WHAT'S NEW?

 

Optonicus Announces New Chief Executive Officer

Dayton, OH July 16, 2012 – Optonicus is pleased to announce the appointment of Tom Tumolillo, Jr. as the new CEO. As an an experienced optical industry leader with a 20 year track record Dr. Tumolillo brings a wealth of relevant experience to the role. He has successfully taken innovative optical products from R&D to the market place in public and private optical communications and systems companies. Optonicus partner and previous CEO, Rob Markovich, is newly appointed the Chief Financial Officer of the company.

Prior to joining Optonicus, Dr. Tumolillo held the position of Vice President, Government Relations at Physical Optics Corporation and before that key roles at Akzo Nobel Photonics, JDS Uniphase, Zia Laser, EOS Technologies, AgilOptics, EMCORE Fiber Optics and Luxtera. His deep understanding of the industry and his track record of success has made him enthusiastically received by the team as well as Optonicus' partners.

“I am very excited to join the outstanding team at Optonicus as the company experiences rapid growth in both the commercial intelligent optical system product line and key government contracting business segments.  Optonicus is well positioned for growth based on the innovative technologies developed that overcome the short comings of traditional adaptive optics technologies” said Dr. Tumolillo. “The growing market demand for effective solutions in the atmospheric imaging, laser communications, laser target tracking, directed energy, and remote sensing applications will drive continued growth and I look forward growing the company in Dayton, Ohio with its strong optical technology and manufacturing roots.”

Dr. Tumolillo received his B.S. in Physics in 1987 with a concentration in Optics from Humboldt State University, M.S. in 1989, and Ph.D. in 1991 degrees both in Physics with a specialization in Optics & Optoelectronics from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.  He completed at two year National Research Council Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the US Army Missile Command Weapons Sciences Directorate in Huntsville, Alabama in 1993, and his received his MBA in General Management from the Rotterdam School of Management, Rotterdam, The Netherlands in 2000.

 

US Air Force STTR Phase II Award For Beam Control of
Optical Phased Fiber-Array Systems

Dayton, OH June 18, 2012 – Optonicus wins US Air Force STTR Phase II award to further develop its optical phased fiber-array technology. Optonicus has successfully completed the initial requirement of developing and demonstrating coherent beam combining (phase locking) onto realistic (speckle) moving targets in deep turbulence conditions. Now Optonicus will integrate analysis and techniques for beam aimpoint selection and stabilization in highly anisoplanatic conditions. In addition, the contract includes development, testing and evaluation of a fiber-array-based beam director system composed of densely-packed adaptive fiber collimators (sub-apertures) with integrated capabilities for imaging, aimpointing, AO mitigation of atmospheric turbulence effects, as well as coherent combining.

The successful completion of the effort will provide a prototype for a scalable optical phased fiber-array beam director system that will enable the implementation of a new type of compact, light-weight high energy laser (HEL) weapon system for DOD. The developed fiber-array technology is also directly applicable to free-space optical communications, active imaging, commercial aircraft defense, and industrial laser technology.

 

Boeing Subcontracts Phased Array Integration to Optonicus for JTO Contract

Dayton, OH March 22, 2012 – Optonicus is proud to be Boeing’s subcontractor for a new phased array system for the Joint Technology Office (JTO). JOT has expressed significant interest for phased fiber array systems, but also concerns regarding their maturity as an overall, integrated subsystem on an aircraft. In order to support future implementation of such aircraft-based systems, Boeing proposes to combine its industry-leading experience in airframes with the worlds leading innovators and experts of light propagation through the atmosphere. In response, Boeing has chosen Optonicus, a leading supplier of phased-array laser technology to assess and mature this technology for integration on an airborne platform.

The project will evaluate and mature various concepts for fuselage-conformal phased-array laser systems. Boeing will work Optonicus and its phased fiber array concepts and transition the technologies to an airborne high-energy laser system. The initial phase will focus on integrating architectures with existing system functions and beam formation along with airframe compatibility.

 

Optonicus Awarded SBIR by US Navy to Develop Fiber Array Based
Maritime Laser System

Dayton, OH February 29, 2012 -- Optonicus has received SBIR funding to develop a fiber array based solution for the Navy’s future high-energy laser systems. Directed energy laser systems are considered as one of the key future technologies in providing an efficient and economic solution for critical missions by the US Navy.

These missions require light-weight and compact-size high energy laser beam direction technology, capable of rapid mitigation of deep turbulence and thermal blooming effects in the stressed maritime environment. In these systems, adaptive optics techniques are envisioned as a key technology. However, as conventional wavefront sensors fail to address the challenging atmospheric conditions of maritime operation, the Navy is turning to Optonicus' innovative technology of intelligent collimators and phase fiber arrays.

 

Optonicus to Develop Extended-Range Atmospheric Sensing Suite
for Deep Turbulence Characterization for the US Air Force

Dayton, OH January 27, 2012 -- Optonicus has been called on to facilitate the growing interest by the DoD for development of laser solutions intended for optical surveillance and laser communication systems, operating over extended distances in the atmosphere (up to and exceeding 100 km). The ability to optimally design, build, and predict the performance of these new systems requires understanding of optical wave propagation along various long-range atmospheric paths that crosses several extended regions of the atmosphere - with quite distinctive spatial structures and temporal dynamics.

As a leader in the area of intelligent optics, Optonicus was chosen to develop a common atmospheric diagnostic suite that currently does not exist. This new Extended-Range Atmospheric Sensing Suite (ERASS) system will also provide data urgently needed for the development of long-range imaging, tracking, laser communications, and HEL beam projection systems and will examine laser beam and image propagation models used for these systems development.

 

Optonicus to Showcase Latest Commercial Products at
SPIE Photonics West Exhibition

Dayton, OH November 20, 2011 -- Optonicus will participate in the SPIE Photonics West Exhibition 2012, showcasing our compact, lightweight, and affordable intelligent/adaptive optical products for use in a variety of laser applications. Specifically, we will demonstrate the INFOCO series of intelligent fiber-optics collimators, couplers, and controllers, the WACO series of optical wavefront phase aberration correction products. We will also present our newest products, the INFA series of fiber-array laser beam transmitter systems with capabilities for coherent and incoherent beam combining, electronic beam pointing and focusing, and adaptive mitigation of atmospheric turbulence effects.

Additionally, Optonicus' team is giving several talks at the SPIE Photonics West Conference on January 24 presenting results on target-in-the-loop coherent beam combining over a 7-km atmospheric propagation path, discussing turbulence speckle effects mitigation techniques, as well as introducing novel scintillation-resistant wavefront sensing approach based on a multi-aperture phase reconstruction.

SPIE Photonics West Exhibition is one of the largest laser and photonics events for companies in the industry in North America, presenting the latest technologies, tools, and commercial products in laser systems, fiber optics, optoelectronic materials and devices.

Find us at:
Booth #5431
North Hall, The Moscone Center
San Francisco, California, USA
24 - 26 January 2012

 

Optonicus to Advance Fiber Laser Arrays for the Joint Technology Office

Dayton, OH August 22, 2011 -- As a leader in fiber based array systems, Optonicus has been contracted by the Joint Technology Office (JTO) to develop a new type of wavefront sensing and beam control technique that allows obscuration free locking in phase of an array of high-energy lasers.

Conventional laser beam control techniques cannot be applied for coherent beam combining over longer distances. Extension of the operational range of fiber-array based high energy laser (HEL) beams to middle and long-range engagements requires development of novel beam control techniques.

Optonicus' technique eliminates the cumbersome presence of beam splitters located in front of the outgoing high-power beams making the scaling to a large number of fiber collimators feasible. Optonicus' technology optimizes the received power signal using SPGD or multi-dithering/LOCSET techniques resulting in phase locking of the HEL beams at the transmitter aperture instead. With this approach, the coherent beam combining is performed using two separate control systems: one for compensation of the amplifier system-induced phase shifts and the second for mitigation of atmospheric turbulence effects.

 

Dayton Ladar & Optical Communications Institute and Optonicus
Create High-Tech Jobs

Dayton, OH July 18, 2011 -- The University of Dayton Ladar and Optical Communications Institute is sustaining the goals of the Ohio Third Frontier program and the Ohio Aerospace Hub. LOCI announced today the signing of agreements with three companies that will create high-tech jobs in Ohio. Optonicus and Defense Engineering Corp. (DEC), both Dayton-based, and Utopia Compression of California will move operations into the institute located in the College Park Center.

"These companies are producing jobs in Ohio," institute director Joe Haus said. "The more people we can move here, the more people we have to work on these problems."

Optonicus is building intelligent optical systems used, among other applications, to improve image resolution and data transfer by unmanned aerial systems. "These projects could be particularly beneficial to the Ohio Aerospace Hub," Haus said. Commercialization of advanced Sensor Technology (IDCAST) has created 289 new jobs, created five startup companies in Ohio and attracted five additional sensors companies to the state. The estimated impact for the state of Ohio is $140 million.

 

Co-operation with Boeing on Long Range Laser Propagation Project

Dayton, OH June 16, 2011 -- Optonicus was selected as a sub-contractor to Boeing's prestigious "Coherent Multi-Beam Atmospheric Transceiver" project. There is a growing interest in Optonicus' development expertise in optical systems capable of operation over long atmospheric distances (path lengths up to and over 100 km) in various atmospheric conditions and engagement scenarios. Applications for these systems include long-range laser communications, remote sensing, active and passive imaging, target tracking and designation, and laser beam projection (directed energy) systems.

Propagation of optical waves over a long distance through volume atmospheric turbulence can result in significant changes in characteristics of received or transmitted waves and thus dramatically impact performance of the optical systems. The project will study and improve the effects of atmospheric turbulence on coherent beams over long propagation paths. The results derived will help improve mean frame intensity, spatial variance, scintillation index, spatial correlation, and spatial and temporal power spectra of received beams as part of the overall project.

 

Optonicus is Awarded SBIR to Develop Next-Generation Optical Wireless
Communications Terminals

Dayton, OH May 24, 2011 -- Optonicus announced today that it was awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to develop innovative approaches for intelligent broadband multi-gigabit optical network terminals that include network architectures, communication protocols and optoelectronic components, with suitability for space systems applications.

This innovative optical wireless communication system is based on the replacement of conventional laser communication transceivers by a sparse array of small-size adaptive laser communication (ALC) nodes for high sensitivity optical reception, along with precision pointing and vibration reduction for optical communications links. Each ALC node is capable of supporting up to 64 channels at 2.5 Gb/s data traffic per channel. The system offers a next-generation architecture to allow for deployment of compact, light-weight, robust, inexpensive, and eye-safe laser communications.

The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is the sponsoring agency for this awarded SBIR. In order to accommodate the broadband data handling requirements of MDA's mission, Optonicus is prioritizing development for fiber optic intra-satellite networks and free-space optical networks that connect multi-satellite constellation with airborne, sea based and ground based nodes.

 

Optonicus Secures Multi-Year Contract with Army Research Lab for New Class of Adaptive Laser Transmitter System

Dayton, OH December 1, 2010 -- Today Optonicus announced its new muli-year contract with Army Research Laboratory (ARL) in Adelphi, MD, to develop a Sparse Array of Adaptive Phase-Locked Laser Transceivers.

The contract is focused on development of a new class of adaptive laser beam transmitter systems based on sparse array of phase-locked adaptive fiber-collimators. The Adaptive Fiber-Collimator Array (AFCA) system under development consists of small size, inexpensive, low-power laser transceiver modules (adaptive fiber-collimators) capable for operation in strong intensity scintillation conditions.

 

Optonicus Selected for Air Force Grant to Develop High-Energy Laser Beam Director System

Dayton, OH November 15, 2010 -- Optonicus announced today that it has been selected to receive a U.S Air Force Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant supporting the development and demonstration of a novel beam control approach for optical phased array systems.

 

Optonicus Expands with Opening of Federal and Silicon Valley Offices

Dayton, OH August 14, 2010 – Optonicus announced today the opening of its federal region office in College Park, MD and Silicon Valley office in San Francisco, CA. The new offices are the result of the company's rapid growth and commitment to serving its customers in the commercial and government arenas.

 

Optonicus Secures Contract with Army Research Lab to Commercialize Opto-Electronic Technologies

Dayton, OH April 28, 2010 -- Optonicus announced today its first contract with Army Research Laboratory (ATL) in Adelphi, MD, to transition selected ARL pioneered technologies to market and to develop capabilities for volume production. The products include key opto-mechanical and electronic components for adaptive fiber array systems including intelligent fiber-collimators, fiber-array cluster and control electronics.

Optonicus Corporate Headquarters to Locate in Dayton Ohio's Premier
Technology-oriented Campus, Tech Town

Dayton, OH March 17, 2010 -- Optonicus announced today its plans to locate its corporate headquarters in Dayton, Ohio's premier technology-oriented campus, TechTown - the city's premier technology-oriented campus for commercialization of cutting-edge technologies, including opto-electronics.

As a Tech Town tenant, Optonicus will benefit from already-established relationships with the country's leading R&D facilities, leading to unlimited collaboration opportunities with institutions such as the University of Dayton Research Institute and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the center for the Air Force Research Lab.

 

Selected recent publications from Optonicus' research team here.