The post Nanolite, a CEA-Imagine Optic joint lab on Extreme UV metrology appeared first on Imagine Optic.

The post The dichroic beam-splitter of EUCLID telescope will be characterized by Imagine Optic’s OBSERVE. appeared first on Imagine Optic.

This version of WaveSuite is a landmark for metrology and Adaptive Optics software, bringing huge benefits to our clients and users and synchronizing the version numbering of the three softwares:
– Waveview 4.3, the bench mark in wavefront metrology
– Wavetune 4.3, for perfect loop control
– Wavekit 4.3, a versatile and comprehensive SDK in C, LabVIEW and Python.

The first benefit is the end of the 4 GB RAM limit, allowing virtually unlimited image buffers and/or up to 4x phase point measurement at full speed. All applications’ performance will benefit from this breakthrough, especially those involving high-frequency/high-resolution sampling.

The second major benefit is to processing speed, with computing speed up 3x allowing for quicker calculations of wavefronts, intensity, PSF, MTF, and most importantly the LIFT algorithms that power our new HASO LIFT series with 272 x 200 and 680 x 500 phase point sampling.

Last but not least, the M2 function returns, thanks to these memory and speed improvements with better than laser beam simulations.

WaveSuite4.3 is the version currently being delivered with new wavefront sensors, optical metrology systems and deformable mirrors. It will soon be available as an upgrade for compatible hardware. If you would like more information, please get in touch with us at sales@imagine-optic.com.

The post WaveSuite goes full 64 bits: 3x processing speed, no-limit RAM & M2 appeared first on Imagine Optic.

The post GAIA telescope alignment with our R-FLEX system appeared first on Imagine Optic.

Founded in December 1996 by the pair of Samuel Bucourt and Xavier Levecq, Imagine Optic is a pioneer in the manufacturing of optical metrology instruments and systems based on the Shack Hartmann wavefront measurement method. This is how the story of the company is usually written, however some facets of history are easily masked or forgotten with time…

This series of articles will allow you to (re)discover the evolution of the commercialized products by Imagine Optic since its creation. Today, we focus on the H-Line, the forefather of our current family of HASO wavefront sensors. As introduced in our first article, the H-Line is derived from the PH-Line but functions as a standalone optical metrology sensor. Based on the Shack-Hartmann technology with a linear CCD, it was able to measure tilts, curvature and spherical aberration. It was a very competitive alternative to a wave-surface instrument, as rectangular CCD cameras were incredibly expensive back in 1997 (~10,000€, compared to a few hundred euros today).

This design allowed to have a huge amplitude of measurement (more than 10,000 λ) on collimated or very divergent/convergent beams, while maintaining the same λ/75 RMS absolute accuracy. One of its other advantages was the speed: because there was only a single line to measure, the frequency of acquisition was faster than 300 Hz in its standard version, which was outstanding for 1997, enabling users to adjust their setup in real time.
The development of the H-Line product lasted five years, during which Imagine Optic had the opportunity to establish comprehensive calibration processes for the instrument in order to reach unparalleled performances for this time. This R&D period was used to get a lot of knowledge and know-how in the manufacturing of wavefront sensors by discovering and addressing problems early on. These calibration methods continue to be used today for the production of every wavefront sensor we manufacture, more than twenty years later.

Once the first H-Line sensors were delivered, the first customers soon asked if it was possible to measure other aberration shapes, such as astigmatisms. The first solution of Imagine Optic was to apply a 90-degree rotation of the sensor in order to have two crossing lines to be able to obtain 21 of the first 36 Zernike polynomials, or a 45-degree rotation to obtain 32 of the first 36 polynomials. A second version of the H-Line was subsequently developed to directly incorporate two orthogonal CCD lines (and microlens lines) permitting the direct measurement of astigmatisms and coma. With this development the “H-Line 2D” was born.

The logical progression for the H-line was to replace linear measurements by measurements on a complete surface. The early 2000s saw a major reduction in price for rectangular CCD sensors which in turned facilitated the development of the “HASO” wavefront sensor, first manufactured in 1999, which implemented a rectangular CCD.

If you’re interested in finding out more about our line of Wavefront Sensors and Optical Metrology Systems, you can reach us at sales@imagine-optic.com or through the contact form (red enveloppe on the side).

The post A brief history of Imagine Optic” #2: H-Line wavefront sensors appeared first on Imagine Optic.

The post The Optical Engineer Companion, aka the “Swiss Army Knife” of optics in the SWIR explained in 3 videos. appeared first on Imagine Optic.

If you’re interested in finding out more about our line of Wavefront Sensors and Optical Metrology Systems and adaptive optics you can reach us at sales@imagine-optic.com or through the contact form (red enveloppe on the side).

The post New generation phase sensing and imaging: the MaxPhase project appeared first on Imagine Optic.

The post (Re)Watch Webinar 05: All about SWIR appeared first on Imagine Optic.

The post Hard X-Ray wavefront sensing now standard appeared first on Imagine Optic.

Founded in December 1996 by the pair Bucourt-Levecq, Imagine Optic was a pioneer in developing and manufacturing optical metrology instruments and systems based on the Shack-Hartmann wavefront measurement methods. This series of articles looks back at the evolution of instruments and software designed and delivered by Imagine Optic since its creation. Today, we focus on the oldest ancestor of our HASO wavefront sensors ; the PH-Line.

Imagine Optic’s first product a probe with the ability to measure the curvature of a wavefront. This system, named “PH-Line”, was equipped with a source directed towards the surface to be analyzed and a lens used to collimate the beam on an optical detection head. The latter consisted of a linear CCD chip, a much cheaper at the time compared to square or rectangular ones, combined with a line of microlenses. The linear CCD chip was 26 mm long and had 2048 pixels, while the microlens line was composed of a hundred cylindrical lenses.

The resulting measurement was a waveline that gave information on tilts, curvatures and spherical aberrations thanks to the Shack-Hartmann technology. This PH-Line profilometer was integrated into a 3D platform and delivered to the “Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées” (Central Laboratory for Roads and Bridges) in order to measure the deformation of bitumen due to rolling, and to INRA (National Institute for Agricultural Research) to measure clods of dirt during hydraulic erosion tests.

Some drawbacks of the system were quickly identified, namely the instrument’s inability to measure aberrations other than curvature since it was only able to measure wavelines (as opposed to complete wavefronts). Moreover, this product was in direct competition with deflectometry probes which is why the company decided to develop a system based on the detection head of the PH-Line: the H-Line.

To be continued…

The post Kickstarting Shack-Hartmann wavefront metrology in the 1990s: the PH-Line appeared first on Imagine Optic.