OtO Photonics was founded as “OtO Science” in 2006 in Hsinchu City, Taiwan with the objective of leveraging Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) micro grating technology to develop compact spectrometers.
OtO's "non-spherical, mass-producible" grating replaced the "collimator - plane grating - focusing mirror" optical structure used in Czerny-Turner cavity spectrometers by combining grating and focusing functions into one micro-sized component. The microchip concave grating technology leveraged patented algorithms to calculate curvature and ray-tracing to eliminate aberrations and achieve high resolution of 2nm.
Renamed OtO Photonics in 2010 the company now provides a broad range of classic and modified Czerny-Turner cavity spectrometers alongside the unique MEMS-based microspectrometers based on their innovative semiconductor grating chip technology.
Recent advances have seen models featuring modified C-T cavities including high performance "folded" or "crossed" cavity designs. The models, HummingBird and PocketHawk (180-1100nm) and the PocketHawk-NIR (900-1700nm) offer the wide configuration options of larger the classic C-T SmartEngine and SideWinder models including the ability to cover the full spectral range.
OtO's latest innovation combines collimating and focussing mirrors into a single curved component, dramatically reducing the volume. Three ultra-compact models of "Bullet series" are offered. SilverBullet features a range of silicon sensors for 180-1100nm, RedBullet covers 900-1700nm and GoldenBullet which is world's smallest TE-cooled NR spectrometer. OtO also introduced a patented internal coating with the Bullet series, this coating, known as "OtO Black" significantly reduces internal reflections compared to established materials and results in stray light performance matching larger models.
When combined with OtO’s high-precision optomechanical designs and proprietary "SpectraSmart" software the MEMS grating technology enables microspectrometers which push the performance envelope to deliver the benefits of high accuracy, ultra-compactness, shock resistance, weather resistance and low cost.
OtO spectrometers cover the spectrum from 180nm to 2500nm with CCD, CMOS, back-thinned, cooled back-thinned and linear InGaAs arrays from manufacturers such as Toshiba, Sony and Hamamatsu.
As inspection is needed in almost all industries, OtO believe that the dawn of microspectrometers will drive the development of spectral analysis components and relevant electro-optical sectors. A wide range of standard configurations of detector, grating pitch and slit size are offered to suit common applications:-
- Electro-optical inspection – i.e. LED testing, solar panel & thin film measurement
- Colour matching & management
- Environmental monitoring – i.e. water- and air-quality control
- Biomedical measurement – Blood & DNA analysis
It is also possible to define detector, resolution and bandwidth for specific applications.
All OtO microspectrometers can be supplied with WiFi connectivity and OtO’s unique “stray light calibration” process optimises the performance of standard low cost spectrometers to achieve stray light levels as low as 0.01% - better than models costing $30,000 and upwards.
For further information on OtO's products please use the Quick Links on the right hand side of this page.
