Optical Collimator Research Articles

A Long-Range Lidar Optical Collimation System Based on a Shaped Laser Source

Semiconductor near-infrared lasers have been widely used in lidar systems. However, various source types have different shapes and divergence angles, causing more difficulties for long-distance detection. In this paper, an optical collimation system is designed for a long-range lidar system with a shaped laser source (the wavelength is 905 nm, the emitted spot size is 50 µm long by 10 µm wide, and the divergence angles are 33°and 15°, respectively, which are unconventional). On the basis of the traditional method of aspheric lens setting, a pair of asymmetric aspherical lenses were designed using an extended polynomial. The simulation results show that the spot shapes are all close to circular from 100 mm to 30 m and the spot size always remains the same value. The corrected optical system is put into the designed lidar system for verification. It results show that the average divergence angles in the long and short axis directions are 0.06°and 0.07°, which satisfy the project requirements. This optical system designed provides a collimation scheme and expands the application of vehicle-mounted lidar in the field of long-range detection.

Divertor tungsten source monitoring by A visible spectroscopy diagnostic on EAST

EAST has been upgraded with top and bottom tungsten divertors to facilitate the high power long pulse operation. A visible spectroscopy diagnostic has been developed progressively to monitor W source as well as line emissions from other particles (e.g., D, He, Li, B, C, N, O, Ne, Ar, Mo, D2, WD) in the divertors. Two sets of lens installed in mid-plane port view tangentially the top and bottom divertors, respectively. Two types of optical fibers transfer the plasma light collected by the lens to three different detecting modules. High spectral resolution (λ/Δλ ∼ 14000) can be achieved by the detecting module consisting of spectrometer and Electron-Multiplying Charge Coupled Device (EMCCD), high temporal resolution (50 μs) is obtained by filtered photoelectric multiplier (PMT), and high spatial resolution (1 mm) is acquired by Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Transistor (CMOS) camera with collimation optics. The multichannel optical fiber array with 500 μm core diameter is used to connect the lens and the first two detecting modules. The imaging fiber bundle with 30 μm core diameter transmits the two-dimensional divertor plasma light to the third detecting module, i.e. collimation optics and CMOS camera. The diagnostic is operated automatically in normal EAST discharges to support experimental operation and divertor physics study. The paper presents a technical description of the diagnostic and typical measurements during EAST discharges.

An integrated magnetic separation enzyme-linked colorimetric sensing platform for field detection of Escherichia coli O157: H7 in food.

Anintelligent colorimetric sensing platform integrated with in situ immunomagnetic separation function was developed for ultrasensitive detection of Escherichia coli O157: H7 (E. coli O157: H7) in food. Captured antibody modified magnetic nanoparticles (cMNPs) and detection antibody/horseradish peroxidase (HRP) co-functionalized AuNPs (dHAuNPs) were firstly synthesized for targeted enrichment and colorimetric assay of E. coli O157: H7, in which remarkable signal amplification was realized by loading large amounts of HRP on the surface of AuNPs. Coupling with the optical collimation attachments and embedded magnetic separation module, a highly integrated optical device was constructed, by which in situ magnetic separation and high-quality imaging of 96-well microplates containing E. coli O157: H7 was achieved with a smartphone. The concentration of E. coli O157: H7 could be achieved in one-step by performing digital image colorimetric analysis of the obtained image with acustom-designed app. This biosensor possesses high sensitivity (1.63 CFU/mL), short detecting time (3h), and good anti-interference performance even in real-sample testing. Overall, the developed method is expected to be a novel field detection platform for foodborne pathogens in water and food as well as for the diagnosis of infections due to its portability, ease of operation, and high feasibility.

Full-colour 3D holographic augmented-reality displays with metasurface waveguides

Emerging spatial computing systems seamlessly superimpose digital information on the physical environment observed by a user, enabling transformative experiences across various domains, such as entertainment, education, communication and training1–3. However, the widespread adoption of augmented-reality (AR) displays has been limited due to the bulky projection optics of their light engines and their inability to accurately portray three-dimensional (3D) depth cues for virtual content, among other factors4,5. Here we introduce a holographic AR system that overcomes these challenges using a unique combination of inverse-designed full-colour metasurface gratings, a compact dispersion-compensating waveguide geometry and artificial-intelligence-driven holography algorithms. These elements are co-designed to eliminate the need for bulky collimation optics between the spatial light modulator and the waveguide and to present vibrant, full-colour, 3D AR content in a compact device form factor. To deliver unprecedented visual quality with our prototype, we develop an innovative image formation model that combines a physically accurate waveguide model with learned components that are automatically calibrated using camera feedback. Our unique co-design of a nanophotonic metasurface waveguide and artificial-intelligence-driven holographic algorithms represents a significant advancement in creating visually compelling 3D AR experiences in a compact wearable device.

How good are collimated Gaussian beams produced with engineered diffusers?

Collimating a Gaussian beam from an uncollimated laser source has been achieved via the deployment of engineered diffusers (EDs)—also referred to as light shaping diffusers. When compared to conventional pinhole-based optical collimation systems, this method of beam collimation ensures high optical transmission efficiency at the expense of the introduction of additional speckle and a resulting reduction in spatial coherence. Despite a lower collimation quality, these ED-produced collimated beams are attractive and promising in terms of their deployment in various benchtop or tabletop systems that involve shorter beam propagation distances of up to a few meters while requiring a high optical power throughput. This paper aims to further the understanding of collimation quality and propagation properties of ED-produced Gaussian collimated beams via carefully designed experiments and accompanying analysis. We measure and document the beam divergence, Rayleigh distance, and M2 factor, as well as evolution of the wavefront radius of curvature (RoC), of these ED-generated beams over a few meters of propagation—a propagation distance which encapsulates a vast majority of optical systems. We further investigate the changes in the beam profile with the addition of a laser speckle reducer (SR) and compare the ED-produced beams with a near-ideal collimated beam produced with spatial filtering systems.

Metasurface- and PCSEL-Based Structured Light for Monocular Depth Perception and Facial Recognition.

The novel depth-sensing system presented here revolutionizes structured light (SL) technology by employing metasurfaces and photonic crystal surface-emitting lasers (PCSELs) for efficient facial recognition in monocular depth-sensing. Unlike conventional dot projectors relying on diffractive optical elements (DOEs) and collimators, our system projects approximately 45,700 infrared dots from a compact 297-μm-dimention metasurface, drastically more spots (1.43 times) and smaller (233 times) than the DOE-based dot projector in an iPhone. With a measured field-of-view (FOV) of 158° and a 0.611° dot sampling angle, the system is lens-free and lightweight and boasts lower power consumption than vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) arrays, resulting in a 5-10 times reduction in power. Utilizing a GaAs-based metasurface and a simplified optical architecture, this innovation not only addresses the drawbacks of traditional SL depth-sensing but also opens avenues for compact integration into wearable devices, offering remarkable advantages in size, power efficiency, and potential for widespread adoption.

Optical Rules to Mitigate the Parallax-Related Registration Error in See-Through Head-Mounted Displays for the Guidance of Manual Tasks

Head-mounted displays (HMDs) are hands-free devices particularly useful for guiding near-field tasks such as manual surgical procedures. See-through HMDs do not significantly alter the user’s direct view of the world, but the optical merging of real and virtual information can hinder their coherent and simultaneous perception. In particular, the coherence between the real and virtual content is affected by a viewpoint parallax-related misalignment, which is due to the inaccessibility of the user-perceived reality through the semi-transparent optical combiner of the OST Optical See-Through (OST) display. Recent works demonstrated that a proper selection of the collimation optics of the HMD significantly mitigates the parallax-related registration error without the need for any eye-tracking cameras and/or for any error-prone alignment-based display calibration procedures. These solutions are either based on HMDs that projects the virtual imaging plane directly at arm’s distance, or they require the integration on the HMD of additional lenses to optically move the image of the observed scene to the virtual projection plane of the HMD. This paper describes and evaluates the pros and cons of both the suggested solutions by providing an analytical estimation of the residual registration error achieved with both solutions and discussing the perceptual issues generated by the simultaneous focalization of real and virtual information.

Novel Time-Saving Technique to Measure the 2D Complex Profile of Spectral Transmittance of Linearly Variable Filters and Assessing Homogeneity of Optically Transparent Materials

Emerging technologies for coating new types of filters, such as linearly variable bandpass filters, urges new kind of measurement systems requiring accurate and time-saving spatially resolved transmittance measurements. On the other hand, one of the main uses of coated filters is standardization use; e.g., as certified reference materials (CRMs) for transmittance and absorbance standards. In this case, the homogeneity assessment is of great interest. To do such measurements with low uncertainty, spatial scanning methods using reference double-beam spectrophotometers are routinely used. High time consumption and relatively high-cost are disadvantages of this traditional method. In this work, we propose a new system based on an imaging technique. The newly developed system comprises a quartz tungsten halogen (QTH)-based illuminator, with collimator and coupling optics, a double-grating monochromator, customized integrating sphere, and scientific highly digitized, high-resolution and dynamic range Si-based CCD (monochrome) camera. The system is time-saving: in one-shot we may measure the spatial transmittance distribution of the samples (e.g. filters) without separately measuring the reference (air), which has many instability issues. Validation measurements using standard filters are presented. Systematic errors may be studied and corrected for. Many types of filters and liquids, for instance chemical reference materials (RMs), may be measured and reported. Uncertainty of spatial, spectral and radiometric components are studied carefully and estimated. The combined uncertainty evaluation has shown that relatively low uncertainty levels may be achieved, specially in the visible range (U < 1 %, k=2 ). Spatially-resolved data with different curves at different positions (spatial points) are shown in the spectral range of 380 nm through 950 nm. The combined uncertainties at some spectral points are presented and proved to be sample- and wavelength-dependent at all the points in the field-of-view (FOV) of the CCD camera.

Inhomogeneous thermal analysis of microlayer mold for glass molding of fast-axis collimation lens array

Fast-axis collimation (FAC) lens arrays play a crucial role in laser systems, offering precise beam shaping and focusing for applications such as laser marking, and optical communication. Achieving high precision in these applications requires a FAC lens array with a long Rayleigh range. While precision glass molding with nickel-phosphorus (Ni-P) microlayer molds has revolutionized the mass production of FAC lens arrays, the extreme conditions during the molding process can lead to poor profile accuracy. To address this issue, we developed an optical collimation system to derive the final characteristic parameters and obtain the beam waist radius and Rayleigh range of the collimated laser. Additionally, we conducted a thorough analysis of the inhomogeneous thermal expansion process of the microlayer mold and established a mathematical solution for thermal compensation to modify the mold's shape. We validated the proposed method by fabricating an FAC lens array mold and measuring the profile error and waist radius of a molded FAC lens array. We also calculated the profile error of this method using a finite element (FE) model in ABAQUS. The results indicate that incorporating the inhomogeneous thermal expansion reduces the shape error of the FAC lens array from 0.577 μm to 0.135 μm. Moreover, using inhomogeneous thermal compensation significantly improves the Rayleigh range of the FAC lens array from 1.285 μm to 9.8 × 104 μm.

Wavelength calibration of a solar spectral irradiance radiometer and validation by correlation photon coincidence counting

Accurate wavelength calibration is the key to achieving accuracy observation of solar spectral irradiance. A wavelength calibration of solar spectral irradiance radiometer based on correlation photon radiation reference is proposed. The wavelengths of two channels of the solar spectral irradiance radiometer are calibrated by a Hg-Ar lamp and lasers. A collimating and focusing optics are designed to ensure that light can illuminate the slit vertically and without polarization. The optics can also keep the consistency of observing and self-calibration modes. The calibration equations of two channels are established. The wavelength deviations of two channels are −0.11 ∼ 0.07 nm and −0.085 ∼ 0.017 nm respectively. To validate the calibrated wavelength, channel 1 is selected as the inspection channel according to the spectral line number of the calibration lamp and the variation of the photon count rate. The motor position close to the calibration wavelength 763.511 nm is selected in channel 2, and the coincidence measurement is carried out to check the accuracy of wavelength calibration in channel 1. The deviation of wavelength around 408 nm is 1.139 nm. The experimental results show that the correlated photons self-calibration system can realize the calibration and validation of the system wavelength. The method can increase the number of calibration wavelengths and is suitable for both channels.

Binocular Vision-Based Method Used for Determining the Static and Dynamic Parameters of the Long-Stroke Shakers in Low-Frequency Vibration Calibration

The long-stroke shaker is essentially required for the calibration of low-frequency vibration transducers, whose performance parameters have significantly impact on the calibration accuracy. The accurate measurement of these parameters is the prerequisite to establish a reliable vibration metrology and traceability system. Currently, an optical collimator or a reference accelerometer is applied to get the static parameter, the laser interferometry or tri- axial sensor-based method is used to obtain the dynamic parameters. However, the former relies on an extra device which increases the complexity and cost of calibration system, and the latter is always difficult to accomplish the accurate and efficient measurement of these parameters. In this study, a binocular vision-based long-stroke shaker performance measurement method is investigated, which has ability to determine the static and dynamic parameters simultaneously during the calibration. This vision method obtains the shaker's bending by measuring the inclinations at the different positions of its guideway, and achieves the amplitude characteristic, distortion, repeatability as well as transverse ratio measurements by accurately acquiring the spatial displacements at different frequencies. Comparison experiments with the two commonly used inclination esti- mation methods, and the laser interferometry and sensor- based method demonstrate that the investigated method is able to get the satisfactory accuracies both for the static and dynamic parameters of long-stroke shaker in vibration calibration.

Dual-band optical collimator based on deep-learning designed, fabrication-friendly metasurfaces

Abstract Metasurfaces, which consist of arrays of ultrathin planar nanostructures (also known as “meta-atoms”), offer immense potential for use in high-performance optical devices through the precise manipulation of electromagnetic waves with subwavelength spatial resolution. However, designing meta-atom structures that simultaneously meet multiple functional requirements (e.g., for multiband or multiangle operation) is an arduous task that poses a significant design burden. Therefore, it is essential to establish a robust method for producing intricate meta-atom structures as functional devices. To address this issue, we developed a rapid construction method for a multifunctional and fabrication-friendly meta-atom library using deep neural networks coupled with a meta-atom selector that accounts for realistic fabrication constraints. To validate the proposed method, we successfully applied the approach to experimentally demonstrate a dual-band metasurface collimator based on complex free-form meta-atoms. Our results qualify the proposed method as an efficient and reliable solution for designing complex meta-atom structures in high-performance optical device implementations.

Design and fabrication of large area vat photopolymerization 3D printing system using a 32-inch quasi-collimated visible backlight module with local dimming control

In this paper, we accomplished the first 32-inch liquid crystal display (LCD) type vat photopolymerization 3D printing system based on the quasi-collimated visible backlight module with local dimming control. The large building area (40x70cm) of the 3D printing system can greatly increase the size of printing objects and the production rate. We focused on the design of quasi-collimated backlights and analyzed their optical properties and the appearance of 3D printing objects fabricated by them. The optical performances of the quasi-collimated backlight using stacks of optical films feature no large angle leakage light, 86% intensity uniformity, and less than ±15° angular distribution of emitting light. After the optimization process by combining a variety of optical films, the uniformity, and collimation of the backlight module are greatly improved. Moreover, combining a local dimming algorithm with 3D printing technology can completely suppress unexpected photopolymerization residues, increase resin utilization rate, save energy, and greatly improve the probability of success in the 3D printing process, especially in large printing objects.

39‐4: Analysis of Large Area Optical Fingerprint Recognition Technology under OLED Screen

This paper theoretically and experimentally analyzes the influence of different sensor array schemes and optical collimation structures on fingerprint recognition. Considering the process yield, cost and the quality of fingerprint image, we find the appropriate size ranges of microlenses and sensors are 20~30 μm and 35~50 μm respectively, and the bonding process between the optical collimating film and the sensor substrate has little damage to the sensor, which is conducive to mass production.

Design of Optical Collimator System for Vehicle Speed Gun using Non-Imaging Optics

Vehicle speed guns are usually used in normal sunlight conditions (daytime). If we want to use vehicle speed guns in low light conditions (nighttime), the illuminator is needed to provide sufficient light for the vehicle speed gun to take photos. The illuminator must fulfill two requirements: (i) using the infrared wavelength to ensure that the driver is not startled by dazzling eyes by the illuminator of the proposed speed gun system and (ii) high energy efficiency to make the illuminator compact leading to the use a small battery system to improve the portable of the proposed vehicle speed gun. In this study, an illuminator using a collimator system designed by using non-imaging optics is introduced. LEDs with infrared wavelength are chosen from the library of LightToolsTM, the structure of collimated is designed to transfer the illumination from the LEDs array to a square area of 3x3 m2 to cover the vehicle to detect the vehicle number plate. The design process is built based on the conservation of optical path length in the Matlab program. After that, the designed collimator is simulated in LightToolsTM software. The promising results of the simulation in LightToolsTM show that the collimator can efficiently transfer light from the LED array to the target area with a uniformity of about 70 % and optical efficiency of about 80 %.

Fiber Laser Methane Detection Device based on TDLAS and Its Application

Methane is a flammable and explosive gas, which is the main component of natural gas, mashgas, and biogas. Using the technology of tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) to detect methane, which does not require oxygen, no poisoning, no calibrating, has gas selectivity, strong environmental adaptability, and is stable and reliable. The laser transmission with the optical fiber has the characteristics of low optical loss, long distance and flexible networking. This manuscript demonstrated an optical fiber laser methane detection device based on TDLAS and its application. The laser was transmitted to the methane detection position by optical fiber, and the laser interacted with methane in the optical fiber gas box. The optical fiber collimator coupled the surplus laser into the optical fiber and sent it back to the monitoring device.The photoelectric detector converted the surplus laser to an electrical signal. The monitoring device operation was based on the principle of TDLAS and analyzed the returned laser strength to obtain the concentration of methane. This manuscript described the principle, composition and monitoring spot network of the fiber laser methane monitoring device and shown a practical application.

Miniaturizing a Chip-Scale Spectrometer Using Local Strain Engineering and Total-Variation Regularized Reconstruction.

A wafer-thin chip-scale portable spectrometer suitable for wearable applications based on a reconstructive algorithm was demonstrated. A total of 16 spectral encoders that simultaneously functioned as photodetectors were monolithically integrated on a chip area of 0.16 mm2 by applying local strain engineering in compressively strained InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well heterostructures. The built-in GaN pn junction enabled a direct photocurrent measurement. A non-negative least-squares (NNLS) algorithm with total-variation regularization and a choice of a proper kernel function was shown to deliver a decent spectral reconstruction performance in the wavelength range of 400-645 nm. The accuracies of spectral peak positions and intensity ratios between peaks were found to be 0.97% and 10.4%, respectively. No external optics, such as collimation optics and apertures, were used, enabled by angle-insensitive light-harvesting structures, including an array of cone-shaped backreflectors fabricated on the underside of the sapphire substrate.

Characteristics of a Gaussian beam after n times Airy transforms

The optical system of n times Airy transforms is successively composed of n separate and identical Airy transforms. An analytical expression of the optical field of a Gaussian beam after n times Airy transforms is derived, which is concise and separable in two transverse directions. Moreover, analytical expressions of the centroid, the beam spot size, the divergence angle, and the beam propagation factor of a Gaussian beam after n times Airy transforms are derived. The absolute value of the centroid in arbitrary one transverse direction is proportional to the number of Airy transforms. The beam spot size and the beam propagation factor in arbitrary one transverse direction are both positively correlated with the number of Airy transforms. While, the divergence angle in arbitrary one transverse direction is independent of the number of Airy transforms and keeps unvaried. The analytical optical field of a Gaussian beam after n times Airy transforms propagating in free space is also presented. The Gaussian beam after n times Airy transforms propagating in free space follows an upward ballistic trajectory in a cross section. With the increase of number of Airy transforms, the deflection of the ballistic trajectory in free space increases. Two Airy transforms are performed in the experiment, and the corresponding measurements are carried out. The experimental results are consistent with the theoretical predictions. The performances of a Gaussian beam after n times Airy transforms are well demonstrated by this research. The properties of a Gaussian beam after n times Airy transforms have potential applications in optical micro-manipulation and collimation.

Characteristics of Collimators Based on the Large-Mode-Area CMCF for Coupling Laser Beam

A new collimator based on a homemade concentric multilayer-core fiber (CMCF) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. This collimator was fabricated using a tail fiber with large mode area and single-mode operation. By exploiting the optical transmission matrix, the propagation characteristic and coupling mechanism of this CMCF-based collimator was introduced meticulously. The coupling losses of the laser beam using this collimator in the off-axis, angular, and axial deviations were analyzed separately. In order to determine the relationship between the geometric redundancy of this collimator and the effective mode field area of the tail fiber, the corresponding mathematical model was established. Through model calculation and experiment measurement, the coupling properties of the collimator were improved effectively. Compared with the common SMF-based collimator, the declination redundancy of the CMCF-based one improved by 20%, which could make the coupling of the optical fiber collimator easier. Therefore, this collimator has potential application value in the laser diode coupling unit and high-speed optical communication system.

Verification of Angular Response of Sky Quality Meter with Quasi-Punctual Light Sources.

Sky Quality Meter (SQM) is a commercial instrument based on photometers widely used by amateur astronomers for skyglow measurement from the ground. In the framework of the MINLU project, two SQM-LE units were integrated in an autonomous sensor suite realized and tested at University of Padova for monitoring light pollution from drones or sounding balloons. During the ground tests campaign before airborne measurement, the performance of both SQM units was verified in laboratory using controlled light sources as a reference input; the results showed that both units presented an angular response deviating consistently from the expected performance and that the sensors’ field of view was larger than the one declared in the manufacturer’s datasheet. This aspect in particular would affect direct skyglow measurements during flight as light sources close to the boundaries of the field of view would not be attenuated but instead detected by the sensors. As a direct consequence, the measurement of low-intensity skyglows at stratospheric altitudes could be affected by high-intensity punctual sources acting as lateral disturbances. A dedicated test campaign was therefore conceived and realized to investigate SQM unit response to light sources in the field of view and identify the true angular response curve; the setup consisted in a controlled rotatory stage moving the unit in front of a fixed diffusive light source. Different test conditions were used to validate the experimental procedure, demonstrating the repeatability of the measurements. This paper presents the experimental campaign and the resulting SQM angular response curve; results indicate for both SQMs a larger than expected field of view and the presence of a double peak in the angular response, which is likely related to a non-perfect alignment of SQMs collimation optics. Furthermore, the wider resulting curves suggest that the contribution of lateral sources is more prominent with respect to the response predicted by the manufacturer. For this reason, the utilization of baffles to restrict SQMs field of view is analyzed to minimize the disturbance of lateral light sources and two different geometries are presented.