Optical Engineering

Optical engineering uses classical optics techniques to create novel devices and instrumentation, and the Wyant College of Optical Sciences leads the field in designing and fabricating highly specialized optics. OSC maintains state-of-the-art facilities and a superb technical staff for grinding, polishing, measuring and aligning the world’s most challenging mirrors — including those for astronomical telescopes. Students work side-by-side with experienced professionals on extensive, distinctive projects like the Giant Magellan Telescope, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope and OSIRIS-REx, an unmanned space probe that will launch in 2016, land on an asteroid and return to Earth with a material sample.

To view past updates, see the Research Updates Archive.

holographic FOV expander used to project two transparent targets

1) Field of View of AR glasses can be tripled to 90 degrees without resorting to high index and exotic materials.

A research team from Prof. Yuzuru Takashima’s lab at the University of Arizona has developed a novel method to expand the field-of-view (FOV) of near-to-eye displays (NED) used in augmented reality (AR) glasses. Their paper, "Expanding Field-of-View of Near-to-Eye Display by Hybrid Angular and Wavelength Multiplexing," demonstrates that a Volume Holographic Grating (VHG) can double or triple the FOV of existing AR systems with minimal modifications, enabling the use of low-cost, low-index materials like plastic and BK7 glass instead of expensive high-index materials like silicon carbide. This breakthrough offers a cost-effective and scalable solution for wide-FOV AR displays, advancing the future of immersive technology.

CHIRP, the CHanneled Infrared Polarimeter, a compact tool that can provide scientists with extremely accurate data essential, and previously unattainable across all conditions, for long-term climate change modeling.

2) CHIRP Funded $4.5M by NASA Instrument Incubator Program, Brings Unprecedented Precision to Climate Change Studies

A new award of $4.5M is set to fund CHIRP, the CHanneled Infrared Polarimeter, a compact tool that can provide scientists with extremely accurate data essential, and previously unattainable across all conditions, for long-term climate change modeling. Principal Investigator (PI) Meredith Kupinski, associate professor of optical sciences at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences, and Science PI Sylvia Sullivan, assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering at the College of Engineering, are leading the project as part of NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) Instrument Incubator Program (IIP). NASA Press Release. The Instrument Incubator Program funds novel instruments, like CHIRP, to launch new technologies for future Earth-observing missions focused on pursuing pressing Earth science phenomena.

The All-MEMS lidar demo set up for the Takashima Lab.

3) Best Paper Award for “All-MEMS Lidar System Demonstrated”, an Important Milestone Towards All-solid-state Lidar System

A publication from the Takashima Lab on all-MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) LIDAR was selected as one of the five best papers published in the journal of Micromachines in 2022. The paper addresses a quasi-solid-state lidar system employing Texas Instruments Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) and 2-dimensional MEMS mirror for lidar transmitter and a 2nd DMD for receiver. The student research team demonstrated the lidar system by combining and synchronizing two kinds of MEMS devices. The beam steering concept is expected to demonstrate a more intelligent and adaptive lidar system, replacing bulky and slow scanning LIDARs with fast and light ones that include a cost-effective, mass-produced, MEMS device.

4) Researchers Continue to Advance 3D Printing of Glass Micro-Optics, Prepare for Arrival of New Equipment

Researchers, led by Ron Liang, Thomas R. Brown Endowed Chair in Optical Sciences and professor of optical sciences; are making significant progress in the field of 3D printing for glass micro-optics. This work was recently published in Advanced Optical Materials, titled, "Solvent-Free Silsesquioxane Self-Welding for 3D Printing Multi-Refractive Index Glass Objects." The research presents a major advancement in the 3D printing of inorganic glass optics, featuring several key innovations including: development of self-welding, solvent-free PSQ, integration of Zirconium (Zr) moieties into PSQ, utilization of two-photon polymerization (TPP) 3D printing, and demonstration of self-welding in multi-component glass micro-optics.

5) Development of Novel Materials Specifically Tailored for 3D Printing in Infrared Optics

In a recent Nature Communications publication titled "UV-curable thiol-ene system for broadband infrared transparent objects," a team of scientists and faculty from the Rongguang Liang laboratory introduces an extraordinary breakthrough. They've developed a game-changing photo-curable liquid material that defies conventional limitations of infrared transparency. By ingeniously combining specific multithiols and divinyl oligomers comprising only carbon, hydrogen, and sulfur atoms, this innovative approach achieves transparency across the spectrum, spanning from visible light to mid-wave infrared (MWIR) and long-wave infrared (LWIR). This pioneering material exhibits remarkable properties, including a high refractive index, excellent thermal characteristics, and robust mechanical strength. Its versatility shines through in applications like crafting high-resolution infrared optics and constructing micro-reactors for temperature monitoring. What's truly remarkable is its UV-curable nature, offering a swift and convenient method to produce thin, infrared-transparent objects. This breakthrough not only showcases a cutting-edge material but also holds promise for a multitude of practical applications.