Qioptiq Post-Learning Journey
At Qioptiq, we first were given a brief introduction about the company by Mr. Ronian Siew. Qioptiq is a global, one-stop provider of photonic solutions in various industries, namely the aerospace and defence, medical, industrial manufacturing industries and in Research and Development. It has offices in Western Europe and North America that investigate the latest technology, and offices in Eastern Europe and Asia that produce cheaper products of high quality. In all, the company continually innovates to remain relevant within constraints provided by its customers.
We were then taken around the production facility, where we shown where diamond-turning was done on non-glass lens, such as aluminium and germanium lens. These lens were to allow infra-red light to pass through and had applications in fields such as thermal imaging. We were also introduced to aspheres, or lens whose surface profiles are not that of a sphere or a cylinder, as these lens would reduce spherical aberration and allow light rays to converge directly at one point.
We were also taken around some metal-cutting and shaping facilities on the ground floor, as these were used to make the various metal components that would house the lens, as well as instruments for planetary polishing (where the diamond polishers move around the lens like planets rotating around the Sun), ultrasonic cleaning (where ultrasonic waves are used to clean the delicate lens), centering (alignment of axis of lens surfaces), and edging processes.
The second floor housed facilities for optics bonding. For example, positive and negative lens could be bonded together to negate the effects of dispersion of light into its different wave lengths (also termed as chromatic aberration). Four right-angled triangular prisms could also be bonded together to split light to different wave lengths: red, blue and green (these prisms are called dichroric prisms).
There were also machines that coated lenses with an anti-reflection coating, which works by causing stray light to undergo destructive interference. The lenses themselves are coated as the metal oxides (that form the coating) are bombarded with electrons, which causes them to vapourise and adhere to the lens. A test piece also placed within the setup is then analysed to determine if the coating is sufficient. The concept of a "Minimum Viable Product" was also introduced, so as not to make the manufacturing too expensive or too time-consuming. Lastly, we were shown a series of products that contained Qioptiq lenses (more under the "Interesting Products" section).
After the visit was over, Mr. Siew presented an example of where Qioptiq's lenses were used: in lens that were used to capture X-ray images. In an X-ray, electrons strike a phosphor screen, and the lenses were needed to take the picture of the image that was formed. Various microlenses that formed a focussing lens group were used along with a prism to rotate the image. In the formation of the lens group, Mr. Siew also introduced us to software being used determine the path of light rays, which built up on the ideal "thin lens" before compensating for the effects of the surrounding thick glass.
Throughout this visit, I was immensely enriched as Mr. Siew explained the various optical concepts in a clear manner, and what I had learnt in physics helped me to understand most of what he was saying. Mr. Siew was also very personable later when he described his background and how he came to be an engineer at Qioptiq. He also initiated some very though-provoking discussion on what should we value in life. (more under the "Mid-Life Postulations" section)
We were then taken around the production facility, where we shown where diamond-turning was done on non-glass lens, such as aluminium and germanium lens. These lens were to allow infra-red light to pass through and had applications in fields such as thermal imaging. We were also introduced to aspheres, or lens whose surface profiles are not that of a sphere or a cylinder, as these lens would reduce spherical aberration and allow light rays to converge directly at one point.
We were also taken around some metal-cutting and shaping facilities on the ground floor, as these were used to make the various metal components that would house the lens, as well as instruments for planetary polishing (where the diamond polishers move around the lens like planets rotating around the Sun), ultrasonic cleaning (where ultrasonic waves are used to clean the delicate lens), centering (alignment of axis of lens surfaces), and edging processes.
The second floor housed facilities for optics bonding. For example, positive and negative lens could be bonded together to negate the effects of dispersion of light into its different wave lengths (also termed as chromatic aberration). Four right-angled triangular prisms could also be bonded together to split light to different wave lengths: red, blue and green (these prisms are called dichroric prisms).
There were also machines that coated lenses with an anti-reflection coating, which works by causing stray light to undergo destructive interference. The lenses themselves are coated as the metal oxides (that form the coating) are bombarded with electrons, which causes them to vapourise and adhere to the lens. A test piece also placed within the setup is then analysed to determine if the coating is sufficient. The concept of a "Minimum Viable Product" was also introduced, so as not to make the manufacturing too expensive or too time-consuming. Lastly, we were shown a series of products that contained Qioptiq lenses (more under the "Interesting Products" section).
After the visit was over, Mr. Siew presented an example of where Qioptiq's lenses were used: in lens that were used to capture X-ray images. In an X-ray, electrons strike a phosphor screen, and the lenses were needed to take the picture of the image that was formed. Various microlenses that formed a focussing lens group were used along with a prism to rotate the image. In the formation of the lens group, Mr. Siew also introduced us to software being used determine the path of light rays, which built up on the ideal "thin lens" before compensating for the effects of the surrounding thick glass.
Throughout this visit, I was immensely enriched as Mr. Siew explained the various optical concepts in a clear manner, and what I had learnt in physics helped me to understand most of what he was saying. Mr. Siew was also very personable later when he described his background and how he came to be an engineer at Qioptiq. He also initiated some very though-provoking discussion on what should we value in life. (more under the "Mid-Life Postulations" section)