Loughborough Facilities and Equipment

Interferometry Lab

The interferometry lab is used to develop novel optical metrology instruments using coherent light sources in the visible and IR spectrum.  

Single-shot hyperspectral interferometer

  • Measures areal profiles on optically smooth and stepped surfaces for application where rapid data acquisition in non-cooperative environments is essential. 
  • Single-shot technique avoids mechanical and wavelength scanning typically employed in scanning white light interferometry instruments, therefore reducing the requirement for vibration isolation. 

Photonic integrated circuit / waveguide test facility 

  • Test facility for evaluation of custom photonic chips and waveguides. 
  • Supports light coupling through end-face waveguides and top-face diffraction gratings. 
  • Digital control of MZI optical switches. SWIR laser light source and imaging.  
  • High-resolution 12.5x microscope with long working distance for visual inspection and alignment. 

Motorized polarization controller 

  • Thorlabs' Motorized Fibre Polarization Controller is a 3 paddle-based polarization controller that use stress-induced birefringence within a fibre to dynamically control the output polarization state of light. 
  • Convert Between Linear, Circular, and Elliptical Polarization 
  • 0.12° minimum Step Size 

 

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Tektronix MSO54 Oscilloscope 

  • 4 FlexChannel inputs 
    Each FlexChannel provides: 
    * 1x analogue signal that can be displayed as a waveform view, a spectral view, or both simultaneously 
    * 8x digital logic inputs (with TLP058 logic probe) 
  • Bandwidth (all analogue channels) 
    * 350 MHz, 500 MHz, 1 GHz, 2 GHz (upgradable) 
  • Sample rate (all analogue / digital channels) 
    * Real-time: 6.25 GS/s 
    * Interpolated: 500 GS/s 
  • Vertical resolution 
    * 12-bit ADC 
    * Up to 16-bits in High-Res mode 

Olympus BX60 microscope

  • Kohler Illumination light paths for both transmitted and reflected light paths 
  • Flip-in day-light blue colour balancing filter for transmitted light path 
  • Flip-in neutral density filter set 6% & 25% for transmitted light path 
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NanoMax piezo closed-loop XYZ positining stages

  • Fibre optic alignment stages that provide fine-thread manual control with piezo actuators. 
  • Piezo actuators can be controlled manually or using NanoTrak auto alignment module continuously adjusts optical fibre position to maximize coupling efficiency. 
  • Travel: Fine thread 4mm (X,Y,Z); Piezo actuator 20μm (X,Y,Z). 
  • Resolution: Differential adjustor 50nm (X,Y,Z); Piezo actuator with feedback 5nm (X,Y,Z). 

 

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