Liquid Crystal Fabry-Perot (LCFP)
High resolution Doppler filters, low resolution imaging filters. Technology uses nematic liquid crystal as the tuning medium in Fabry-Perot interferometers. Proprietary NUV – LWIR designs.
Please download and read a paper on the properties of SSI Liquid Crystal Tunable Filters.
- Precise electronic wavelength selection
- Completely solid-state design
- Remarkable ease of use
- Extreme resistance to shock and vibration
- Rapid tuning on the order of milliseconds
- Low-voltage analog input (0-10V max)
- Excellent background rejection
- Remarkable image quality
- Diameters from 10 to 152 mm
- Wavelength regions from 500 nm to 14 µm
- Spectral resolution from 0.002 to 36 Å (VIS)
- Absolutely no closed-loop control
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Spectral Stability
Repeated electronic scans across four orders of a high resolution LCFP filter during a 10-hour period demonstrate stability greater than 0.01 part in 10³.
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Thermal Stability
Temperature-stabilized housings maintain LCFP temperature to better than 0.05°C for maximum performance.
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Standard or Custom Optical Coatings
Standard coatings include 500 nm – 700 nm, 700 nm – 1100 nm, and 1510 nm – 1630 nm. Custom coatings are available in the VIS, NIR, IR, MWIR, and LWIR.
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High Throughput
SSI guarantees transmission of at least 40% of polarized light, and has achieved transmissions as high as 80%.
Image Quality
Image Quality
A test target, illuminated with low pressure sodium light and viewed through a LCFP with 3 nm resolution, shows the remarkable image quality of the LCFP.
Photonics Product of the Year
Scientific Solutions, Inc. received Laurin Publishing’s prestigious 2001 Photonics Circle of Excellence Award in recognition of their NIR High-Resolution LCFP. An official Press Release was issued on January 25, 2002.
NASA Recognition
Originally developed under contract to the Goddard Space Flight Center, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) considers Scientific Solutions, Inc.’s LCFP a success.
Diverse Applications
Spectroscopy, Imaging (Raman, Flourescence, Non-excited, and Hyperspectral), Sensing, Astronomy/Astrophysics/Aeronomy, LIDAR, Telecommunications (WDM, Add-Drop, Spectrum Analysis, Channel Monitoring), Laser tuning…
Space Qualification
Having passed a Pegusus-level shake and -10°C to +40°C thermal cycling at Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory, as well as independent LEO-level radiation tests, SSI’s LCFP is getting ready for takeoff.
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Serial Use
LCFPs can be stacked in series to seamlessly combine the broad Free Spectral Range of a narrow-gap FP with the high resolution of a large-gap FP in one interlocked unit.
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Air-Gap Fabry-Perot Interferometer
SSI specializes in the construction of classic air-gap Fabry-Perot (F-P) interferometers; our staff has over 40 years of collective FP experience. These precision instruments yield maximum throughput for a given spectral resolution. Custom features include diameters from 1 cm to 6 inches and resonant cavity spacing from 3 μm to 6 cm.
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Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer (SHS)
The Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer (SHS) combines the high resolution and throughput of conventional interferometers with extreme robustness. The SHS does not require scanning to function at its full resolving power. The SHS can be made monolithic by fusing all of the main optical elements into a single block with no moving parts.