Thin, inexpensive plastic lenses for IR imaging devices can be manufactured from waste sulfur generated by refining fossil fuels. The plastic is transparent to wavelengths from 3 to 5 µm, has a refractive index between 1.865 and 1.745, and has high optical focusing power, according to...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESInfrared Detector Improves Night-Vision Capabilities at Room TemperatureResearchers at the University of Central Florida (UCF) have devised a strategy for uncooled, tunable, multispectral infrared (IR) detection. The team showed that room-temperature photodetection using...Photonics.com 10/25/2019Stealth Sheet Conceals Hot Objects from IRAn ultrathin cloaking material has been developed that can hide hot objects, such as human bodies and military vehicles, from IR cameras. The new “stealth sheet” is <1 m thick and...Photonics Spectra September 2018 IssuePolymer Lenses Could Lower IR Detection Costs for Consumer ProductsA team led by University of Arizona materials scientist Jeffrey Pyun is using a sulfur-based polymer made from waste generated by fossil fuels to develop consumer-grade infrared (IR) plastic lenses....Photonics.com 10/30/2019New Lens Could Provide Thermal Imaging Capabilities in More Compact CameraUniversity of Utah researchers have developed a new kind of flat optical lens that is much thinner and lighter than conventional camera lenses. While conventional lenses for smartphone cameras are a...Photonics Spectra December 2019 IssuePRODUCTSFixed Focal LensThe M112FM wide-angle machine vision lens from Tamron Co. Ltd. is designed for high-resolution sensors. The M112FM fixed-focal lens supports the latest large-format imaging sensors up to 1 to...Vision Spectra Autumn 2019 IssueAutomotive and Industrial Vision CamerasDesignCore D3RCM Rugged Camera Modules from D3 Engineering LLC integrate OmniVision or SONY image sensors with Texas Instruments’ FPD-Link III SerDes for full digital performance and superior...Photonics.com 8/30/2018Continuous Monitoring SystemThe Iris CM™ from RDI Technologies Inc. is a continuous monitoring camera system that allows users to monitor an asset with three different cameras over an extended period of time. The...Photonics Spectra December 2019 IssueNovel Mirror MountA novel mirror mount from JAID Technologies Inc. can be used in the laboratory and OEM assemblies. Its patent pending design allows it to be firmly locked, at which time it becomes insensitive...Photonics.com 10/14/2019PHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESCamera Resolution: Combining Detector and Optics Performance: Most image-quality discussions center on resolution, which is thought to uniquely determine system performance. Resolution, however, is a more complex concept.Camera resolution depends upon the optical blur diameter and the detector size. Schade combined these to create an equivalent resolution that is a function of Fλ/d where F is the focal ratio,...Photonics HandbookAspheric Lenses: Design Considerations: This first of two articles will cover design and manufacturing options for aspheres; the second will include more detail on manufacturing and testing processes. These articles will provide the tools optics designers need to tailor their designs to the appropriate manufacturing process and to optimize the cost of component fabrication.Aspheric surfaces are powerful tools that combine the optical corrections of multiple lenses into a single element (Figure 1) and affect performance in ways that spherical optics cannot. For example,...Photonics HandbookDigital Still Cameras: The Changing Face of Imaging: The digital camera reflects a sea change in the compact camera market. While the 20th was the century of film cameras, the 21st belongs to the digital camera.The digital camera represents an integration of optics, mechanics and electronics consisting of three layers (Figures 1a, b and c). The top and the middle layers are printed circuit boards (PCBs),...Photonics HandbookSWIR Imaging: An Industrial Processing Tool: Short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging with InGaAs-based cameras is well suited to nondestructive identification of materials, their composition, coatings and other characteristics.Imaging has long been used in industrial processes to measure, monitor, control or otherwise manage the production of goods. The challenge to the process designer is to develop a tool that captures...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSKey Considerations when Designing and Implementing an Outdoor-Ready Smart Imaging SystemThe key to a successful all-in-one imaging system is the use of embedded systems – especially when it comes to designing a custom proprietary system. This white paper walks you through key elements...Photonics.com 1/26/2018Replacing Hard to Source and Obsolete Optical ComponentsPeriodically organisations are faced with replacing hard to source or obsolete optical components within their camera, sensor, or instrument systems. It is at this critical point that you have to...Photonics.com 5/24/2019Is It True That Cooled Cameras are More Sensitive than Non-cooled Cameras?The temperature has a significant impact on certain noise sources prevalent in cameras, which contribute to the total readout noise of an image sensor. When electronic devices are operated...Photonics.com 3/19/2019The Future of Optics: How Optical Product Design will Change the WorldNew technologies are creating new opportunities in the optomechanical engineering space. Prepare for what lies ahead in optical product design by reading what 13 experts have to say about how optical...Photonics.com 8/31/2018WEBINARSDevelopments in Optics and Optical ComponentsFree Webinar Additional Questions & Answers from the Webinar below: Speakers: Dr. Robert R. McLeod Associate Professor and Graduate Director Electrical, Computer and Energy...Photonics.com 5/29/2013Emergence of Freeform Optics in Imaging Systems: A Leap ForwardFollowing a brief introduction, professor Jannick Rolland will discuss the historical context and applications for freeform optics. She will then present mathematical descriptions and the latest...Photonics.com 2/27/2019Techniques in Biophotonic ImagingFREE WEBINAR Sponsored by: Hamamatsu & Applied Scientific Instrumentation Additional Questions & Answers from the webinar are below: Dr. Kimani C. Toussaint Jr. Quantitative...Photonics.com 3/21/2013Holography for Display: From AR to HUD to 3DThis webinar will discuss the technology of holographic optical elements and their use in display systems where the size and weight of optics must be constrained. While a true holographic...Photonics.com 6/12/2018PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSplastic opticsThe integration of plastic materials into optical applications. When the materials are refined into lenses, prisms and mirrors, they serve the purpose of glass optics at a lower cost and a...EDU.photonics.com 3/24/2016Geometrical opticsThe area of optics in which the propagation of light is described by geometrical lines (or rays) governed by Fermat's Principle. Geometrical optics is useful as long as the objects in which the light...EDU.photonics.com 3/5/2018pulse video thermography (PVT)A noncontact, nondestructive method of measuring defects in thin composite materials, using a xenon flashtube to generate heat in a sample. A thermal imaging system detects differences in the rates...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009metamaterialA material engineered from artificial matter not found in nature. The artificial makeup and design of metamaterials give them intrinsic properties not common to conventional materials that are...EDU.photonics.com 2/15/2013MEDIAPhotonics on the Showroom Floor and in the Lab - LIGHT MATTERS 02.2018On this month's episode of Light Matters, we take you on a brief tour of the Higgins Laboratories at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Quinsigamond Community College and WPI received a $4M grant...Photonics.com 2/21/2018PIC Fundamentals, Design at Heart of AIM Photonics Summer AcademyStudents from large and small size companies and bigger Department of Defense affiliates of the AIM Photonics Institute took part in the recent AIM Photonics Summer Academy at MIT. This was the third...Photonics.com 7/30/2018Capasso Group Revolutionizes Flat LensesResearchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed a single flat lens that can focus the entire visible spectrum of light in the same spot and in...Photonics.com 7/5/2018Light Matters Extra: Weird and Strange: Quantum Photonics - 03.2018In this month's Light Matters Extra, we take you to the Quantum Photonics Laboratory at MIT run by Dr. Dirk Englund. Dr. Englund's group, the Quantum Photonics Group, is made up of postdocs and...Photonics.com 3/29/2018PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESMid-Infrared CamerasThermal-Infrared CamerasMid-Infrared Fiber Optic FibersTelevision LensesCOMPANIESII-VI Optical SystemsAs a vertically integrated provider, II-VI Optical Systems is uniquely positioned to meet the critical and complex design, engineering and production requirements of customers in the aerospace and...Photonics Buyers' GuideA.R.W. Optical CorporationARW Optical is your reliable manufacturer of quality optics and coatings. Beamsplitters • Prototyping through volume-production quantities • High-performance and durable optical...Photonics Buyers' GuideMeller Optics Inc.Meller Optics has been providing high quality optics to defense, medical, laser and industrial markets for over 50 years. Specializing in grinding and polishing of hard, durable materials such as...Photonics Buyers' GuideLaCroix Precision OpticsOptics that Defend, Build, Cure and Discover The LaCroix name is synonymous with quality precision optics. Since 1947, three generations of family leadership have placed LaCroix Precision Optics...Photonics Buyers' Guide