made the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared transmittance changes predicted by the model match the corresponding measured transmittance changes almost exactly.

Enhanced Data-Acquisition System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mustain, Roy W.

1990-01-01

Time-consuming, costly digitization of analog signals on magnetic tape eliminated. Proposed data-acquisition system provides nearly immediate access to data in incoming signals by digitizing and recording them both on magnetic tape and on optical disk. Tape and/or disk later played back to reconstruct signals in analog or digital form for analysis. Of interest in industrial and scientific applications in which necessary to digitize, store, and/or process large quantities of experimental data.

In-Situ Real-Time Focus Detection during Laser Processing Using Double-Hole Masks and Advanced Image Sensor Software

PubMed Central

Hoang, Phuong Le; Ahn, Sanghoon; Kim, Jeng-o; Kang, Heeshin; Noh, Jiwhan

2017-01-01

In modern high-intensity ultrafast laser processing, detecting the focal position of the working laser beam, at which the intensity is the highest and the beam diameter is the lowest, and immediately locating the target sample at that point are challenging tasks. A system that allows in-situ real-time focus determination and fabrication using a high-power laser has been in high demand among both engineers and scientists. Conventional techniques require the complicated mathematical theory of wave optics, employing interference as well as diffraction phenomena to detect the focal position; however, these methods are ineffective and expensive for industrial application. Moreover, these techniques could not perform detection and fabrication simultaneously. In this paper, we propose an optical design capable of detecting the focal point and fabricating complex patterns on a planar sample surface simultaneously. In-situ real-time focus detection is performed using a bandpass filter, which only allows for the detection of laser transmission. The technique enables rapid, non-destructive, and precise detection of the focal point. Furthermore, it is sufficiently simple for application in both science and industry for mass production, and it is expected to contribute to the next generation of laser equipment, which can be used to fabricate micro-patterns with high complexity. PMID:28671566

Mechanical characterization of a short fiber-reinforced polymer at room temperature: experimental setups evaluated by an optical measurement system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Röhrig, C.; Scheffer, T.; Diebels, S.

2017-09-01

Composite materials are of great interest for industrial applications because of their outstanding properties. Each composite material has its own characteristics due to the large number of possible combinations of matrix and filler. As a result of their compounding, composites usually show a complex material behavior. This work is focused on the experimental testing of a short fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite at room temperature. The characteristic behavior of this material class is often based on a superposition of typical material effects. The predicted characteristic material properties such as elasto-plasticity, damage and anisotropy of the investigated material are obtained from results of cyclic uniaxial tensile tests at constant strain rate. Concerning the manufacturing process as well as industrial applications, the experimental investigations are extended to multiaxial loading situations. Therefore, the composite material is examined with a setup close to a deep-drawing process, the Nakajima test (Nakazima et al. in Study on the formability of steel sheets. Yawate Technical Report No. 264, pp 8517-8530, 1968). The evaluation of the experimental investigations is provided by an optical analysis system using a digital image correlation software. Finally, based on the results of the uniaxial tensile tests, a one-dimensional macroscopic model is introduced and first results of the simulation are provided.

Features extraction algorithm about typical railway perimeter intrusion event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Jieyun; Wang, Chaodong; Liu, Lihai

2017-10-01

Research purposes: Optical fiber vibration sensing system has been widely used in the oil, gas, frontier defence, prison and power industries. But, there are few reports about the application in railway defence. That is because the surrounding environment is complicated and there are many challenges to be overcomed in the optical fiber vibration sensing system application. For example, how to eliminate the effects of vibration caused by train, the natural environments such as wind and rain and how to identify and classify the intrusion events. In order to solve these problems, the feature signals of these events should be extracted firstly. Research conclusions: (1) In optical fiber vibration sensing system based on Sagnac interferometer, the peak-to-peak value, peak-to-average ratio, standard deviation, zero-crossing rate, short-term energy and kurtosis may serve as feature signals. (2) The feature signals of resting state, climbing concrete fence, breaking barbed wire, knocking concrete fence and rainstorm have been extracted, which shows significant difference among each other. (3) The research conclusions can be used in the identification and classification of intrusion events.

Non-contact biomedical photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rousseau, Guy; Gauthier, Bruno; Blouin, Alain; Monchalin, Jean-Pierre

2012-06-01

The detection of ultrasound in photoacoustic tomography (PAT) usually relies on ultrasonic transducers in contact with the biological tissue through a coupling medium. This is a major drawback for important potential applications such as surgery. Here we report the use of a remote optical method, derived from industrial laser-ultrasonics, to detect ultrasound in tissues. This approach enables non-contact PAT (NCPAT) without exceeding laser exposure safety limits. The sensitivity of the method is based on the use of suitably shaped detection laser pulses and a confocal Fabry-Perot interferometer in differential configuration. Reliable image reconstruction is obtained by measuring remotely the surface profile of the tissue with an optical coherence tomography system. The proposed method also allows non-contact ultrasound imaging (US) by applying a second reconstruction algorithm to the data acquired for NCPAT. Endogenous and exogenous inclusions exhibiting optical and acoustic contrasts were detected ex vivo in chicken breast and calf brain specimens. Inclusions down to 0.3 mm in size were detected at depths exceeding 1 cm. The method could expand the scope of photoacoustic and US to in-vivo biomedical applications where contact is impractical.

Animal coloration research: why it matters.

PubMed

Caro, Tim; Stoddard, Mary Caswell; Stuart-Fox, Devi

2017-07-05

While basic research on animal coloration is the theme of this special edition, here we highlight its applied significance for industry, innovation and society. Both the nanophotonic structures producing stunning optical effects and the colour perception mechanisms in animals are extremely diverse, having been honed over millions of years of evolution for many different purposes. Consequently, there is a wealth of opportunity for biomimetic and bioinspired applications of animal coloration research, spanning colour production, perception and function. Fundamental research on the production and perception of animal coloration is contributing to breakthroughs in the design of new materials (cosmetics, textiles, paints, optical coatings, security labels) and new technologies (cameras, sensors, optical devices, robots, biomedical implants). In addition, discoveries about the function of animal colour are influencing sport, fashion, the military and conservation. Understanding and applying knowledge of animal coloration is now a multidisciplinary exercise. Our goal here is to provide a catalyst for new ideas and collaborations between biologists studying animal coloration and researchers in other disciplines.This article is part of the themed issue 'Animal coloration: production, perception, function and application'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Cost effective spectral sensor solutions for hand held and field applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reetz, Edgar; Correns, Martin; Notni, Gunther

2015-05-01

Optical spectroscopy is without doubt one of the most important non-contact measurement principles. It is used in a wide range of applications from bio-medical to industrial fields. One recent trend is to miniaturize spectral sensors to address new areas of application. The most common spectral sensor type is based on diffraction gratings, while other types are based on micro mechanical systems (MEMS) or filter technologies. The authors represent the opinion that there is a potentially wide spread field of applications for spectrometers, but the market limits the range of applications since they cannot keep up with targeted cost requirements for consumer products. The present article explains an alternative approach for miniature multichannel spectrometer to enhance robustness for hand held field applications at a cost efficient price point.

A new type of smart basalt fiber-reinforced polymer bars as both reinforcements and sensors for civil engineering application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Yongsheng; Wu, Zhishen; Yang, Caiqian; Wu, Gang; Shen, Sheng

2010-11-01

In this paper, a new type of smart basalt fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP) bar is developed and their sensing performance is investigated by using the Brillouin scattering-based distributed fiber optic sensing technique. The industrial manufacturing process is first addressed, followed by an experimental study on the strain, temperature and fundamental mechanical properties of the BFRP bars. The results confirm the superior sensing properties, in particular the measuring accuracy, repeatability and linearity through comparing with bare optical fibers. Results on the mechanical properties show stable elastic modulus and high ultimate strength. Therefore, the smart BFRP bar has potential applications for long-term structural health monitoring (SHM) as embedded sensors as well as strengthening and upgrading structures. Moreover the coefficient of thermal expansion for smart BFRP bars is similar to the value for concrete.

Biomedical applications of NASA technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedman, Donald S.

1991-01-01

Through the active transfer of technology, NASA Technology Utilization (TU) Program assists private companies, associations, and government agencies to make effective use of NASA's technological resources to improve U.S. economic competitiveness and to provide societal benefit. Aerospace technology from such areas as digital image processing, space medicine and biology, microelectronics, optics, and electro-optics, and ultrasonic imaging have found many secondary applications in medicine. Examples of technology spinoffs are briefly discussed to illustrate the benefits realized through adaptation of aerospace technology to solve health care problems. Successful implementation of new technologies increasingly requires the collaboration of industry, universities, and government and the TU Program serves as the liaison to establish such collaborations with NASA. NASA technology is an important resource to support the development of new medical products and techniques that will further advance the quality of health care available in the U.S. and worldwide.

Non-contact photoacoustic tomography and ultrasonography for tissue imaging

PubMed Central

Rousseau, Guy; Blouin, Alain; Monchalin, Jean-Pierre

2011-01-01

The detection of ultrasound in photoacoustic tomography (PAT) and ultrasonography (US) usually relies on ultrasonic transducers in contact with the biological tissue. This is a major drawback for important potential applications such as surgery and small animal imaging. Here we report the use of remote optical detection, as used in industrial laser-ultrasonics, to detect ultrasound in biological tissues. This strategy enables non-contact implementation of PAT and US without exceeding laser exposure safety limits. The method uses suitably shaped laser pulses and a confocal Fabry-Perot interferometer in differential configuration to reach quantum-limited sensitivity. Endogenous and exogenous inclusions exhibiting optical and acoustic contrasts were detected ex vivo in chicken breast and calf brain specimens. Inclusions down to 0.5 mm in size were detected at depths well exceeding 1 cm. The method could significantly expand the scope of applications of PAT and US in biomedical imaging. PMID:22254164

Evaluation of Veda, Inc. , central receiver solar collection system concept

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ator, J.

1981-08-01

The Unified Heliostat Array (UHA) is a geometrical heliostat field layout with rows of mirrors placed at various levels on terraces. The Veda Industrial Heliostat (VIH) is a toroidal segment mirror mounted on an equatorial mount. These two concepts are evaluated to assess the credibility of the optical designs and the validity of UHA and VIH performance estimates, to determine what the distinctive features embodied in UHA AND VIH concepts offer that more conventional central receiver technologies do not, and to determine where the UHA and VIH concepts might be most applicable in DOE's Solar Thermal Program. The UHA areamore » efficiency, flux density distribution, and beam safety are evaluated, and the feasibility of using a secondary mirror and the potential for special applications are assessed. The optical design, equatorial mount, and manufacturability of the VIH are evaluated. (LEW)« less

A decade of innovation with laser speckle metrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ettemeyer, Andreas

2003-05-01

Speckle Pattern Interferometry has emerged from the experimental substitution of holographic interferometry to become a powerful problem solving tool in research and industry. The rapid development of computer and digital imaging techniques in combination with minaturization of the optical equipment led to new applications which had not been anticipated before. While classical holographic interferometry had always required careful consideration of the environmental conditions such as vibration, noise, light, etc. and could generally only be performed in the optical laboratory, it is now state of the art, to handle portable speckle measuring equipment at almost any place. During the last decade, the change in design and technique has dramatically influenced the range of applications of speckle metrology and opened new markets. The integration of recent research results into speckle measuring equipment has led to handy equipment, simplified the operation and created high quality data output.

Measurement of sound pressure and temperature in tissue-mimicking material using an optical fiber Bragg grating sensor.

PubMed

Imade, Keisuke; Kageyama, Takashi; Koyama, Daisuke; Watanabe, Yoshiaki; Nakamura, Kentaro; Akiyama, Iwaki

2016-10-01

The experimental investigation of an optical fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor for biomedical application is described. The FBG sensor can be used to measure sound pressure and temperature rise simultaneously in biological tissues exposed to ultrasound. The theoretical maximum values that can be measured with the FBG sensor are 73.0 MPa and 30 °C. In this study, measurement of sound pressure up to 5 MPa was performed at an ultrasound frequency of 2 MHz. A maximum temperature change of 6 °C was measured in a tissue-mimicking material. Values yielded by the FBG sensor agreed with those measured using a thermocouple and a hydrophone. Since this sensor is used to monitor the sound pressure and temperature simultaneously, it can also be used for industrial applications, such as ultrasonic cleaning of semiconductors under controlled temperatures.

Application of telecom planar lightwave circuits for homeland security sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veldhuis, Gert J.; Elders, Job; van Weerden, Harm; Amersfoort, Martin

2004-03-01

Over the past decade, a massive effort has been made in the development of planar lightwave circuits (PLCs) for application in optical telecommunications. Major advances have been made, on both the technological and functional performance front. Highly sophisticated software tools that are used to tailor designs to required functional performance support these developments. In addition extensive know-how in the field of packaging, testing, and failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) has been built up in the struggle for meeting the stringent Telcordia requirements that apply to telecom products. As an example, silica-on-silicon is now a mature technology available at several industrial foundries around the world, where, on the performance front, the arrayed-waveguide grating (AWG) has evolved into an off-the-shelf product. The field of optical chemical-biological (CB) sensors for homeland security application can greatly benefit from the advances as described above. In this paper we discuss the currently available technologies, device concepts, and modeling tools that have emerged from the telecommunications arena and that can effectively be applied to the field of homeland security. Using this profound telecom knowledge base, standard telecom components can readily be tailored for detecting CB agents. Designs for telecom components aim at complete isolation from the environment to exclude impact of environmental parameters on optical performance. For sensing applications, the optical path must be exposed to the measurand, in this area additional development is required beyond what has already been achieved in telecom development. We have tackled this problem, and are now in a position to apply standard telecom components for CB sensing. As an example, the application of an AWG as a refractometer is demonstrated, and its performance evaluated.

Preparing displaced adults for the optics/photonics workforce

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hull, Darrell M.

2000-06-01

As the optics/photonics industry continues to grow, the demand for workers is assumed to increase proportionally. Empirical data seem to support this assumption. This increase presents a challenge to optics/photonics education, since they control and assume responsibility for a key factor in the ability of industry to further expand. At the same time, the U.S. government through the Department of Labor and the Workforce Investment Act has requested that communities enact programs for displaced adults to transition to the workplace. A program of study is provided that would assist adults in making this transition from unemployment to the optics/photonics industry, with the necessary general work skills, occupational optics/photonics skills, and ability to progress on the job with academic foundations in math and science.

High-speed real-time image compression based on all-optical discrete cosine transformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Qiang; Chen, Hongwei; Wang, Yuxi; Chen, Minghua; Yang, Sigang; Xie, Shizhong

2017-02-01

In this paper, we present a high-speed single-pixel imaging (SPI) system based on all-optical discrete cosine transform (DCT) and demonstrate its capability to enable noninvasive imaging of flowing cells in a microfluidic channel. Through spectral shaping based on photonic time stretch (PTS) and wavelength-to-space conversion, structured illumination patterns are generated at a rate (tens of MHz) which is three orders of magnitude higher than the switching rate of a digital micromirror device (DMD) used in a conventional single-pixel camera. Using this pattern projector, high-speed image compression based on DCT can be achieved in the optical domain. In our proposed system, a high compression ratio (approximately 10:1) and a fast image reconstruction procedure are both achieved, which implicates broad applications in industrial quality control and biomedical imaging.

Development of a real time monitor and multivariate method for long term diagnostics of atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharges: application to He, He/N2, and He/O2 discharges.

PubMed

O'Connor, N; Milosavljević, V; Daniels, S

2011-08-01

In this paper we present the development and application of a real time atmospheric pressure discharge monitoring diagnostic. The software based diagnostic is designed to extract latent electrical and optical information associated with the operation of an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (APDBD) over long time scales. Given that little is known about long term temporal effects in such discharges, the diagnostic methodology is applied to the monitoring of an APDBD in helium and helium with both 0.1% nitrogen and 0.1% oxygen gas admixtures over periods of tens of minutes. Given the large datasets associated with the experiments, it is shown that this process is much expedited through the novel application of multivariate correlations between the electrical and optical parameters of the corresponding chemistries which, in turn, facilitates comparisons between each individual chemistry also. The results of these studies show that the electrical and optical parameters of the discharge in helium and upon the addition of gas admixtures evolve over time scales far longer than the gas residence time and have been compared to current modelling works. It is envisaged that the diagnostic together with the application of multivariate correlations will be applied to rapid system identification and prototyping in both experimental and industrial APDBD systems in the future.

Optimizing ITO for incorporation into multilayer thin film stacks for visible and NIR applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roschuk, Tyler; Taddeo, David; Levita, Zachary; Morrish, Alan; Brown, Douglas

2017-05-01

Indium Tin Oxide, ITO, is the industry standard for transparent conductive coatings. As such, the common metrics for characterizing ITO performance are its transmission and conductivity/resistivity (or sheet resistance). In spite of its recurrent use in a broad range of technological applications, the performance of ITO itself is highly variable, depending on the method of deposition and chamber conditions, and a single well defined set of properties does not exist. This poses particular challenges for the incorporation of ITO in complex optical multilayer stacks while trying to maintain electronic performance. Complicating matters further, ITO suffers increased absorption losses in the NIR - making the ability to incorporate ITO into anti-reflective stacks crucial to optimizing overall optical performance when ITO is used in real world applications. In this work, we discuss the use of ITO in multilayer thin film stacks for applications from the visible to the NIR. In the NIR, we discuss methods to analyze and fine tune the film properties to account for, and minimize, losses due to absorption and to optimize the overall transmission of the multilayer stacks. The ability to obtain high transmission while maintaining good electrical properties, specifically low resistivity, is demonstrated. Trade-offs between transmission and conductivity with variation of process parameters are discussed in light of optimizing the performance of the final optical stack and not just with consideration to the ITO film itself.

Neutron capillary optics: status and perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumakhov, M. A.

2004-08-01

The article is dedicated to the current status of neutron polycapillary optics and its application. X-ray and neutron polycapillary optics was first suggested in my papers published and patented about 20 years ago. The first X-ray lens was made about 20 years ago (in 1985) in my laboratory at the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Power. The first neutron assembled capillary lens consisting of several thousand polycapillaries was assembled and tested 2 years later at the atomic reactor of the Kurchatov Institute. A great many experiments were done at the atomic reactors in Russia, Germany, France, USA for neutron beam focusing, turning. Most successful were the experiments on turning neutron beam at the atomic reactor in Berlin, where it was possible to turn the neutron beam by the angle of 20°. Numerous experiments in Germany and France proved high efficacy of polycapillary optics in controlling thermal neutron radiation. The article gives new results obtained in creating pure beams of thermal neutrons on the basis of polycapillary optics. New polycapillary technologies developed at IRO, Moscow/Unisantis, Geneva, enable creation of neutron diffractometers, spectrometers, reflectometers, microscopes—all with a micron-size focal spot. All instruments are portable and highly efficient. Such generation of instruments has been already developed and realized for X-rays, and the same process for neutron beams has already started. So, neutron polycapillary optics makes it possible to create new instruments and raise the level of scientific research, and also enables use of neutron beam for industrial application in production environment.

High capacity fiber optic sensor networks using hybrid multiplexing techniques and their applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Qizhen; Li, Xiaolei; Zhang, Manliang; Liu, Qi; Liu, Hai; Liu, Deming

2013-12-01

Fiber optic sensor network is the development trend of fiber senor technologies and industries. In this paper, I will discuss recent research progress on high capacity fiber sensor networks with hybrid multiplexing techniques and their applications in the fields of security monitoring, environment monitoring, Smart eHome, etc. Firstly, I will present the architecture of hybrid multiplexing sensor passive optical network (HSPON), and the key technologies for integrated access and intelligent management of massive fiber sensor units. Two typical hybrid WDM/TDM fiber sensor networks for perimeter intrusion monitor and cultural relics security are introduced. Secondly, we propose the concept of "Microstructure－Optical X Domin Refecltor (M-OXDR)" for fiber sensor network expansion. By fabricating smart micro-structures with the ability of multidimensional encoded and low insertion loss along the fiber, the fiber sensor network of simple structure and huge capacity more than one thousand could be achieved. Assisted by the WDM/TDM and WDM/FDM decoding methods respectively, we built the verification systems for long-haul and real-time temperature sensing. Finally, I will show the high capacity and flexible fiber sensor network with IPv6 protocol based hybrid fiber/wireless access. By developing the fiber optic sensor with embedded IPv6 protocol conversion module and IPv6 router, huge amounts of fiber optic sensor nodes can be uniquely addressed. Meanwhile, various sensing information could be integrated and accessed to the Next Generation Internet.

Roadway Marking Optics for Autonomous Vehicle Guidance and Other Machine Vision Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konopka, Anthony T.

This work determines optimal planar geometric light source and optical imager configurations and electromagnetic wavelengths for maximizing the reflected signal intensity when using machine vision technology to image roadway markings with embedded spherical glass beads. It is found through a first set of experiments that roadway marking samples exhibiting little or no bead rolling effects are uniformly reflective with respect to the azimuthal angle of observation when measured for retroreflectivity within industry standard 30-meter geometry. A second set of experiments indicate that white roadway markings exhibit higher reflectivity throughout the visible spectrum than yellow roadway markings. A roadway marking optical model capable of being used to determine optimal geometric light source and optical imager configurations for maximizing the reflected signal intensities of roadway marking targets is constructed and simulated using optical engineering software. It is found through a third set of experiments that high signal intensities can be measured when the polar angles of the light source and optical imager along a plane normal to a roadway marking are equal, with the maximum signal intensity being measured when the polar angles of both the light source and optical imager are 90°.

Industrial Photogrammetry - Accepted Metrology Tool or Exotic Niche

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bösemann, Werner

2016-06-01

New production technologies like 3D printing and other adaptive manufacturing technologies have changed the industrial manufacturing process, often referred to as next industrial revolution or short industry 4.0. Such Cyber Physical Production Systems combine virtual and real world through digitization, model building process simulation and optimization. It is commonly understood that measurement technologies are the key to combine the real and virtual worlds (eg. [Schmitt 2014]). This change from measurement as a quality control tool to a fully integrated step in the production process has also changed the requirements for 3D metrology solutions. Key words like MAA (Measurement Assisted Assembly) illustrate that new position of metrology in the industrial production process. At the same time it is obvious that these processes not only require more measurements but also systems to deliver the required information in high density in a short time. Here optical solutions including photogrammetry for 3D measurements have big advantages over traditional mechanical CMM's. The paper describes the relevance of different photogrammetric solutions including state of the art, industry requirements and application examples.

Emerging applications of nanoparticles: Biomedical and environmental

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gulati, Shivani; Sachdeva, M.; Bhasin, K. K.

2018-05-01

Nanotechnology finds a wide range of applications from energy production to industrial fabrication processes to biomedical applications. Nanoparticles (NPs) can be engineered to possess unique compositions and functionalities to empower novel tools and techniques that have not existed previously in biomedical research. The unique size and shape dependent physicochemical properties along with their unique spectral and optical properties have prompted the development of a wide variety of potential applications in the field of diagnostics and medicines. In the plethora of scientific and technological fields, environmental safety is also a big concern. For this purpose, nanomaterials have been functionalized to cope up the existing pollution, improving manufacturing methods to reduce the generation of new pollution, and making alternative and more cost effective energy sources.

Optical tools for high-throughput screening of abrasion resistance of combinatorial libraries of organic coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potyrailo, Radislav A.; Chisholm, Bret J.; Olson, Daniel R.; Brennan, Michael J.; Molaison, Chris A.

2002-02-01

Design, validation, and implementation of an optical spectroscopic system for high-throughput analysis of combinatorially developed protective organic coatings are reported. Our approach replaces labor-intensive coating evaluation steps with an automated system that rapidly analyzes 8x6 arrays of coating elements that are deposited on a plastic substrate. Each coating element of the library is 10 mm in diameter and 2 to 5 micrometers thick. Performance of coatings is evaluated with respect to their resistance to wear abrasion because this parameter is one of the primary considerations in end-use applications. Upon testing, the organic coatings undergo changes that are impossible to quantitatively predict using existing knowledge. Coatings are abraded using industry-accepted abrasion test methods at single-or multiple-abrasion conditions, followed by high- throughput analysis of abrasion-induced light scatter. The developed automated system is optimized for the analysis of diffusively scattered light that corresponds to 0 to 30% haze. System precision of 0.1 to 2.5% relative standard deviation provides capability for the reliable ranking of coatings performance. While the system was implemented for high-throughput screening of combinatorially developed organic protective coatings for automotive applications, it can be applied to a variety of other applications where materials ranking can be achieved using optical spectroscopic tools.

A sensitive optical micro-machined ultrasound sensor (OMUS) based on a silicon photonic ring resonator on an acoustical membrane.

PubMed

Leinders, S M; Westerveld, W J; Pozo, J; van Neer, P L M J; Snyder, B; O'Brien, P; Urbach, H P; de Jong, N; Verweij, M D

2015-09-22

With the increasing use of ultrasonography, especially in medical imaging, novel fabrication techniques together with novel sensor designs are needed to meet the requirements for future applications like three-dimensional intercardiac and intravascular imaging. These applications require arrays of many small elements to selectively record the sound waves coming from a certain direction. Here we present proof of concept of an optical micro-machined ultrasound sensor (OMUS) fabricated with a semi-industrial CMOS fabrication line. The sensor is based on integrated photonics, which allows for elements with small spatial footprint. We demonstrate that the first prototype is already capable of detecting pressures of 0.4 Pa, which matches the performance of the state of the art piezo-electric transducers while having a 65 times smaller spatial footprint. The sensor is compatible with MRI due to the lack of electronical wiring. Another important benefit of the use of integrated photonics is the easy interrogation of an array of elements. Hence, in future designs only two optical fibers are needed to interrogate an entire array, which minimizes the amount of connections of smart catheters. The demonstrated OMUS has potential applications in medical ultrasound imaging, non destructive testing as well as in flow sensing.

A plot twist: the continuing story of VCSELs at AOC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guenter, James K.; Tatum, Jim A.; Hawthorne, Robert A., III; Johnson, Ralph H.; Mathes, David T.; Hawkins, Bobby M.

2005-03-01

During a year of substantial consolidation in the VCSEL industry, Honeywell sold their VCSEL Optical Products Division, which has now officially changed its name to Advanced Optical Components (AOC). Both manufacture and applied research continue, however. Some of the developments of the past year are discussed in this paper. They include advances in the understanding of VCSEL degradation physics, substantial improvements in long-wavelength VCSEL performance, and continuing progress in manufacturing technology. In addition, higher speed serial communications products, at 10 gigabits and particularly at 4 gigabits per second, have shown faster than predicted growth. We place these technologies and AOC's approach to them in a market perspective, along with other emerging applications.

A portable W-band radar system for enhancement of infrared vision in fire fighting operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klenner, Mathias; Zech, Christian; Hülsmann, Axel; Kühn, Jutta; Schlechtweg, Michael; Hahmann, Konstantin; Kleiner, Bernhard; Ulrich, Michael; Ambacher, Oliver

2016-10-01

In this paper, we present a millimeter wave radar system which will enhance the performance of infrared cameras used for fire-fighting applications. The radar module is compact and lightweight such that the system can be combined with inertial sensors and integrated in a hand-held infrared camera. This allows for precise distance measurements in harsh environmental conditions, such as tunnel or industrial fires, where optical sensors are unreliable or fail. We discuss the design of the RF front-end, the antenna and a quasi-optical lens for beam shaping as well as signal processing and demonstrate the performance of the system by in situ measurements in a smoke filled environment.

Optical links in handheld multimedia devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Geffen, S.; Duis, J.; Miller, R.

2008-04-01

Ever emerging applications in handheld multimedia devices such as mobile phones, laptop computers, portable video games and digital cameras requiring increased screen resolutions are driving higher aggregate bitrates between host processor and display(s) enabling services such as mobile video conferencing, video on demand and TV broadcasting. Larger displays and smaller phones require complex mechanical 3D hinge configurations striving to combine maximum functionality with compact building volumes. Conventional galvanic interconnections such as Micro-Coax and FPC carrying parallel digital data between host processor and display module may produce Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) and bandwidth limitations caused by small cable size and tight cable bends. To reduce the number of signals through a hinge, the mobile phone industry, organized in the MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface) alliance, is currently defining an electrical interface transmitting serialized digital data at speeds >1Gbps. This interface allows for electrical or optical interconnects. Above 1Gbps optical links may offer a cost effective alternative because of their flexibility, increased bandwidth and immunity to EMI. This paper describes the development of optical links for handheld communication devices. A cable assembly based on a special Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) selected for its mechanical durability is terminated with a small form factor molded lens assembly which interfaces between an 850nm VCSEL transmitter and a receiving device on the printed circuit board of the display module. A statistical approach based on a Lean Design For Six Sigma (LDFSS) roadmap for new product development tries to find an optimum link definition which will be robust and low cost meeting the power consumption requirements appropriate for battery operated systems.

Metrology for industrial quantum communications: the MIQC project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rastello, M. L.; Degiovanni, I. P.; Sinclair, A. G.; Kück, S.; Chunnilall, C. J.; Porrovecchio, G.; Smid, M.; Manoocheri, F.; Ikonen, E.; Kubarsepp, T.; Stucki, D.; Hong, K. S.; Kim, S. K.; Tosi, A.; Brida, G.; Meda, A.; Piacentini, F.; Traina, P.; Natsheh, A. Al; Cheung, J. Y.; Müller, I.; Klein, R.; Vaigu, A.

2014-12-01

The ‘Metrology for Industrial Quantum Communication Technologies’ project (MIQC) is a metrology framework that fosters development and market take-up of quantum communication technologies and is aimed at achieving maximum impact for the European industry in this area. MIQC is focused on quantum key distribution (QKD) technologies, the most advanced quantum-based technology towards practical application. QKD is a way of sending cryptographic keys with absolute security. It does this by exploiting the ability to encode in a photon's degree of freedom specific quantum states that are noticeably disturbed if an eavesdropper trying to decode it is present in the communication channel. The MIQC project has started the development of independent measurement standards and definitions for the optical components of QKD system, since one of the perceived barriers to QKD market success is the lack of standardization and quality assurance.

Optical storage media data integrity studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Podio, Fernando L.

1994-01-01

Optical disk-based information systems are being used in private industry and many Federal Government agencies for on-line and long-term storage of large quantities of data. The storage devices that are part of these systems are designed with powerful, but not unlimited, media error correction capacities. The integrity of data stored on optical disks does not only depend on the life expectancy specifications for the medium. Different factors, including handling and storage conditions, may result in an increase of medium errors in size and frequency. Monitoring the potential data degradation is crucial, especially for long term applications. Efforts are being made by the Association for Information and Image Management Technical Committee C21, Storage Devices and Applications, to specify methods for monitoring and reporting to the user medium errors detected by the storage device while writing, reading or verifying the data stored in that medium. The Computer Systems Laboratory (CSL) of the National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST) has a leadership role in the development of these standard techniques. In addition, CSL is researching other data integrity issues, including the investigation of error-resilient compression algorithms. NIST has conducted care and handling experiments on optical disk media with the objective of identifying possible causes of degradation. NIST work in data integrity and related standards activities is described.

Development of a sapphire optical pressure sensor for high-temperature applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mills, David A.; Alexander, Dylan; Subhash, Ghatu; Sheplak, Mark

2014-06-01

This paper presents the fabrication, packaging, and characterization of a sapphire optical pressure sensor for hightemperature applications. Currently available instrumentation poses significant limitations on the ability to achieve realtime, continuous measurements in high-temperature environments such as those encountered in industrial gas turbines and high-speed aircraft. The fiber-optic lever design utilizes the deflection of a circular platinum-coated sapphire diaphragm to modulate the light reflected back to a single send/receive sapphire optical fiber. The 7 mm diameter, 50 μm thick diaphragm is attached using a novel thermocompression bonding process based on spark plasma sintering technology. Bonds using platinum as an intermediate layer are achieved at a temperature of 1200°C with a hold time of 5 min. Initial characterization of the bond interface using a simple tensile test indicates a bond strength in excess of 12 MPa. Analysis of the buckled diaphragm after bonding is also presented. The packaged sensor enables continuous operation up to 900°C. Room-temperature characterization reveals a first resonance of 18.2 kHz, a flat-band sensitivity of -130 dB re 1 V/Pa (0.32 μV/Pa) from 4-20 kHz, a minimum detectable pressure of 3.8 Pa, and a linear response up to 169 dB at 1.9 kHz.

Incorporation of wavelength selective devices into waveguides with applications to a miniature spectrometer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stallard, B. R.; Kaushik, S.; Hadley, G. R.

1996-02-01

This report pertains to a Laboratory Directed Research and Development project which was funded for FY94 and FY95. The goal was to develop building blocks for small, cheap sensors that use optical spectroscopy as a means of detecting chemical analytes. Such sensors can have an impact on a wide variety of technologies, such as: industrial process control, environmental monitors, chemical analysis in medicine, and automotive monitors. We describe work in fabricating and demonstrating a waveguide/grating device that can serve as the wavelength dispersive component in a miniature spectrometer. Also, we describe the invention and modeling of a new way tomore » construct an array of optical interference filters using sub-wavelength lithography to tune the index of refraction of a fixed Fabry-Perot cavity. Next we describe progress in more efficiently calculating the fields in grating devices. Finally we present the invention of a new type of near field optical probe, applicable to scanning microscopy or optical data storage, which is based on a circular grating constructed in a waveguide. This result diverges from the original goal of the project but is quite significant in that it promises to increase the data storage capacity of CD-ROMs by 10 times.« less

Multi-Wavelength Based Optical Density Sensor for Autonomous Monitoring of Microalgae

PubMed Central

Jia, Fei; Kacira, Murat; Ogden, Kimberly L.

2015-01-01

A multi-wavelength based optical density sensor unit was designed, developed, and evaluated to monitor microalgae growth in real time. The system consisted of five main components including: (1) laser diode modules as light sources; (2) photodiodes as detectors; (3) driver circuit; (4) flow cell; and (5) sensor housing temperature controller. The sensor unit was designed to be integrated into any microalgae culture system for both real time and non-real time optical density measurements and algae growth monitoring applications. It was shown that the sensor unit was capable of monitoring the dynamics and physiological changes of the microalgae culture in real-time. Algae biomass concentration was accurately estimated with optical density measurements at 650, 685 and 780 nm wavelengths used by the sensor unit. The sensor unit was able to monitor cell concentration as high as 1.05 g·L−1 (1.51 × 108 cells·mL−1) during the culture growth without any sample preparation for the measurements. Since high cell concentrations do not need to be diluted using the sensor unit, the system has the potential to be used in industrial microalgae cultivation systems for real time monitoring and control applications that can lead to improved resource use efficiency. PMID:26364640

Innovative multi-cantilever array sensor system with MOEMS read-out

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivaldi, F.; Bieniek, T.; Janus, P.; Grabiec, P.; Majstrzyk, W.; Kopiec, D.; Gotszalk, T.

2016-11-01

Cantilever based sensor system are a well-established sensor family exploited in several every-day life applications as well as in high-end research areas. The very high sensitivity of such systems and the possibility to design and functionalize the cantilevers to create purpose built and highly selective sensors have increased the interest of the scientific community and the industry in further exploiting this promising sensors type. Optical deflection detection systems for cantilever sensors provide a reliable, flexible method for reading information from cantilevers with the highest sensitivity. However the need of using multi-cantilever arrays in several fields of application such as medicine, biology or safety related areas, make the optical method less suitable due to its structural complexity. Working in the frame of a the Joint Undertaking project Lab4MEMS II our group proposes a novel and innovative approach to solve this issue, by integrating a Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical-System (MOEMS) with dedicated optics, electronics and software with a MOEMS micro-mirror, ultimately developed in the frame of Lab4MEMSII. In this way we are able to present a closely packed, lightweight solution combining the advantages of standard optical read-out systems with the possibility of recording multiple read-outs from large cantilever arrays quasi simultaneously.

EDITORIAL: Optical Fibre Sensors 18 (OFS-18)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Julian D. C.; Tatam, Ralph P.

2007-10-01

The International Conference on Optical Fibre Sensors (OFS-18) was held in October 2006 in Cancún, Mexico, under the general chairmanship of Dr Alexis Mendez (MCH Engineering LLC, USA) and Dr Fernando Mendoza (Centro de Investigaciones en Optica, Mexico). 'OFS', as it has become known, is firmly established as the leading international conference for the optical fibre sensor community. Since its inception, in London in 1983, and under the leadership of an international steering committee independent of any learned society or professional institution, it has been held approximately every eighteen months. The venue nominally rotates from Europe, to the Americas, and thence to Asia and the Pacific. OFS-18 demonstrated the continuing vigour of the community, with some 250 papers presented, plus two workshops, with attendance as international as ever. In recent years, it has become a tradition to publish a post-conference special issue in the journal Measurement Science and Technology, and these special issues offer a representative sample of the current status of the field. In the nearly 25 years since OFS began, many of the early ideas and laboratory-based proof-of-principle experiments have led to highly developed instrumentation systems, and to successful commercial products. Perhaps the most mature of all of these technologies is the optical fibre gyroscope, with the fibre hydrophone a close second—originally developed for defence applications for which it is now established, but with increasing relevance to the oil and gas industry; electromagnetic sensors based on the Faraday and electro-optic effects are of growing significance in the power generation and distribution industry; whilst in-fibre grating-based sensors occupy an expanding niche in structural monitoring, especially in civil engineering. It is therefore appropriate that the first day of OFS was devoted to workshops on structural health monitoring, and to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the fibre optic gyroscope, conventionally taken to date from the first experimental demonstration by V Vali and R W Shorthill (1976 'Fibre ring interferometer' Appl. Opt. 15 1099-100). It is an indication of the health of the community that the successful maturity of some applications is complemented by the new technologies that will be the basis of the future development of the field, and here the content of this special issue is an interesting indication of likely areas of growth. Essentially all current fibre optic systems are based on solid, doped fused silica fibres, which are the basis of the world's telecommunications industry. However, over the last decade an exciting development has been micro-structured fibres, whose waveguiding properties owe as much to the structure of the fibre as to the materials from which they are made. The significance for sensing applications is considerable, with opportunities to achieve properties for dispersion, environmental sensitivity, wavelength range and power-handling quite different from the capabilities of conventional fibre. Thus it is not surprising that several of the papers in the issue (by Cordeiro, Martynkien, Bock, Wolinski, Michie, Digonnet and Kilic) are devoted to applications of such fibres—photonic crystal fibres (PCF), as they are often called. Digonnet's contribution is especially interesting, being concerned with the use of hollow-core photonic bandgap fibre to form a gyroscope, hence avoiding the many subtle non-linear optical effects that can degrade the performance of a conventional fibre gyroscope. PCF are not the only special fibres to feature in the issue: polymer fibres are of increasing interest for sensing applications (O'Keeffe, Kiesel, Kalli and Ashley), not least for their ability to withstand high levels of strain. In-fibre gratings continue to be a very important area in the field, and are well represented in the issue (Ni, González-Segura, Chen, Falate, Kamikawachi, Wang and Correia). We hope that this special issue helps to further developments in the field of optical fibre sensors and we would like to thank all the contributing authors and reviewers for making this special issue possible. We would also like to thank the staff at IOP Publishing for their support and in ensuring timely publication. OFS-19 will be held in Perth, Australia, on 14-18 April 2008, with the intention of publishing a further special issue next year.

Nondestructive evaluation of protective coatings for the conservation of industrial monuments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welp, Hubert; Lenz, Marcel; Mazzon, Cristian; Dillmann, Christopher; Gerhardt, Nils C.; Prange, Michael; Hofmann, Martin R.

2017-07-01

For the conservation of cultural monuments standard anti-corrosion coatings are not applicable because the historical character of the objects would be lost. Alternative transparent coatings have to be evaluated and monitored nondestructively with respect to their effectiveness in protecting metal surfaces. We demonstrate that Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) can be an alternative to the currently used method of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) for the characterization of coating defects and corrosion processes.

Microelectromechanical systems(MEMS): Launching Research Concepts into the Marketplace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arney, Susanne

1999-04-01

More than a decade following the demonstration of the first spinning micromotors and microgears, the field of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) has burgeoned on a worldwide basis. Integrated circuit design, fabrication, and packaging techniques have provided the foundation for the growth of an increasingly mature MEMS infrastructure which spans numerous topics of research as well as industrial application. The remarkable proliferation of MEMS concepts into such contrasting arenas of application as automotive sensors, biology, optical and wireless telecommunications, displays, printing, and physics experiments will be described. Challenges to commercialization of research prototypes will be discussed with emphasis on the development of design, fabrication, packaging, reliability and standards which fundamentally enable the application of MEMS to a highly diversified marketplace.

Working with the superabrasives industry to optimize tooling for grinding brittle materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Taylor, J.S.; Piscotty, M.A.; Blaedel, K.L.

1996-05-01

The optics manufacturing industry is undertaking a significant modernization, as computer-numeric-controlled (CNC) equipment is joining or replacing open-loop equipment and hand lapping/polishing on the shop floor. Several prototype CNC lens grinding platforms employing ring tools are undergoing development and demonstration at the Center for Optics Manufacturing in Rochester, NY, and several machine tool companies have CNC product lines aimed at the optics industry. Benefits to using CNC ring tool grinding equipment include: essentially unlimited flexibility in selecting radii of curvature without special radiused tooling, the potential for CIM linkages to CAD workstations, and the cultural shift from craftsmen with undocumentedmore » procedures to CNC machine operators employing computerized routines for process control. In recent years, these developments, have inspired a number of US optics companies to invest in CNC equipment and participate in process development activities involving bound diamond tooling. This modernization process,extends beyond large optics companies that have historically embraced advanced equipment, to also include smaller optical shops where a shift to CNC equipment requires a significant company commitment. This paper addresses our efforts to optimize fine grinding wheels to support the new generation of CNC equipment. We begin with a discussion of how fine grinding fits into the optical production process, and then describe an initiative for improving the linkage between optics industry and the grinding wheel industry. For the purposes of this paper, we define fine wheels to have diamond sizes below 20 micrometers, which includes wheels used for what is sometimes called medium grinding (e.g. 10-20 micrometers diamond) and for fine grinding (e.g. 2-4 micrometers diamond).« less

A Theoretical Study and Numerical Simulation of a Quasi-Distributed Sensor Based on the Low-Finesse Fabry-Perot Interferometer: Frequency-Division Multiplexing

PubMed Central

Guillen Bonilla, José Trinidad; Guillen Bonilla, Alex; Rodríguez Betancourtt, Verónica M.; Guillen Bonilla, Héctor; Casillas Zamora, Antonio

2017-01-01

The application of the sensor optical fibers in the areas of scientific instrumentation and industrial instrumentation is very attractive due to its numerous advantages. In the industry of civil engineering for example, quasi-distributed sensors made with optical fiber are used for reliable strain and temperature measurements. Here, a quasi-distributed sensor in the frequency domain is discussed. The sensor consists of a series of low-finesse Fabry-Perot interferometers where each Fabry-Perot interferometer acts as a local sensor. Fabry-Perot interferometers are formed by pairs of identical low reflective Bragg gratings imprinted in a single mode fiber. All interferometer sensors have different cavity length, provoking frequency-domain multiplexing. The optical signal represents the superposition of all interference patterns which can be decomposed using the Fourier transform. The frequency spectrum was analyzed and sensor’s properties were defined. Following that, a quasi-distributed sensor was numerically simulated. Our sensor simulation considers sensor properties, signal processing, noise system, and instrumentation. The numerical results show the behavior of resolution vs. signal-to-noise ratio. From our results, the Fabry-Perot sensor has high resolution and low resolution. Both resolutions are conceivable because the Fourier Domain Phase Analysis (FDPA) algorithm elaborates two evaluations of Bragg wavelength shift. PMID:28420083

Preserving Cellulose Structure: Delignified Wood Fibers for Paper Structures of High Strength and Transparency.

PubMed

Yang, Xuan; Berthold, Fredrik; Berglund, Lars A

2018-05-23

To expand the use of renewable materials, paper products with superior mechanical and optical properties are needed. Although beating, bleaching, and additives are known to improve industrially produced Kraft pulp papers, properties are limited by the quality of the fibers. While the use of nanocellulose has been shown to significantly increase paper properties, the current cost associated with their production has limited their industrial relevance. Here, using a simple mild peracetic acid (PAA) delignification process on spruce, we produce hemicellulose-rich holocellulose fibers (28.8 wt %) with high intrinsic strength (1200 MPa for fibers with microfibrillar angle smaller than 10°). We show that PAA treatment causes less cellulose/hemicellulose degradation and better preserves cellulose nanostructure in comparison to conventional Kraft pulping. High-density holocellulose papers with superior mechanical properties (Young's modulus of 18 GPa and ultimate strength of 195 MPa) are manufactured using a water-based hot-pressing process, without the use of beating or additives. We propose that the preserved hemicelluloses act as "glue" in the interfiber region, improving both mechanical and optical properties of papers. Holocellulose fibers may be affordable and applicable candidates for making special paper/composites where high mechanical performance and/or optical transmittance are of interest.

Brillouin optical fiber distributed sensor for settlement monitoring while tunneling the metro line 3 in Cairo, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewynter, V.; Rougeault, S.; Magne, S.; Ferdinand, P.; Vallon, F.; Avallone, L.; Vacher, E.; De Broissia, M.; Canepa, Ch.; Poulain, A.

2009-10-01

Safety while tunneling is one of the main challenges for underground constructions, avoiding confinement losses, which remain an important risk for public works, leading to additional delays and high insurance costs. In such applications, usual surface instrumentations cannot be set up because of high building density in many overcrowded cities. Tunnelling deals with the challenge of requiring ground surface undisturbed. One original concept proposed in the framework of the European Tunconstruct project, consists in very early settlement detection close to the tunnel vault and before any detectable effect on the surface. The adopted solution is to set-up a sensing element inserted into a directional drilling excavated above the foreseen tunnel. The methodology is based on the well known Brillouin Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (B-OTDR) in singlemode optical fibres and a special cable design dedicated to bending measurement. Two cables, based on different industrial manufacturing processes, have been developed taking into account the strain sensitivity required, the flexibility and the robustness for borehole installation, a low power attenuation and storage on a drum. Industrial prototypes have been manufactured and validated with tests in open air where settlement profiles geometry can be accurately controlled. Demonstration on job site took place on The Greater Cairo Metro Line 3 (CML3) at the beginning of 2009.

A Theoretical Study and Numerical Simulation of a Quasi-Distributed Sensor Based on the Low-Finesse Fabry-Perot Interferometer: Frequency-Division Multiplexing.

PubMed

Guillen Bonilla, José Trinidad; Guillen Bonilla, Alex; Rodríguez Betancourtt, Verónica M; Guillen Bonilla, Héctor; Casillas Zamora, Antonio

2017-04-14

The application of the sensor optical fibers in the areas of scientific instrumentation and industrial instrumentation is very attractive due to its numerous advantages. In the industry of civil engineering for example, quasi-distributed sensors made with optical fiber are used for reliable strain and temperature measurements. Here, a quasi-distributed sensor in the frequency domain is discussed. The sensor consists of a series of low-finesse Fabry-Perot interferometers where each Fabry-Perot interferometer acts as a local sensor. Fabry-Perot interferometers are formed by pairs of identical low reflective Bragg gratings imprinted in a single mode fiber. All interferometer sensors have different cavity length, provoking frequency-domain multiplexing. The optical signal represents the superposition of all interference patterns which can be decomposed using the Fourier transform. The frequency spectrum was analyzed and sensor's properties were defined. Following that, a quasi-distributed sensor was numerically simulated. Our sensor simulation considers sensor properties, signal processing, noise system, and instrumentation. The numerical results show the behavior of resolution vs. signal-to-noise ratio. From our results, the Fabry-Perot sensor has high resolution and low resolution. Both resolutions are conceivable because the Fourier Domain Phase Analysis (FDPA) algorithm elaborates two evaluations of Bragg wavelength shift.

Enhancement of gravimetric forced flow through system to determine sorption, swelling, and mass transfer characteristics of liquid sorbents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dresp, G.; Petermann, M.; Fieback, T. M.

2018-04-01

An existing apparatus for forced flow through of liquid sorbents has been enhanced with an optically accessible system including a transparent crucible, high pressure viewing cell, and camera. With this optical system, the active surface area between gas and liquid can be determined in situ for the first time under industrial process conditions while maintaining the accuracy of a magnetic suspension balance. Additionally, occurring swelling and the resulting buoyancy changes can now be corrected, further improving the quality of the data. Validation measurements focusing on the sorption isotherms, swelling, and bubble geometry of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate with nitrogen at 303 K and up to 17 MPa, as well as with carbon dioxide at 303 K, 323 K, and 373 K at up to 3.5 MPa were completed. Absorption of nitrogen resulted in no observable volume change, whereas absorption of carbon dioxide resulted in temperature independent swelling of up to 9.8%. The gas bubble's structure and behavior during its ascend through the liquid was optically tracked in situ. Combining these two data sets with the absorption kinetics forms the basis to determine the measuring system independent mass transfer coefficients, which are applicable in other laboratory scale and industrial processes.

Quantitative absorption data from thermally induced wavefront distortions on UV, Vis, and NIR optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mann, Klaus; Schäfer, Bernd; Leinhos, Uwe; Lübbecke, Maik

2017-11-01

A photothermal absorption measurement system was set up, deploying a Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor with extreme sensitivity to accomplish spatially resolved monitoring of thermally induced wavefront distortions. Photothermal absorption measurements in the near-infrared and deep ultra-violet spectral range are performed for the characterization of optical materials, utilizing a Yb fiber laser (λ = 1070 nm) and an excimer laser (193nm, 248nm) to induce thermal load. Wavefront deformations as low as 50pm (rms) can be registered, allowing for a rapid assessment of material quality. Absolute calibration of the absorption data is achieved by comparison with a thermal calculation. The method accomplishes not only to measure absorptances of plane optical elements, but also wavefront deformations and focal shifts in lenses as well as in complex optical systems, such as e.g. F-Theta objectives used in industrial high power laser applications. Along with a description of the technique we present results from absorption measurements on coated and uncoated optics at various laser wavelengths ranging from deep UV to near IR.

Electro-Optical Inspection For Tolerance Control As An Integral Part Of A Flexible Machining Cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renaud, Blaise

1986-11-01

Institut CERAC has been involved in optical metrology and 3-dimensional surface control for the last couple of years. Among the industrial applications considered is the on-line shape evaluation of machined parts within the manufacturing cell. The specific objective is to measure the machining errors and to compare them with the tolerances set by designers. An electro-optical sensing technique has been developed which relies on a projection Moire contouring optical method. A prototype inspection system has been designed, making use of video detection and computer image processing. Moire interferograms are interpreted, and the metrological information automatically retrieved. A structured database can be generated for subsequent data analysis and for real-time closed-loop corrective actions. A real-time kernel embedded into a synchronisation network (Petri-net) for the control of concurrent processes in the Electra-Optical Inspection (E0I) station was realised and implemented in a MODULA-2 program DIN01. The prototype system for on-line automatic tolerance control taking place within a flexible machining cell is described in this paper, together with the fast-prototype synchronisation program.

Preliminary Design of a Lightning Optical Camera and ThundEr (LOCATE) Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phanord, Dieudonne D.; Koshak, William J.; Rybski, Paul M.; Arnold, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The preliminary design of an optical/acoustical instrument is described for making highly accurate real-time determinations of the location of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning. The instrument, named the Lightning Optical Camera And ThundEr (LOCATE) sensor, will also image the clear and cloud-obscured lightning channel produced from CGs and cloud flashes, and will record the transient optical waveforms produced from these discharges. The LOCATE sensor will consist of a full (360 degrees) field-of-view optical camera for obtaining CG channel image and azimuth, a sensitive thunder microphone for obtaining CG range, and a fast photodiode system for time-resolving the lightning optical waveform. The optical waveform data will be used to discriminate CGs from cloud flashes. Together, the optical azimuth and thunder range is used to locate CGs and it is anticipated that a network of LOCATE sensors would determine CG source location to well within 100 meters. All of this would be accomplished for a relatively inexpensive cost compared to present RF lightning location technologies, but of course the range detection is limited and will be quantified in the future. The LOCATE sensor technology would have practical applications for electric power utility companies, government (e.g. NASA Kennedy Space Center lightning safety and warning), golf resort lightning safety, telecommunications, and other industries.

Summary of workshop 'Theory Meets Industry'—the impact of ab initio solid state calculations on industrial materials research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wimmer, E.

2008-02-01

A workshop, 'Theory Meets Industry', was held on 12-14 June 2007 in Vienna, Austria, attended by a well balanced number of academic and industrial scientists from America, Europe, and Japan. The focus was on advances in ab initio solid state calculations and their practical use in industry. The theoretical papers addressed three dominant themes, namely (i) more accurate total energies and electronic excitations, (ii) more complex systems, and (iii) more diverse and accurate materials properties. Hybrid functionals give some improvements in energies, but encounter difficulties for metallic systems. Quantum Monte Carlo methods are progressing, but no clear breakthrough is on the horizon. Progress in order-N methods is steady, as is the case for efficient methods for exploring complex energy hypersurfaces and large numbers of structural configurations. The industrial applications were dominated by materials issues in energy conversion systems, the quest for hydrogen storage materials, improvements of electronic and optical properties of microelectronic and display materials, and the simulation of reactions on heterogeneous catalysts. The workshop is a clear testimony that ab initio computations have become an industrial practice with increasingly recognized impact.

Fused Smart Sensor Network for Multi-Axis Forward Kinematics Estimation in Industrial Robots

PubMed Central

Rodriguez-Donate, Carlos; Osornio-Rios, Roque Alfredo; Rivera-Guillen, Jesus Rooney; de Jesus Romero-Troncoso, Rene

2011-01-01

Flexible manipulator robots have a wide industrial application. Robot performance requires sensing its position and orientation adequately, known as forward kinematics. Commercially available, motion controllers use high-resolution optical encoders to sense the position of each joint which cannot detect some mechanical deformations that decrease the accuracy of the robot position and orientation. To overcome those problems, several sensor fusion methods have been proposed but at expenses of high-computational load, which avoids the online measurement of the joint’s angular position and the online forward kinematics estimation. The contribution of this work is to propose a fused smart sensor network to estimate the forward kinematics of an industrial robot. The developed smart processor uses Kalman filters to filter and to fuse the information of the sensor network. Two primary sensors are used: an optical encoder, and a 3-axis accelerometer. In order to obtain the position and orientation of each joint online a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is used in the hardware implementation taking advantage of the parallel computation capabilities and reconfigurability of this device. With the aim of evaluating the smart sensor network performance, three real-operation-oriented paths are executed and monitored in a 6-degree of freedom robot. PMID:22163850

Fiber optic interconnect and optoelectronic packaging challenges for future generation avionics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beranek, Mark W.

2007-02-01

Forecasting avionics industry fiber optic interconnect and optoelectronic packaging challenges that lie ahead first requires an assumption that military avionics architectures will evolve from today's centralized/unified concept based on gigabit laser, optical-to-electrical-to-optical switching and optical backplane technology, to a future federated/distributed or centralized/unified concept based on gigabit tunable laser, electro-optical switch and add-drop wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology. The requirement to incorporate avionics optical built-in test (BIT) in military avionics fiber optic systems is also assumed to be correct. Taking these assumptions further indicates that future avionics systems engineering will use WDM technology combined with photonic circuit integration and advanced packaging to form the technical basis of the next generation military avionics onboard local area network (LAN). Following this theme, fiber optic cable plants will evolve from today's multimode interconnect solution to a single mode interconnect solution that is highly installable, maintainable, reliable and supportable. Ultimately optical BIT for fiber optic fault detection and isolation will be incorporated as an integral part of a total WDM-based avionics LAN solution. Cost-efficient single mode active and passive photonic component integration and packaging integration is needed to enable reliable operation in the harsh military avionics application environment. Rugged multimode fiber-based transmitters and receivers (transceivers) with in-package optical BIT capability are also needed to enable fully BIT capable single-wavelength fiber optic links on both legacy and future aerospace platforms.

Optics for multimode lasers with elongated depth of field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laskin, Alexander; Laskin, Vadim; Ostrun, Aleksei

2017-02-01

Modern multimode high-power lasers are widely used in industrial applications and control of their radiation, especially by focusing, is of great importance. Because of relatively low optical quality, characterized by high values of specifications Beam Parameter Product (BPP) or M², the depth of field by focusing of multimode laser radiation is narrow. At the same time laser technologies like deep penetration welding, cutting of thick metal sheets get benefits from elongated depth of field in area of focal plane, therefore increasing of zone along optical axis with minimized spot size is important technical task. As a solution it is suggested to apply refractive optical systems splitting an initial laser beam into several beamlets, which are focused in different foci separated along optical axis with providing reliable control of energy portions in each separate focus, independently of beam size or mode structure. With the multi-focus optics, the length of zone of material processing along optical axis is defined rather by distances between separate foci, which are determined by optical design of the optics and can be chosen according to requirements of a particular laser technology. Due to stability of the distances between foci there is provided stability of a technology process. This paper describes some design features of refractive multi-focus optics, examples of real implementations and experimental results will be presented as well.

Modern trends in industrial technology of production of optical polymeric components for night vision devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goev, A. I.; Knyazeva, N. A.; Potelov, V. V.; Senik, B. N.

2005-06-01

The present paper represents in detail the complex approach to creating industrial technology of production of polymeric optical components: information has been given on optical polymeric materials, automatic machines for injection moulding, the possibilities of the Moldflow system (the AB "Universal" company) used for mathematical simulation of the technological process of injection moulding and making the moulds.

Bulk damage and absorption in fused silica due to high-power laser applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nürnberg, F.; Kühn, B.; Langner, A.; Altwein, M.; Schötz, G.; Takke, R.; Thomas, S.; Vydra, J.

2015-11-01

Laser fusion projects are heading for IR optics with high broadband transmission, high shock and temperature resistance, long laser durability, and best purity. For this application, fused silica is an excellent choice. The energy density threshold on IR laser optics is mainly influenced by the purity and homogeneity of the fused silica. The absorption behavior regarding the hydroxyl content was studied for various synthetic fused silica grades. The main absorption influenced by OH vibrational excitation leads to different IR attenuations for OH-rich and low-OH fused silica. Industrial laser systems aim for the maximum energy extraction possible. Heraeus Quarzglas developed an Yb-doped fused silica fiber to support this growing market. But the performance of laser welding and cutting systems is fundamentally limited by beam quality and stability of focus. Since absorption in the optical components of optical systems has a detrimental effect on the laser focus shift, the beam energy loss and the resulting heating has to be minimized both in the bulk materials and at the coated surfaces. In collaboration with a laser research institute, an optical finisher and end users, photo thermal absorption measurements on coated samples of different fused silica grades were performed to investigate the influence of basic material properties on the absorption level. High purity, synthetic fused silica is as well the material of choice for optical components designed for DUV applications (wavelength range 160 nm - 260 nm). For higher light intensities, e.g. provided by Excimer lasers, UV photons may generate defect centers that effect the optical properties during usage, resulting in an aging of the optical components (UV radiation damage). Powerful Excimer lasers require optical materials that can withstand photon energy close to the band gap and the high intensity of the short pulse length. The UV transmission loss is restricted to the DUV wavelength range below 300 nm and consists of three different absorption bands centered at 165 nm (peroxy radicals), 215 nm (E'-center), and 265 nm (non-bridging oxygen hole center (NBOH)), which change the transmission behavior of material.

Escherichia coli biosensors for environmental, food industry and biological warfare agent detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allil, R. C. S. B.; Werneck, M. M.; da Silva-Neto, J. L.; Miguel, M. A. L.; Rodrigues, D. M. C.; Wandermur, G. L.; Rambauske, D. C.

2013-06-01

This work has the objective to research and develop a plastic optical fiber biosensor based taper and mPOF LPG techniques to detect Escherichia coli by measurements of index of refraction. Generally, cell detection is crucial in microbiological analysis of clinical, food, water or environmental samples. However, methods current employed are time consuming, taking at least 72 hours in order to produce reliable responses as they depend on sample collection and cell culture in controlled conditions. The delay in obtaining the results of the analysis can result in contamination of a great number of consumers. Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) biosensors consist in a viable alternative for rapid and inexpensive scheme for cells detection. A study the sensitivity of these sensors for microbiological detection, fiber Tapers and Long Period Grating (LPG) both in poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) were realized as possible candidates to take part of a biosensor system to detect Escherichia coli in water samples. In this work we adopted the immunocapture technique, which consists of quantifying bacteria in a liquid sample, attract-ing and fixing the bacteria on the surface of the polymer optical fiber, by the antigen-antibody reaction. The results were obtained by optical setup that consists in a side of the fiber a LED coupled to a photodetector through a POF with the taper in the middle of it. On the other side of the POF a photodetector receives this light producting a photocurrent. The output voltage is fed into the microcontroller A/D input port and its output data is sent via USB to a LabView software running in a microcomputer. The results showed the possibility of the POF in biosensor application capable to detect E. coli for environmental and food industry and for detecting and identifying biological-warfare agents using a very rapid response sensor, applicable to field detection prototypes.

Optical properties of graphene, silicene, germanene, and stanene from IR to far UV - A first principles study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

John, Rita; Merlin, Benita

2017-11-01

This study offers an analysis of optical properties of Graphene and its 2D analogues: Silicene, Germanene, and Stanene with the help of band structures based on Density Functional Theory. The complex dielectric function and complex refractive index are calculated in both parallel (||) and perpendicular (⊥) polarization directions of the electromagnetic field. From these calculated values, optical observables like absorption, reflection, optical conductivity, and electron loss function have been studied. The optical response of all materials is shifted from ultraviolet (UV) to infrared (IR) from graphene to stanene; Graphene is more into UV region and other materials in the IR and visible regions. The intensity of absorption is maximum for stanene. The real part of dielectric function reveals the existence of plasma frequency in the || polarization direction indicating the metal to dielectric transition except for graphene. Study on refractive index clearly displays the birefringence characteristics of all materials. Reflectivity is enhanced in the mid IR and visible regions when light is polarized in the || direction. The in-depth investigations arrive at fine results which would enable the prediction of their potential applications in the optical and optoelectronic industries.

Annular beam shaping system for advanced 3D laser brazing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pütsch, Oliver; Stollenwerk, Jochen; Kogel-Hollacher, Markus; Traub, Martin

2012-10-01

As laser brazing benefits from advantages such as smooth joints and small heat-affected zones, it has become established as a joining technology that is widely used in the automotive industry. With the processing of complex-shaped geometries, recent developed brazing heads suffer, however, from the need for continuous reorientation of the optical system and/or limited accessibility due to lateral wire feeding. This motivates the development of a laser brazing head with coaxial wire feeding and enhanced functionality. An optical system is designed that allows to generate an annular intensity distribution in the working zone. The utilization of complex optical components avoids obscuration of the optical path by the wire feeding. The new design overcomes the disadvantages of the state-of-the-art brazing heads with lateral wire feeding and benefits from the independence of direction while processing complex geometries. To increase the robustness of the brazing process, the beam path also includes a seam tracking system, leading to a more challenging design of the whole optical train. This paper mainly discusses the concept and the optical design of the coaxial brazing head, and also presents the results obtained with a prototype and selected application results.

CAOS-CMOS camera.

PubMed

Riza, Nabeel A; La Torre, Juan Pablo; Amin, M Junaid

2016-06-13

Proposed and experimentally demonstrated is the CAOS-CMOS camera design that combines the coded access optical sensor (CAOS) imager platform with the CMOS multi-pixel optical sensor. The unique CAOS-CMOS camera engages the classic CMOS sensor light staring mode with the time-frequency-space agile pixel CAOS imager mode within one programmable optical unit to realize a high dynamic range imager for extreme light contrast conditions. The experimentally demonstrated CAOS-CMOS camera is built using a digital micromirror device, a silicon point-photo-detector with a variable gain amplifier, and a silicon CMOS sensor with a maximum rated 51.3 dB dynamic range. White light imaging of three different brightness simultaneously viewed targets, that is not possible by the CMOS sensor, is achieved by the CAOS-CMOS camera demonstrating an 82.06 dB dynamic range. Applications for the camera include industrial machine vision, welding, laser analysis, automotive, night vision, surveillance and multispectral military systems.

Recent developments in photonic networking components for space applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parkerson, James P.; Gorman, Lanitia; Thamer, Robert; Chalfant, Charles H.; Hull, Anthony; Orlando, Fred J., Jr.

2003-07-01

Industrial, NASA, and DoD spacecraft designers have recognized the advantages of using fiber optic components and networks for their internal satellite data handling needs. Among the benefits are the total elimination of cable-to-cable and box-to-box EMI; significant size, weight and power reduction; greater on-orbit and integration and test flexibility and significantly lower integration and test costs. Additionally, intra-satellite data rates of 1 to 10 Gbps appear to be an absolute requirement for a number of advanced systems planned for development in the next few years. The only practical way to support these data rates is with fiber optics. Space Photonics and the University of Arkansas have developed fiber optic components (FireFiberTM) and networks that are designed specifically to meet these on-board, high data rate needs using NASA approved materials, packaging processes, and approved radiation tolerant devices. This paper will discuss recent developments in photonic components for spaceborne networks.

Photonic packaging for space applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parkerson, James P.; Chalfant, Charles H., III; Orlando, Fred J., Jr.; Hull, Tony

2002-07-01

Industrial, NASA, and DOD spacecraft designers have recognized the advantages of using fiber optic components and networks for their internal satellite data handling needs. Among the benefits are the total elimination of cable-to-cable and box-to-box EMI; significant size, weight and power reduction; greater on-orbit flexibility, simplified integration and test (I&T), and significantly lower I&T costs. Additionally, intra-satellite data rates of 1 to 10 Gbps appear to be an absolute requirement for a number of advanced systems planned for development in the next few years. The only practical way to support these data rates is with fiber optics. Space Photonics and the University of Arkansas have developed fiber optic components (FireFiberTM) and networks that are designed specifically to meet these on-board, high data rate needs using NASA approved materials, packaging processes, and approved radiation tolerant devices. This paper discusses issues relevant to these components and networks.

Multilayer coating of optical substrates by ion beam sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daniel, M. V.; Demmler, M.

2017-10-01

Ion beam sputtering is well established in research and industry, despite its relatively low deposition rates compared to electron beam evaporation. Typical applications are coatings of precision optics, like filters, mirrors and beam splitter. Anti-reflective or high-reflective multilayer stacks benefit from the high mobility of the sputtered particles on the substrate surface and the good mechanical characteristics of the layers. This work gives the basic route from single layer optimization of reactive ion beam sputtered Ta2O5 and SiO2 thin films towards complex multilayer stacks for high-reflective mirrors and anti-reflective coatings. Therefore films were deposited using different oxygen flow into the deposition chamber Afterwards, mechanical (density, stress, surface morphology, crystalline phases) and optical properties (reflectivity, absorption and refractive index) were characterized. These knowledge was used to deposit a multilayer coating for a high reflective mirror.

Optical View of an Entrepreneur

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyant, James

2007-03-01

The WYKO Corporation was founded on December 27, 1982 to design, manufacture, sell, and service metrology instruments for many applications, with the largest market being in the magnetic data storage industry. WYKO grew out of the research my students and I did at the Optical Sciences Center at the University of Arizona, but it's origins actually started earlier at the Itek Corporation where I went to work after getting my PhD in optics at the University of Rochester. Founding, growing, and cashing out was an unbelievable experience that was more fun than I ever dreamed anything could be. In this talk I will discuss the formation, growth, and eventual selling of the WYKO Corporation to Veeco in 1997. Both the fun parts and the not so fun parts will be discussed. The biggest surprises experienced and what I think are the most important factors in growing a successful high-tech company will be described.

Crystal Growth Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scheel, Hans J.; Fukuda, Tsuguo

2004-06-01

This volume deals with the technologies of crystal fabrication, of crystal machining, and of epilayer production and is the first book on industrial and scientific aspects of crystal and layer production. The major industrial crystals are treated: Si, GaAs, GaP, InP, CdTe, sapphire, oxide and halide scintillator crystals, crystals for optical, piezoelectric and microwave applications and more. Contains 29 contributions from leading crystal technologists covering the following topics:

General aspects of crystal growth technology Silicon Compound semiconductors Oxides and halides Crystal machining Epitaxy and layer deposition Scientific and technological problems of production and machining of industrial crystals are discussed by top experts, most of them from the major growth industries and crystal growth centers. In addition, it will be useful for the users of crystals, for teachers and graduate students in materials sciences, in electronic and other functional materials, chemical and metallurgical engineering, micro-and optoelectronics including nanotechnology, mechanical engineering and precision-machining, microtechnology, and in solid-state sciences.

• Precision molding of advanced glass optics: innovative production technology for lens arrays and free form optics

  NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

  Pongs, Guido; Bresseler, Bernd; Bergs, Thomas; Menke, Gert

  2012-10-01

  Today isothermal precision molding of imaging glass optics has become a widely applied and integrated production technology in the optical industry. Especially in consumer electronics (e.g. digital cameras, mobile phones, Blu-ray) a lot of optical systems contain rotationally symmetrical aspherical lenses produced by precision glass molding. But due to higher demands on complexity and miniaturization of optical elements the established process chain for precision glass molding is not sufficient enough. Wafer based molding processes for glass optics manufacturing become more and more interesting for mobile phone applications. Also cylindrical lens arrays can be used in high power laser systems. The usage of unsymmetrical free-form optics allows an increase of efficiency in optical laser systems. Aixtooling is working on different aspects in the fields of mold manufacturing technologies and molding processes for extremely high complex optical components. In terms of array molding technologies, Aixtooling has developed a manufacturing technology for the ultra-precision machining of carbide molds together with European partners. The development covers the machining of multi lens arrays as well as cylindrical lens arrays. The biggest challenge is the molding of complex free-form optics having no symmetrical axis. A comprehensive CAD/CAM data management along the entire process chain is essential to reach high accuracies on the molded lenses. Within a national funded project Aixtooling is working on a consistent data handling procedure in the process chain for precision molding of free-form optics.

• Effect of sputtering power on crystallinity, intrinsic defects, and optical and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO transparent conducting thin films for optoelectronic devices

  NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

  Hu, Yu Min; Li, Jung Yu; Chen, Nai Yun; Chen, Chih Yu; Han, Tai Chun; Yu, Chin Chung

  2017-02-01

  The crystallinity and intrinsic defects of transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films have a high impact on their optical and electrical properties and therefore on the performance of devices incorporating such films, including flat panel displays, electro-optical devices, and solar cells. The optical and electrical properties of TCO films can be modified by tailoring their deposition parameters, which makes proper understanding of these parameters crucial. Magnetron sputtering is the most adaptable method for preparing TCO films used in industrial applications. In this study, we investigate the direct and inter-property correlation effects of sputtering power (PW) on the crystallinity, intrinsic defects, and optical and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) TCO films. All of the films were preferentially c-axis-oriented with a wurtzite structure and had an average transmittance of over 80% in the visible wavelength region. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed significantly increased AZO film grain sizes for PW ≥ 150 W, which may lead to increased conductivity, carrier concentration, and optical band gaps but decreased carrier mobility and in-plane compressive stress in AZO films. Photoluminescence results showed that, with increasing PW, the near band edge emission gradually dominates the defect-related emissions in which zinc interstitial (Zni), oxygen vacancy (VO), and oxygen interstitial (Oi) are possibly responsible for emissions at 3.08, 2.8, and 2.0 eV, respectively. The presence of Zni- and Oi-related emissions at PW ≥ 150 W indicates a slight increase in the presence of Al atoms substituted at Zn sites (AlZn). The presence of Oi at PW ≥ 150 W was also confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results. These results clearly show that the crystallinity and intrinsic-defect type of AZO films, which dominate their optical and electrical properties, may be controlled by PW. This understanding may facilitate the development of TCO-based optoelectronic devices for industrial production.

• Development and implementation of an automatic integration system for fibre optic sensors in the braiding process with the objective of online-monitoring of composite structures

  NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

  Hufenbach, W.; Gude, M.; Czulak, A.; Kretschmann, Martin

  2014-04-01

  Increasing economic, political and ecological pressure leads to steadily rising percentage of modern processing and manufacturing processes for fibre reinforced polymers in industrial batch production. Component weights beneath a level achievable by classic construction materials, which lead to a reduced energy and cost balance during product lifetime, justify the higher fabrication costs. However, complex quality control and failure prediction slow down the substitution by composite materials. High-resolution fibre-optic sensors (FOS), due their low diameter, high measuring point density and simple handling, show a high applicability potential for an automated sensor-integration in manufacturing processes, and therefore the online monitoring of composite products manufactured in industrial scale. Integrated sensors can be used to monitor manufacturing processes, part tests as well as the component structure during product life cycle, which simplifies allows quality control during production and the optimization of single manufacturing processes.[1;2] Furthermore, detailed failure analyses lead to a enhanced understanding of failure processes appearing in composite materials. This leads to a lower wastrel number and products of a higher value and longer product life cycle, whereby costs, material and energy are saved. This work shows an automation approach for FOS-integration in the braiding process. For that purpose a braiding wheel has been supplemented with an appliance for automatic sensor application, which has been used to manufacture preforms of high-pressure composite vessels with FOS-networks integrated between the fibre layers. All following manufacturing processes (vacuum infiltration, curing) and component tests (quasi-static pressure test, programmed delamination) were monitored with the help of the integrated sensor networks. Keywords: SHM, high-pressure composite vessel, braiding, automated sensor integration, pressure test, quality control, optic-fibre sensors, Rayleigh, Luna Technologies

• Multipoint dynamically reconfigure adaptive distributed fiber optic acoustic emission sensor (FAESense) system for condition based maintenance

  NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

  Mendoza, Edgar; Prohaska, John; Kempen, Connie; Esterkin, Yan; Sun, Sunjian; Krishnaswamy, Sridhar

  2010-09-01

  This paper describes preliminary results obtained under a Navy SBIR contract by Redondo Optics Inc. (ROI), in collaboration with Northwestern University towards the development and demonstration of a next generation, stand-alone and fully integrated, dynamically reconfigurable, adaptive fiber optic acoustic emission sensor (FAESense™) system for the in-situ unattended detection and localization of shock events, impact damage, cracks, voids, and delaminations in new and aging critical infrastructures found in ships, submarines, aircraft, and in next generation weapon systems. ROI's FAESense™ system is based on the integration of proven state-of-the-art technologies: 1) distributed array of in-line fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) sensors sensitive to strain, vibration, and acoustic emissions, 2) adaptive spectral demodulation of FBG sensor dynamic signals using two-wave mixing interferometry on photorefractive semiconductors, and 3) integration of all the sensor system passive and active optoelectronic components within a 0.5-cm x 1-cm photonic integrated circuit microchip. The adaptive TWM demodulation methodology allows the measurement of dynamic high frequnency acoustic emission events, while compensating for passive quasi-static strain and temperature drifts. It features a compact, low power, environmentally robust 1-inch x 1-inch x 4-inch small form factor (SFF) package with no moving parts. The FAESense™ interrogation system is microprocessor-controlled using high data rate signal processing electronics for the FBG sensors calibration, temperature compensation and the detection and analysis of acoustic emission signals. Its miniaturized package, low power operation, state-of-the-art data communications, and low cost makes it a very attractive solution for a large number of applications in naval and maritime industries, aerospace, civil structures, the oil and chemical industry, and for homeland security applications.

• Advances in hyperspectral LWIR pushbroom imagers

  NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

  Holma, Hannu; Mattila, Antti-Jussi; Hyvärinen, Timo; Weatherbee, Oliver

  2011-06-01

  Two long-wave infrared (LWIR) hyperspectral imagers have been under extensive development. The first one utilizes a microbolometer focal plane array (FPA) and the second one is based on an Mercury Cadmium Telluride (MCT) FPA. Both imagers employ a pushbroom imaging spectrograph with a transmission grating and on-axis optics. The main target has been to develop high performance instruments with good image quality and compact size for various industrial and remote sensing application requirements. A big challenge in realizing these goals without considerable cooling of the whole instrument is to control the instrument radiation. The challenge is much bigger in a hyperspectral instrument than in a broadband camera, because the optical signal from the target is spread spectrally, but the instrument radiation is not dispersed. Without any suppression, the instrument radiation can overwhelm the radiation from the target even by 1000 times. The means to handle the instrument radiation in the MCT imager include precise instrument temperature stabilization (but not cooling), efficient optical background suppression and the use of background-monitoring-on-chip (BMC) method. This approach has made possible the implementation of a high performance, extremely compact spectral imager in the 7.7 to 12.4 μm spectral range. The imager performance with 84 spectral bands and 384 spatial pixels has been experimentally verified and an excellent NESR of 14 mW/(m2srμm) at 10 μm wavelength with a 300 K target has been achieved. This results in SNR of more than 700. The LWIR imager based on a microbolometer detector array, first time introduced in 2009, has been upgraded. The sensitivity of the imager has improved drastically by a factor of 3 and SNR by about 15 %. It provides a rugged hyperspectral camera for chemical imaging applications in reflection mode in laboratory and industry.

• Development of laser technology in Poland: 2016

  NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

  Jankiewicz, Zdzisław; Jabczyński, Jan K.; Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

  2016-12-01

  The paper is an introduction to the volume of proceedings and a concise digest of works presented during the XIth National Symposium on Laser Technology (SLT2016) [1]. The Symposium is organized since 1984 every three years [2-8]. SLT2016 was organized by the Institute of Optoelectronics, Military University of Technology (IO, WAT) [9], Warsaw, with cooperation of Warsaw University of Technology (WUT) [10], in Jastarnia on 27-30 September 2016. Symposium Proceedings are traditionally published by SPIE [11-19]. The meeting has gathered around 150 participants who presented around 120 research and technical papers. The Symposium, organized every 3 years is a good portrait of laser technology and laser applications development in Poland at university laboratories, governmental institutes, company R&D laboratories, etc. The SLT also presents the current technical projects under realization by the national research, development and industrial teams. Topical tracks of the Symposium, traditionally divided to two large areas - sources and applications, were: laser sources in near and medium infrared, picosecond and femtosecond lasers, optical fiber lasers and amplifiers, semiconductor lasers, high power and high energy lasers and their applications, new materials and components for laser technology, applications of laser technology in measurements, metrology and science, military applications of laser technology, laser applications in environment protection and remote detection of trace substances, laser applications in medicine and biomedical engineering, laser applications in industry, technologies and material engineering.

• Education and training in optics fabrication: establishing unique partnerships to address workforce training needs for optics and other high technology manufacturing

  DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

  Kiernan, K. J., LLNL

  1998-03-11

  Over the past several years much concern has been voiced about the lack of trained technologists to support high-technology industry and manufacturing in the United States. Attracting and training both new members and upgrading and retraining current members of this area of the workforce has many challenges to address before adequate numbers of well trained individuals will be available to fill the growing demand and help secure our nation`s economic industrial edge. Among the concerns are the lack of effective training programs, available funding, career image, and vehicles to educate the public on the availability of positions and excellent ratemore » of compensation. These concems which effect many areas of industrial manufacturing have been highlighted by government organizations, such as the Department of Labor statistics, and professional journals and publications. In the specific area of optical fabrication, journals such as ``Laser Focus: and Photon& Spectra`` have dedicated articles and editorials discussing the lack of optical fabrication training resources in the United States. Examples of other vocational areas lacking skilled workers, such as precision machinists, are reflected in articles in other publications such as ``Manufacturing Engineering``. The rising concern by both industry and educational institutions has given rise to examining new and innovative approaches to cooperatively solving these problems. In 1994, the American Association of Community Colleges in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Labor, published a study on creative partnerships between community colleges, business, industry and governmental organizations. The premise developed by the research editor was that while partnerships between colleges and private and public sectors have been developed with great benefit for many years, the challenges facing all parties concerned with workforce development going into a new century will require a new magnitude of creativity. Discussions among both industrial and educational audiences have highlighted this growing concern in a way that is bringing about new ways of thinking in joint collaborations which can successfully, and cost effectively, solve these shortages. Through unique partnering approaches between educational institutions, industry, and national laboratories, new cost-effective workforce training and retraining programs are being developed to maintain this nation`s leadership role in high-technology industrial development. Successful new technician training programs currently being pursued through critical links between Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), community colleges, industry, and high schools are meeting both employer and trainee needs. Currently, under memorandums of agreement which provide for the sharing of curriculum, technical expertise, equipment, and public awareness, identified needs for enhanced optician, laser electro-optic technologist, machinist, and rapid transit operator technical training are being addressed. This session will describe these industry-driven programs, with particular emphasis on the optician training collaborative developed by LLNL, Monroe Community College, and American Precision Manufacturers Association (APOMA) industrial representatives to support the needs of the nation`s optics industry, including the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The $1.2 billion ND? will be the world`s largest optical instrument and is currently the U.S.`s largest R&D project. It will require more than 7,000 meter-class precision optics and more than 15,000 small precision optics. The national capacity for large laser optics fabrication must be increased substantially over its current level, and optics fabrication costs reduced by a factor of two to four times to achieve this goal. It is imperative that an enhanced skilled technical workforce pool be available to enable the U.S. optics industry to successfully meet this challenge. Through collaborative efforts which bring together the strengths of Monroe Community College, LLNL, and APOMA, an enhanced training program focusing on helping meet this demand is successfully moving forward. LLNL and APOMA industries have provided much needed equipment to assist Monroe Community College in enhancing their program with additional hands- on courses which are critical to the rounded education of the students graduating and entering a highly competitive workforce. To date, APOMA has donated equipment valued at over $800,000 and LLNL $500,000. Additionally, through an active industrial advisory board, teamed efforts with the college are helping to develop a responsive, well balanced curriculum which provides students industry identified state-of-the-art skills. The benefit to the students is a more relevant education which, in turn, provides employers well trained entry level employees which means quicker productivity time and lower costs to the employers.« less

• Choosing a Silicone Encapsulant for Photovoltaic Applications

  NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

  Velderrain, Michelle

  2011-12-01

  Growth in the solar industry has resulted in newer technologies, specifically concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) modules, to explore using new types of materials such as silicone encapsulants. CPV and LCPV module designs are to achieve the most efficient energy conversion possible however it is equally important to demonstrate long term reliability. Silicone is a material of interest due to its thermal stability and ability to absorb stresses incurred during thermal cycling. The refractive index of clear silicone adhesives is advantageous because it can be optimized using phenyl groups to match BK7 glass and other substrates to minimize light loss at the interfaces but it is relatively unknown how the optical properties change over time possibly yellowing in such a harsh environment. A 1.41 silicone encapsulant is compared to a 1.52 refractive index silicone. Optical Absorption (300 nm-1300 nm), Water Vapor Permeability, Moisture Absorption and effects of oxidation at elevated temperatures will be compared of these materials to aid the engineer in choosing a silicone for their CPV application. Non-phenyl containing 1.41 RI silicones have been used for several years for bonding solar arrays in the satellite industry. Phenyl groups on the siloxane polymer can change various properties of the silicone. Understanding how phenyl affects these properties allows the engineer to understand the benefits and risks when using a RI matching silicone to minimize light loss versus a non-phenyl containing silicone.

• Advanced industrial fluorescence metrology used for qualification of high quality optical materials

  NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

  Engel, Axel; Becker, Hans-Juergen; Sohr, Oliver; Haspel, Rainer; Rupertus, Volker

  2003-11-01

  Schott Glas is developing and producing the optical material for various specialized applications in telecommunication, biomedical, optical, and micro lithography technology. The requirements on quality for optical materials are extremely high and still increasing. For example in micro lithography applications the impurities of the material are specified to be in the low ppb range. Usually the impurities in the lower ppb range are determined using analytical methods like LA ICP-MS and Neutron Activation Analysis. On the other hand absorption and laser resistivity of optical material is qualified with optical methods like precision spectral photometers and in-situ transmission measurements having UV lasers. Analytical methods have the drawback that they are time consuming and rather expensive, whereas the sensitivity for the absorption method will not be sufficient to characterize the future needs (coefficient much below 10-3 cm-1). In order to achieve the current and future quality requirements a Jobin Yvon FLUOROLOG 3.22 fluorescence spectrometer is employed to enable fast and precise qualification and analysis. The main advantage of this setup is the combination of highest sensitivity (more than one order of magnitude higher sensitivity that state of the art UV absorption spectroscopy) and fast measurement and evaluation cycles (several minutes compared to several hours necessary for chemical analytics). An overview is given for spectral characteristics and using specified standards. Moreover correlations to the material qualities are shown. In particular we have investigated the elementary fluorescence and absorption of rare earth element impurities as well as defects induced luminescence originated by impurities.

• High-speed 3D surface measurement with a fringe projection based optical sensor

  NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

  Bräuer-Burchardt, Christian; Heist, Stefan; Kühmstedt, Peter; Notni, Gunther

  2014-05-01

  A new optical sensor based on fringe projection technique for the accurate and fast measurement of the surface of objects mainly for industrial inspection tasks is introduced. High-speed fringe projection and image recording with 180 Hz allows 3D rates up to 60 Hz. The high measurement velocity was achieved by consequent fringe code reduction and parallel data processing. Reduction of the image sequence length was obtained by omission of the Gray-code sequence by using the geometric restrictions of the measurement objects. The sensor realizes three different measurement fields between 20 x 20 mm2 and 40 x 40 mm2 with lateral spatial solutions between 10 μm and 20 μm with the same working distance. Measurement object height extension is between +/- 0.5 mm and +/- 2 mm. Height resolution between 1 μm and 5 μm can be achieved depending on the properties of the measurement objects. The sensor may be used e.g. for quality inspection of conductor boards or plugs in real-time industrial applications.

• High temperature semiconductor diode laser pumps for high energy laser applications

  NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

  Campbell, Jenna; Semenic, Tadej; Guinn, Keith; Leisher, Paul O.; Bhunia, Avijit; Mashanovitch, Milan; Renner, Daniel

  2018-02-01

  Existing thermal management technologies for diode laser pumps place a significant load on the size, weight and power consumption of High Power Solid State and Fiber Laser systems, thus making current laser systems very large, heavy, and inefficient in many important practical applications. To mitigate this thermal management burden, it is desirable for diode pumps to operate efficiently at high heat sink temperatures. In this work, we have developed a scalable cooling architecture, based on jet-impingement technology with industrial coolant, for efficient cooling of diode laser bars. We have demonstrated 60% electrical-to-optical efficiency from a 9xx nm two-bar laser stack operating with propylene-glycolwater coolant, at 50 °C coolant temperature. To our knowledge, this is the highest efficiency achieved from a diode stack using 50 °C industrial fluid coolant. The output power is greater than 100 W per bar. Stacks with additional laser bars are currently in development, as this cooler architecture is scalable to a 1 kW system. This work will enable compact and robust fiber-coupled diode pump modules for high energy laser applications.

• Structural modification of polysaccharides: A biochemical-genetic approach

  NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

  Kern, Roger G.; Petersen, Gene R.

  1991-01-01

  Polysaccharides have a wide range of industrial and biomedical applications. An industry trend is underway towards the increased use of bacteria to produce polysaccharides. Long term goals of this work are the adaptation and enhancement of saccharide properties for electronic and optic applications. In this report we illustrate the application of enzyme-bearing bacteriophage on strains of the enteric bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae, which produces a polysaccharide with the relatively rare rheological property of drag-reduction. This has resulted in the production of new polysaccharides with enhanced rheological properties. Our laboratory is developing techniques for processing and structurally modifying bacterial polysaccharides and oligosaccharides which comprise their basic polymeric repeat units. Our research has focused on bacteriophage which produce specific polysaccharide degrading enzymes. This has lead to the development of enzymes generated by bacteriophage as tools for polysaccharide modification and purification. These enzymes were used to efficiently convert the native material to uniform-sized high molecular weight polymers, or alternatively into high-purity oligosaccharides. Enzyme-bearing bacteriophage also serve as genetic selection tools for bacteria that produce new families of polysaccharides with modified structures.

The ATHENA optics development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bavdaz, Marcos; Wille, Eric; Shortt, Brian; Fransen, Sebastiaan; Collon, Maximilien; Barriere, Nicolas; Yanson, Alexei; Vacanti, Giuseppe; Haneveld, Jeroen; van Baren, Coen; Zuknik, Karl-Heinz; Christensen, Finn; Della Monica Ferreira, Desiree; Krumrey, Michael; Burwitz, Vadim; Pareschi, Giovanni; Spiga, Daniele; Valsecchi, Giuseppe; Vernani, Dervis

2016-07-01

ATHENA (Advanced Telescope for High ENergy Astrophysics) is being studied by the European Space Agency (ESA) as the second large science mission, with a launch slot in 2028. System studies and technology preparation activities are on-going. The optics of the telescope is based on the modular Silicon Pore Optics (SPO), a novel X-ray optics technology significantly benefiting from spin-in from the semiconductor industry. Several technology development activities are being implemented by ESA in collaboration with European industry and institutions. The related programmatic background, technology development approach and the associated implementation planning are presented.

Miniature fiber Bragg grating sensor interrogator (FBG-Transceiver) system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendoza, Edgar A.; Kempen, Cornelia; Lopatin, Craig

2007-04-01

This paper describes recent progress conducted towards the development of a miniature fiber Bragg grating sensor interrogator (FBG-Transceiver TM) system based on multi-channel integrated optic sensor (InOSense TM) microchip technology. The hybrid InOSense TM microchip technology enables the integration of all of the functionalities, both passive and active, of conventional bench top FBG sensor interrogator systems, packaged in a miniaturized, low power operation, 2-cm x 5-cm package suitable for the long-term structural health monitoring in applications where size, weight, and power are critical for operation. The FBG-Transceiver system uses active optoelectronic components monolithically integrated to the InOSense TM microchip, a microprocessor controlled signal processing electronics board capable of processing the FBG sensors signals related to stress-strain and temperature as well as vibration and acoustics. The FBG-Transceiver TM system represents a new, reliable, highly robust technology that can be used to accurately monitor the status of an array of distributed fiber optic Bragg grating sensors installed in critical infrastructures. Its miniature package, low power operation, and state-of-the-art data communications architecture, all at a very affordable price makes it a very attractive solution for a large number of SHM/NDI applications in aerospace, naval and maritime industry, civil structures like bridges, buildings and dams, the oil and chemical industry, and for homeland security applications. The miniature, cost-efficient FBG-Transceiver TM system is poised to revolutionize the field of structural health monitoring and nondestructive inspection market. The sponsor of this program is NAVAIR under a DOD SBIR contract.

Optical-fibre sensor system for monitoring the performance of the gas propellant centrifuge separator of a spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romo-Medrano, Katya E.; Khotiaintsev, Sergei N.; García-Garduño, Victor

2004-08-01

An optical-fibre sensor system is presented for monitoring void fraction distribution in a spacecraft's gas and propellant centrifuge separator. The system could be used at the separator development stage or for monitoring, during ground tests, the elements of the spacecraft propulsion system. Our sensor system employs an array of point optical-fibre refractometric transducers installed in the form of several linear radial arrays on the separator rotating blades. We employed a small-size hemispherical optical detection element as the transducer and we optimized its parameters through numerical ray-tracing. The aim is to minimize the effect of the thin film of liquid that forms on the transducer's surface in this application. The features of this sensor system are: (1) an efficient matrix-type multiplexing scheme, (2) the installation of the main optoelectronic unit of the sensor in a hermetically sealed container inside the separator tank located on the rotating shaft and (3) the spark-proof and explosion-proof design of the sensor circuits and elements. The sensor is simple, reliable, low-cost and is capable of withstanding the factors involved during operation of the propulsion system such as cryogenic temperatures and chemically aggressive liquids. The novel elements and design concepts implemented in this sensor system can also find applications in other sensors for spacecraft propulsion systems and also in a variety of optical-fibre sensors used in scientific research and industry.

MWIR thermal imaging spectrometer based on the acousto-optic tunable filter.

PubMed

Zhao, Huijie; Ji, Zheng; Jia, Guorui; Zhang, Ying; Li, Yansong; Wang, Daming

2017-09-01

Mid-wavelength IR (MWIR) thermal imaging spectrometers are widely used in remote sensing, industrial detection, and military applications. The acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF)-based spectrometer has the advantages of fast tuning, light weight, and no moving parts, which make it ideally suited for MWIR applications. However, when designing an AOTF imaging spectrometer, the traditional method uses a refractive grating or parallel glass model in optical design software to simulate the AOTF, lowering the imaging performance of the optical system. In this paper, an accurate simulating model for an actual MWIR AOTF using the user-defined surface function in ZEMAX is presented, and an AOTF-based MWIR thermal imaging spectrometer is designed and tested successfully. It is based on a MWIR tellurium dioxide (TeO 2 ) AOTF with an operational spectral range from 3.0 to 5.0 μm and a spectral resolution of 30.8 nm at 3.392 μm. The optical system employs a three-mirror off-axis afocal telescope with a 2.4°×2.0° field of view. The operation of the MWIR thermal imaging spectrometer and its image acquisition are computer controlled. Furthermore, the imaging spectrometer is tested in the laboratory, and several experiments are also presented. The experimental results indicate that the proposed AOTF model is efficient, and also show that the imaging spectrometer has the ability to distinguish the real hot target from the interfering target effectively.

Light propagation in phosphor-filled matrices for photovoltaic PL down-shifting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solodovnyk, Anastasiia; Lipovšek, Benjamin; Forberich, Karen; Stern, Edda; Batentschuk, Miroslaw; Topič, Marko; Brabec, Christoph J.

2014-09-01

Efficient transparent light converters have received lately a growing interest from optical device industries (LEDs, PV, etc.). While organic luminescent dyes were tested in PV light-converting application, such restrictions as small Stokes shifts, short lifetimes, and relatively high costs must yet be overcome. Alternatively, use of phosphors in transparent matrix materials would mean a major breakthrough for this technology, as phosphors exhibit long-term stability and are widely available. For the fabrication of phosphor-filled layers tailored specifically for the desired application, it is of great importance to gain deep understanding of light propagation through the layers, including the detailed optical interplay between the phosphor particles and the matrix material. Our measurements show that absorption and luminescent behavior of the phosphors and especially the scattering of light by the phosphor particles play an important role. In this contribution we have investigated refractive index difference between transparent binder and phosphors. Commercially available highly luminescent UV and near-UV absorbing μm-sized powder is chosen for the fabrication of phosphor-filled layers with varied refractive index of transparent polymer matrix, and well-defined particle size distributions. Solution-processed thick layers on glass substrates are optically analyzed and compared with simulation results acquired from CROWM, a combined wave optics/ray optics home-built software. The results demonstrate the inter-dependence of the layer parameters, prove the importance of careful optimization steps required for fabrication of efficient light converting layers, and, thus, show a path into the future of this promising approach.

Education and training for technicians in photonics-enabled technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hull, Daniel M.; Hull, Darrell M.

2005-10-01

Within a few years after lasers were first made operational in 1960, it became apparent that rapid growth in the applications of this new technology in industry, health care, and other fields would require a new generation of technicians in laser/optics engineering. Technicians are the men and women who work alongside scientists and engineers in bringing their ideas, designs, and processes to fruition. In America, most highly qualified technicians are graduates of associate of applied science (AAS) programs in community and technical colleges (two-year postsecondary institutions). Curricula and educational programs designed to prepare technicians in laser/electro-optics technology (LEOT) emerged in the 1970s; today there are over 15 LEOT programs in the United States producing over 100 LEOT graduates each year.

Innovative technology for optical and infrared astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cunningham, Colin R.; Evans, Christopher J.; Molster, Frank; Kendrew, Sarah; Kenworthy, Matthew A.; Snik, Frans

2012-09-01

Advances in astronomy are often enabled by adoption of new technology. In some instances this is where the technology has been invented specifically for astronomy, but more usually it is adopted from another scientific or industrial area of application. The adoption of new technology typically occurs via one of two processes. The more usual is incremental progress by a series of small improvements, but occasionally this process is disruptive, where a new technology completely replaces an older one. One of the activities of the OPTICON Key Technology Network over the past few years has been a technology forecasting exercise. Here we report on a recent event which focused on the more radical, potentially disruptive technologies for ground-based, optical and infrared astronomy.

Nonimaging optical designs for maximum-power-density remote irradiation.

PubMed

Feuermann, D; Gordon, J M; Ries, H

1998-04-01

Designs for flexible, high-power-density, remote irradiation systems are presented. Applications include industrial infrared heating such as in semiconductor processing, alternatives to laser light for certain medical procedures, and general remote high-brightness lighting. The high power densities in herent to the small active radiating regions of conventional metal-halide, halogen, xenon, microwave-sulfur, and related lamps can be restored with nonimaging concentrators with little loss of power. These high fluxlevels can then be transported at high transmissivity with light channels such as optical fibers or lightpipes, and reshaped into luminaires that can deliver prescribed angular and spatial flux distributions onto desired targets. Details for nominally two- and three-dimensional systems are developed, along with estimates ofoptical performance.

Defect inspection of actuator lenses using swept-source optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jaeyul; Shirazi, Muhammad Faizan; Park, Kibeom; Jeon, Mansik; Kim, Jeehyun

2017-12-01

Actuator lens industries have gained an enormous interest with the enhancement of various latest communication devices, such as mobile phone and notebooks. The quality of the aforementioned devices can be degraded due to the internal defects of actuator lenses. Therefore, in this study, we implemented swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) system to inspect defects of actuator lenses. Owing to the high-resolution of the SS-OCT system, defected foreign substances between the actuator lenses, defective regions of lenses and surface stains were more clearly distinguished through three-dimensional (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) cross-sectional OCT images. Therefore, the implemented SS-OCT system can be considered as a potential application to defect inspection of actuator lens.

Diffraction-limited real-time terahertz imaging by optical frequency up-conversion in a DAST crystal.

PubMed

Fan, Shuzhen; Qi, Feng; Notake, Takashi; Nawata, Kouji; Takida, Yuma; Matsukawa, Takeshi; Minamide, Hiroaki

2015-03-23

Real-time terahertz (THz) wave imaging has wide applications in areas such as security, industry, biology, medicine, pharmacy, and the arts. This report describes real-time room-temperature THz imaging by nonlinear optical frequency up-conversion in an organic 4-dimethylamino-N'-methyl-4'-stilbazolium tosylate (DAST) crystal, with high resolution reaching the diffraction limit. THz-wave images were converted to the near infrared region and then captured using an InGaAs camera in a tandem imaging system. The resolution of the imaging system was analyzed. Diffraction and interference of THz wave were observed in the experiments. Videos are supplied to show the interference pattern variation that occurs with sample moving and tilting.

Nanostructured conjugated polymers in chemical sensors: synthesis, properties and applications.

PubMed

Correa, D S; Medeiros, E S; Oliveira, J E; Paterno, L G; Mattoso, Luiz C

2014-09-01

Conjugated polymers are organic materials endowed with a π-electron conjugation along the polymer backbone that present appealing electrical and optical properties for technological applications. By using conjugated polymeric materials in the nanoscale, such properties can be further enhanced. In addition, the use of nanostructured materials makes possible miniaturize devices at the micro/nano scale. The applications of conjugated nanostructured polymers include sensors, actuators, flexible displays, discrete electronic devices, and smart fabric, to name a few. In particular, the use of conjugated polymers in chemical and biological sensors is made feasible owning to their sensitivity to the physicochemical conditions of its surrounding environment, such as chemical composition, pH, dielectric constant, humidity or even temperature. Subtle changes in these conditions bring about variations on the electrical (resistivity and capacitance), optical (absorptivity, luminescence, etc.), and mechanical properties of the conjugated polymer, which can be precisely measured by different experimental methods and ultimately associated with a specific analyte and its concentration. The present review article highlights the main features of conjugated polymers that make them suitable for chemical sensors. An especial emphasis is given to nanostructured sensors systems, which present high sensitivity and selectivity, and find application in beverage and food quality control, pharmaceutical industries, medical diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and homeland security, and other applications as discussed throughout this review.

Large-Scale Fabrication of Silicon Nanowires for Solar Energy Applications.

PubMed

Zhang, Bingchang; Jie, Jiansheng; Zhang, Xiujuan; Ou, Xuemei; Zhang, Xiaohong

2017-10-11

The development of silicon (Si) materials during past decades has boosted up the prosperity of the modern semiconductor industry. In comparison with the bulk-Si materials, Si nanowires (SiNWs) possess superior structural, optical, and electrical properties and have attracted increasing attention in solar energy applications. To achieve the practical applications of SiNWs, both large-scale synthesis of SiNWs at low cost and rational design of energy conversion devices with high efficiency are the prerequisite. This review focuses on the recent progresses in large-scale production of SiNWs, as well as the construction of high-efficiency SiNW-based solar energy conversion devices, including photovoltaic devices and photo-electrochemical cells. Finally, the outlook and challenges in this emerging field are presented.

Feasibility study for converting traditional line assembly into work cells for termination of fiber optics cable

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caldeira, Rylan; Honnungar, Sunilkumar

2018-04-01

Most of small to medium industries tend to follow traditional systems of manufacturing which aims at maximum resource utilization irrespective of giving attention to customers volatile demand. In recent times manufacturing is being shifted to be consumers centered, with intense competition among industries to satisfy the customer needs in the required quantity and at the right time. To achieve this, companies investigate the possibility of implementation of cellular manufacturing which is characterized by high variety with optimum usage of resources. Cellular layout coupled with the application of lean methodology, places focus on the production process rather than the production methods so as to identify the wastage and apply methods to further improve productivity.

Diode laser welding of polypropylene: investigations of the microstructures in the welded seam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abed, S.; Laurens, Patricia; Carretero, C.; Deschamps, J. R.; Duval, C.

2003-03-01

Laser welding of thermoplastic polymers is a non-contact process especially efficient for joining thermoplastic polymers. This innovative technology is already used for industrial series production in different sectors (automobile, packaging,...). The majority of the basic research concerns the weld strength depending on polymer nature, optical properties, butt design and process parameters. Nevertheless, a lack of knowledge concerning the influence of thermal history of the weld seam on morphology of semicrystalline polymer still exists, when this parameter strongly influences the strength of the weld. Actual results of diode laser transmission welding (LTW) experiments on polypropylene, a semicrystalline polymer widely used in industry, could contribute to a better understanding of the process itself and to success in practical applications.

Photochemical and radiation-chemical aspects of matrix acidity effects on some organic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ambroz, H. B.; Przybytniak, G. K.; Wronska, T.; Kemp, T. J.

The role of matrix effects in radiolysis and photolysis is illustrated using two systems: organosulphur compounds and benzenediazonium salts. Their intermediates as detected by low temperature ESR and optical spectroscopy or FAB-MS give evidence that the main reaction pathways depend strongly on these effects. Changes in matrix acidity can control the formation of neutral radical, ion-radical or ionic species which are crucial to the character of the final products of irradiation of organosulphur compounds, which are of great importance in medicine, biology, ecology and industry. Microenvironmental influences determine whether the triplet aryl cation or radical species are detected as the principal or sole intermediates in the decomposition of diazonium salts, a process leading to different stable products with industrial application.

Analysis of optical and electronic properties of MoS2 for optoelectronics and FET applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ullah, Muhammad S.; Yousuf, Abdul Hamid Bin; Es-Sakhi, Azzedin D.; Chowdhury, Masud H.

2018-04-01

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is considered as a promising alternative to conventional semiconductor materials that used in the IC industry because of its novel properties. In this paper, we explore the optical and electronic properties of MoS2 for photodetector and transistors applications. This simulation is done using `DFT materials properties simulator'. Our findings show that mono- and multi-layer MoS2 is suitable for conventional and tunnel FET applications due to direct and indirect band-gap respectively. The bulk MoS2 crystal, which are composed of stacked layers have indirect bandgap and mono-layer MoS2 crystal form direct bandgap at the K-point of Brillouin zone. Indirect bandgap of bulk MoS2 crystal implies that phonons need to be involved in band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) process. Degenerately doped semiconductor, which is basically spinning the Fermi level, changing the DOS profile, and thinning the indirect bandgap that allow tunneling from valence band to conduction band. The optical properties of MoS2 is explored in terms of Absorption coefficient, extinction coefficient and refractive index. Our results shows that a MoS2 based photodetector can be fabricate to detect light in the visible range (below 500nm). It is also observed that the MoS2 is most sensitive for the light of wavelength 450nm.

Precision topographic inspection of MOEMS by moiré interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meguellati, S.

2016-04-01

The manufacturing of micro components is useful and necessary for eventual use in the field of MOEMS micro technologies, but, micro fabrication process inspection quality is required. The accuracy of components geometry is parameter which influences the precision of the function. Moiré topography is full-field optical technique in which the contour and shape of object surfaces is measured by means of geometric interference between two identical line gratings. The technique has found various applications in diverse fields, from biomedical to industrial, scientific applications, and miniaturized instrumentation for space applications. This method of optical scanning presented in this paper is used for precision measurement deformation or absolute forms in comparison with a reference component form, of optical or mechanical micro components, on surfaces that are of the order of mm2 and more. The optical device used allows high magnification dimensional surface inspected which allows easy processing and reaches an exceptional nanometric imprecision of measurements. This measurement technique can be used advantageously to measure the deformations generated by constraints on functional parts and the influence of these variations on the function. It can also be used for dimensional control when, for example, to quantify the error as to whether a piece is good or rubbish. It then suffices to compare a figure of moiré fringes with another previously recorded from a piece considered standard, which saves time, money and accuracy. This method of control and measurement allows real time control; speed control and the detection resolution may vary depending on the importance of defects to be measured.

The ATHENA telescope and optics status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bavdaz, Marcos; Wille, Eric; Ayre, Mark; Ferreira, Ivo; Shortt, Brian; Fransen, Sebastiaan; Collon, Maximilien; Vacanti, Giuseppe; Barriere, Nicolas; Landgraf, Boris; Haneveld, Jeroen; van Baren, Coen; Zuknik, Karl-Heintz; Della Monica Ferreira, Desiree; Massahi, Sonny; Christensen, Finn; Krumrey, Michael; Burwitz, Vadim; Pareschi, Giovanni; Spiga, Daniele; Valsecchi, Giuseppe; Vernani, Dervis; Oliver, Paul; Seidel, André

2017-08-01

The work on the definition and technological preparation of the ATHENA (Advanced Telescope for High ENergy Astrophysics) mission continues to progress. In parallel to the study of the accommodation of the telescope, many aspects of the X-ray optics are being evolved further. The optics technology chosen for ATHENA is the Silicon Pore Optics (SPO), which hinges on technology spin-in from the semiconductor industry, and uses a modular approach to produce large effective area lightweight telescope optics with a good angular resolution. Both system studies and the technology developments are guided by ESA and implemented in industry, with participation of institutional partners. In this paper an overview of the current status of the telescope optics accommodation and technology development activities is provided.

Postgraduate part-time education in optical design for technical personnel in the Russian optical industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khoroshev, Michael V.

1997-12-01

Traditionally two intercompletely training forms are used in Russian optical industry: a training at University and at the high technology optical plant laboratories. The curriculum adaptation for specific part-time conditions is made by associating of similar courses, intensivizing of the methodic preparation, using of the highest qualification faculty's lectors. Special attention is given to a master's skill development by the intensification of the practice part of each course of studies. Since 1961 about 2,300 diploma engineers in optical design graduated MIIGAiK Part-time Faculty. Among them are chiefs of the large scientific groups, the authors of the newest electro-optical devices, the lecturers and professors at the professional educating system.

Polymer powders for selective laser sintering (SLS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmid, Manfred; Amado, Antonio; Wegener, Konrad

2015-05-01

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is close to be accepted as a production technique (Additive Manufacturing). However, one problem limiting employment of SLS for additive manufacturing in a wide-ranging industrial scope is the narrow variety of applicable polymers. The commonly applied SLS powder to date is polyamide 12 (PA 12). PA 12 or ccompounds of PA 12 (dry blends) are approximately 90 % of complete industrial consumption. The remaining small quantity is distributed on polyamide 11 (PA11) and some other `exotic' polymers (TPU, PEBA, P(E)EK). Industry is awaiting commodity polymers like polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE) crucial to open new market segments. But several approaches launching those polymers failed. But what are the reasons for the difficulties in developing new SLS powders? The contribution is to answer this and highlights the combination of intrinsic and extrinsic polymer properties necessary to generate a polymer powder promising for SLS application. Particle shape, powder distribution, thermal, rheological and optical requirements must be considered and only a particularly controlled property combination leads to successful SLS implementation. Thermal behavior, particle shape and -distribution is discussed in detail, although the other properties can't be disregarded for providing new commercially successful SLS powder finally.

Nonlinear Acoustics in Ultrasound Metrology and other Selected Applications.

PubMed

Lewin, Peter A

2010-01-01

A succinct background explaining why, initially, both the scientific community and industry were skeptical about the existence of the nonlinear (NL) wave propagation in tissue will be given and the design of an adequately wideband piezoelectric polymer hydrophone probe that was eventually used to verify that the 1-5 MHz probing wave then used in diagnostic ultrasound imaging was undergoing nonlinear distortion and generated harmonics in tissue will be discussed. The far-reaching implications of the advent of the piezoelectric PVDF polymer material will be reviewed and the advances in ultrasound metrology prompted by the regulatory agencies such as US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) will be presented. These advances include the development of absolute calibration techniques for hydrophones along with the methods of accounting for spatial averaging corrections up to 100 MHz and the development of "point-receiver" hydrophone probes utilizing acousto-optic sensors. Next, selected therapeutic applications of nonlinear ultrasonics (NLU), including lithotripters will be briefly discussed. Also, the use of shock waves as pain relief tool and in abating penicillin resistant bacteria that develop rock hard "biofilm" that can be shattered by the finite amplitude wave will also be mentioned. The growing applications of NLU in cosmetic industry where it is used for redistribution and reduction of fatty tissue within the body will be briefly reviewed, and, finally, selected examples of NLU applications in retail and entertainment industry will also be pointed out.

Nonlinear acoustics in ultrasound metrology and other selected applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewin, Peter A.

2010-01-01

A succinct background explaining why, initially, both the scientific community and industry were skeptical about the existence of the nonlinear (NL) wave propagation in tissue will be given and the design of an adequately wideband piezoelectric polymer hydrophone probe that was eventually used to verify that the 1-5 MHz probing wave then used in diagnostic ultrasound imaging was undergoing nonlinear distortion and generated harmonics in tissue will be discussed. The far-reaching implications of the advent of the piezoelectric PVDF polymer material will be reviewed and the advances in ultrasound metrology prompted by the regulatory agencies such as US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) will be presented. These advances include the development of absolute calibration techniques for hydrophones along with the methods of accounting for spatial averaging corrections up to 100 MHz and the development of 'point-receiver' hydrophone probes utilizing acousto-optic sensors. Next, selected therapeutic applications of nonlinear ultrasonics (NLU), including lithotripters will be briefly discussed. Also, the use of shock waves as pain relief tool and in abating penicillin resistant bacteria that develop rock hard 'biofilm' that can be shattered by the finite amplitude wave will also be mentioned. The growing applications of NLU in cosmetic industry where it is used for redistribution and reduction of fatty tissue within the body will be briefly reviewed, and, finally, selected examples of NLU applications in retail and entertainment industry will also be pointed out.

Application of polarization in high speed, high contrast inspection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novak, Matthew J.

2017-08-01

Industrial optical inspection often requires high speed and high throughput of materials. Engineers use a variety of techniques to handle these inspection needs. Some examples include line scan cameras, high speed multi-spectral and laser-based systems. High-volume manufacturing presents different challenges for inspection engineers. For example, manufacturers produce some components in quantities of millions per month, per week or even per day. Quality control of so many parts requires creativity to achieve the measurement needs. At times, traditional vision systems lack the contrast to provide the data required. In this paper, we show how dynamic polarization imaging captures high contrast images. These images are useful for engineers to perform inspection tasks in some cases where optical contrast is low. We will cover basic theory of polarization. We show how to exploit polarization as a contrast enhancement technique. We also show results of modeling for a polarization inspection application. Specifically, we explore polarization techniques for inspection of adhesives on glass.

Analysis of using PDMS polymer as the sensors of the pressure or weight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jargus, Jan; Nedoma, Jan; Fajkus, Marcel; Novak, Martin; Mec, Pavel; Cvejn, Daniel; Bujdos, David; Vasinek, Vladimir

2017-10-01

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) can be used for its optical properties, and its composition offers the possibility of use in the diverse environments (industry, photonics, medicine applications, security devices and etc.). Therefore authors of this article focused on more detailed working with this material. This material could be use for the sensory applications such as the sensor of pressure or weight, which may find use also in the field of security and defense. The article describes the process of making the prototype of the sensor and its verification based on laboratory results. Measurement methodology is based on the determination of the change of optical power at the output of the sensor prototype depending on the change in pressure or weight. We estimate the maximum load of the sensor on the basis of the laboratory results in the units of tons. Using a calibration measurement can determine the amount of pressure and weight with an accuracy of +/- 2 %.

Ultra-high-speed variable focus optics for novel applications in advanced imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, S.; Dotsenko, E.; Amrhein, D.; Theriault, C.; Arnold, C. B.

2018-02-01

With the advancement of ultra-fast manufacturing technologies, high speed imaging with high 3D resolution has become increasingly important. Here we show the use of an ultra-high-speed variable focus optical element, the TAG Lens, to enable new ways to acquire 3D information from an object. The TAG Lens uses sound to adjust the index of refraction profile in a liquid and thereby can achieve focal scanning rates greater than 100 kHz. When combined with a high-speed pulsed LED and a high-speed camera, we can exploit this phenomenon to achieve high-resolution imaging through large depths. By combining the image acquisition with digital image processing, we can extract relevant parameters such as tilt and angle information from objects in the image. Due to the high speeds at which images can be collected and processed, we believe this technique can be used as an efficient method of industrial inspection and metrology for high throughput applications.

Electro optical system to measure strains at high temperature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sciammarella, Cesar A.

1991-01-01

The measurement of strains at temperatures of the order of 1000 C has become a very important field of research. Technological advances in areas such as the analysis of high speed aircraft structures and high efficiency thermal engines require operational temperatures of this order of magnitude. Current techniques for the measurement of strains, such as electrical strain gages, are at the limit of their useful range and new methods need to be developed. Optical techniques are very attractive in this type of application because of their noncontacting nature. Holography is of particular interest because a minimal preparation of the surfaces is required. Optoelectronics holography is specially suited for this type of application, from the point of view of industrial use. There are a number of technical problems that need to be overcome to measure strains using holographic interferometry at high temperatures. Some of these problems are discussed, and solutions are given. A specimen instrumented with high temperature strains gages is used to compare the results of both technologies.

Electro optical system to measure strains at high temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sciammarella, Cesar A.

1991-12-01

The measurement of strains at temperatures of the order of 1000 C has become a very important field of research. Technological advances in areas such as the analysis of high speed aircraft structures and high efficiency thermal engines require operational temperatures of this order of magnitude. Current techniques for the measurement of strains, such as electrical strain gages, are at the limit of their useful range and new methods need to be developed. Optical techniques are very attractive in this type of application because of their noncontacting nature. Holography is of particular interest because a minimal preparation of the surfaces is required. Optoelectronics holography is specially suited for this type of application, from the point of view of industrial use. There are a number of technical problems that need to be overcome to measure strains using holographic interferometry at high temperatures. Some of these problems are discussed, and solutions are given. A specimen instrumented with high temperature strains gages is used to compare the results of both technologies.

1 MeV, 10 kW DC electron accelerator for industrial applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nayak, B.; Acharya, S.; Bhattacharjee, D.; Bakhtsingh, R. I.; Rajan, R.; Sharma, D. K.; Dewangan, S.; Sharma, V.; Patel, R.; Tiwari, R.; Benarjee, S.; Srivastava, S. K.

2016-03-01

Several modern applications of radiation processing like medical sterilization, rubber vulcanization, polymerization, cross-linking and pollution control from thermal power stations etc. require D.C. electron accelerators of energy ranging from a few hundred keVs to few MeVs and power from a few kilowatts to hundreds of kilowatts. To match these requirements, a 3 MeV, 30 kW DC electron linac has been developed at BARC, Mumbai and current operational experience of 1 MeV, 10 kW beam power will be described in this paper. The LINAC composed mainly of Electron Gun, Accelerating Tubes, Magnets, High Voltage source and provides 10 kW beam power at the Ti beam window stably after the scanning section. The control of the LINAC is fully automated. Here Beam Optics study is carried out to reach the preferential parameters of Accelerating as well as optical elements. Beam trials have been conducted to find out the suitable operation parameters of the system.

A Ubiquitous Optical Microsystem Platform with Application to Optical Metrology and Chemical Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerling, John David

This dissertation is concerned with the development of a novel, versatile optical sensor platform for optical metrology and chemical sensing. We demonstrate the feasibility of embedding optical components between bonded silicon wafers with receptor cavities and optical windows to create a self-contained sensor microsystem that can be used for in-situ measurement of hostile environments. Arrays of these sensors internal to a silicon wafer can enable optical sensing for in-situ, real-time mapping and process development for the semiconductor industry in the form of an instrumented substrate. Single-die versions of these optical sensor platforms can also enable point-of-care diagnostics, high throughput disease screening, bio-warfare agent detection, and environmental monitoring. Our first discussion will focus on a single-wavelength interferometry-based prototype sensor. Several applications are demonstrated using this single wavelength prototype: refractive index monitoring, SiO2 plasma etching, chemical mechanical polishing, photoresist cure and dissolution, copper etch end-point detection, and also nanopore wetting phenomena. Subsequent sections of this dissertation will describe efforts to improve the optical sensor platform to achieve multi-wavelength sensing function. We explore the use of an off-the-shelf commercial RGB sensor for colorimetric monitoring of copper and aluminum thin-film etchings. We then expand upon our prior work and concepts to realize a fully integrated, chip-sized microspectrometer with a photon engine based on a diffraction grating. The design, fabrication, and demonstration of a working prototype with dimensions < 1 mm thick using standard planar microfabrication techniques is described. Proof-of-concept demonstrations indicate the working principle of dispersion, although with a low spectral resolution of 120 nm. With working knowledge of the issues of the first prototype, we present an improved 5-channel microspectrometer with a spectral range 400-900 nm and demonstrate its ability for spectral identification with 3 different phosphor powder samples. Finally, we conclude with suggestions for future areas of research.

76 FR 19383 - Certain Stilbenic Optical Brightening Agents From China and Taiwan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-07

... Stilbenic Optical Brightening Agents From China and Taiwan AGENCY: United States International Trade... reasonable indication that an industry in the United States is materially injured or threatened with material injury, or the establishment of an industry in the United States is materially retarded, by reason of...

On the instrumental characterization of a 3-λ scanning lidar to monitor industrial flames and its application for retrieving optical and microphysical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerrero-Rascado, Juan Luis; da Costa, Renata; Esteban Bedoya, Andrés; Guardani, Roberto; Alados-Arboledas, Lucas; Efrain Bastidas, Álvaro; Landulfo, Eduardo

2015-04-01

The emission of pollutants in megacities and industrial areas can have strong impact, not only from an environmental point of view, but also for human health. Cubatão (23° 53' S, 46° 26' W, 10 m asl) has been one of the most industrialized city in Brazil (located at São Paulo state coast) during the last decades. This work deals with the recent advances made on a 3-λ scanning lidar placed at this industrial region. Special attention has been paid to the characterization of the electronic performance of this lidar system. For this goal, the quality assurance tests, regularly applied in well-established lidar networks such as LALINET [Guerrero-Rascado et al., 2014] and EARLINET [Pappalardo et al. 2014], were applied to the Cubatão scanning lidar in order to improve the knowledge of its performing itself and to design protocols for correcting lidar signal for undesirable instrumental effects. The application of the results derived from these quality assurance tests together with the state-of-the-art methodologies to map the particle optical and microphysical properties inside industrial flares demonstrate the potential of this lidar for the study and measurement of industrial emissions. References: J. L. Guerrero-Rascado, E. Landulfo, J. C. Antuña, H. M. J. Barbosa, B. Barja, A. E. Bastidas, A. E. Bedoya, R. da Costa, R. Estevan, R. N. Forno, D. A. Gouveia, C. Jiménez, E. G. Larroza, F. J. S. Lopes, E. Montilla-Rosero, G. A. Moreira, W. M. Nakaema, D. Nisperuza, L. Otero, J. V. Pallotta, S. Papandrea, E. Pawelko, E. J. Quel, P. Ristori, P. F. Rodrigues, J. Salvador, M. F. Sánchez, and A. Silva, "Towards an instrumental harmonization in the framework of LAINET: dataset of technical specifications", Proceedings of SPIE 2014, vol. 9246, 92460O-1 -- 92460O-14, doi: 10.1117/12.2066873 (2014) G. Pappalardo, A. Amodeo, A. Apituley, A. Comerón, V. Freudenthaler, H. Linné, A. Ansmann, J. Bösenberg, G. D'Amico, I. Mattis, L. Mona, U. Wandinger, V. Amiridis, L. Alados-Arboledas, D. Nicolae, and M. Wiegner, "EARLINET: towards an advanced sustainable European aerosol lidar network," Atmos. Meas. Tech. 7(8), 2389-2409 (2014)

The 22nd International Conference on Optical Fibre Sensors, OFS-22

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Yianbiao; Jin, Wei; Jones, Julian; Tatam, Ralph

2013-09-01

In October 2013, the 22nd International Conference on Optical Fibre Sensors was held in Beijing, attracting about 500 participants with 417 presentations. The conference began in 1983 in London, and in the subsequent 30 years has defined the subject. The conference is held approximately every 18 months, and rotates between three world regions: Asia/Pacific, Europe and the Americas. The conference is not 'owned' by any learned society or professional institution, but is organized by a self-sustaining international steering committee. This special feature represents the sixth occasion on which Measurement Science and Technology has published papers based on a development of a cross-section of work presented at the conference. The subject of optical fibre sensors has its beginnings in the enabling technologies of the optical fibre itself and the development of laser technologies suitable for practical use in demanding real-world applications. But the real driver for the subject in its early years was in the development of systems for defence applications, most notably for strategic-grade sea-bed hydrophone arrays for submarine detection, and the optical fibre gyroscope (the community has recently celebrated the 35th anniversary of its earliest publication) for aerospace navigation. Both applications continue to be important, but now with extensive civil applications: hydrophones for oil exploration and reservoir monitoring and management, and fibre gyroscopes for applications ranging from those requiring low cost and mass production (such as industrial robots and in agricultural machinery) to the most exotic and highest performance for space applications. The articles in this special feature exemplify the principal themes of the subject: enabling technologies, application-specific developments and systems considerations. In recent years, perhaps the most important—indeed, dominant—enabling technologies have been based on structuring of fibres: longitudinally, as in Bragg gratings, or transversely, using the science of metamaterials to produce microstructured fibres (e.g. photonic crystal fibres). In-fibre gratings continue to provide new types of sensor based on wavelength encoding, or for wavelength control for specialized sources or detection techniques. Microstructured fibres, meanwhile, provide materials with dispersion characteristics unattainable with conventional materials, as well as otherwise unfeasible physical characteristics that can be tailored to specific sensing applications. Examples of these types of technologies can be found in the following articles. The fields of application of optical fibre sensors, even if restricted to those presented at the conference, would be too lengthy to enumerate here. However, in this issue there are examples from medicine, transport, chemical sensing and electric power distribution, amongst others. An important advantage conferred by optical fibre sensors is the ability with which they can be multiplexed to form large arrays, interrogated via a single fibre, a topic that forms the subject of a number of papers in the issue. Lastly, as fibre sensors become the technology of choice in widespread applications, the issue of formal measurement standards begins to become important, and it is evidence of the maturity of the field that the subject is addressed in one of the papers published here: optical fibre sensors can now surely be said to have progressed from the physics laboratory to become a mainstream engineering reality.

Liquid crystal materials and tunable devices for optical communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Fang

In this dissertation, liquid crystal materials and devices are investigated in meeting the challenges for photonics and communications applications. The first part deals with polymer-stabilized liquid crystal (PSLC) materials and devices. Three polymer-stabilized liquid crystal systems are developed for optical communications. The second part reports the experimental investigation of a novel liquid-crystal-infiltrated photonic crystal fiber (PCF) and explores its applications in fiber-optic communications. The curing temperature is found to have significant effects on the PSLC performance. The electro-optic properties of nematic polymer network liquid crystal (PNLC) at different curing temperatures are investigated experimentally. At high curing temperature, a high contrast, low drive voltage, and small hysteresis PNLC is obtained as a result of the formed large LC microdomains. With the help of curing temperature effect, it is able to develop PNLC based optical devices with highly desirable performances for optical communications. Such high performance is generally considered difficult to realize for a PNLC. In fact, the poor performance of PNLC, especially at long wavelengths, has hindered it from practical applications for optical communications for a long time. Therefore, the optimal curing temperature effect discovered in this thesis would enable PSLCs for practical industrial applications. Further more, high birefringence LCs play an important role for near infrared photonic devices. The isothiocyanato tolane liquid crystals exhibit a high birefringence and low viscosity. The high birefringence LC dramatically improves the PSLC contrast ratio while keeping a low drive voltage and fast response time. A free-space optical device by PNLC is experimentally demonstrated and its properties characterized. Most LC devices are polarization sensitive. To overcome this drawback, we have investigated the polymer-stabilized cholesteric LC (PSCLC). Combining the curing temperature effect and high birefringence LC, a polarization independent fiber-optical device is realized with over 30 dB attenuation, ˜12 V rms drive voltage and 11/28 milliseconds (rise/decay) response times. A polymer-stabilized twisted nematic LC (PS TNLC) is also proposed as a variable optical attenuator for optical communications. By using the polarization control system, the device is polarization independent. The polymer network in a PS TNLC not only results in a fast response time (0.9/9 milliseconds for rise/decay respectively), but also removes the backflow effect of TNLC which occurs in the high voltage regime. Another major achievement in this thesis is the first demonstration of an electrically tunable LC-infiltrated photonic crystal fiber (PCF). Two different LC PCF configurations are studied. For the first time, electrically tunable LC PCFs are demonstrated experimentally. The guiding mechanism and polarization properties are studied. Preliminary experimental results are also given for the thermo-optical properties of a LC filled air-core PCF. In conclusion, this dissertation has solved important issues related to PSLC and enables its applications as VOAs and light shutters in optical communications. Through experimental investigations of the LC filled PCFs, a new possibility of developing tunable micro-sized fiber devices is opened for optical communications as well.

Using variable homography to measure emergent fibers on textile fabrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jun; Cudel, Christophe; Kohler, Sophie; Fontaine, Stéphane; Haeberlé, Olivier; Klotz, Marie-Louise

2011-07-01

A fabric's smoothness is a key factor to determine the quality of textile finished products and has great influence on the functionality of industrial textiles and high-end textile products. With popularization of the 'zero defect' industrial concept, identifying and measuring defective material in the early stage of production is of great interest for the industry. In the current market, many systems are able to achieve automatic monitoring and control of fabric, paper, and nonwoven material during the entire production process, however online measurement of hairiness is still an open topic and highly desirable for industrial applications. In this paper we propose a computer vision approach, based on variable homography, which can be used to measure the emergent fiber's length on textile fabrics. The main challenges addressed in this paper are the application of variable homography to textile monitoring and measurement, as well as the accuracy of the estimated calculation. We propose that a fibrous structure can be considered as a two-layer structure and then show how variable homography can estimate the length of the fiber defects. Simulations are carried out to show the effectiveness of this method to measure the emergent fiber's length. The true lengths of selected fibers are measured precisely using a digital optical microscope, and then the same fibers are tested by our method. Our experimental results suggest that smoothness monitored by variable homography is an accurate and robust method for quality control of important industrially fabrics.

Fibre Optic Sensors Using Adiabatically Tapered Single Mode Fibres

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-02-01

strum in 980 ~i! of buffer. Tne f’uorescent levels seen in this immunoassay are also higher, than what can be predicted using the p + S p estimates ...labelled IgG versus amount of IgG present in various dilutions (serial) of sera sample. .............. 107 Figure I-I Sensing arrangements used in the...case for sensor work in cations is the detection of pH change, sometimes for industrial applications. Further, since pH can be used to diagnose changes

Acousto-Optic Tunable Filter Spectroscopic Instrumentation for Quantitative Near-Ir Analysis of Organic Materials.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eilert, Arnold James

1995-01-01

The utility of near-IR spectroscopy for routine quantitative analyses of a wide variety of compositional, chemical, or physical parameters of organic materials is well understood. It can be used for relatively fast and inexpensive non-destructive bulk material analysis before, during, and after processing. It has been demonstrated as being a particularly useful technique for numerous analytical applications in cereal (food and feed) science and industry. Further fulfillment of the potential of near-IR spectroscopic analysis, both in the process and laboratory environment, is reliant upon the development of instrumentation that is capable of meeting the challenges of increasingly difficult applications. One approach to the development of near-IR spectroscopic instrumentation that holds a great deal of promise is acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) technology. A combination of attributes offered by AOTF spectrometry, including speed, optical throughput, wavelength reproducibility, ruggedness (no -moving-parts operation) and flexibility, make it particularly desirable for numerous applications. A series of prototype (research model) acousto -optic tunable filter instruments were developed and tested in order to investigate the feasibility of the technology for quantitative near-IR spectrometry. Development included design, component procurement, assembly and/or configuration of the optical and electronic subsystems of which each functional spectrometer arrangement was comprised, as well as computer interfacing and acquisition/control software development. Investigation of this technology involved an evolution of several operational spectrometer systems, each of which offered improvements over its predecessor. Appropriate testing was conducted at various stages of development. Demonstrations of the potential applicability of our AOTF spectrometer to quantitative process monitoring or laboratory analysis of numerous organic substances, including food materials, were performed. Lipid determination in foods by spectroscopic analysis of a solvent used after cold batch extraction and simulated supercritical fluid extraction monitoring were among the applications tested. The ultimate performance specifications of our instrument included full-range wavelength coverage from 1250 to 2400 nm (with random, segmented range, or continuous range wavelength access capability), real -time quantitative analysis rates in excess of 150 determinations per second, and full range (2 nm increment) scanning speeds of 200 milliseconds.

Optimization of insect cell based protein production processes - online monitoring, expression systems, scale up.

PubMed

Druzinec, Damir; Salzig, Denise; Brix, Alexander; Kraume, Matthias; Vilcinskas, Andreas; Kollewe, Christian; Czermak, Peter

2013-01-01

Due to the increasing use of insect cell based expression systems in research and industrial recombinant protein production, the development of efficient and reproducible production processes remains a challenging task. In this context, the application of online monitoring techniques is intended to ensure high and reproducible product qualities already during the early phases of process development. In the following chapter, the most common transient and stable insect cell based expression systems are briefly introduced. Novel applications of insect cell based expression systems for the production of insect derived antimicrobial peptides/proteins (AMPs) are discussed using the example of G. mellonella derived gloverin. Suitable in situ sensor techniques for insect cell culture monitoring in disposable and common bioreactor systems are outlined with respect to optical and capacitive sensor concepts. Since scale up of production processes is one of the most critical steps in process development, a conclusive overview is given about scale up aspects for industrial insect cell culture processes.

Three-dimensional laser window formation for industrial application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Verhoff, Vincent G.; Kowalski, David

1993-01-01

The NASA Lewis Research Center has developed and implemented a unique process for forming flawless three-dimensional, compound-curvature laser windows to extreme accuracies. These windows represent an integral component of specialized nonintrusive laser data acquisition systems that are used in a variety of compressor and turbine research testing facilities. These windows are molded to the flow surface profile of turbine and compressor casings and are required to withstand extremely high pressures and temperatures. This method of glass formation could also be used to form compound-curvature mirrors that would require little polishing and for a variety of industrial applications, including research view ports for testing devices and view ports for factory machines with compound-curvature casings. Currently, sodium-alumino-silicate glass is recommended for three-dimensional laser windows because of its high strength due to chemical strengthening and its optical clarity. This paper discusses the main aspects of three-dimensional laser window formation. It focuses on the unique methodology and the peculiarities that are associated with the formation of these windows.

Multimodal inspection in power engineering and building industries: new challenges and solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kujawińska, Małgorzata; Malesa, Marcin; Malowany, Krzysztof

2013-09-01

Recently the demand and number of applications of full-field, optical measurement methods based on noncoherent light sources increased significantly. They include traditional image processing, thermovision, digital image correlation (DIC) and structured light methods. However, there are still numerous challenges connected with implementation of these methods to in-situ, long-term monitoring in industrial, civil engineering and cultural heritage applications, multimodal measurements of a variety of object features or simply adopting instruments to work in hard environmental conditions. In this paper we focus on 3D DIC method and present its enhancements concerning software modifications (new visualization methods and a method for automatic merging of data distributed in time) and hardware improvements. The modified 3D DIC system combined with infrared camera system is applied in many interesting cases: measurements of boiler drum during annealing and of pipelines in heat power stations and monitoring of different building steel struts at construction site and validation of numerical models of large building structures constructed of graded metal plate arches.

Next-generation fiber lasers enabled by high-performance components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kliner, D. A. V.; Victor, B.; Rivera, C.; Fanning, G.; Balsley, D.; Farrow, R. L.; Kennedy, K.; Hampton, S.; Hawke, R.; Soukup, E.; Reynolds, M.; Hodges, A.; Emery, J.; Brown, A.; Almonte, K.; Nelson, M.; Foley, B.; Dawson, D.; Hemenway, D. M.; Urbanek, W.; DeVito, M.; Bao, L.; Koponen, J.; Gross, K.

2018-02-01

Next-generation industrial fiber lasers enable challenging applications that cannot be addressed with legacy fiber lasers. Key features of next-generation fiber lasers include robust back-reflection protection, high power stability, wide power tunability, high-speed modulation and waveform generation, and facile field serviceability. These capabilities are enabled by high-performance components, particularly pump diodes and optical fibers, and by advanced fiber laser designs. We summarize the performance and reliability of nLIGHT diodes, fibers, and next-generation industrial fiber lasers at power levels of 500 W - 8 kW. We show back-reflection studies with up to 1 kW of back-reflected power, power-stability measurements in cw and modulated operation exhibiting sub-1% stability over a 5 - 100% power range, and high-speed modulation (100 kHz) and waveform generation with a bandwidth 20x higher than standard fiber lasers. We show results from representative applications, including cutting and welding of highly reflective metals (Cu and Al) for production of Li-ion battery modules and processing of carbon fiber reinforced polymers.

Application of PCDA/SPH/CHO/Lysine vesicles to detect pathogenic bacteria in chicken.

PubMed

de Oliveira, Taíla V; Soares, Nilda de F F; de Andrade, Nélio J; Silva, Deusanilde J; Medeiros, Eber Antônio A; Badaró, Amanda T

2015-04-01

During the course of infection, Salmonella must successively survive the harsh acid stress of the stomach and multiply into a mild acidic compartment within macrophages. Inducible amino acid decarboxylases are known to promote adaptation to acidic environments, as lysine decarboxylation to cadaverine. The idea of Salmonella defenses responses could be employed in systems as polydiacetylene (PDA) to detect this pathogen so important to public health system. Beside that PDA is an important substance because of the unique optical property; that undergoes a colorimetric transitions by various external stimuli. Therefore 10,12-pentacosadyinoic acid (PCDA)/Sphingomyelin(SPH)/Cholesterol(CHO)/Lysine system was tested to determine the colorimetric response induced by Salmonella choleraesuis. PCDA/SPH/CHO/Lysine vesicles showed a colour change even in low S. choleraesuis concentration present in laboratory conditions and in chicken meat. Thus, this work showed a PCDA/SPH/CHO/Lysine vesicle application to simplify routine analyses in food industry, as chicken meat industry. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Material processing with fiber based ultrafast pulse delivery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumbach, S.; Stockburger, R.; Führa, B.; Zoller, S.; Thum, S.; Moosmann, J.; Maier, D.; Kanal, F.; Russ, S.; Kaiser, E.; Budnicki, A.; Sutter, D. H.; Pricking, S.; Killi, A.

2018-02-01

We report on TRUMPF's ultrafast laser systems equipped with industrialized hollow core fiber laser light cables. Beam guidance in general by means of optical fibers, e.g. for multi kilowatt cw laser systems, has become an integral part of laser-based material processing. One advantage of fiber delivery, among others, is the mechanical separation between laser and processing head. An equally important benefit is given by the fact that the fiber end acts as an opto-mechanical fix-point close to successive optical elements in the processing head. Components like lenses, diffractive optical elements etc. can thus be designed towards higher efficiency which results in better material processing. These aspects gain increasing significance when the laser system operates in fundamental mode which is usually the case for ultrafast lasers. Through the last years beam guidance of ultrafast laser pulses by means of hollow core fiber technology established very rapidly. The combination of TRUMPF's long-term stable ultrafast laser sources, passive fiber coupling, connector and packaging forms a flexible and powerful system for laser based material processing well suited for an industrial environment. In this article we demonstrate common material processing applications with ultrafast lasers realized with TRUMPF's hollow core fiber delivery. The experimental results are contrasted and evaluated against conventional free space propagation in order to illustrate the performance of flexible ultrafast beam delivery.

Varo-achro-phobia: the fear of broad spectrum zoom optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogel, Steven; Pollica, Naomi

2015-05-01

Today's battlefield is evolving at light speed. Our war fighters are being tasked with highly complex missions requiring the very best technology our industry can offer. The demand for advanced ISR platforms is challenging designers and engineers in the optics industry to push the envelope and develop wider band solutions to support multiple and broadband sensor platforms. Recently, significant attention has been directed towards the development of optical systems that enable simultaneous operation in the visible and shortwave infrared spectral wavebands. This paper will present a review of the evolution of StingRay Optics' GhostSight™ continuous zoom optics that offer broad chromatic imaging capabilities from the visible through the shortwave infrared spectrum.

Opportunities and challenges for 3D printing of solid-state lighting systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narendran, Nadarajah; Perera, Indika U.; Mou, Xi; Thotagamuwa, Dinusha R.

2017-09-01

Low energy use and reduced maintenance have made the LED, a solid-state light (SSL) source, the preferred technology for many lighting applications. With the explosion of products in the marketplace and subsequent price erosion, manufacturers are looking for lower cost materials and manufacturing methods. 3-D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, could be a potential solution. Recently, manufacturers in the automotive, aerospace, and medical industries have embraced 3-D printing for manufacturing parts and systems. This could pave the way for the lighting industry to produce lower cost, custom lighting systems that are 3-D printed on-site to achieve on-time and on-demand manufacturing. One unique aspect of LED fixture manufacturing is that it requires thermo-mechanical, electrical, and optical components. The goal of our investigation was to understand if current 3-D printing technologies and materials can be used to manufacture functional thermo-mechanical, electrical, and optical components for SSL fixtures. We printed heat sink components and electrical traces using an FFF-type 3-D printer with different filaments. The results showed that the printed heat sinks achieved higher thermal conductivity values compared to components made with plastic materials. For electrical traces, graphene-infused PLA showed low resistivity but it is much higher than bulk copper resistivity. For optics, SLA-printed optical components showed that print resolution, print orientation, and postprocessing affect light transmission and light scatter properties. Overall, 3-D printing offers an opportunity for mass customization of SSL fixtures and changing architectural lighting practice, but several challenges in terms of process and materials still have to be overcome.

Firefly: an optical lithographic system for the fabrication of holographic security labels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calderón, Jorge; Rincón, Oscar; Amézquita, Ricardo; Pulido, Iván.; Amézquita, Sebastián.; Bernal, Andrés.; Romero, Luis; Agudelo, Viviana

2016-03-01

This paper introduces Firefly, an optical lithography origination system that has been developed to produce holographic masters of high quality. This mask-less lithography system has a resolution of 418 nm half-pitch, and generates holographic masters with the optical characteristics required for security applications of level 1 (visual verification), level 2 (pocket reader verification) and level 3 (forensic verification). The holographic master constitutes the main core of the manufacturing process of security holographic labels used for the authentication of products and documents worldwide. Additionally, the Firefly is equipped with a software tool that allows for the hologram design from graphic formats stored in bitmaps. The software is capable of generating and configuring basic optical effects such as animation and color, as well as effects of high complexity such as Fresnel lenses, engraves and encrypted images, among others. The Firefly technology gathers together optical lithography, digital image processing and the most advanced control systems, making possible a competitive equipment that challenges the best technologies in the industry of holographic generation around the world. In this paper, a general description of the origination system is provided as well as some examples of its capabilities.

Weldability of Aluminium Alloys for Automotive Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Löveborn, D.; Larsson, J. K.; Persson, K.-A.

Restrictions in CO2-emissions have caused increased demands on decreased weight and increased use of lightweight materials in the automotive industry. Aluminium has shown to be of great interest due to its beneficial weight to strength ratio, and are suitable for hang-on parts such as roof, doors etc. However, the use of aluminium requires reliable joining techniques. This project has been focusing on laser welding of aluminium. It have been reported earlier that hot cracks and porosity are common defects while joining aluminium with laser welding. The aim with this project has been to produce crack free laser welds while joining thin aluminium sheets. Two different optics have been used in this project, oscillating- and triple-spot optics. The results from the experiments show that both the oscillating optics and the triple-spot optics can produce crack free welds. The amount of pores is shown to be low for both cases. The results do also show that the amount of pores in the welds increases with the weld length while the flange length is of minor impact. The mechanical properties are similar for the both optics. The oscillation specimens receive a higher tensile strength while the triple-spot specimens receive a larger elongation at break value.

Photoinduced force microscopy: A technique for hyperspectral nanochemical mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murdick, Ryan A.; Morrison, William; Nowak, Derek; Albrecht, Thomas R.; Jahng, Junghoon; Park, Sung

2017-08-01

Advances in nanotechnology have intensified the need for tools that can characterize newly synthesized nanomaterials. A variety of techniques has recently been shown which combines atomic force microscopy (AFM) with optical illumination including tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS), scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (sSNOM), and photothermal induced resonance microscopy (PTIR). To varying degrees, these existing techniques enable optical spectroscopy with the nanoscale spatial resolution inherent to AFM, thereby providing nanochemical interrogation of a specimen. Here we discuss photoinduced force microscopy (PiFM), a recently developed technique for nanoscale optical spectroscopy that exploits image forces acting between an AFM tip and sample to detect wavelength-dependent polarization within the sample to generate absorption spectra. This approach enables ∼10 nm spatial resolution with spectra that show correlation with macroscopic optical absorption spectra. Unlike other techniques, PiFM achieves this high resolution with virtually no constraints on sample or substrate properties. The applicability of PiFM to a variety of archetypal systems is reported here, highlighting the potential of PiFM as a useful tool for a wide variety of industrial and academic investigations, including semiconducting nanoparticles, nanocellulose, block copolymers, and low dimensional systems, as well as chemical and morphological mixing at interfaces.

Critical review of real-time methods for solid waste characterisation: Informing material recovery and fuel production.

PubMed

Vrancken, C; Longhurst, P J; Wagland, S T

2017-03-01

Waste management processes generally represent a significant loss of material, energy and economic resources, so legislation and financial incentives are being implemented to improve the recovery of these valuable resources whilst reducing contamination levels. Material recovery and waste derived fuels are potentially valuable options being pursued by industry, using mechanical and biological processes incorporating sensor and sorting technologies developed and optimised for recycling plants. In its current state, waste management presents similarities to other industries that could improve their efficiencies using process analytical technology tools. Existing sensor technologies could be used to measure critical waste characteristics, providing data required by existing legislation, potentially aiding waste treatment processes and assisting stakeholders in decision making. Optical technologies offer the most flexible solution to gather real-time information applicable to each of the waste mechanical and biological treatment processes used by industry. In particular, combinations of optical sensors in the visible and the near-infrared range from 800nm to 2500nm of the spectrum, and different mathematical techniques, are able to provide material information and fuel properties with typical performance levels between 80% and 90%. These sensors not only could be used to aid waste processes, but to provide most waste quality indicators required by existing legislation, whilst offering better tools to the stakeholders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Shift-, rotation-, and scale-invariant shape recognition system using an optical Hough transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmid, Volker R.; Bader, Gerhard; Lueder, Ernst H.

1998-02-01

We present a hybrid shape recognition system with an optical Hough transform processor. The features of the Hough space offer a separate cancellation of distortions caused by translations and rotations. Scale invariance is also provided by suitable normalization. The proposed system extends the capabilities of Hough transform based detection from only straight lines to areas bounded by edges. A very compact optical design is achieved by a microlens array processor accepting incoherent light as direct optical input and realizing the computationally expensive connections massively parallel. Our newly developed algorithm extracts rotation and translation invariant normalized patterns of bright spots on a 2D grid. A neural network classifier maps the 2D features via a nonlinear hidden layer onto the classification output vector. We propose initialization of the connection weights according to regions of activity specifically assigned to each neuron in the hidden layer using a competitive network. The presented system is designed for industry inspection applications. Presently we have demonstrated detection of six different machined parts in real-time. Our method yields very promising detection results of more than 96% correctly classified parts.

Spectral calibration of EBT3 and HD-V2 radiochromic film response at high dose using 20 MeV proton beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Yiwei; Tiedje, Henry F.; Gagnon, Katherine; Fedosejevs, Robert

2018-04-01

Radiochromic film is used extensively in many medical, industrial, and scientific applications. In particular, the film is used in analysis of proton generation and in high intensity laser-plasma experiments where very high dose levels can be obtained. The present study reports calibration of the dose response of Gafchromic EBT3 and HD-V2 radiochromic films up to high exposure densities. A 2D scanning confocal densitometer system is employed to carry out accurate optical density measurements up to optical density 5 on the exposed films at the peak spectral absorption wavelengths. Various wavelengths from 400 to 740 nm are also scanned to extend the practical dose range of such films by measuring the response at wavelengths removed from the peak response wavelengths. Calibration curves for the optical density versus exposure dose are determined and can be used for quantitative evaluation of measured doses based on the measured optical densities. It was found that blue and UV wavelengths allowed the largest dynamic range though at some trade-off with overall accuracy.

Adaptive Optical System for Retina Imaging Approaches Clinic Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ling, N.; Zhang, Y.; Rao, X.; Wang, C.; Hu, Y.; Jiang, W.; Jiang, C.

We presented "A small adaptive optical system on table for human retinal imaging" at the 3rd Workshop on Adaptive Optics for Industry and Medicine. In this system, a 19 element small deformable mirror was used as wavefront correction element. High resolution images of photo receptors and capillaries of human retina were obtained. In recent two years, at the base of this system a new adaptive optical system for human retina imaging has been developed. The wavefront correction element is a newly developed 37 element deformable mirror. Some modifications have been adopted for easy operation. Experiments for different imaging wavelengths and axial positions were conducted. Mosaic pictures of photoreceptors and capillaries were obtained. 100 normal and abnormal eyes of different ages have been inspected.The first report in the world concerning the most detailed capillary distribution images cover ±3° by ± 3° field around the fovea has been demonstrated. Some preliminary very early diagnosis experiment has been tried in laboratory. This system is being planned to move to the hospital for clinic experiments.

High-precision micro-displacement optical-fiber sensor based on surface plasmon resonance.

PubMed

Zhu, Zongda; Liu, Lu; Liu, Zhihai; Zhang, Yu; Zhang, Yaxun

2017-05-15

We propose and demonstrate a novel optical-fiber micro-displacement sensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) by fabricating a Kretschmann configuration on graded-index multimode fiber (GIMMF). We employ a single-mode fiber to change the radial position of the incident beam as the displacement. In the GIMMF, the angle between the light beam and fiber axis, which is closely related to the resonance angle, is changed by the displacement; thus, the resonance wavelength of the fiber SPR shifts. This micro-displacement fiber sensor has a wide detection range of 0-25 μm, a high sensitivity with maximum up to 10.32 nm/μm, and a nanometer resolution with minimum to 2 nm, which transcends almost all of other optical-fiber micro-displacement sensors. In addition, we also research that increasing the fiber polishing angle or medium refractive index can improve the sensitivity. This micro-displacement sensor will have a great significance in many industrial applications and provide a neoteric, rapid, and accurate optical measurement method in micro-displacement.

Patterning via optical saturable transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cantu, Precious

For the past 40 years, optical lithography has been the patterning workhorse for the semiconductor industry. However, as integrated circuits have become more and more complex, and as device geometries shrink, more innovative methods are required to meet these needs. In the far-field, the smallest feature that can be generated with light is limited to approximately half the wavelength. This, so called far-field diffraction limit or the Abbe limit (after Prof. Ernst Abbe who first recognized this), effectively prevents the use of long-wavelength photons >300nm from patterning nanostructures <100nm. Even with a 193nm laser source and extremely complicated processing, patterns below ˜20nm are incredibly challenging to create. Sources with even shorter wavelengths can potentially be used. However, these tend be much more expensive and of much lower brightness, which in turn limits their patterning speed. Multi-photon reactions have been proposed to overcome the diffraction limit. However, these require very large intensities for modest gain in resolution. Moreover, the large intensities make it difficult to parallelize, thus limiting the patterning speed. In this dissertation, a novel nanopatterning technique using wavelength-selective small molecules that undergo single-photon reactions, enabling rapid top-down nanopatterning over large areas at low-light intensities, thereby allowing for the circumvention of the far-field diffraction barrier is developed and experimentally verified. This approach, which I refer to as Patterning via Optical Saturable Transitions (POST) has the potential for massive parallelism, enabling the creation of nanostructures and devices at a speed far surpassing what is currently possible with conventional optical lithographic techniques. The fundamental understanding of this technique goes beyond optical lithography in the semiconductor industry and is applicable to any area that requires the rapid patterning of large-area two or three-dimensional complex geometries. At a basic level, this research intertwines the fields of electrochemistry, material science, electrical engineering, optics, physics, and mechanical engineering with the goal of developing a novel super-resolution lithographic technique.

EDITORIAL: Sixth World Congress on Industrial Process Tomography (WCIPT6) Sixth World Congress on Industrial Process Tomography (WCIPT6)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takei, Masahiro; Xu, Lijun

2011-10-01

We are pleased to publish this special feature on the Sixth World Congress on Industrial Process Tomography (WCIPT6) in Measurement Science and Technology. The international congress was successfully held in the campus of Beihang University, Beijing, China, from 6-9 September 2010. It was jointly organized by International Society for Industrial Process Tomography (ISIPT), North China Electric Power University (NCEPU) and Beihang University (BUAA). Process tomography is a tangible tool to visualize and determine the material distribution inside a process non-intrusively in real time. The internal features that can be monitored by process tomography are frequently encountered and required in the design of processes and industrial plants in the fields of chemical, oil, power and metallurgical engineering as well as many other activities such as food, material handling and combustion systems. One of the key characteristics of process tomography is to provide a direct impression and instant and clear understanding of a complex phenomenon. From the viewpoint of practical applications, industries all over the world are currently facing a number of daunting challenges including many wide-range and complex technical problems. The innovative technology of process tomography consistently contributes to providing better and better solutions to the problems as 'seeing is believing'. As a regular event, WCIPT is playing a more and more important role in addressing the challenges to overcome these problems. We are glad to see that this special feature provides a great opportunity for world-wide top-level researchers to discuss and make further developments in process tomography and its applications. The 20 articles included in this issue cover a wide range of relevant topics including sensors and sensing mechanisms, data acquisition systems and instrumentation, electrical, optical, acoustic and hybrid systems, image reconstruction and system evaluation, data and sensor fusion, data processing, other emerging technologies, and their industrial applications such as in multi-phase systems, combustion and chemical reaction, etc. The Seventh World Congress on Industrial Process Tomography (WCIPT7) will take place in Krakow, Poland, from 2-5 September 2013. We look forward to meeting you in Poland!

Aspects of ultra-high-precision diamond machining of RSA 443 optical aluminium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mkoko, Z.; Abou-El-Hossein, K.

2015-08-01

Optical aluminium alloys such as 6061-T6 are traditionally used in ultra-high precision manufacturing for making optical mirrors for aerospace and other applications. However, the optics industry has recently witnessed the development of more advanced optical aluminium grades that are capable of addressing some of the issues encountered when turning with single-point natural monocrystalline diamond cutters. The advent of rapidly solidified aluminium (RSA) grades has generally opened up new possibilities for ultra-high precision manufacturing of optical components. In this study, experiments were conducted with single-point diamond cutters on rapidly solidified aluminium RSA 443 material. The objective of this study is to observe the effects of depth of cut and feed rate at a fixed rotational speed on the tool wear rate and resulting surface roughness of diamond turned specimens. This is done to gain further understanding of the rate of wear on the diamond cutters versus the surface texture generated on the RSA 443 material. The diamond machining experiments yielded machined surfaces which are less reflective but with consistent surface roughness values. Cutting tools were observed for wear through scanning microscopy; relatively low wear pattern was evident on the diamond tool edge. The highest tool wear were obtained at higher depth of cut and increased feed rate.

Photonics industry in China: from current status and trends to the importance of innovation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Chongcheng

2011-12-01

Current status and trends in various sectors of photonics industry in Mainland China are reviewed, which includes optical fiber communication, optical preform, fiber and cable, photonic devices and chips, LED illumination and display, and photovoltaics. Then, from the challenges and risks they are facing, critical importance of innovation is discussed. In the evolving Innovation Economy, the core competence of a company, an industry or a country is its innovation power and the capability to grab (and manage) talented people.

Picosecond laser welding of optical to metal components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Richard M.; Troughton, Michael; Chen, Jinanyong; Elder, Ian; Thomson, Robert R.; Lamb, Robert A.; Esser, M. J. Daniel; Hand, Duncan P.

2016-03-01

We report on practical, industrially relevant, welding of optical components to themselves and aluminum alloy components. Weld formation is achieved through the tight focusing of a 5.9ps, 400kHz Trumpf laser operating at 1030nm. By selecting suitable surface preparation, clamping and laser parameters, the plasma can be confined, even with comparatively rough surfaces, by exploiting the melt properties of the glass. The short interaction time allows for a permanent weld to form between the two materials with heating limited to a region ~300 µm across. Practical application of these weld structures is typically limited due to the induced stress within the glass and, critically, the issues surrounding post-weld thermal expansion. We report on the measured strength of the weld, with a particular emphasis on laser parameters and surface preparation.

Multimode-singlemode-multimode fiber sensor for alcohol sensing application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rofi'ah, Iftihatur; Hatta, A. M.; Sekartedjo, Sekartedjo

2016-11-01

Alcohol is volatile and flammable liquid which is soluble substances both on polar and non polar substances that has been used in some industrial sectors. Alcohol detection method now widely used one of them is the optical fiber sensor. In this paper used fiber optic sensor based on Multimode-Single-mode-Multimode (MSM) to detect alcohol solution at a concentration range of 0-3%. The working principle of sensor utilizes the modal interference between the core modes and the cladding modes, thus make the sensor sensitive to environmental changes. The result showed that characteristic of the sensor not affect the length of the single-mode fiber (SMF). We obtain that the sensor with a length of 5 mm of single-mode can sensing the alcohol with a sensitivity of 0.107 dB/v%.

Patterned surfaces in the drying of films composed of water, polymer, and alcohol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fichot, Julie; Heyd, Rodolphe; Josserand, Christophe; Chourpa, Igor; Gombart, Emilie; Tranchant, Jean-Francois; Saboungi, Marie-Louise

2012-12-01

A study of the complex drying dynamics of polymeric mixtures with optical microscopy and gravimetric measurement is presented. Droplet formation is observed, followed by a collapse that leads to the residual craters in the dried film. The process is followed in situ under well-defined temperature and hygrometric conditions to determine the origin and nature of these droplets and craters. The drying process is usually completed within 1 h. The observations are explained using a simple diffusion model based on experimental results collected from mass and optical measurements as well as Raman confocal microspectrometry. Although the specific polymeric mixtures used here are of interest to the cosmetic industry, the general conclusions reached can apply to other polymeric aqueous solutions with applications to commercial and artistic painting.

Natural production of biological optical systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Seung Ho; Kim, Young L.

2015-03-01

Synthesis and production in nature often provide ideas to design and fabricate advanced biomimetic photonic materials and structures, leading to excellent physical properties and enhanced performance. In addition, the recognition and utilization of natural or biological substances have been typical routes to develop biocompatible and biodegradable materials for medical applications. In this respect, biological lasers utilizing such biomaterials and biostructures have been received considerable attention, given a variety of implications and potentials for bioimaging, biosensing, implantation, and therapy. However, without relying on industrial facilities, eco-friendly massive production of such optical components or systems has not yet been investigated. We show examples of bioproduction of biological lasers using agriculture and fisheries. We anticipate that such approaches will open new possibilities for scalable eco-friendly `green' production of biological photonics components and systems.

Theoretical study on removal rate and surface roughness in grinding a RB-SiC mirror with a fixed abrasive.

PubMed

Wang, Xu; Zhang, Xuejun

2009-02-10

This paper is based on a microinteraction principle of fabricating a RB-SiC material with a fixed abrasive. The influence of the depth formed on a RB-SiC workpiece by a diamond abrasive on the material removal rate and the surface roughness of an optical component are quantitatively discussed. A mathematical model of the material removal rate and the simulation results of the surface roughness are achieved. In spite of some small difference between the experimental results and the theoretical anticipation, which is predictable, the actual removal rate matches the theoretical prediction very well. The fixed abrasive technology's characteristic of easy prediction is of great significance in the optical fabrication industry, so this brand-new fixed abrasive technology has wide application possibilities.

Optical Access Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Jun; Ansari, Nirwan

2005-02-01

Call for Papers: Optical Access Networks With the wide deployment of fiber-optic technology over the past two decades, we have witnessed a tremendous growth of bandwidth capacity in the backbone networks of today's telecommunications infrastructure. However, access networks, which cover the "last-mile" areas and serve numerous residential and small business users, have not been scaled up commensurately. The local subscriber lines for telephone and cable television are still using twisted pairs and coaxial cables. Most residential connections to the Internet are still through dial-up modems operating at a low speed on twisted pairs. As the demand for access bandwidth increases with emerging high-bandwidth applications, such as distance learning, high-definition television (HDTV), and video on demand (VoD), the last-mile access networks have become a bandwidth bottleneck in today's telecommunications infrastructure. To ease this bottleneck, it is imperative to provide sufficient bandwidth capacity in the access networks to open the bottleneck and thus present more opportunities for the provisioning of multiservices. Optical access solutions promise huge bandwidth to service providers and low-cost high-bandwidth services to end users and are therefore widely considered the technology of choice for next-generation access networks. To realize the vision of optical access networks, however, many key issues still need to be addressed, such as network architectures, signaling protocols, and implementation standards. The major challenges lie in the fact that an optical solution must be not only robust, scalable, and flexible, but also implemented at a low cost comparable to that of existing access solutions in order to increase the economic viability of many potential high-bandwidth applications. In recent years, optical access networks have been receiving tremendous attention from both academia and industry. A large number of research activities have been carried out or are now underway this hot area. The purpose of this feature issue is to expose the networking community to the latest research breakthroughs and progresses in the area of optical access networks.

Development of a strontium optical lattice clock for space applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Yeshpal

2016-07-01

With timekeeping being of paramount importance for modern life, much research and major scientific advances have been undertaken in the field of frequency metrology, particularly over the last few years. New Nobel-prize winning technologies have enabled a new era of atomic clocks; namely the optical clock. These have been shown to perform significantly better than the best microwave clocks reaching an inaccuracy of 1.6x10-18 [1]. With such results being found in large lab based apparatus, the focus now has shifted to portability - to enable the accuracy of various ground based clocks to be measured, and compact autonomous performance - to enable such technologies to be tested in space. This could lead to a master clock in space, improving not only the accuracy of technologies on which modern life has come to require such as GPS and communication networks. But also more fundamentally, this could lead to the redefinition of the second and tests of fundamental physics including applications in the fields of ground based and satellite geodesy, metrology, positioning, navigation, transport and logistics etc. Within the European collaboration, Space Optical Clocks (SOC2) [2-3] consisting of various institutes and industry partners across Europe we have tried to tackle this problem of miniaturisation whilst maintaining stability, accuracy (5x10-17) and robustness whilst keeping power consumption to a minimum - necessary for space applications. We will present the most recent results of the Sr optical clock in SOC2 and also the novel compact design features, new methods employed and outlook. References [1] B. J. Bloom, T. L. Nicholson, J. R. Williams, S. L. Campbell, M. Bishof, X. Zhang, W. Zhang, S. L. Bromley, and J. Ye, "An optical lattice clock with accuracy and stability at the 10-18 level," Nature 506, 71-75 (2014). [2] S. Schiller et al. "Towards Neutral-atom Space Optical Clocks (SOC2): Development of high-performance transportable and breadboard optical clocks and advanced subsystems" on "Let's embrace space, volume II" 45, 452-463 (2012). ISBN 978-92-79-22207-8. [3] www.soc2.eu

EDITORIAL: Cluster issue on microplasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chao, Chih C.; Liao, Jiunn-Der; Chang, Juu-En

2008-10-01

Ever since the first Workshop on Microplasmas, held in Japan in 2003, plasma scientists and engineers worldwide have been meeting approximately every 18 months to exchange and discuss the results of scientific research and technical applications of this unique type of plasma. Microplasmas are generally described as stable plasmas confined to spatial dimensions below about 1 mm that can be operated at pressures up to and exceeding atmospheric pressure. By their nature, this presents a wide range of opportunities and many advantages in practical applications, just a few examples being low energy consumption, small size, flexibility of use and ease of assembly into a user-friendly package. Nevertheless, there still remain several unanswered basic science questions and a largely untapped potential for environmental, biomedical and industrial applications. The fourth International Workshop on Microplasmas, held during 28-31 October 2007 in Tainan, Taiwan, continued the trend of previous Workshops with an orientation towards industrial and environmental applications. Many high-quality papers on microplasmas and microdischarges were presented and selected full papers were submitted to Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics for assessment by the editors and reviewers in accordance with the usual standards of quality and novelty. This Cluster Issue contains twelve accepted papers, covering four categories: fundamentals and basics, and environmental, biomedical and industrial applications. Fundamentals and basics includes coverage of the physics and microstructure of electrode discharge (Yu A Lebedev et al), the characteristics of low current discharge (Z Lj Petrović et al), plasma ignition (R Gesche et al), novel optical diagnostics (Schulz-von der Gathen et al), plasma generation and micronozzle flow (T Takahashi et al) and the relation between RF-power and atomic oxygen density distribution (N Knake et al). Environmental applications are represented by vapour-phase discharges in liquid capillaries (P Bruggeman et al) and biomedical applications by antibacterial treatment (K D Weltmann et al). Industrial applications include on-chip microplasma reactors (A Agiral et al), miniaturized atmospheric pressure plasma jets (J Schäfer et al and A V Pipa et al) and microplasma stamps (N Lucas et al). All of these represent important findings and advances in microplasma research and applications. We would like to thank the Publisher of the journal, Sarah Quin, and the editorial staff for their support and management of the publication. It is sincerely hoped that the contents of this Cluster Issue will promote understanding of microplasmas and microdischarges, and inspire further research towards industrial applications.

Micro-optical system based 3D imaging for full HD depth image capturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Yong-Hwa; Cho, Yong-Chul; You, Jang-Woo; Park, Chang-Young; Yoon, Heesun; Lee, Sang-Hun; Kwon, Jong-Oh; Lee, Seung-Wan

2012-03-01

20 Mega-Hertz-switching high speed image shutter device for 3D image capturing and its application to system prototype are presented. For 3D image capturing, the system utilizes Time-of-Flight (TOF) principle by means of 20MHz high-speed micro-optical image modulator, so called 'optical shutter'. The high speed image modulation is obtained using the electro-optic operation of the multi-layer stacked structure having diffractive mirrors and optical resonance cavity which maximizes the magnitude of optical modulation. The optical shutter device is specially designed and fabricated realizing low resistance-capacitance cell structures having small RC-time constant. The optical shutter is positioned in front of a standard high resolution CMOS image sensor and modulates the IR image reflected from the object to capture a depth image. Suggested novel optical shutter device enables capturing of a full HD depth image with depth accuracy of mm-scale, which is the largest depth image resolution among the-state-of-the-arts, which have been limited up to VGA. The 3D camera prototype realizes color/depth concurrent sensing optical architecture to capture 14Mp color and full HD depth images, simultaneously. The resulting high definition color/depth image and its capturing device have crucial impact on 3D business eco-system in IT industry especially as 3D image sensing means in the fields of 3D camera, gesture recognition, user interface, and 3D display. This paper presents MEMS-based optical shutter design, fabrication, characterization, 3D camera system prototype and image test results.

Stellar Interferometer Technology Experiment (SITE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crawley, Edward F.; Miller, David; Laskin, Robert; Shao, Michael

1995-01-01

The MIT Space Engineering Research Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory stand ready to advance science sensor technology for discrete-aperture astronomical instruments such as space-based optical interferometers. The objective of the Stellar Interferometer Technology Experiment (SITE) is to demonstrate system-level functionality of a space-based stellar interferometer through the use of enabling and enhancing Controlled-Structures Technologies (CST). SITE mounts to the Mission Peculiar Experiment Support System inside the Shuttle payload bay. Starlight, entering through two apertures, is steered to a combining plate where it is interferred. Interference requires 27 nanometer pathlength (phasing) and 0.29 archsecond wavefront-tilt (pointing) control. The resulting 15 milli-archsecond angular resolution exceeds that of current earth-orbiting telescopes while maintaining low cost by exploiting active optics and structural control technologies. With these technologies, unforeseen and time-varying disturbances can be rejected while relaxing reliance on ground alignment and calibration. SITE will reduce the risk and cost of advanced optical space systems by validating critical technologies in their operational environment. Moreover, these technologies are directly applicable to commercially driven applications such as precision matching, optical scanning, and vibration and noise control systems for the aerospace, medical, and automotive sectors. The SITE team consists of experienced university, government, and industry researchers, scientists, and engineers with extensive expertise in optical interferometry, nano-precision opto-mechanical control and spaceflight experimentation. The experience exists and the technology is mature. SITE will validate these technologies on a functioning interferometer science sensor in order to confirm definitely their readiness to be baselined for future science missions.

Advanced biosensing methodologies developed for evaluating performance quality and safety of emerging biophotonics technologies and medical devices (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilev, Ilko K.; Walker, Bennett; Calhoun, William; Hassan, Moinuddin

2016-03-01

Biophotonics is an emerging field in modern biomedical technology that has opened up new horizons for transfer of state-of-the-art techniques from the areas of lasers, fiber optics and biomedical optics to the life sciences and medicine. This field continues to vastly expand with advanced developments across the entire spectrum of biomedical applications ranging from fundamental "bench" laboratory studies to clinical patient "bedside" diagnostics and therapeutics. However, in order to translate these technologies to clinical device applications, the scientific and industrial community, and FDA are facing the requirement for a thorough evaluation and review of laser radiation safety and efficacy concerns. In many cases, however, the review process is complicated due the lack of effective means and standard test methods to precisely analyze safety and effectiveness of some of the newly developed biophotonics techniques and devices. There is, therefore, an immediate public health need for new test protocols, guidance documents and standard test methods to precisely evaluate fundamental characteristics, performance quality and safety of these technologies and devices. Here, we will overview our recent developments of novel test methodologies for safety and efficacy evaluation of some emerging biophotonics technologies and medical devices. These methodologies are based on integrating the advanced features of state-of-the-art optical sensor technologies and approaches such as high-resolution fiber-optic sensing, confocal and optical coherence tomography imaging, and infrared spectroscopy. The presentation will also illustrate some methodologies developed and implemented for testing intraocular lens implants, biochemical contaminations of medical devices, ultrahigh-resolution nanoscopy, and femtosecond laser therapeutics.

Design and fabrication of a foldable 3D silicon based package for solid state lighting applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sokolovskij, R.; Liu, P.; van Zeijl, H. W.; Mimoun, B.; Zhang, G. Q.

2015-05-01

Miniaturization of solid state lighting (SSL) luminaires as well as reduction of packaging and assembly costs are of prime interest for the SSL lighting industry. A novel silicon based LED package for lighting applications is presented in this paper. The proposed design consists of 5 rigid Si tiles connected by flexible polyimide hinges with embedded interconnects (ICs). Electrical, optical and thermal characteristics were taken into consideration during design. The fabrication process involved polyimide (PI) application and patterning, aluminium interconnect integration in the flexible hinge, LED reflector cavity formation and metalization followed by through wafer DRIE etching for chip formation and release. A method to connect chip front to backside without TSVs was also integrated into the process. Post-fabrication wafer level assembly included LED mounting and wirebond, phosphor-based colour conversion and silicone encapsulation. The package formation was finalized by vacuum assisted wrapping around an assembly structure to form a 3D geometry, which is beneficial for omnidirectional lighting. Bending tests were performed on the flexible ICs and optical performance at different temperatures was evaluated. It is suggested that 3D packages can be expanded to platforms for miniaturized luminaire applications by combining monolithic silicon integration and system-in-package (SiP) technologies.

Advances in three-dimensional integral imaging: sensing, display, and applications [Invited].

PubMed

Xiao, Xiao; Javidi, Bahram; Martinez-Corral, Manuel; Stern, Adrian

2013-02-01

Three-dimensional (3D) sensing and imaging technologies have been extensively researched for many applications in the fields of entertainment, medicine, robotics, manufacturing, industrial inspection, security, surveillance, and defense due to their diverse and significant benefits. Integral imaging is a passive multiperspective imaging technique, which records multiple two-dimensional images of a scene from different perspectives. Unlike holography, it can capture a scene such as outdoor events with incoherent or ambient light. Integral imaging can display a true 3D color image with full parallax and continuous viewing angles by incoherent light; thus it does not suffer from speckle degradation. Because of its unique properties, integral imaging has been revived over the past decade or so as a promising approach for massive 3D commercialization. A series of key articles on this topic have appeared in the OSA journals, including Applied Optics. Thus, it is fitting that this Commemorative Review presents an overview of literature on physical principles and applications of integral imaging. Several data capture configurations, reconstruction, and display methods are overviewed. In addition, applications including 3D underwater imaging, 3D imaging in photon-starved environments, 3D tracking of occluded objects, 3D optical microscopy, and 3D polarimetric imaging are reviewed.

Laser induced single spot oxidation of titanium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jwad, Tahseen; Deng, Sunan; Butt, Haider; Dimov, S.

2016-11-01

Titanium oxides have a wide range of applications in industry, and they can be formed on pure titanium using different methods. Laser-induced oxidation is one of the most reliable methods due to its controllability and selectivity. Colour marking is one of the main applications of the oxidation process. However, the colourizing process based on laser scanning strategies is limited by the relative large processing area in comparison to the beam size. Single spot oxidation of titanium substrates is proposed in this research in order to increase the resolution of the processed area and also to address the requirements of potential new applications. The method is applied to produce oxide films with different thicknesses and hence colours on titanium substrates. High resolution colour image is imprinted on a sheet of pure titanium by converting its pixels' colours into laser parameter settings. Optical and morphological periodic surface structures are also produced by an array of oxide spots and then analysed. Two colours have been coded into one field and the dependencies of the reflected colours on incident and azimuthal angles of the light are discussed. The findings are of interest to a range of application areas, as they can be used to imprint optical devices such as diffusers and Fresnel lenses on metallic surfaces as well as for colour marking.

Geant4 calculations for space radiation shielding material Al2O3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capali, Veli; Acar Yesil, Tolga; Kaya, Gokhan; Kaplan, Abdullah; Yavuz, Mustafa; Tilki, Tahir

2015-07-01

Aluminium Oxide, Al2O3 is the most widely used material in the engineering applications. It is significant aluminium metal, because of its hardness and as a refractory material owing to its high melting point. This material has several engineering applications in diverse fields such as, ballistic armour systems, wear components, electrical and electronic substrates, automotive parts, components for electric industry and aero-engine. As well, it is used as a dosimeter for radiation protection and therapy applications for its optically stimulated luminescence properties. In this study, stopping powers and penetrating distances have been calculated for the alpha, proton, electron and gamma particles in space radiation shielding material Al2O3 for incident energies 1 keV - 1 GeV using GEANT4 calculation code.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Velocity Mapping in Chemical Engineering Applications.

PubMed

Gladden, Lynn F; Sederman, Andrew J

2017-06-07

This review aims to illustrate the diversity of measurements that can be made using magnetic resonance techniques, which have the potential to provide insights into chemical engineering systems that cannot readily be achieved using any other method. Perhaps the most notable advantage in using magnetic resonance methods is that both chemistry and transport can be followed in three dimensions, in optically opaque systems, and without the need for tracers to be introduced into the system. Here we focus on hydrodynamics and, in particular, applications to rheology, pipe flow, and fixed-bed and gas-solid fluidized bed reactors. With increasing development of industrially relevant sample environments and undersampling data acquisition strategies that can reduce acquisition times to <1 s, magnetic resonance is finding increasing application in chemical engineering research.

Online, offline, realtime: recent developments in industrial photogrammetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boesemann, Werner

2003-01-01

In recent years industrial photogrammetry has emerged from a highly specialized niche technology to a well established tool in industrial coordinate measurement applications with numerous installations in a significantly growing market of flexible and portable optical measurement systems. This is due to the development of powerful, but affordable video and computer technology. The increasing industrial requirements for accuracy, speed, robustness and ease of use of these systems together with a demand for the highest possible degree of automation have forced universities and system manufacturer to develop hard- and software solutions to meet these requirements. The presentation will show the latest trends in hardware development, especially new generation digital and/or intelligent cameras, aspects of image engineering like use of controlled illumination or projection technologies, and algorithmic and software aspects like automation strategies or new camera models. The basic qualities of digital photogrammetry- like portability and flexibility on one hand and fully automated quality control on the other - sometimes lead to certain conflicts in the design of measurement systems for different online, offline, or real-time solutions. The presentation will further show, how these tools and methods are combined in different configurations to be able to cover the still growing demands of the industrial end-users.

Photogrammetry in the line: recent developments in industrial photogrammetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boesemann, Werner

2003-05-01

In recent years industrial photogrammetry has emerged from a highly specialized niche technology to a well established tool in industrial coordinate measurement applications with numerous installations in a significantly growing market of flexible and portable optical measurement systems. This is due to the development of powerful, but affordable video and computer technology. The increasing industrial requirements for accuracy, speed, robustness and ease of use of these systems together with a demand for the highest possible degree of automation have forced universities and system manufacturers to develop hard- and software solutions to meet these requirements. The presentation will show the latest trends in hardware development, especially new generation digital and/or intelligent cameras, aspects of image engineering like use of controlled illumination or projection technologies,and algorithmic and software aspects like automation strategies or new camera models. The basic qualities of digital photogrammetry-like portability and flexibility on one hand and fully automated quality control on the other -- sometimes lead to certain conflicts in the design of measurement systems for different online, offline or real-time solutions. The presentation will further show, how these tools and methods are combined in different configurations to be able to cover the still growing demands of the industrial end-users.

Study of LED modulation effect on the photometric quantities and beam homogeneity of automotive lighting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koudelka, Petr; Hanulak, Patrik; Jaros, Jakub; Papes, Martin; Latal, Jan; Siska, Petr; Vasinek, Vladimir

2015-07-01

This paper discusses the implementation of a light emitting diode based visible light communication system for optical vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications in road safety applications. The widespread use of LEDs as light sources has reached into automotive fields. For example, LEDs are used for taillights, daytime running lights, brake lights, headlights, and traffic signals. Future in the optical vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications will be based on an optical wireless communication technology that using LED transmitter and a camera receiver (OCI; optical communication image sensor). Utilization of optical V2V communication systems in automotive industry naturally brings a lot of problems. Among them belongs necessity of circuit implementation into the current concepts of electronic LED lights control that allows LED modulation. These circuits are quite complicated especially in case of luxury cars. Other problem is correct design of modulation circuits so that final vehicle lightning using optical vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication meets standard requirements on Photometric Quantities and Beam Homogeneity. Authors of this article performed research on optical vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication possibilities of headlight (Jaguar) and taillight (Skoda) in terms of modulation circuits (M-PSK, M-QAM) implementation into the lamp concepts and final fulfilment of mandatory standards on Photometric Quantities and Beam Homogeneity.

The Development, Commercialization, and Impact of Optical Coherence Tomography.

PubMed

Fujimoto, James; Swanson, Eric

2016-07-01

This review was written for the special issue of IOVS to describe the history of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and its evolution from a nonscientific, historic perspective. Optical coherence tomography has become a standard of care in ophthalmology, providing real-time information on structure and function - diagnosing disease, evaluating progression, and assessing response to therapy, as well as helping to understand disease pathogenesis and create new therapies. Optical coherence tomography also has applications in multiple clinical specialties, fundamental research, and manufacturing. We review the early history of OCT describing how research and development evolves and the important role of multidisciplinary collaboration and expertise. Optical coherence tomography had its origin in femtosecond optics, but used optical communications technologies and required advanced engineering for early OCT prototypes, clinical feasibility studies, entrepreneurship, and corporate development in order to achieve clinical acceptance and clinical impact. Critical advances were made by early career researchers, clinician scientists, engineering experts, and business leaders, which enabled OCT to have a worldwide impact on health care. We introduce the concept of an "ecosystem" consisting of research, government funding, collaboration and competition, clinical studies, innovation, entrepreneurship and industry, and impact - all of which must work synergistically. The process that we recount is long and challenging, but it is our hope that it might inspire early career professionals in science, engineering, and medicine, and that the clinical and research community will find this review of interest.

UV-fibers: two decades of improvements for new applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, Karl-Friedrich; Khalilov, Valery K.

2015-03-01

Multimode UV-fibers with high-OH synthetic silica core and F-doped silica cladding have been available for over 40 years. At the beginning, the spectral UV-range above 250 nm wavelength was commonly used, because the generation of UV-absorbing defect centers prevented reliable light transfer below 250 nm; even light from a low-power broadband deuterium-lamp was sufficient to damage these UV-fibers of the 1st generation. However, even then, applications in the field of spectroscopy, laser light delivery, sensors and process control were discussed and improvements of fiber quality in this very interesting UVC range required by researchers and industrial end-users. Starting in 1993 with hydrogen-loaded fibers, further modification in preform and fiber manufacturing including additional fiber treatments lead to currently available hydrogen-free UV-fiber (4th generation) with significantly improved stability in the UVC, enabling routine use of optical fibers in this field. In addition to the UV-fiber improvements, some selected UV fiber-optic applications using broadband deuterium-lamps will be discussed. Finally, there is still room for further improvements, especially in combination with newly available pulsed UV light sources, which are low-cost, small sized and highly reliable.

Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for in-line monitoring of polymer extrusion processes.

PubMed

Rohe, T; Becker, W; Kölle, S; Eisenreich, N; Eyerer, P

1999-09-13

In recent years, near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has become an analytical tool frequently used in many chemical production processes. In particular, on-line measurements are of interest to increase process stability and to document constant product quality. Application to polymer processing e.g. polymer extrusion, could even increase product quality. Interesting parameters are composition of the processed polymer, moisture, or reaction status in reactive extrusion. For this issue a transmission sensor was developed for application of NIR spectroscopy to extrusion processes. This sensor includes fibre optic probes and a measuring cell to be adapted to various extruders for in-line measurements. In contrast to infrared sensors, it only uses optical quartz components. Extrusion processes at temperatures up to 300 degrees C and pressures up to 37 MPa have been investigated. Application of multivariate data analysis (e.g. partial least squares, PLS) demonstrated the performance of the system with respect to process monitoring: in the case of polymer blending, deviations between predicted and actual polymer composition were quite low (in the range of +/-0.25%). So the complete system is suitable for harsh industrial environments and could lead to improved polymer extrusion processes.

Recent developments of x-ray lithography in Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaker, Mohamed; Boily, Stephane; Ginovker, A.; Jean, Alain; Kieffer, Jean-Claude; Mercier, P. P.; Pepin, Henri; Leung, Pak; Currie, John F.; Lafontaine, Hugues

1991-08-01

An overview of current activities in Canada is reported, including x-ray lithography studies based on laser plasma sources and x-ray mask development. In particular, the application of laser plasma sources for x-ray lithography is discussed, taking into account the industrial requirement and the present state of laser technology. The authors describe the development of silicon carbide membranes for x-ray lithography application. SiC films were prepared using either a 100 kHz plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system or a laser ablation technique. These membranes have a relatively large diameter (> 1 in.) and a high optical transparency (> 50%). Experimental studies on stresses in tungsten films deposited with triode sputtering are reported.

Cellulose-silica/gold nanomaterials for electronic applications.

PubMed

Kim, Gwang-Hoon; Ramesh, Sivalingam; Kim, Joo-Hyung; Jung, Dongsoo; Kim, Heung Soo

2014-10-01

Cellulose and one dimensional nano-material composite has been investigated for various industrial applications due to their optical, mechanical and electrical properties. In present investigation, cellulose/silica and silica-gold hybrid biomaterials were prepared by sol-gel covalent cross-linking process. The tetraethoxysiliane (TEOS) and gold precursors and γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (γ-APTES) as coupling agent were used for sol-gel cross-linking process. The chemical and morphological properties of cellulose/silica and cellulose/silica-gold nano-materials via covalent cross-linking hybrids were confirmed by FTIR, XRD, SEM, and TEM analysis. In the sol-gel process, the inorganic particles were dispersed in the cellulose host matrix at the nanometer scale, bonding to the cellulose through the covalent bonds.