LightSmyth offers nanophotonic products

LightSmyth Technologies, a Finisar company (see "Finisar buys gratings provider LightSmyth Technologies"), has unveiled a line of nanophotonic micro-optics and lens array products. The portfolio aims to serve the needs of telecom, defense, biological science, and other markets.

The company says the new products leverage computer-generated holography principles to provide arbitrary beam-shaping and wavefront transformation. LightSmyth can use the approach to produce lenses, vortex phase plates, axicons, beam splitters, pattern generators, computer-generated holograms, and other optical components. The technique supports high-performance, wafer-scale volume production, high optical power damage threshold, and environmental stability, the company asserts.

LightSmyth says it can etch the diffractive structures directly into fused silica or other materials without the use of organic materials. The company can produce standalone or arrayed components regardless of size. The company also can provide hybrid integration of a passive optical layer (for beam-shaping) with an active layer that can contain optical sources and detectors.

"The unique combination of fabrication technology and design approach strongly positions LightSmyth to provide customers with non-conventional solutions for their micro-optics needs and achieve beam-shaping functionality not attainable with regular refractive optics," said Thomas W. Mossberg, president of LightSmyth.

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