G&H

Transmission through an acousto-optic (AO) device causes the input light to experience a frequency shift equal to the RF drive frequency. Our acousto-optic frequency shifters (AOFS) are optimized for the needs of applications like interferometry, with the ability to achieve high extinction ratio between modes.

We offer standard products with frequency shifts of over 300 MHz and integrated low-power AOFS modules in which the RF driver has been built into the housing. Our team can also customize frequency shifters for specific application, including frequency shifts up to 600 MHz.

Our acousto-optic modulators are optimized for low scatter and high laser damage threshold. Rise time, modulation rate, beam diameter, and power handling needs of the application need to be understood in order to identify the best acousto-optic modulator and RF driver solution.

We also offer fiber-coupled acousto-optic modulators.

G&H offers low insertion loss, highly efficient acousto-optic Q-switches capable of handling very high peak power, and will draw on our 35 years of experience to match the cavity length, repetition rate, wavelength, beam diameter, polarization state and output power of a laser to the best acousto-optic Q-switch solution.

G&H offers an extensive line of AOTFs for wavelength regions from the UV through mid-IR, with resolution bandwidths of less than 1 nm. We also offer options such as large-aperture imaging filtering and sideband suppression. Fiber-coupled AOTF devices are available upon request.

Lens processing capabilities of G&H include CNC generating, grinding, and polishing. We polish spherical, semi-spherical, and aspheric lenses. 5-axis grinding and polishing machines are utilized for manufacturing high precision aspheric surfaces on optical glass. Single point diamond turning is used for aspheric and diffractive optical elements.

G&H manufacture custom precision lenses for imaging, focusing, collimation and illumination, using standard polishing and grinding techniques, as well as single point diamond turning and MRF®.

We take a design-for-manufacture approach to lens production, facilitating the production of cost-effective, high quality custom precision lenses.

Optimized beamsplitter designs from G&H demonstrate superior laser damage performance for each unique wavelength, split, and incident angle combination. High-energy coatings are optimized to accommodate specific application requirements.

For maximum power handling, we recommend optically contacted cubes or plate beamsplitters. For durability and handling, G&H suggests cube beamsplitters.

Distributed feedback lasers (DFB lasers) simultaneously provide smooth, tunable control of wavelength and the extremely narrow spectral width required for precise fiber optic communication and spectroscopy applications. Integrated modules provide further narrowing of the spectral line in a compact OEM package that features simple tuning interface.

G&H offers a broad range of DFB lasers in the C-band and L-band on 50 or 100 GHz channel spacing as well as at 1310 nm, 1064 nm, and custom wavelengths. Power level options include 40–100 mW out of the fiber for high power 14-pin lasers and 10-18 mW options for high bandwidth 7-pin configurations.

The G&H electro-optic Q-switch employs the highest optical quality lithium niobate available. The electro-optic effect of lithium niobate makes it extremely useful for Pockels cell Q-switching of several laser types including Nd:YAG, Nd:YALO, Nd:YLF and Er:YLF. Lithium niobate Q-switches are used in both military and commercial applications, including target designating, range finding, and ophthalmic surgery. Our crystals offer low loss, high contrast ratio, and low wavefront distortion, and are qualified for use at 300 MW/cm². The temperature-stable (TS and XTS) versions of our electro-optic LN Q-switches allow operation over a wide range of temperatures while maintaining excellent contrast ratio.

The G&H line of HI REL fused fiber optic components are deployed in environments such as undersea and space where the costs of component replacement are prohibitive and reliability is of premier concern.

G&H is established as a preferred supplier of these components to most major undersea telecommunications equipment manufacturers. Our HI REL capability is built upon the foundation of an extended history of also manufacturing very reliable components for land-based (or terrestrial) systems in volume.

G&H offers a range of multimode combiners for pumping high power fiber lasers. They are based on precise fusion of multimode fibers techniques. For pumping of complex fiber amplifier designs, we have developed a signal feedthrough fiber at the center of the multimode fiber bundle, which is both single mode and polarization maintaining. We manufacture N × 1 multimode combiners as well as N + 1 × 1 combiners with a signal feedthrough fiber. Standard components are 3 × 1, 7 × 1, 2 + 1 × 1 and 6 + 1 × 1. All variants are available with custom pump, signal and output fibers.

We deliver highly integrated, superior performing, infrared optical components leveraging our combination of technical skills, unique manufacturing competencies, and extensive metrology capabilities.

We bring together a set of capabilities which enables our customers to combine techniques, even on the same part. A unique, stand-out capability for G&H is our ability to manufacture complex shapes on lenses, such as step profiles or off-axis shapes.

G&H provide high energy precision mirrors for laser cavities and demanding applications. Our custom high-reflectivity mirrors deliver superior performance and value to customers designing and building laser cavities from small, lightweight range finding lasers to high laser damage threshold industrial lasers.

We understand that the smallest defect leads to a system failure. Our goal is to minimize or eliminate system failures due to coating or polishing defects.

Precision mirrors are fabricated in a number of shapes and sizes. Conventional optical grade flats or shaped substrates are precision polished and inspected at magnification to ensure there are no underlying defects before coatings. Careful cleaning and coating processes ensure microscopic particles are not encapsulated into the coating.

Light-MiLES was an Innovate UK (formerly Technology Strategy Board) funded research project running from December 2012 to May 2015. The project goals were to develop a novel laser transmitter and integrate it with an imaging array to produce an active laser-illuminated imaging sensor. The project consortium was headed by Thales Optronics with G&H, Glass Technology Services, and the University of Leeds as participants. The challenge for G&H was to provide a suitable photonic packaging solution for this demanding application.

The Light-MiLES project has developed a novel eye-safe laser transmitter combining the performance of a solid-state laser with the packaging and form-factor of a diode laser device. The source is well suited for long-range laser range-finders (LRF) or for integration into multi-platform sensor systems, such as man-portable target locators or airborne gimbals. These are all applications which require ultra-compact, low cost, efficient laser transmitter performance.

G&H is an established manufacturer of high quality optical components and optical sub-systems for the biomedical imaging market with manufacturing bases in the UK and the USA.

Our extremely wideband optical coupler offers uniform performance over a 140 nm wavelength range for spectral domain OCT, and can be integrated into modules like our OCT optical delay line. We also offer a compact OCT optical spectrometer with high resolution and image capture rate, completing a line of modular OCT components that may be purchased for research and OEM use, or integrated by our engineering team into a customized, complete system.

G&H designs and manufactures custom modules – fiber assemblies of passive and/or active optical components integrated to provide higher functionality in a compact footprint. Customers sourcing fiber optic assemblies stay focused on their core competence while reducing time to market and development costs. Our in-depth understanding of optical component performance, combined with the use of low loss G&H products, ensures optimized designs. Advanced assembly techniques such as ribbon splicing and fiber recoating are used to provide robustness, reduce form factors, and minimize manufacturing costs.

At G&H, we take a custom module designs from specification all the way through to a manufactured product. We are expert in mechanical design for optics, fiber optics, and fiber assemblies. Our fiber assemblies include pigtailed lasers, spectrometers, optical delay lines, telescopes, and fiber collimators. The most complex assemblies can include bulk optics, fiber optics, motion control, and electronics.

High numerical aperture (NA) optical domes from G&H are produced using precision tooling. Our product line includes zinc selenide, zinc sulphide, or germanium materials.

CNC processing, combined with extensive metrology capabilities, deliver precision domes for aerospace and military applications.

Optical domes are essentially windows: two parallel surfaces, curved. The dome protects and isolates critical sensors and electronics from the environment with minimal disruption to the optical path.

Optical domes can be found on forward looking infrared systems, seeker head optical systems, in submersibles, and underwater camera systems. Airborne systems must be designed to withstand sand, intense temperature differentials, and other challenging environmental conditions. Diamond-like coatings can be used to improve performance in the field. Submersible optics must likewise be designed to withstand sea salt, spray, and more humid challenging conditions.

G&H Pockels cell drivers have been developed to complement our range of Pockels Cells. High quality components are integrated into our designs to maximize lifetime, safety, and reliability. Our Pockels cell drivers include the Q-series Q-switch drivers and R-series regenerative amplifier drivers. Q-switch drivers provide a fast rise time followed by a longer decay time. Regenerative amplifier drivers have a square pulse with a fast rise and fall time, adjustable pulse width and may be operated to 100 kHz or more. The Q series product line includes the Lab Q-Drive, OEM Q-Drive, and QDP models while the R series product line includes the R200, the R200 System, the HVR, and the HVR System.

G&H are a leading crystal grower with decades of electro-optic device design experience. We manufacture a comprehensive range of Pockels cells for applications in wavelengths from the UV to the IR. Factors such as average power, repetition rate and the design configuration determine the recommended type of device.

Utilizing proprietary crystal growth, fabrication, and polishing techniques, we manufacture both longitudinal and transverse electrode configuration Pockels cells in beta barium oxide (BBO), cadmium telluride (CdTe), potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) and potassium dideuterium phosphate (KD*P).

G&H produce precision prisms for a wide variety of applications, from high energy laser cavities to broadband imaging systems. Prisms types include: Abbe, Amici, Dove, Leman, Penta, Periscope, Porro, Rhomboid, Schmidt, Wollaston, Zeiss, and others.

Prisms bend, fold, invert, reinvert, displace, and deviate light. They are critical components in the systems which utilize their bending or refracting properties.

In order to collapse or control the optical path, optical engineers may generate designs which require optical contacting of multiple prisms to create complex optical structures. Each angle and surface must be held in the tightest of tolerances to the whole piece.

Our precision prism production capabilities include precision angular tolerancing, accurate wavefront control, and polishing of a wide variety of materials.

Our prisms may be assembled into cubes or more complex opto-mechanical sub-systems including epoxy bonding, optical contacting, or air-spacing.

Our acousto-optic Q-switches are rugged, reliable, and long-lasting, backed by millions of hours of service in the field.

We offer low insertion loss, highly efficient acousto-optic Q-switches capable of handling very high peak power, and will draw on our 35 years of experience to match the cavity length, repetition rate, wavelength, beam diameter, polarization state and output power of a laser to the best acousto-optic Q-switch solution.

G&H offers a wide variety of stable high frequency drivers with analog and digital modulation capability, optimized by application. Explore our new line of flexible Dual Drivers, or contact us to discuss a custom OEM design.

As our AO product lines expand, we are creating more flexible, adaptive RF drivers with dual analog/digital operation and configurable firmware to accommodate functionality like triggering and temperature control without the need for new hardware. Our OEM designs, in contrast, are optimized to each customer’s application, maximizing performance in the required form factor.

G&H has been producing superpolished surfaces for over 40 years and is the world’s original provider of superpolished optical components. We have evolved our proprietary process to handle high volume and specialized R & D requirements.

Typical applications are cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy, ring laser gyroscopic systems, ultrafast laser research, and ultraviolet laser systems. Possible substrate materials are BK7, crystal quartz, fused silica, and Zerodur®.

Superpolished substrates feature surface roughness lower than 1 Å, scratch/dig <5/2, and inspection upwards of 320× magnification. The result is extremely low scatter, losses and defects – a requirement for any high performance laser application. The substrates offer an impressive 1/20th wave or better surface accuracy.

To complement our superpolished surfaces we offer ion beam sputtered (IBS) coatings which achieve very low levels of total loss (absorption and scatter), and exceptional environmental stability.

Manufacture of photonic components for telecom applications is one of G&H’s strengths. We produce custom optical products using our advanced wafer polishing and coating techniques. We also specialize in one-off production runs for telecom projects or development programs.

Telecom superpolished wafers feature surface roughness lower than 1 Angstrom, scratch/dig < 5/2, and inspection upwards of 320× magnification. The result is extremely low scatter, losses and defects – a requirement for any high performance laser application. The substrates offer an impressive 1/20th wave or better surface accuracy.

To complement our telecom wafer surfaces we offer ion beam sputtered (IBS) coatings which achieve very low levels of total loss (absorption and scatter) and exceptional environmental stability.

Receiving and converting of high fidelity photonic signals is critical for communication systems. G&H offers two telecom receiver products:

• The EM169 photodetector offers bandwidth rated to a minimum of 20 GHz over the 1280–1620 nm range. This photodetector covers multiple wavelength bands with a single device, including 1310 nm, C-band, and L-band. The EM169 can handle 3 mW (5 dBm) average power with 6 mW (8 dBm) absolute maximum power, and a typical responsivity of 0.95 A/W.
• The new EM530 photodetector further expands the product range with a dramatic increase in power handling to 50 mW (17 dBm) average and 100 mW (20 dBm) absolute maximum. The EM530 detects over the 1280–1620 nm range and features a bandwidth of 10 GHz with a typical 0.5 A/W responsivity. For a 50 mW input signal, the EM530 photodetector provides a 250 mA photocurrent level, thus increasing the level by a factor of 10 compared to the EM169 and other comparable photodetectors.

From crystal growth, crystal orientation and cutting, to waveplate fabrication and coating, no other waveplate supplier has as much control over the fabrication stages as G&H.

Our waveplates been used in the cutting edge of research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s NIF project to the most demanding of production environments in semiconductor metrology equipment.

For all wavelength ranges, we orient, cut, and polish the optical crystals for waveplate production. Tight internal controls enable better retardation tolerances within and between production runs.

Polishing, coating, assembly, and metrology complete the manufacturing process.