Photonics News No 8
Photonics News Magazine - Issue 8
Download the Nordic Photonics News as PDF
Editorial
PN Nordic #8
Round about it ...
Dear Reader,
in this issue of Photonics News Nordic, we will continue what we started in the previous one. In a series of articles, you will get a couple of new glimpses from inside our operations. First, we offer some insight into our work on Quality Assurance for Laser Optics. What metrics do we use to ensure an outstanding product? Are the spectral characteristics ok? What about the homogeneity? Next, we give some examples of what we offer in Fiber Technologies. LASER COMPONENTS have more than twenty years of experience in this field and can provide a wide range of fiber optical assemblies, state-of-the-art test equipment, coatings on fiber end faces and more. Page 6 – 9 will give you the full picture. On page 10 you can read about our in-house services, notably the calibration service that we offer.
For a technology driven company like LASER COMPONENTS, there is always a need for technically skilled employees. In this time of a shortage of skilled workers and rapid company growth, we are therefore pleased and proud to have found numerous additional international sales staff in recent months. Moreover, generational change in two important management positions was also successfully completed, once again by drawing on employees from our own ranks. You can get more information about this on page 11.
In the Product News segment, we are particularly happy to announce our QuickSwitch® Pulsed Laser Diodes for precise measurements at short distances. In one second, the QuickSwitch® PLD generates up to 200,000 laser pulses with a typical duration of 2.5 ns! Another exciting addition to the portfolio is the linear APD arrays, now in a new version optimally suited for time-of-flight measurements.
Before I leave you to the content of this issue, I would like to invite you to our upcoming shows. End of April, we exhibit at the Scandinavian Electronics Event 2018 at Kistamässan, Stockholm (Sweden) and in September we will be in Lund at the conference Northern Optics & Photonics. See you there!
Yours,
Mikael Winters
SERVICE FIBER TECHNOLOGIES
Beyond Borders
When it comes to fiber optic data networks, you can rely on LASER COMPONENTS: Our services include the installation of monitoring systems and the calibration and repair of your measuring instruments. Optical fibers are not only used in communication; they can also be found in many other areas (e.g., in high-power lasers in medicine and industry). We are also a competent partner for these applications: We accompany you from product development to assembly under cleanroom conditions. If you would like to purchase high-tech measuring systems for laboratories or production, we support you with our leasing offers. You will benefit from the knowledge we have gained in production, sales, and service at practical training courses and informative symposia at LC’s facilities.
MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY IN PRODUCTION
Beyond Borders
Anyone who has ever painted a wall as a do-it-yourself handyman is all too familiar with the following scenario: The paint is on the wall, and somehow everything is colorful. Upon closer inspection, however, it appears that the result did not turn out quite as intended. Too much paint in some spots, not enough in other spots: the whole wall is more like a patchwork carpet than a uniform, colored surface.
Uniform coating is also important for laser optics. But unlike painting your home, irregularities cannot simply be masked by hanging up a picture to cover it up. If the dielectric layers are not homogeneous, this has an effect on the beam shape and the imaging properties of the optics. The coating is then useless and must be disposed of. But nobody can afford this because a dielectric coating system is much more expensive than a bucket of paint. Precise control of the coating thickness is therefore essential in our industry.
A further complicating factor is the fact that experts do not speak of “thin layers” for no reason: While a layer of wall paint measures approximately 100 µm on average, the layer thicknesses of laser optics typically range between 100 nm and 6 µm for the visual spectral range. A layer design can consist of 20 or more layers. A standard coating of paint is therefore around a thousand times thicker than the individual coating thicknesses. That’s about the difference in height between a man and a flea.
SERVICES FROM LASER COMPONENTS
Calibration Service
Who Tests the Testing Equipment?
Regular calibration to ensure stable production and inspection quality
If a company is certified according to ISO 9001, the testing equipment used must be monitored at a fixed time interval. The downtimes for calibration must be kept to a minimum. If calibration of the testing equipment is carried out in an external laboratory, a reliable partner from the region is required who can offer fast service. We have therefore set up calibration laboratories at our headquarters in Olching, Germany.
Regular calibration of measuring instruments is necessary because such instruments are subject to drift over time due to the aging process and environmental influences. With precisely calibrated measuring instruments, a company can increase the quality of its own products. Less rejects and less reworking create satisfied customers.
During calibration, our experts compare the measuring instrument with standards that can be traced back to national standards using a predefined procedure. Deviations are documented and, if necessary, corrected by adjusting the system.
Laser Power Detectors and Energy Measuring Heads
The central European calibration laboratory for Gentec-EO’s laser power and energy measuring devices is located at LASER COMPONENTS. The measurement setup is identical to that of the manufacturer and is regularly validated by comparative calibrations.
We always calibrate using a gold standard and only use standardized references calibrated by NIST or PTB. The results are documented on a detailed calibration certificate.
Display Units
The Gentec-EO display units can also be calibrated in Germany. Standardized measuring instruments ensure that the electrical signals received by the monitor are correctly converted and that the displays correspond to the actual measurement results.
Our calibration laboratory tests display units of the following series: MAESTRO, UNO, P-Link USB/RS-232, Solo PE/Solo2, DUO, and TPM300-CE.
Fiber Optic Attenuation Measurement Systems
We calibrate fiber optic attenuation measurement systems from AFL, Greenlee, Optotest, and VIAVI Solutions. Based on documented calibration procedures, the instruments are compared with standard systems or standard measuring devices.
The calibration certificate confirms that these references correspond to the national standards of the German Calibration Service (DKD) and PTB. All calibrations meet the requirements of DIN ISO 9001.
New Products
Beyond Borders
LASER COMPONENTS Nordic - Your competent partner for optical and optoelectronic components in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland.
Welcome to LASER COMPONENTS Nordic AB, your expert for photonics components. Each product in our wide range of detectors, laser diodes, laser modules, optics, fiber optics, and more is worth every Crown (SEK). Our customized solutions cover all conceivable areas of application: from sensor technology to medical technology. You can reach us here:
Box 14001 / Skårs led 3
SE-400 20 Göteborg
Sweden
Phone: +46 (0)31 703 7173
Email: info(at)
