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This project is supported by Smart Optics, and brings together expertise from different fields with a common interest in AO: the Photonics Group at Imperial College London, BAE Systems, Davin Optronics, OptiSense and Smart Optics.
BAE Systems
Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) provides technological, manufacturing and process innovation for exploitation by wholly owned business units and Joint Venture companies within the BAE SYSTEMS organisation. The technical innovations generated within the ATC are to be found in communications, sensors and sensor systems, image processing, human factors integration, product miniaturisation, manufacturing automation and smart materials.
A specific example of the creation and exploitation of innovation generated within the ATC, with application to both commercial and military markets, is provided by the Silicon Vibrating Structure Gyroscope (SiVSG). The initial concept, research, design and development activity was undertaken within the ATC during the 1990's generating a robust solid-state rate sensor. The product has been successfully inserted into a wholly owned business unit within BAE Systems. The continued success of the product was assured with the creation of a Joint Venture organisation between BAE Systems and Sumitomo Precision Products forming Silicon Sensing Systems (SSS) in 1999. Current facilities provide manufacturing rates approaching 100,000 sensor heads per month.
BAE Systems ATC'S internal Adaptive Optics programme was set up 5 years ago, initially to design and fabricate bimorph deformable mirrors which exploited the Company's expertise in piezo-electric technology. One such device has operated successfully in the LOCADO system at Imperial College. More recently, the ATC has been addressing higher level AO system issues, and is currently assembling an AO test bed to support Business Units in their assessment of the technology for future electro-optic products.
BAE Systems have collaborated with QinetiQ on a number of AO programmes and have supported two PPARC CASE Award Studentships in AO at Imperial College, with a third approved for commencement in October.
Davin Optronics
The company, founded in 1973, was a pioneer in the production of lens and cavity optics for CO2 lasers from materials such as germanium and zinc selenide. Davin now enjoys considerable success in many fields and has a reputation for achieving innovative, high performance solutions to many industrial imaging problems. Among its specialist application areas are: night vision systems, CO2 laser optics, colour separation systems and computer-to-plate systems for pre-press industry, f-q scan lenses, military simulation systems, machine vision systems with integral controllers and lighting for pcb manufacturing, ophthalmic instrumentation such as retinal cameras and pupillometers.
In 2001, Davin acquired much of BAE, Basildon's optical production equipment when their facilities closed and purchased the non-catalogue interests of Coherent Ealing Ltd. The company, with a staff of 110, is now integrated into the fully modernised Watford facility. At this site Davin has complete design, fabrication and assembly facilities with conventional and CNC grinding and polishing machinery, nine thin-film coating plants for development and production of optical coatings and a metal parts fabrication unit with conventional machinery and several CNC machining stations. The assembly area of Davin is fully modernised, with air-conditioning, clean air booths and with much modern test equipment such as interferometers and MTF test sets for use throughout the visible and infra-red regions. Davin is now the largest privately owned optical manufacturing company in the UK.
Photonics Group at Imperial College London
The Group has been involved with high angular resolution imaging for many years and in the past four years has invested significant resources in adaptive optics. Several low cost AO breadboard systems have been built to date and AO technology is being applied to retinal imaging and enhanced vision, YAG lasers, and to specialist astronomical instrumentation. The group has fabricated prototype bimorph mirrors, with 1 to 45 actuators up to an active diameter of 50mm, and designed and built wavefront sensors at up to 780fps. Control systems based on Texas Instruments and Sharc DSPs, and on Pentium processors, have been operated.
The group has built more low cost AO systems than any other group Worldwide, and therefore brings considerable expertise in designing, constructing and evaluating such systems and their components. We have the capability to design and build very high speed and efficient systems.
web: www.imperial.ac.uk/research/photonics/research/topics/adaptive_optics.htm
OptiSense Limited
Optisense was formed in 1998 and has undertaken a number of innovative developments of scientific instruments since incorporation. Key areas of expertise include highly integrated electronic system design (with particular emphasis to exploitation of programmable logic devices or PLDs), optical sensor systems, digital signal processing and thermal control. A number of successful developments of proof-of-principle demonstrators for DNA amplification and analysis have been performed on behalf of the MoD research laboratory at Porton Down. Both laboratory and field based devices have been fully engineered to exploit the scientific advances made for the purpose of ultra-sensitive detection of bacteria and viruses. The enabling skills offered by OptiSense to optimise the performance of these systems were in the design of compact instruments, high-speed thermal cycling and compact photon-counting fluorimeters.
OptiSense has developed its own open-path gas detection system for monitoring gases and vapours in the atmosphere. This innovative product combines a ruggedised infrared interferometer with a video system to measure selective absorption of energy by molecules within the instrument's field of view. The electronics, optical arrangement, precision mechanics and signal processing algorithms were all designed in-house.
OptiSense has already developed a compact adaptive optics control system for the Photonics Group at Imperial College London. A single-board controller was produced along with a high-speed digital camera that employed a cost-effective CMOS image sensor. The result was a high-performance arrangement available at much lower cost than previous embodiments of the technology.
Smart Optics - Faraday Partnership
Smart Optics includes optical systems, subsystems, devices and technologies that dynamically adjust to provide an enhanced performance or are part of a complex control loop, including novel supporting technologies. Relevant technologies encompass: Adaptive optics, Programmable diffractive optics, Optically based control systems, Active and advanced optical sensors, Tuneable liquid crystal devices and Wavefront controllers.
Applications for Smart Optical systems occur in many areas including astronomy, space science, medical physics, industrial instrumentation, defence, healthcare and optical communications. Smart Optics should be affordable, and this issue is one of the main drivers for this Partnership.