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Driven by a range of new low-cost technologies, the adaptive optics industry is emerging from its historic military niche into a broad spectrum of new industrial markets. The proliferation of novel technologies and novel applications has created a vibrant new market for adaptive optics products and know-how.
| Starpoint Adaptive Optics was formed to go after the wide range of commercial opportunities now springing up for adaptive optics technologies. It offers low-cost, solution-level adaptive optics products and design services to the optical systems industry and to the applied optics research community. |
Starpoint's Quicksilver™ all-in-one board-level adaptive optics system aims to make adaptive optics a practical proposition for industrial customers. The product's development has been guided by two clear goals:
to drive down the cost, from yesterday's £1m–£10m one-off projects to camera-priced products that can be integrated into a wide range of commercial optical systems;
and to make it usable, so the customer doesn't need adaptive optics specialists to design-in and operate the equipment – accessible, solution-level products that simply plug in and work.
Starpoint's products also include the AmpArray[32]™, a 32-channel HV amplifier for driving adaptive mirrors, and the AmpArrayLV™, a 37-channel deformable mirror drive intended for continuous face-sheet mirrors with very high actuator capacitance.
Starpoint kicked off with a
PPARC/RSE Enterprise Fellowship awarded to Dr. Andrew Zadrozny.
Further start-up funding was obtained through a
DTI Smart Award to finance its initial R&D effort,
and there was additional assistance from the
Chester le Street and City of Durham Enterprise Agency.
Starpoint is also currently collaborating in a DTI LINK project,
called "ALFONSO",
to develop advanced technologies for free-space optical communication.
The company has finalised an Intellectual Property agreement with the
UK's leading astronomical adaptive optics research group,
giving it access to forefront developments in these technologies.
It's an Industrial Partner in the
"Smart Optics"
Faraday Partnership, ensuring continuing participation in
the UK's broader industrial and academic optics community,
and it is a member of the
Institute of Physics
Business Affiliates Network.
Take a look at
what we offer,
and
get in touch.
| Company Profile | ||
| Starpoint Adaptive Optics is an SME operating in the North-East of England. The company was formed in 2001, and started trading in 2002. It traces its origins to the adaptive optics research programme at the University of Durham. | ||
| Starpoint offers adaptive optics products and services, at both component and system level. The company's primary source of revenue is its ever-broadening range of multi-channel high voltage amplifier systems. These can drive the majority of deformable mirrors available today, and the products span the full performance range from the lowest-cost bench-top units to facility-class adaptive optics installations. Starpoint welcomes the opportunity to develop custom HV drives. | ||
| A key product development is the Quicksilver integrated board-level AO system, currently available in prototype form at test sites. | ||
| The company also engages in grant-funded collaborative R&D projects. It was a founding industrial partner in the "Smart Optics" Faraday Partnership, and it currently participates in the "ALFONSO" LINK project to develop advanced technologies for free space optical communication. | ||
| The company is also a Business Affiliate of the Institute of Physics. | ||
© 2002–2011 Starpoint Adaptive Optics Limited