Barr Associates continues to push its capabilities in the micro-assembly of discrete filters with the successful design and construction of an eighteen-element multi-spectral filter micro-array
Each element is a high precision thin film filter that is only 0.032millimeters wide.
Barr has been developing and manufacturing filter arrays for over 15 years.
A key driver of the development of filter arrays was the desire to reduce mass, power and volume in multi-spectral sensors through the elimination of a filter wheel.
The main advantage of the new micro-array technology is the increased number of spectral bands, which can be accommodated in a smaller volume and their compatibility with higher resolution (smaller pixels) detector arrays.
These new micro-arrays may be designed and built for use with any focal plane array detector from ultraviolet to long wave infrared wavelength ranges.
Potential applications range from commercial colorimetry to space based multi-spectral imaging.
"The newly developed micro-arrays will provide a very rugged, high-performance alternative to linear variable filters or diffraction gratings", says Kevin Downing, product line manager of the arrays product line at Barr.
Barr Associates, founded in 1971, is the largest independent designer and manufacturer of precision thin film coatings and optical filters.
Based in Westford, Massachusetts, Barr deploys coating technologies from below 200nm to 30 microns and manufacturing capacities from small prototype jobs to large-volume production to service leading companies and innovators across diverse markets.
