PTB >> 2003 PTB Readers’ Choice Product of the Year Award Winners

PTB (Photonics Tech Briefs) is proud to announce the winners of our 2003 Readers’ Choice Product of the Year Awards. All ten of the nominees had been featured as Product of the Month during 2003, and officially announced as award finalists in the January 2004 issue. Readers of PTB, and its affiliated electronic Insider newsletters, then had roughly six-weeks to cast their votes via an online form. Only one vote per person was counted. The product receiving the most votes prior to the February 14, 2004 deadline has been named Product of the Year for 2003, and presented with the gold award.

2003 Product of the Year, Gold Winner
VisGaAs™ IR Imaging Detector, Indigo Systems of Goleta, CA
PTB’s 2003 Readers’ Choice Product of the Year is the Vis- GaAs™ IR Imaging Detector from Indigo Systems. Originally featured in the November issue, these detectors are based on an innovative method for processing standard indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) detector material, which enhances the shortwavelength spectral response and extends the cut-on wavelength down to 400 nm. The new material, VisGaAs, is a broad-spectrum performing substance that enables both visible and near-infrared (NIR) imaging on a single photodetector. Visible and NIR images can be simultaneously acquired, displayed, and analyzed for comparison without the need for two separate detectors or cameras. The company has recently made the VisGaAs sensor available in their Alpha NIR camera, enabling simultaneous imaging in both the visible and near-infrared spectrum with a real-time, 12- bit, all-digital camera. Learn more about PTB’s Readers’ Choice Product of the Year at http://info.ims.ca/3053-230

Silver Award Winner
Vista 50 Long Distance Eye Safe Laser Range Finder, Lite Cycles of Tucson, AZ
Lite Cycles’ Vista 50 Long Distance Eye Safe Laser Range Finder (ESLRF), which was highlighted in the January 2003 issue, reaches ranges greater than 30 Km and achieves precision measurements to within 1-meter accuracy. The diode pumped transmitter design features low prime power requirements with a PRF reaching to the 100 Hz range. Utilizing a wavelength of 1.57 µm, power down techniques are not required to achieve eye safe levels used in existing systems. The conductively cooled Vista ESLRF incorporates built in test features and a Windows™ compatible GUI. Single, modular, and custom designed packages are available. Learn more about this award winner at http://info.ims.ca/3053-231.

Bronze Award Winner
Evolution-TEM00 Nd:YLF Laser, Coherent Inc. of Los Gatos, CA
Coherent’s Evolution-TEM00 — formerly a Positive Light product — is a diode-pumped intra-cavity doubled Nd:YLF laser with a near-diffraction limited beam profile that enables focusing to micron-spot sizes. The laser delivers high energy per pulse (>10 mJ at 1 kHz) and high average power (>15 W at 5 kHz). As reported in the February 2003 issue, the laser offers energy stability and a long diode lifetime. Features include a compact and rugged enclosure, a rack-mountable power supply, a closed-loop water chiller, and a laptop control computer. Applications include marking, cutting, machining, and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). Learn more about this award winner at http://info.ims.ca/3053-232.

2003 Product of the Year Finalists
• Hamamatsu (Bridgewater, NJ) for the S9132 Profile Sensor
• Ibiden USA R&D Inc. (Torrance, CA) for Multi Form Pluggable Optical Linking Modules
• IPG Photonics (Oxford, MA) for the ELP-775 Visible Fiber Laser
• Newport Corp. (Irvine, CA) for the LambdaCommander™ Programmable Spectral Processor
• Polytec PI (Auburn, MA) for the MMA-300 MEMS 3D Dynamics Analyzer
• Veeco Metrology Group (Tucson, AZ) for Dynamic MEMS Measurement, Wyko NT1100 Optical Profiler
• Xtreme technologies (Jena, Germany) for the XTS 13-35 Extreme UV Light Source