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Photonics.com
July 2006

RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY

Study to Examine How Headlight Glare Affects Drivers, Road Safety Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lighting Research Center (LRC) in Troy, N.Y., has received a two-year, $890,012 award from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) to...

ILX Offers Free Laser Reliability Tool ILX Lightwave, a Bozeman, Mont., developer of laser diode instrumentation and test systems for research, development and manufacturing, is offering version 2.01 of its Laser Reliability Workbook,...

NEWS & FEATURES

Substance in Blue Crab Shells is Key to Nanosensor

A substance found in blue crab shells is a key component in a new nanoscale sensor system that can detect minute quantities of explosives, bioagents, chemicals and other dangerous materials in air and water. The sensor combines biotechnology and nanotechnology and could lead to the development of new systems to address critical homeland security needs. Chesapeake Bay blue crab. (Images: Clark...

Biotech Startup Granted $1.65M for 'Molecular Beacon'

A company co-founded by a Georgia Institute of Technology researcher has received a $1.65 million federal grant to develop and commercialize a nanoscale sensor called a “molecular beacon” for the...

Time Warner Telecom to Acquire Xspedius for $531.5M Telecommunications service provider Time Warner Telecom Inc. announced it will acquire privately held Xspedius Communications LLC for $531.5 million in a cash and stock transaction. Under the...

'Magnetic Semiconductors' Built, Atom by Atom

By using a new technique to replace atoms in a semiconductor with metal atoms -- one atom at a time using a scanning tunneling microscope -- scientists have assembled a magnetic semiconductor. The...

PerkinElmer Acquires JN Macri Technologies and NTD Labs Health science and photonics technology developer PerkinElmer Inc. announced today it has completed the acquisition of JN Macri Technologies LLC and that it has acquired NTD Laboratories Inc., based...

PNNL Physicist Wins Presidential Honor

Materials physicist Yanwen Zhang of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory received the 2005 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) yesterday -- the highest honor...

New Materials Boost Organic Solar Cell's Performance New materials have been integrated into an organic solar cell that double its open-circuit voltage and demonstrate the potential to make highly efficient photovoltaic cells much less expensively...

Saul Perlmutter Awarded Feltrinelli Prize

Saul Perlmutter was named the winner of the 2006 International Antonio Feltrinelli Prize in the physical and mathematical sciences, awarded once every five years in that field by Italy's Accademia...

Global Coral Reef Assessment Built on NASA Images

A first-of-its-kind survey of how well the world's coral reefs are being protected was made possible by a unique collection of NASA views from space. A team of international researchers using...

Luminescent Sensor Enables Biomedical Imaging A new way of detecting zinc in the body -- a luminescent probe that changes when the element is present -- could one day help doctors detect illnesses such as cancer. Simon Pope and colleagues in...

Emcore Selling Div. to IQE Emcore Corp., a provider of compound semiconductor solutions for the broadband and wireless communications and solid-state lighting markets, announced that it will sell its US epitaxial foundry...

Metamaterials Used to Alter Light's Path, Speed

By using man-made materials -- so-called metamaterials -- researchers have been able to manipulate light's direction and speed and have seemingly rewritten established laws on light refraction, all...

Thales Sells Navigation Div. Thales agreed last week to sell its Thales Navigation Div. to an investment group led by Santa Clara-based technology private equity firm Shah Capital Partners (SCP) for $170 million. Thales...

Scientists Unveil 'Nanoegg' The nanoegg, the latest in a line of man-made, ultrasmall light-focusing particles, is 20 times smaller than a red blood cell like its cousin, the nanoshell, but can interact with five times as much...

Researchers: Qdots Have Little Impact on Cells

Nanosized fluorescent probes that can slip inside living cells and shed light on life’s most fundamental processes, or track the effectiveness of cancer-fighting drugs, are barely noticed by the...

Scientists Turn Graphite into Graphene

Researchers have developed a way to turn graphite into graphene, one-atom-thick sheets of carbon that can be mixed into other materials such as glass and ceramics to manipulate properties such as...

Nano-Etching Makes LEDs 7X Brighter

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have made semiconductor LEDs more than seven times brighter by etching nanoscale grooves in a surrounding cavity to guide...

Light Shed on Superfluidity

For the first time, scientists have directly observed the transition of a gas to a superfluid, a form of matter closely related to the superconductors that allow electrical currents to travel without...

Level 3 Sells Subsidiary for $287M Level 3 Communications Inc. announced yesterday that it will sell its wholly owned subsidiary, Software Spectrum, to Tempe, Ariz.-based information technology service provider Insight Enterprises...

DNA-Based Nanowires can Create, Detect Light

For the first time, a research team has used the coding power of DNA to create nanowires on top of carbon nanotube tips. The tiny new structures can create and detect light, and, with mechanical...

Siemens Buys Opto-Control Siemens Automation and Drives Group announced this week that it has acquired Opto-Control Elektronik Prüfsysteme GmbH of Bochum, Germany, effective July 5. Terms of the deal were not disclosed....

Tessera Completes Digital Optics Acquisition Tessera Technologies Inc. of San Jose, Calif., announced this week it has completed the acquisition of Digital Optics Corp. for $59.5 million in cash for all outstanding Digital Optics equity....

Bruker AXS Buys XRF Biz

Bruker AXS Inc. announced today that it bought privately-held KeyMaster Technologies Inc., a maker of hand-held x-ray fluorescence (XRF) systems. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Bruker AXS,...

Thermo Electron Acquires GV Instruments Thermo Electron Corp. announced today it has acquired isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS) GV Instruments Ltd. of Manchester, England, for approximately $21 million (11.6 million pounds), subject...

Mercury Atomic Clock Keeps Time with Record Accuracy

An experimental optical clock that is based on a single mercury atom is more stable and accurate than the national standard atomic clock that uses a cloud of cesium atoms and would take about 400...

Luminent Cancels Deal to Buy HG Genuine Opto Luminent Inc. announced today that it has terminated the agreement to acquire HG Genuine Opto, a subsidiary of Huagong Tech Co. Ltd. (HG Tech), based on current market valuations of comparable...

Flexible, Flippable Plastic Semiconductor Created

A newly invented thin-film semiconductor fabrication process can be used to add sensing, computing and imaging capabilities to a wide array of materials, including plastic and glass, its creators...

Spinoff, Merger Forms Rural Telecom Provider The spinoff of wireless provider Alltel Corp.'s landline business and its merger with Valor Communications Group Inc. has formed Windstream Corp., a publicly traded company focused on serving rural...

OCP Buys PON Supplier Fiber optic subsystems and modules manufacturer Optical Communication Products Inc. (OCP) announced it will acquire privately-held GigaComm Corp., a Taiwan-based supplier of passive optical network...

Paint-on Semiconductor Beats Traditional Chips Researchers have created a semiconductor device that outperforms conventional chips -- simply by painting a liquid onto a piece of glass. The finding by University of Toronto (U of T) researchers...

New Method Detects Silicon Thin-Film Defects

High-performance strained-silicon semiconductor devices have advantages over other types of semiconductors, and also a big problem: the manufacturing process can cause hard-to-find crystal defects...

Adaptive Optics Affords Better View of Space

Most astronomers would probably say that a good telescope and good weather are necessary to capture a high-quality image of an object in space. But a scientist at the Air Force Research Laboratory...

Broadband Light Amplifier on a Chip Created

By creating a broadband light amplifier on a silicon chip, researchers said they have made a major breakthrough in the quest to create photonic microchips that use beams of light traveling through...

Bausch & Lomb, U Rochester Renew Partnership Bausch & Lomb and the University of Rochester, two of Rochester’s biggest employers, have extended their longstanding history of collaboration with an $11 million pact to evaluate treatments for...

GfE Acquires Stake in FNE GfE (Gesellschaft für Elektrometallurgie mbH), a German maker of high- performance metals and materials, announced it has acquired a strategic stake in FNE (Forschungsinstitut für Nichteisen- Metalle...

Photonic Products Group: Former CFO Stole $833,000 The former chief financial officer of Photonic Products Group Inc. (PPGI) stole more than $833,000 over a six-year period, the company stated in a recent report to the US Securities and Exchange...

Physicists Sort Atoms with Laser 'Tweezers'

Using laser "tweezers", physicists have succeeded in sorting up to seven atoms and putting them in a line. The researchers said their method -- which could be used as a memory device that has quantum...

Gov't Questions Japan Knowledge Cluster Results A Japanese government program designed to incubate high-tech technology regions there to "rival Silicon Valley" is under pressure to produce more results, IHT/Asahi newspaper reported this week....

BrainGate Trial Shows Promise for Motor Impaired

In a pilot trial of a device dubbed BrainGate, a man with paralysis of all four limbs could open simulated e-mail, play a game of Pong and adjust the volume on a TV using only his thoughts. The...

Oasys Acquires Diamond Turning Oasys Technology LLC announced it has acquired Diamond Turning Inc. (DTI), a Manchester, N.H., provider of precision diamond-turned optics. It makes precision reflective, diffractive and refractive...

Hologic Buys R2 Technology Hologic Inc., a Bedford, Mass., provider of diagnostic imaging and digital imaging systems used primarily in women's health care, announced today it has completed the acquisition of computer-aided...

Aculight Gets $2M to Enhance Fiber Laser Performance Laser technology developer Aculight Corp. has secured four new contracts totaling more than $2 million to enhance the capabilities of its Picasso line of erbium-ytterbium fiber lasers and...

4D Technology Earns 3rd R&D 100 Award 4D Technology Corp. announced today that for the third year in a row, one of its products has been selected as a recipient of the R&D 100 Award, presented annually by Chicago-based R&D...

New Technology Seeks to Heat, Cool with Solar Power

Every day, the sun bathes the planet in energy -- free of charge -- yet few systems can take advantage of that source for both heating and cooling. Now, researchers are making progress on a thin-film...

Ultrasharp Single-Atom Tips Could Improve Microscopy

New ultrasharp, single-atom tips created through a unique process could improve electron microscopy to a level that would make solutions possible to research problems currently just out of reach, its...

Microsoft, Ga Tech, Bryn Mawr Create Robotics Institute

In a move designed to boost enrollment and retention in college computer science classes, Microsoft Corp. announced today the creation of the Institute for Personal Robots in Education (IPRE) in...

Nanotech Research Center Names First Director

The Georgia Institute of Technology's new Nanotechnology Research Center has named James Meindl as its founding director. Meindl currently heads Georgia Tech’s Pettit Microelectronics Research Center...

SEMI Forecasts Strong Equipment Sales The leading manufacturers of semiconductor equipment expect 2006 to be the second largest year ever for sales of new semiconductor equipment, according to the mid-year edition of the SEMI Capital...

New Ion Trap May Lead to Working Quantum Computer

Physicists have built a novel electromagnetic trap for ions that they said could be easily mass produced, potentially leading to ultrafast quantum computers large enough for practical use in...

Igor Khandros to be Honored at Semicon West Igor Khandros, CEO of FormFactor, a Livermore Calif., advanced wafer test developer, will receive the 2006 SEMI Award for North America for his innovations in parallel testing, microspring contactors...

Tessera Buys Digital Optics Tessera Technologies Inc., a provider of miniaturization technologies for the electronics industry, announced today it will purchase Digital Optics Corp., a designer of micro-optical solutions based...

Freescale Unveils Magnetics-Based Memory Chip In what some are calling the most significant computer memory development in 10 years, Freescale Semiconductor announced today that it has begun volume production on the industry's first...

Secret Galileo GPS Codes Cracked Members of Cornell University's Global Positioning System (GPS) Laboratory have cracked the so-called pseudo random number (PRN) codes of Europe's first global navigation satellite, despite efforts...

Elop Awarded $15M Contract Electro-optics systems maker Elbit Systems Electro-Optics Elop Ltd. (Elop), was awarded several new contracts with a total value of approximately $15 million, it was announced today. The new...

Lockheed Awarded $385.6M Arrowhead Contract The US Army Aviation and Missile Command has awarded Lockheed Martin a follow-on production contract valued at $385.6 million for Arrowhead, the Army's modernized target acquisition and designation...

Thermo Electron Acquires EGS Gauging Analytical instruments maker Thermo Electron Corp. announced it has acquired EGS Gauging, a Wilmington, Mass., manufacturer of measurement and control instruments for web processing applications in...

'Fantastic Voyage' to Approach Sci-Fi Realm A three-nation consortium is planning a "fantastic voyage" to explore empty space -- with potential benefits that have previously been explored only in science fiction. The program, Nanocase,...

'Touching' with Light: Optic Sphere Senses Environs

A sophisticated, lens-free optical system has been developed from a sphere of photodetecting fibers that can "sense" the optical properties of the surrounding space, detect the source of incoming...

'Nanoshells' Meter Measures pH in Living Cells

Using unique nanoparticles that convert laser light into useful information, scientists have created the first nanosized pH meter. The discovery presents biologists with the first potential means of...

Laser Optics Founder Dies Phil Heinrich, the vice president of Photonic Products Group Inc. (PPGI) and the founder of Laser Optics, died suddenly on Monday, PPGI announced today in a statement. Dan Lehrfeld, PPGI...

Broadband Light Amplifier on a Chip Created Researchers at the Cornell NanoScale Facility have created a broadband light amplifier on a silicon chip, in what they call a major breakthrough in the quest to create photonic microchips. In such...

Lockheed Awarded $385.6 M Arrowhead Contract The US Army Aviation and Missile Command has awarded Lockheed Martin a follow-on production contract valued at $385.6 million for Arrowhead, the Army's modernized target acquisition and designation...

Ultratech to Buy Oraxion Ultratech Inc. announced it will purchase Oraxion Inc. of Fremont, Calif., a privately held company that makes surface metrology and stress analysis capital equipment for the semiconductor industry....

'Zipper' Nanotubes a Path to Nanoelectronics

A new method to add defects to the structure of single-walled carbon nanotubes could expand their electronic properties and open the path to nanoelectronics, those involved in the research said....

ACQUISITIONS

Atmel Sells Grenoble-Based Subsidiary for $140M As part of its plan to consolidate its manufacturing operations, Atmel Corp., a maker of electronic components and subsystems such as image sensors and cameras, announced today that it will sell its subsidiary, Atmel Grenoble SAS of Grenoble, France, to British corporation e2v technologies plc for approximately $140 million in cash. For the year that ended Dec. 31, 2005, Atmel Grenoble...

PRODUCTS

3rd Millennium Filters 3rd Millennium filters offer the advantages of surface coatings, along with the benefits of extreme phase thickness coatings and automated manufacturing. At the heart of each filter is a hermetically sealed physical assembly that protects the dielectric coatings and eliminates the environmental instability of surface coatings. The assembly uses no polymer adhesives, minimizing the potential for...

Omega Optical LLC

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HybrYX Air-Bearing Stage

IRVINE, Calif., July 31, 2006 -- Newport Corp. has announced the latest addition to its DynamYX family of air-bearing systems -- the HybrYX single-plane XY hybrid stage. This latest motion control solution from Newport provides...

MKS/Newport

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ExciStar XS Excimer Laser

SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 24, 2006 -- The new ExciStar XS from Coherent Inc. is a compact, economical excimer laser that the company said offers exceptional performance and lifetime characteristics. The air-cooled ExciStar XS...

Coherent Inc.

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5230 TECSource Temperature Controller GROVER BEACH, Calif., July 27, 2006 -- Arroyo Instruments has introduced the 5230 TECSource temperature controller, offering ultrastable 0.004C performance and 3A / 4.5V (13.5W maximum) output power in a compact, stylish package for $995....

Arroyo Instruments LLC

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High-Performance Plate Polarizers

BOULDER, Colo., July 25, 2006 -- A new series of high-performance plate polarizers from Alpine Research Optics (ARO) are optimized for use with Nd:YAG, Nd:YVO4 and Nd:YLF lasers operating at 1064, 1053, 532, 355 and 266 nm. These...

Alpine Research Optics

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M-Lock Wafer Bonder

WATERBURY CENTER, Vt., July 24, 2006 -- Suss MicroTec, a supplier of precision manufacturing and test equipment to the semiconductor industry, has introduced M-Lock, a wafer-bonding system designed for high vacuum applications. In what the...

SUSS MicroTec Inc.

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CCD Camera Systems, Security Vacuum Valves, Photometric Shutters, Innovative Hardware Sci-in Tech offers high-performance CCD cameras with three- and four-stage thermoelectric coolers, metal seals and integrated mechanics. They feature a security vacuum valve that are small but have a...

Sci-in Tech

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ThermaCAM SC640 IR Camera

BOSTON, July 20, 2006 -- Thermal imager and infrared camera systems maker Flir Systems Inc. announces the release of its science-grade ThermaCAM SC640 thermal imaging camera. The high-definition SC640 features a large 640 x...

FLIR Systems

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OPR2800 Series IR LED Source

CARROLLTON, Texas, July 20, 2006 -- In response to customer requests for a surface-mount infrared (IR) light source with a wider beam angle, infrared LED maker Optek Technology has expanded its IR SMD product line with the development...

Optek Technology, Industrial Sensing & Control

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Norland Optical UV and Heat Curing Adhesives Norland optical adhesives are designed for fast, precision bonding applications and will simpliy processes that require critical alignment or exact positioning. These one-component, solventless...

Norland Products Inc.

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µCLAS A new tiny µCLAS wavefront sensor from WaveFront Sciences is well-suited for laptop setup and applications including laser alignment, phase measurement, system set-up/alignment and beam collimation....

AMO WaveFront Sciences LLC

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Single-Mode Fiber Couplers with Light Fulcrum Technology

The SM series of single-mode fiber couplers from Siskiyou Corp. uses a long focal-length steering lens, located close to the rear focal plane of a microscope objective, to create a light fulcrum....

Siskiyou Corp.

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OptiPro Nonlinear Optimization Module for Tracepro LITTLETON, Mass., July 19, 2006 -- Lambda Research Corp., a developer of optical software TracePro, TracePro Bridge for SolidWorks and OSLO, has released OptiPro, a nonlinear optimization module for its illumination design software...

Lambda Research Corporation

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Flat-Surface Optics Sydor Optics, a manufacturer of precision, flat-surfaced, parallel and wedged optics, specializes in double-sided grinding and polishing. Products include beamsplitters, debris shields, filters,...

Sydor Optics Inc.

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Single-Board Smart Cameras

ETTLINGEN, Germany, July 18, 2006 -- Intelligent single-board cameras for industrial applications from Vision Components are especially designed for OEM applications, the company said. Delivered without a housing, these cameras are...

Vision Components GmbH

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SQL-3405 Linear Positioning Stage

VICTOR, N.Y., July 17, 2006 -- Miniature ceramic motor maker New Scale Technologies Inc. announces the SQL-3405 motorized linear positioning stage for biological research, optical instruments and other micropositioning...

New Scale Technologies Inc.

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Optical Band Pass Filter

SANTA ROSA, Calif., July 14, 2006 -- Deposition Sciences Inc. (DSI), producers of highly durable thin-film coatings, has introduced a wide-acceptance angle band pass filter. This abrasive-resistant, super-durable filter can be coated...

Deposition Sciences Inc. (DSI)

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3 Lambda SX Excimer Lasers

SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 13, 2006 -- Coherent Inc. has introduced three new models to its Lambda SX series of high power, industrial excimer lasers. The LSX 200C delivers 200 W at 308 nm (XeCl), the LSX 200K provides 200 W at 248nm...

Coherent Inc.

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Deep-Ultraviolet Zoom Lens

ROCHESTER, N.Y., July 13, 2006 -- Navitar's NanoVue 248-nm deep ultraviolet (UV) 4x zoom lens was designed to work with 248-nm deep UV microscope objectives. It offers inspection sensitivity, a zoom range of 75 to 300X when coupled...

Navitar Inc.

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Optical Bandpass Filter

SANTA ROSA, Calif., July 12, 2006 -- Deposition Sciences Inc. (DSI), a maker of optical thin-film coatings, announces the availability of its new wide-acceptance-angle bandpass filter, what it said is an abrasive-resistant, superdurable...

Deposition Sciences Inc. (DSI)

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Robotic Display-Measurement System

SAN DIEGO, July 11, 2006 -- Gamma Scientific recently introduced the GS-940-7X robotic display-measurement system designed for angular measurement of large-area CRT, LCD and plasma screens. Unlike conventional goniometric...

Gamma Scientific

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Melles Griot Adds Components to Catalog CARLSBAD, Calif., July 10, 2006 -- Melles Griot announced it has added it line of microscope components, apertures and spatial filters to its online catalog, at www.mellesgriot.com. Melles Griot microscope bodies, which accept all...

IDEX Health & Science - Melles Griot, Light Sources Group

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Spot RT3 Digital Camera System

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich., July 10, 2006 -- Diagnostic Instruments has introduced the RT3 Slider digital camera system, saying it gives ultimate flexibility to researchers by combining both monochrome and color capability in one camera. The...

SPOT Imaging

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.250 Power Plug Feedthrough

LAURENS, S.C., July 7, 2006 -- CeramTec North America Corp. (CTNA) has launched a new .250-in. power plug feedthrough built for simple and safe high-power connectivity. This feedthrough and cable assembly combination offer the...

CeramTec North America Corp.

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CMOS and Super CCD Cameras

IRVINE, Calif., JULY 7, 2006 -- Toshiba Teli America has introduced two new industrial imaging solutions, the CMOS-based CSB1100CL-10 and the CS6910F, which comes equipped with a Super CCD. The CSB1100CL-10 was designed to...

CANON MEDICAL COMPONENTS U.S.A., Video Sensing Devices

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1-Piece Flexure Optics Mounts

Siskiyou Corp.'s new one-piece flexure mounts have lower drift and greater mechanical stability than flexure mounts that are welded or stamped together. One-piece construction creates fewer internal...

Siskiyou Corp.

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tecSpec NIR Spectrometer

This portable near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer device is based on the high-grade precision gamma-ray spectrometer from Zeiss and fast readout electronics from tec5. Designed in a compact enclosure...

tec5USA Inc.

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Solid-State Laser Mirrors BOULDER, Colo., July 5, 2006 -- Alpine Research Optics (ARO) announced that it now offers a range of high reflectors for use with Q-switched, Nd:YAG, Nd:YVO4 and Nd:YLF lasers operating at 1064 nm, 1053 nm and 532 nm. These...

Alpine Research Optics

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Zemax Zemax software is used by optical engineers and designers around the world for lens design, illumination, laser beam propagation, stray light, fiber optics and many other optical technology...

Zemax, Optical Product Design Software

PHOTONICS.COM 2006

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Photonics.com July 2006

Photonics.com
July 2006