HORIBA Scientific has extended the spectral range of the Auto SE in the Near Infra Red, with the instrument now covering the wavelength range from 440 to 1000 nm. The enhanced performance makes it ideal for automatic characterization of photovoltaic, semiconductor, flat panel display and optoelectronic thin film applications.

The Auto SE provides simple push button operation allowing sample analysis in just a few seconds. A complete report is generated automatically, and this includes film thicknesses, refractive index or optical constants, surface roughness, and depolarization.

The new MM-16 NIR spectroscopic ellipsometer from Horiba Scientific is dedicated to thin film characterization, determining thicknesses, optical constants (n,k) and the optical bandgap of materials in the wavelength range 515-1000 nm.

The MM-16 NIR features a CCD detection system for rapid and accurate measurement down to 1s / determination, and a 200µm microspot allows characterisation of patterned samples. When fully automated the system provides fast uniformity mapping of film thickness and optical constants.

Continuum has developed a family of high energy pump lasers specifically tailored to pump OPCPA and Ti:Sapphire amplifiers. The Armada Series consists of both YAG and Nd:Glass lasers. Unlike competitive approaches that focus on aftermarket accessories to improve beam quality, the Armada Series designs it into the lasers. These lasers deliver unmatched beam quality for superior performance and less likelihood of damage to the Ti:Sapphire amplifier crystals. All Armada-class lasers come with a sophisticated Graphical User Interface for optimal control. Together, the Armada family (Intrepid, Constellation and Genus) can be combined to scale a high energy laser system from TW to PW.

These new Darkfield LED Illuminators from Edmund Optics can be used for both strobing (available upon request) and continuous use applications. Intensity can be varied through the in line potentiometer. These sources can be used for front or back illumination to create classic dark field effects to visually enhance surface defects. 

The Edmund Optics PixeLINK™ line of cameras for microscopy, essentials edition, is ideal for your imaging needs. Designed to fit atop a microscope, these cameras are an excellent choice for many microscopy applications. Included software features image measurement and the ability to overlay an image such as a crosshair for ease of alignment. Also allowing for time lapse capture and a variety of video outputs (AVI, MPG, MPEG, and MOV), camera/software package is perfect for a variety of lab uses. Each camera ships with a USB2.0 dongle that allows the included μScope microscopy software to be used on any computer once connected. Simply install the software, plug in the activation dongle and you are ready to go.

Lastek's Andrew Gibson-White visitted Swinburne University's Centre for Atom Optics and Ultrafast Spectroscopy this week on behalf of Toptica. His pleasant task was to present Dr Chris Vale, the winner of Toptica's recent global competition, with his brand new iPad. Our photographer captured the moment when Andrew (above left) presented the iPad to Chris (right). Chris kindly thanked Toptica, and said he was "surprised, and very excited" to learn that his entry had been the one drawn out of the hundreds of entries received. Congratulations Chris!

Nano-lasers to light homes of the future

A pinch of light with laser tweezers

Photonic Future looks bright thanks to IPOS

X-ray laser peels and cores atoms

Laser uncovers first icons of Saints Peter and Paul

HighQ Laser's new femtoTRAIN™ Ti:Sapphire ultrafast laser incorporates, at a footprint of only 53 cm by 20 cm (7.5 cm height), fs-resonator and pump laser in one monolithic housing. The semiconductor saturable absorber mirror assures passive and self-starting mode locking, offering a robust and stable system at an attractive price.

The femtoTRAIN is making possible new advances in nano fabrication. Two-Photon Polymerization (2PP) has recently gained a lot of interest as an Additive Manufacturing Technology capable of fabricating complex three-dimensional submicron structures using a fs-pulsed NIR laser.

With this method, feature resolution down to approx. 100 nm is achievable which is about one order of magnitude better than other methods such as µ-stereolithography. Furthermore, due to the nonlinear absorption process it is possible to directly write inside a given volume (“real” 3D writing), since the polymerization only takes place inside the focus of the laser beam. Therefore, complex 3D-structures can be inscribed into a suitable matrix material and/or a resin (e.g. acrylate based) which is selectively cured.   

These advantages perfectly fulfill the demands for various future applications requiring three dimensional (3D) structures with resolutions in the (sub)micrometer range, such as different mechanical, electronic and optical micro devices, polymer-based optical waveguides on integrated circuit boards or bio-inspired architectures.

Lastek congratulates Professor Min Gu, Director of the Centre for Micro-Photonics at Swinburne University, Melbourne, on the announcement that he has been awarded an Australian Laureate Fellowship.

Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research presented the awards at a ceremony held today in Cairns.

“These 15 top-flight researchers and their teams will receive a total $35.5 million,” Senator Carr said.

“Professor Min Gu from Swinburne University of Technology will use his fellowship to research a ground-breaking petabyte data storage technology which will allow us to store the equivalent of 10,000 DVDs on one disc.

“Consistent with their high international standing, the 15 Australian Laureate Fellows will collaborate with research partners from 28 countries. This will not only make for better research outcomes; it will extend Australia’s international research connections, which are vital for our performance in the increasingly integrated global research system.”

2 Watt, single line @ 589 nm for sodium cooling

TOPTICA's new DL RFA SHG pro  is a narrow band, diffraction-limited cw laser for Sodium cooling. The system in popular pro-design is based on a near-IR diode laser with Raman fiber amplifier and a resonant frequency doubling stage. The DL RFA SHG pro features an output power of 2 Watt, a spectral linewidth below 1 MHz and 20 GHz mode-hop free tuning.

More than 20 Watt, single line @ 589 nm for laser guide stars

Based on the same technology, the SodiumStar  is a narrow band, diffraction-limited laser light source for adaptive optics control in ground-based telescopes. The high power cw laser employs resonant frequency doubling of a DL DFB with subsequent Raman fiber amplification. More than 20 W are attained at exactly the Sodium wavelength of 589 nm, with a spectral width of 5 MHz. First models will be installed at the Very Large Telescope of ESO in Chile.

Offering high-quality laser timing and laser synchronising at affordable pricing, the Quantum Composers 9530 Pulse Generator is the premier pulse generator on the market.

The 9530 Pulse Generator incorporates laser timing and laser synchronisation to effectively produce any series of events.  The 9530 is ideal for laser timing applications with eight independent outputs, dual laser trigger/gate inputs and external laser clock reference input.