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Precision Photonics Corp.
Company Description
You've got tough specs, a short deadline
and a boss breathing down your neck. You
need the part and you need it done right...
the first time. That's where we come in!
At PPC, we're making impossible optics possible, with the data to prove it! We have developed advanced methods to measure the optical properties of our devices because measurement is fundamental to everything we do.
PPC specializes in the manufacturing of high-power optical components, ion-beam-sputtered coatings and solid state laser optics with an objective to provide custom and OEM optics that work, at a price and lead time that meet your needs.
Whether you need 10 or 10,000 pieces, our precision wafer-based processes result in high yields and competitive costs. Our CADB adhesive-free bonding process results in high-energy monolithic assemblies that are perfectly transparent, and our ion beam sputtering (IBS) technology results in accurate, stable, high-damage-threshold thin films.
PPC provides price-competitive laser optics and coatings to the telecommunications, defense, aerospace, biomedical, and semiconductor industries.
Contact Information
 3180 Sterling Circle
Boulder,CO
United States
Press Releases
| Precision Photonics Announces Ultra-Low Absorption Coatings
Precision Photonics Announces Ultra-Low Absorption Coatings and Measurement Services
Boulder, CO, December 13, 2011 – Precision Photonics Corp (PPC) is pleased to announce the availability of its ultra-low absorption line of thin film coatings. Enabled by advanced in-house metrology and expertise in ion beam sputtered (IBS) deposition, PPC is able to routinely deliver anti-reflection (AR) coatings with losses less than 0.5ppm, and high-reflection (HR) coatings with losses less than 2ppm.
This unique PPC capability is based on photothermal common path interferometry, and when combined with proprietary calibration methods, results in measurement sensitivity of less than 0.1ppm for optical materials like fused silica. In addition to verification of in-house IBS coatings, PPC will also provide measurement services to customers wishing to measure absorption in their own coatings or substrates. Two dimensional mapping of surfaces is also available.
PPC primarily utilizes this measurement tool to advance continual process improvement of its own IBS thin film optical coatings. The combination of extreme durability, high reliability, precision spectral control, and high laser damage threshold makes ion beam sputtering the coating method of choice for high power laser applications and low loss optics.
Says Nick Traggis, Vice President of Precision Photonics: “I am proud of the team’s ability to bring such an advanced measurement tool online so quickly and the impact it has already had on our low loss coating capabilities – we are already receiving positive feedback from customers using these optics in ‘world leading’ 10kW class laser systems.”
PPC will be presenting its latest work on ultra-low absorption coatings on January 26th, 2012 at the Photonics West Exhibition in San Francisco, CA.
About Precision Photonics:
PPC manufactures high power optical components and coatings, targeting applications in telecommunications, defense, aerospace, biomedical, and semiconductor manufacturing. By applying the latest advances in the manufacturing and measurement of laser optics, PPC is able to offer price-competitive, short lead-time manufacturing at the very highest levels of precision for both prototype and OEM applications.
For more information visit PPC at www.precisionphotonics.com or contact:
Emily Kubacki, Director of Sales & Marketing
Precision Photonics Corp.
Phone: 303-444-9948
E-mail: Emily.Kubacki@precisionphotonics.com |
| Precision Photonics Awarded $1M Phase 2 SBIR Contract by MDA
The Missile Defense Agency has awarded a Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to Precision Photonics Corporation (PPC) of Boulder, Colorado. The $1 million award will fund continued development of Ion Beam Sputtered (IBS) coatings for large diameter optics used in Directed Energy (DE) applications, investigation of spectrally unique coatings for DE optics, and for the advancement of coatings used with very high power fibers, fiber lasers and laser optics.
PPC plans to continue to advance state of the art optical coatings in these areas while improving overall lifetime, reliability and resistance to damage. The combination of extreme durability, high reliability, precision spectral control, and high laser damage threshold makes Ion Beam Sputtering the coating method of choice for high energy laser applications.
Precision Photonics has a solid history of commercialization for SBIR efforts and prides itself on a strategy of careful selection and excellent program execution. This philosophy of technological innovation was recently recognized by the Small Business Administration (SBA) with a 2011 Tibbetts award, an honor given to companies whose unique contributions represent a model of excellence for the SBIR Program.
Says Nick Traggis, Vice President of Precision Photonics: “We are pleased to receive this Phase II funding, as it allows us to continue to push the envelope and explore the full capabilities of ion beam sputtering - especially in relation to very demanding, directed energy applications.”
About Precision Photonics:
PPC manufactures high power optical components and coatings, targeting applications in telecommunications, defense, aerospace, biomedical, and semiconductor manufacturing. By applying the latest advances in the manufacturing and measurement of laser optics, PPC is able to offer price-competitive, short lead-time manufacturing at the very highest levels of precision for both prototype and OEM applications.
For more information visit PPC at www.precisionphotonics.com or contact:
Emily Kubacki, Director of Sales & Marketing
Precision Photonics Corp.
Phone: 303-444-9948
E-mail: Emily.Kubacki@precisionphotonics.com |
| PPC is Hiring (Lead Manufacturing Technician)!
Precision Photonics Corporation of Boulder, CO (www.precisionphotonics.com), a leader in the field of precision laser optics, thin film coatings, and monolithic optical assemblies is seeking an experienced fabrication technician to support our manufacturing division. This self-motivated individual works well in a fast-paced team environment, takes pride in meticulous detailed-oriented
work, handles production time pressures, and enjoys “hands-on” work.
Job title: Lead Optics Manufacturing Technician
Our ideal candidate will have worked in an optics manufacturing environment producing precision optical components for a minimum of 5 years.
Additional information on the company can be found at www.precisionphotonics.com. Please e-mail resume and cover letter to resumes@precisionphotonics.com. |
| PPC is Hiring (Director of Operations)!
Precision Photonics Corporation of Boulder, CO (www.precisionphotonics.com), a leader in the field of precision laser optics, thin film coatings, and monolithic optical assemblies is seeking a Director of Operations to manage our optics manufacturing division. This full-time position is for a goal-oriented individual who desires to become a key player in a fast growing company.
Job title: Director of Operations
Our ideal candidate will be able to manage greater than 25% annual revenue growth in this department, achieve industry leading on-time delivery, and increase profitability in a very technical job shop environment. This candidate will have worked in both engineering and operational leadership roles in an optics development and manufacturing environment producing precision optical components for at least 7 years.
Additional information on the company can be found at www.precisionphotonics.com. Please e-mail resume and cover letter to resumes@precisionphotonics.com. |
| Epoxy-Free CADB Bonding achieves 100% of Bulk Strength
Improved Bond Strength Characterization of Chemically Activated Direct Bonding (CADB®) Epoxy-Free Bonded Solid State Laser Materials
PPC's Chemically Activated Direct Bonding (CADB®) has become widely utilized as an epoxy-free assembly process for solid state laser crystals in high fluence and other aggressive environments. Previous data has been presented as to both optical and mechanical properties of these bond interfaces. Surface finish of samples and any surface defects or sub-surface damage present can lead to artificially low strength values and other inconclusive results.
In a recent study, we prepared samples with in-house laser polished surfaces to improve the accuracy of the bond strength measurements for bonded and bulk samples of common laser materials such as YAG, phosphate glass, and fused silica.
Our results demonstrate that the quality of the finish on the surfaces adjacent to the bonded interface plays a
huge role in the bond strength for phosphate glass and
ceramic YAG, we observed the ratio of CADB bonded sample strength to bulk sample strength at ~100% (the CADB samples behaved like a bulk sample and did not break at the bond interface). |
| PPC's NIST Traceable Measurements
PPC now offers NIST traceable surface roughness measurements including measurements on sub-Angstrom super-polished surfaces using Nomarski differential interference contrast. Instrument calibration traceability to a NIST optical frequency standard is maintained via PPC Sweepmeter™ technology.
This measurement is offered as a service to both suppliers of super-polished substrates who need to calibrate in-house measurements for ISO purposes, or for consumers of these types of substrates who want to verify what they are receiving. These types of substrates are often used in high finesse laser cavities, high fluence laser applications, and ring laser gyros. |
| PPC's Higher Power Composite Laser Optics
PPC is able to fabricate high performance devices in a variety of geometries (disk lasers, rod end caps, laser slabs and waveguides) in form factors from 1 mm to greater than 100 mm using our proprietary CADB® epoxy free bonding process and high energy ion beam sputtered coatings.
Our IBS coatings can withstand damage thresholds above 40 J/cm˛ at 1064 nm, with less than 2 ppm bulk absorption in coatings at either the internal or external interfaces. The CADB process is extremely robust and offers negligible scatter and absorptive losses at the interface, making them ideal for high-power solid-state laser applications in both defense/aerospace and materials processing. |
| PPC - Disk lasers, Sapphire waveplates and Low-loss coatings
Low-loss AR Coatings with R < 0.05%
In addition to a variety of off-the-shelf laser optics, PPC offers custom high-energy coating designs from 266 nm to 3500 nm. We use ion-beam sputtering (IBS) technology because IBS is a repeatable process that can be precisely controlled, resulting in well-centered, highly efficient coatings such as the anti-reflection (AR) coating shown here with reflectance <0.05% at 1064 nm. Call us or go online to www.precisionphotonics.com for more information and actual test data.
Composite Laser Optics
In addition to disk laser configurations, PPC fabricates devices in a variety of geometries (rod end caps, lasers slabs and waveguides) and in form factors from 1 mm to greater than 100 mm. The CADB process is extremely strong and offers negligible scatter and absorptive losses at the interfaces. Our ion beam sputtered coating technology can handle damage thresholds above 40 J/cm˛ with less than 2 ppm bulk absorption in the coatings.
PPC Technology Enables Better Disk Lasers
PPC’s manufacturing technology has now been proven to enable higher performance disk and thin-disk solid state lasers. These high-performance bonded structures for solid-state laser amplifiers and oscillators use Precision Photonics’ proprietary CADB™ epoxy free bonding process and high energy ion beam sputtered coatings to achieve composite crystal, glass, or ceramic structures. With these processing technologies, PPC has been able to produce disk laser structures with lower transmitted wavefront distortion, better cooling characteristics, and higher fluence handling capabilities, making them ideal for high-power solid-state laser applications in both defense/aerospace and materials processing.
Sapphire Waveplates to 3.5um
PPC is now manufacturing custom multiple-order, true zero-order and compound zero-order waveplates from 266 nm to 3.5 um. These components can be made in a variety of shapes and sizes with retardations of quarter-wave, half-wave or anything in-between. UV-IR waveplates are available using laser grade crystal quartz or sapphire materials and as stand-alone components, or as part of a more complex optical assembly. Durable, high-energy anti-reflection coatings are provided using PPC’s ion beam sputtering process to maximize transmission, laser damage threshold and environmental stability. |
| PPC introduces Sapphire and Phosphate glass polishing
In addition to recent advancements in polishing and bonding of optical grade silicon, Precision Photonics Corporation (PPC) has recently completed development of advanced polishing processes for phosphate, sapphire and Ti:sapphire materials as well. Despite being considered difficult materials to polish, PPC has successfully manufactured plano surfaces of up to 2” in diameter to lambda/10 peak-to-valley flatness with 10-5 surface quality and RMS surface roughness of less than 6 angstroms.
Sapphire is used for many applications in the infrared and semiconductor industry because of its incredible hardness. Highly polished sapphire substrates and assemblies are ideal for use as high energy waveguides, windows, laser amplifiers and low-order waveplates where durability and chemical resistivity are key requirements. PPC can provide ion-beam-sputtered (IBS) anti-reflection, beamsplitter and high-reflection coatings on sapphire and other optical materials from 266 nm to 2200 nm.
Phosphate glasses offer a variety of dopant levels for solid state laser applications, but they are softer and more chemically sensitive than many other glass types. PPC has developed processes to polish, coat and optically bond phosphate in several custom configurations for range finders and other LIDAR applications. |
| PPC introduces Sapphire and Phosphate glass polishing
In addition to recent advancements in polishing and bonding of optical grade silicon, Precision Photonics Corporation (PPC) has recently completed development of advanced polishing processes for phosphate, sapphire and Ti:sapphire materials as well. Despite being considered difficult materials to polish, PPC has successfully manufactured plano surfaces of up to 2” in diameter to lambda/10 peak-to-valley flatness with 10-5 surface quality and RMS surface roughness of less than 6 angstroms.
Sapphire is used for many applications in the infrared and semiconductor industry because of its incredible hardness. Highly polished sapphire substrates and assemblies are ideal for use as high energy waveguides, windows, laser amplifiers and low-order waveplates where durability and chemical resistivity are key requirements. PPC can provide ion-beam-sputtered (IBS) anti-reflection, beamsplitter and high-reflection coatings on sapphire and other optical materials from 266 nm to 2200 nm.
Phosphate glasses offer a variety of dopant levels for solid state laser applications, but they are softer and more chemically sensitive than many other glass types. PPC has developed processes to polish, coat and optically bond phosphate in several custom configurations for range finders and other LIDAR applications |
| Silicon etalons and wafer polishing
Precision Photonics Corporation (PPC), a leading provider of ultra-precise optics and opto-mechanical assemblies, announces the successful development of advanced polishing, testing and coating techniques for optical grade silicon material. By utilizing state-of-the-art metrology, wafer-based optical fabrication and PPC’s advanced ion-beam-sputtering (IBS) coatings, we have been able to produce ultra-flat components repeatedly and in large quantities.
Thickness measurements taken with our laser-based, NIST-traceable SW1500 metrology system confirm total thickness variations (TTV) less than 15nm across a 50mm diameter - a parallelism of less than < .1 arcseconds!
Solid silicon etalons are often used as tunable dispersion compensators and as optical frequency discriminators. Designers can achieve rapid tuning and uniform heat distribution by controlling the transmission properties of the etalon through refractive index modulation. Custom etalons, filters and wafers are available coated or uncoated with surface quality as low as 20/10 in sizes from 1.5 x 1.5 mm2 to 100mm diameter. |
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