Photonics.com - January 2010

Business

FTC Preserves Niche Laser Market In a move to preserve competition in the North American market for laser microdissection devices, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that it will require the divestiture of ...

Azores Hires Veteran for Asia Operations Azores Corp., an advanced photolithography stepper manufacturer, has announced the appointment of Yeong C. Oh as its general manager of Korean and Japanese operations. With 20 ...

Bell Labs Researcher Wins Tyndall Award Alcatel-Lucent announced that Dr. Randy Giles, director of the optical subsystems and advanced photonics department at Bell Laboratories, has received the 2010 John Tyndall Award, ...

EuroPIC Project Launched in Europe The European Manufacturing Platform for Photonic Integrated Circuits (EuroPIC) has received €3.75 million in funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme to effec...

Raydiance Teams with NASA Raydiance Corp., developer of the first commercial-grade ultrafast laser, today announced it has partnered with the Small Spacecraft Div. in the Engineering Directorate at ...

Photronics Promotes Burr to VP Photronics Inc., a global manufacturer of photomasks, has announced that Richelle E. Burr has been promoted to vice president and general counsel. Burr, who has served as corporate coun...

Elliot, Akela Laser Pen Agreement Elliot Scientific Ltd., an optomechanic, laser, cryogenic, magnetic, telecom and datacom components and systems supplier, has signed a distribution agreement with Akela Laser Corp...

NanoGram Hires Corbin as CEO NanoGram Corp., a manufacturer of advanced materials and solutions for energy, optical and electronic materials, has hired Dave Corbin as chief executive officer. Since commenci...

IPG Photonics Buys Photonics Innovations High-power fiber lasers and amplifiers maker IPG Photonics Corp. announced today that it has entered the emerging middle-infrared laser space with the acquisition of privately held Phot...

Qioptiq Appoints CEO, Rebrands Qioptiq, a global manufacturer of photonic products and solutions, announced a number of changes at this year’s SPIE Photonics West, including the appointment of a new CEO, Fredrik...

Elbit Purchases Azimuth Elbit Systems’ wholly owned subsidiary, Elbit Security Systems Ltd., has announced that it has purchased the remaining shares of Azimuth Technologies Ltd. for approximately $46.5 m...

Agilent Acquires Novelx

Novelx, a Lafayette, Calif.-based maker of field emission scanning electron microscopes (SEMs), has been acquired by measurement company Agilent Technologies for an undisclosed amo...

Halma Acquires SphereOptics Safety, health and sensor technology group Halma announced Friday it has acquired SphereOptics LLC for an initial cash consideration of $2.5 million. The Jan. 19 transaction wa...

LEDs Light Up University Center The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is embarking on a sustainable energy/energy-saving lighting project at the University’s Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. ...

Opnext Hires Head of Investor Relations Opnext Inc., an optical modules, components and subsystems manufacturer, has announced that Steve Pavlovich has joined the company as its vice president of investor relations. Pavl...

Web Site Launched at UltraVolt Twelve years after its advent, UltraVolt Inc., a standard-product high-voltage power supply manufacturer, has completed its next generation company Web site. The new site ...

Tessera Ships One-Millionth Lens Miniaturization technologies distributor Tessera Technologies Inc., has announced that it has shipped more than one million OptiML single-element video graphics array (VGA) lenses ...

Oclaro Offers Lifetime Warranties Oclaro Inc., an optical components provider for industrial applications, has announced it will provide lifetime warranties for its line of Clarity fluorescence filters used in biom...

Management Changes Announced at T-Ray Medical imaging products developer T-Ray Science Inc., has announced three management appointments to underscore its focus on product realization and revenue generation. T...

Suss Expands in Wafer-level Camera Apps Suss MicroTec, a supplier of process and test solutions for the semiconductor industry and related markets, announced that Q-Technology Limited (Q Tech), manufacturer of compact camera modules for...

Prysm’s LPD Technology Aimed at AVs Following its public launch last week, Prysm Inc. announced today that it will target the commercial audiovisual (AV) marketplace with its new technology, laser phosphor display (L...

Bruker Appoints Optics Div. President

Scientific instruments company, Bruker Corp., has announced the appointment of Urban Faeh as president of its Optics Div., effective immediately. At a later date, Faeh also will be...

Kodak Alleges Patent Infringement Eastman Kodak Co. announced that it has filed lawsuits against Apple Inc. and Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) alleging the infringement of its digital imaging technology. In the complaint, which...

Carl Zeiss Meditec Taps New CEO Carl Zeiss Meditec AG has announced that Dr. Ludwin Monz, 46, will become the chief executive officer, effective after the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on March 4, 2010. Monz will succeed Dr....

Laser Energetics Garners Laser Order Laser Energetics Inc., a strategic laser product line developer, has received an order from an undisclosed distributor in Ohio for its Dazer Laser units. The distributor h...

Zygo to Acquire Zemetrics Zygo Corp., an optical systems and components manufacturer, has agreed to acquire Zemetrics Inc. of Tucson, Ariz., an optical metrology s...

Thermo Fisher Buys Ahura Scientific Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ahura Scientific of Wilmington, Mass., a field-deployed analytical instruments leader, for $145 million i...

GE Lighting Solutions Formed GE Lighting, a unit of GE Appliances & Lighting, has established GE Lighting Solutions to better serve its customers and enable profitable growth. The new venture combines its light-emitting...

CVI Selects Israel Sales Rep Global photonics products provider CVI Melles Griot, has named MDE Optics Ltd. as its exclusive sales representative in Israel. Located in Yavne, near Rehovot, MDE will represent the US company’s...

Oclaro to Present Diode Bar Results Oclaro Inc., an optical components provider for industrial applications, will present its results on high-power laser diode bars in Quasi Continuous Wave (QCW) operation at Photonics West on Jan. 26...

Ferro Receives $1M Solar Grant Ferro Electronic Materials of Cleveland, a materials supplier for fabricating photovoltaic solar cells, was awarded a $1 million grant by the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) to develop advanced...

VivoSight Gains 510(k) Clearance The London-based developer and manufacturer of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) products, Michelson Diagnostics Ltd. has been awarded 510(k) clearance from the US Food & Drug Administration...

EOS Appoints Stiefel to BoD Electro-Optical Sciences Inc. (EOS), an Irvington, NY-based medical technology company focusing on the early detection of melanoma, announced Charles Stiefel has been named to the company’s board of...

Lasers Steal the Show

Advances that enable new treatments for cancer, better energy-efficient lighting, more robust communications systems, and other quality-of-life improvements will take center stage this month at SPIE...

Suss MicroTec Buys HamaTech

Suss MicroTec AG has concluded contract negotiations to acquire HamaTech APE GmbH & Co. KG for €9 million ($13 million). The transaction, which began in December, is set to be completed this month.

Watkins Joins Bridgelux as CEO Sunnyvale, Calif.-based solid-state lighting company Bridgelux Inc. announced the appointment, effective immediately, of William D. Watkins as CEO and a member of its board. Mark Swoboda, the...

BioTek Expands into Switzerland BioTek Instruments, a manufacturer of microplate instrumentation and software headquartered in Winooski, Vt., has established a European direct sales and service organization, BioTek Instruments...

GigOptix Appoints Sales VP GigOptix Inc., a fabless supplier of high-speed analog components located in Palo Alto, Calif., announced that 20-year semiconductor sales veteran Jay de la Barre is its new vice president of optical...

Hannon Named NP Photonics VP Tucson, Ariz.-based NP Photonics, a maker of advanced microfiber products for sensing and scientific applications, has named Terry Hannon as vice president of marketing and sales. Hannon most...

Qioptiq CEO Bazire Steps Down Paris-based optics company Qioptiq announced today that Benoît Bazire is leaving after 10 years as CEO. Qioptiq, formerly known as High Tech Optics, was acquired by Candover in a buyout from Thales...

NASA Taps Boston Micromachines Boston Micromachines Corp., provider of MEMS-based deformable mirror (DM) products for adaptive optics systems, announced that it has been selected by NASA for two Phase 1 contracts. NASA’s Small...

Ascent Solar Hires New VPs Ascent Solar Technologies Inc. a developer of state of the art flexible thin-film solar modules based in Thornton, Colo., has announced the hiring of two new vice presidents to its ranks. Zane Rakes...

Dilas Names Japan Distributor Dilas of Mainz, Germany, announced it has signed a distribution agreement with LxRay Co. Ltd., of Saitama, Japan, to serve the Japanese market with its high-power diode lasers, effective Jan. 1....

OFH Acquires Actuality Optical product developer Optics for Hire (OFH) acquired the intellectual property portfolio and other assets of Actuality Systems Inc., including 3-D image projection patents and numerous patent...

Syntec Optics Unveils Cleanroom Custom polymer optics maker Syntec Optics unveiled its new Class 10,000 cleanroom at its Pavilion, N.Y., headquarters today. The cleanroom will be used for assembly and testing of precision polymer...

TT Electronics Restructures Sales Electronics manufacturer TT electronics of Corpus Christi, Texas, has restructured its North American sales operations, creating an integrated sales and marketing team to represent its component...

Nothhaft to Lead Tessera Board Tessera Technologies Inc. of San Jose, Calif., announced today that President and CEO Henry R. Nothhaft was appointed chairman of its board, effective Jan. 1. Formerly the vice chairman, Nothhaft...

POG Forms US Subsidiary Präzisionsoptik Gera GmbH (POG) of Gera, Germany, announced it formed a US subsidiary, Precision Optics Gera Corp., effective Jan. 1. Buzz Nesti is president of the Florida-based subsidiary; Glen...

Obama Hires Raytheon Exec

The Obama administration has announced the appointment of Amanda Simpson as a senior technical advisor to the US Department of Commerce, working in the Bureau of Industry and Security. Simpson, who...

Jenoptik Subsidiaries Merge MEMS Optical Inc. of Huntsville, Ala., and Jenoptik Polymer Systems Inc. of Rochester, N.Y., merged with Jenoptik Optical Systems Inc. in Jupiter, Fla., to create a single corporation for the...

Research & Technology

Innovators Win Prism Awards

Ten cutting-edge products in nine categories, including optics, lasers, and photonics systems, were named the most innovative of 2009 Wednesday night during the second annual ...

Laser Gauges Diamond’s Strength

Diamond, one of the hardest solids on Earth, is so strong that it can easily cut through glass and steel. Surprisingly, very little is known about the strength of diamond at ex...

Gecko Grip Given to Any Surface

A graduate student at Rice University has devised a way to transfer the gravity-defying grip of a gecko – so strong it can stick to even glass – from any surface to anoth...

Faster-Than-Light Photons

By adding a single, strategically placed layer, a group of researchers sped up photons to seemingly faster-than-light speeds through a stack of materials. This experimental demonstration confirmed...

Lidar Images Haiti Disaster

In the aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake that struck Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, scientists from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) are sweeping the leveled city with h...

X-rays Could Improve Grain

Pioneering research combining plant breeding and high-intensity synchrotron x-rays is being used to explore the possibility of creating a healthier, more mineral-rich flour. Sc...

Sensor Creates Glucose Breathalyzer

A new biomedical sensor could provide fresh, inexpensive diagnosis and treatment methods for people suffering from a variety of diseases. University of Florida engineers have d...

How ‘Random’ Lasers Work

When University of Utah scientists discovered a new kind of laser that was generated by an electrically conducting plastic or polymer, no one could explain how it worked, and some d...

Defect-free Thin Films Realized To make thin films for semiconductors in electronic devices, layers of atoms must be grown in neat, crystalline sheets. But while some materials grow smooth crystals, others tend t...

UV LED Reduces Epileptic Seizures UV LED therapy tested on rats with epilepsy shows promise as a technique for preventing focal seizures in humans. Researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School, l...

Light Kills Germs

In the battle against bacteria, researchers at the University of Illinois are using visible light to destroy harmful bacteria and viruses, even in the dark. Based upon a new ca...

Blue/Violet Light Aid Ozone Detectors A highly sensitive, miniaturized chemical sensor that takes advantage of blue- to violet-wavelengths of light has been developed to detect ozone levels. Created at the Fraunhofer I...

Epitaxic Graphene Demonstrated

A collaborative research project has brought the world a step closer to producing a new material on which future nanotechnology could be based. Researchers across Europe, including...

Mini ‘Scope May Aid Cancer Surgery A new, in vivo microscopic imaging technology has led to the development of a technique that may help improve outcomes of surgery to remove pancreatic cancer. The technique was the result of work...

Mirrors Replace Lenses in UAVs

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) carry optical measuring equipment that is required to operate free of chromatic aberrations across a wide spectral range – from ultraviolet to infra...

Earth’s UV Signature Revealed

On its way to rendezvous with a comet, the spacecraft Rosetta turned an eye toward Earth and recorded its ultraviolet signature. The information it collected may help astrobiologis...

Light Tied in Knots

A branch of abstract mathematics inspired by knots that occur in shoelaces and rope has been used to design holograms capable of creating knots in optical vortices.

THz Laser Tuning Detects Substances at Airports – and Elsewhere

Detecting dangerous materials at airports is a high security priority, and the Christmas Day events in an airplane over Detroit served to put a new spotlight on materials detection. One challenge for...

Exoplanet's Spectrum Revealed

By studying a triple planetary system that resembles a scaled-up version of our sun’s family of planets, astronomers have obtained the first direct spectrum of a planet orbiting a distant star,...

Photonic Chip Holds World Map

Using high-resolution optical lithography techniques important in microelectronics fabrication, researchers in Belgium produced a terascale world map with a circumference of only 40 µm, or about half...

QCLs: More Light, Less Heat Northwestern University researchers developed compact, mid-infrared laser diodes that generate more light than heat – a breakthrough in quantum cascade laser (QCL) efficiency and an important step...

Insectlike Night Cameras

A collaboration between biologists and mathematicians at Lund University in Sweden and car maker Toyota aims to develop a new type of color camera inspired by the nocturnal vision of insects to help...

LHC Records 1M Collisions

Three Iowa State University physicists who took winter trips to the Large Hadron Collider for meetings and experimental work are starting to see real data from the planet’s biggest science experiment...

Single Cycle of Light Pulsed

Extremely short laser pulses – the duration of only one cycle of light – have been generated at the 1.5-µm wavelength used to transmit data, an achievement that could benefit frequency metrology and...

Light Silences Brain Cells

Neuroscientists at MIT developed a powerful new class of tools to reversibly shut down brain activity using different colors of light. When targeted to specific neurons, such tools could lead to new...

Some Like It Hot

Normally, microelectronic chips designed to take pressure readings are very delicate. But a new technology developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronics Circuits and Systems (IMS) makes...

News & Features

Mirrors Replace Lenses in UAVs

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) carry optical measuring equipment that is required to operate free of chromatic aberrations across a wide spectral range – from ultraviolet to infra...

Lasers Steal the Show

Suss MicroTec Buys HamaTech

Suss MicroTec AG has concluded contract negotiations to acquire HamaTech APE GmbH & Co. KG for €9 million ($13 million). The transaction, which began in December, is set to be completed this month.

Exoplanet's Spectrum Revealed

By studying a triple planetary system that resembles a scaled-up version of our sun’s family of planets, astronomers have obtained the first direct spectrum of a planet orbiting a distant star,...

Photonic Chip Holds World Map

Insectlike Night Cameras

LHC Records 1M Collisions

Single Cycle of Light Pulsed

Some Like It Hot

acquisitions

Zygo to Acquire Zemetrics Zygo Corp., an optical systems and components manufacturer, has agreed to acquire Zemetrics Inc. of Tucson, Ariz., an optical metrology s...

Suss MicroTec Buys HamaTech

Suss MicroTec AG has concluded contract negotiations to acquire HamaTech APE GmbH & Co. KG for €9 million ($13 million). The transaction, which began in December, is set to be completed this month.

Products

Axio CSM 700 Microscope

THORNWOOD, N.Y., Jan. 29, 2010 – Carl Zeiss MicroImaging Inc. has expanded the functions on its Axio CSM 700 confocal light microscope to enable materials scientists to measure the 3-D topography over large sample areas more conveniently and with greater flexibility. The company offers a motorized scanning stage with a 150 × 150-mm travel range that is suitable for materials research, quality inspection and routine...

Carl Zeiss Microscopy LLC

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Optical Tweezer System

HARPENDEN, UK, Jan. 28, 2010 – Elliot Scientific Ltd. has introduced a new version of its E3500 computer-controlled multiple-trap optical tweezer system with E4100 quadrant photodetector (QPD) force measurement capability. The...

Elliot Scientific Ltd.

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Surface-Mount LEDs

LATHAM, N.Y., Jan. 28, 2010 – Marktech Optoelectronics has launched the MTPS4088CP surface-mount point source LED that is designed to deliver precise and consistent performance in demanding environments where space constraints...

Marktech Optoelectronics Inc.

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Lightningcure LC-L3

BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Jan. 27, 2010 – Hamamatsu Corp. has introduced its newest UV spot light source unit, the Lightningcure LC-L3, featuring nine high-output UV-LEDs that emit at 365 or 385 nm, depending upon the model. It delivers...

Hamamatsu Corporation

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Pyroelectric Detectors

LOGAN, Utah, Jan. 26, 2010 -- Ophir-Spiricon Inc. has announced the PE25BF-DIF and PE100BF-DIF, the newest members of its line of pyroelectric detectors for repetitive pulses. These energy sensors provide a high damage threshold,...

MKS Ophir, Light & Measurement

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Hyper-Cam FAST-IR

QUEBEC CITY, Jan. 25, 2010 – Telops Inc. has developed a line of advanced infrared cameras designed for use by research scientists and infrared experts. The Hyper-Cam FAST-IR is a 1000-fps full-frame camera that enables...

Telops Inc.

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Colored-Glass Alternative Filters

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 22, 2010 – Newport Corp. has introduced a series of colored-glass alternative filters that exhibit durability and wavelength stability in any environment. Available are 34 long-wave pass thin-film filters in...

MKS/Newport

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Fiber-Pigtailed Diode Laser

CENTRAL POINT, Ore., Jan. 21, 2010 – Diode Laser Concepts Inc. has added fiber pigtailed diode laser systems to its product offerings with the introduction of Teleos. Delivering good optical stability and performance, the OEM...

Diode Laser Concepts Inc.

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Ultramini Board Cameras

GREENVILLE, R.I., Jan. 21, 2010 – Videology Imaging Solutions has introduced an ultrasmall 14 × 14-mm CMOS VGA color camera series for applications in environmentally demanding OEM markets. The CMOS ¼-in. imagers are...

Videology Industrial-Grade Cameras

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Photron Fastcam Viewer Software

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 21, 2010 – Photron Inc. has updated its Photron Fastcam Viewer (PFV) software for advanced functionality in high-speed camera control and slow-motion video replay. The new intuitive user interface provides easy...

Photron USA Inc.

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Pulseo 355-nm Industrial Laser

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 21, 2010 – Spectra-Physics, a Newport Corp. Brand, has announced an addition to its Pulseo family of Q-switched diode-pumped solid-state industrial lasers. The rugged and reliable Pulseo 355-10 provides 10 W of...

MKS/Spectra-Physics

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BOA Vision System

BILLERICA, Mass., Jan. 20, 2010 – Dalsa Corp. has announced the availability of color processing for its BOA vision system, a highly integrated smart camera. Supported with a full suite of vision tools, the new color version of the...

Teledyne DALSA, North American Sales (Machine Vision)

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Crystal Fibre Series

BIRKERØD, Denmark, Jan. 14, 2010 – NKT Photonics A/S has introduced a new version of its Crystal Fibre series double-clad rod-type fiber for use in high-performance fiber amplifiers. The DC-285/100-PM-Yb-ROD is based on proprietary...

NKT Photonics A/S

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Laser Microgage 2-D Display

PEABODY, Mass., Jan. 14, 2010 – Pinpoint Laser Systems Inc. has launched a storage display to be used with its Laser Microgage 2-D family of products. The Microgage 2-D Display is fully compatible with the company’s existing 2-D...

Pinpoint Laser Systems

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Mendocino Laser

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan. 13, 2010 – Calmar Laser Inc. has released the all-fiber-based Mendocino femtosecond OEM module laser that generates average output power of 50 mW with 780-nm ultrafast pulses and is supplied in a compact and...

Calmar Laser

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Breakthrough Detector Technology

Princeton Instruments is poised to announce the launch of the new eXcelon back-illuminated charge-coupled device (CCD) and electron-multiplication CCD (EMCCD) detector technology that is ready to...

Teledyne Princeton Instruments

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*NEW* SQUIGGLE RV Miniature Motor

NEW SCALE, manufacturer of ingeniously small motion control systems, announces the industry’s smallest piezo motor system, the SQUIGGLERV linear drive. The first piezo drive powered directly from a...

New Scale Technologies Inc.

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CODE V 10.2 Software

PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 12, 2010 – CODE V 10.2, the newest release of the optical design software from Optical Research Associates, delivers a number of enhancements that simplify its use and provide greater flexibility for operators....

Synopsys Inc., Optical Solutions Group

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Clara Camera

BELFAST, Norrthern Ireland, Jan. 11, 2010 – Andor Technology plc has announced higher performance for its Clara interline CCD camera. Based on measured quality control data from the first 200 cameras built, the company says that it has reduced...

Andor Technology

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DécorLED Bulbs

TORRANCE, Calif., Jan. 11, 2010 – New members in its series of high-brightness, energy-efficient LED replacements for A19-style lightbulbs for home and commercial use have been announced by LEDtronics Inc. The DEC-A19-5X1W DécorLED...

LEDtronics Inc.

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Three-CCD Multispectral Cameras

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 8, 2010 – FluxData Inc. has added a Gigabit Ethernet connectivity option to its FD-1665 three-CCD multispectral imaging camera product line. It is supplied in the same compact 121.9 × 88.9 × 111.8 form...

FluxData Inc.

Laser Diode Thermoelectric Chillers

The LDT-53500 Series of Laser Diode Thermoelectric Chillers are designed specifically for high power laser diode temperature control applications. Two models are available with 200W and 375W cooling...

Newport - ILX Lightwave, Photonics

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Mai Tai® SP Ultrafast Laser

The Spectra-Physics Mai Tai SP is the most stable and first fully-automated, short-pulse oscillator for amplifier seeding. The Mai Tai SP features completely computer adjustable bandwidth for pulse...

MKS/Newport

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Power Measurement Detectors

NEWBURYPORT, Mass., Jan. 6, 2010 – Gigahertz-Optik Inc. has introduced the ISD-1.6-Si-1 and the ISD-1.6-Si-FC-1 radiant power measurement detectors featuring a compact 16-mm-diameter integrating sphere for small-size beam emitter-type...

Gigahertz-Optik Inc.

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Stradus Diode Laser Modules

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Jan. 5, 2010 – Vortran Laser Technology Inc. has announced the Stradus family of laser diode modules that deliver digital modulation at 200 MHz. The product line is available in popular wavelengths used for...

Vortran Laser Technology

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g2T Beam Profiling, Scanning System

DORTMUND, Germany, Jan. 4, 2010 – LIMO Lissotschenko Mikrooptik GmbH has introduced the g2T beam profiler and scanning system, a two-in-one system that combines two optical concepts: the transformation of Gaussian beams into...

LIMO GmbH

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340PS, 340PSL Dispensing Valves

TORRINGTON, Conn., Jan. 4, 2010 – Tridak is offering the Model 340PS and the Model 340PSL positive-displacement dispensing valves for accurate and repeatable fluid dispensing. Both valves offer true positive-displacement operation...

Tridak LLC