Optics ######## I used to perform fundamental optics design, optimization, and fabrication. I verify the system architecture to meet the stakeholder needs, conducts trade studies with Fraunhofer/Poisson optical model, and then validate the assembled hardware does meet the system specifications. Later, I found the profession/hobby too expensive to sustain without a lab to support. Nowadays, I mostly compose and evaluate optical schematics and OEM-provided specifications. If you find anyone who wishes to ship the instrument on loan to my office, I am more than willing to pick up the slack. Please feel free to contact me on `LinkedIn `_. Professional optics design & fabrication ------------------------------------------- Plastic molded microscope lens for 96-well parallel microscope =============================================================== .. figure:: attached/plastic-molded-lens.png Originally conceived by Dr Changhuei Yang and his PhD student, we spec'ed out the optical magnification, field of view, and focal shift requirements from the 96-CMOS camera project. When I took over the project, I reviewed the manufacturer provided CodeV raytracing report, provided expert's feedback, and then validated the lens and the specifications with the Caltech-patented aberration extraction algorithm to analyze the Zernike coefficients. * **A.C.S. Chan**, J Kim, A Pan, H Xu, D Nojima, C Hale, S Wang, C Yang, “Parallel Fourier ptychographic microscopy for high-throughput screening with 96 cameras (96 Eyes)” Scientific Reports 9, 11114 (2019). * Patent: US10754140B2 All-optical spatial light modulator for structured illumination at 10 million FPS ================================================================================== .. figure:: https://opg.optica.org/getimagev2.cfm?img=q0R0V5CDyBwWnxTrgOANkmdvsYrqvOoghHSuws%2FmS%2Fo%3D&uri=optica-2-12-1037-g001 :width: 80% The holy grail of a spatial light modulator (SLM) is to bypass all mechanical actuators in pursue of speed. At >10 million FPS range, the MEMS technology can no longer meet the requirements. I designed, modelled, and validated the all-optical SLM design on a physical optical setup. Due to the cost prohibitive manufacturing and cleaning process of the thin-glass optical cavity (VIPA), I coded an optical simulator based on wave propagation optics, and optimized the SLM design parameter (e.g. thickness, reflectance, core material) based on multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA). The optimized design is successfully fabricated, assembled, and validated on a physical system. Acousto-optic beam deflection at 1 million sweeps per second for pixel super-resolution =================================================================================================== .. figure:: attached/aod-beam-deflector.png Under the lead of Dr Terence Wong, I procured the acousto-optic deflector (AOD) evaluation kit and integrated it into his ultrafast imaging flow cytometry system for cancer detection. I brought up the RF wave generator & amplifier module, and designed controller PCBs to synchronize incoming fempto-second laser pulses. I also conducted AOD sweep angle and step size trade studies to further understand the limit of the system. Amateur optics ------------------- Poorman's pinhole camera with silver-halide films ==================================================== TBD. 2017 - 2010: Amateur telescope making ======================================== .. figure:: attached/telescope-group-photo.jpg * Phase 1: Coarse grinding .. .. figure:: attached/telescope-powder.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-table.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-defect-checking.jpg * Phase 2: Fine grinding .. .. figure:: attached/telescope-fine-grinding.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-bubble-technique.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-scattering-newspaper.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-scattering-reflection.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-scattering-torch.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-center-dark.jpg * Phase 3: Wet polishing with lap pitch .. .. figure:: attached/telescope-lap-pitch.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-press-fit.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-press-fit-2.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-polishing.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-polishing-reflection.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-polishing-progress.jpg * Phase 4: testing for optical aberration .. .. figure:: attached/telescope-ronchi-tester.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-ronchi-diagram.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-ronchi-distance.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-ronchi.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-foucault.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-foucault-usage.jpg * Phase 5: Opto-mechanical assembly .. .. figure:: attached/telescope-workshop.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-kinematic-mount.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-painting.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-internal.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-linear-gear.jpg * Phase 6: field testing .. .. figure:: attached/telescope-party.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-jupyter.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-moon.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-skyscraper.jpg .. figure:: attached/telescope-solar-eclipse-2009.jpg