New Material is Critical to Industry Efforts to Replace Germanium in Infrared Optics
ORLANDO, FL / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2024 / LightPath Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPTH) ("LightPath," the "Company," or "we"), a leading vertically integrated global manufacturer and integrator of proprietary optical and infrared technologies, today announced the commercial launch of its first new BlackDiamond-NRL infrared glass, BDNL-4, a key material in the chalcogenide glass series licensed from the US Naval Research Laboratories (NRL) as a substitute for Germanium.
BDNL-4 is a new material that exhibits a negative thermo-optic coefficient, an important attribute for making systems athermalized, enabling the design of devices that are unaffected by temperature changes. BDNL-4 is also a true multi-spectral material that can be used across SWIR, MWIR and LWIR imaging bands. As with all its Chalcogenide materials, LightPath offers antireflective and protective DLC coatings for the new BDNL-4 materials. Following years of development at NRL, BDNL-4 is licensed exclusively to LightPath.
To qualify BDNL-4, the manufacturing-readiness process and tests included extensive tests and measurements of a large number of samples from different production batches, in accordance with the plan for developing alternatives to Germanium set forth and sponsored by US Defense Department ("DoD") via the Defense Logistics Agency ("DLA"). BDNL-4 is being produced in the same facility utilizing the equipment LightPath uses to produce its BD-6 infrared chalcogenide glass.
"This is the first material from those developed at NRL to be made available as part of our partnership with the DoD to commercialize Germanium substitutes," said Sam Rubin, President and Chief Executive Officer of LightPath. "The Chinese export restrictions on Germanium acted as a key catalyst for BDNL-4 to be produced in the USA using raw ingredients commonly available from multiple friendly countries. By providing alternatives like BDNL-4 for use in optics, more Germanium will also be freed up for other industries such as semiconductors. Currently it is estimated that 25% of Germanium is used in infrared optics.
"BDNL-4 not only replaces Germanium but offers advantages versus Germanium. By having a negative thermo-optic coefficient, that is the change of the optical index as a function of temperature, BDNL-4 enables optical designers to design optical systems that are optically and passively compensated for changes in temperature. This is important for example in airborne systems where today, changes in ambient temperature at different altitudes require refocusing the cameras to compensate for this, or even in some of the new automotive ADAS system utilizing thermal imaging, which must be able to operate in all temperatures vehicles might be used in.
"With the commercial launch we expect BDNL-4 will become an important material for thermal cameras in drones and other systems that must operate across a large range of temperatures. We expect to see strong demand for the material because of its unique properties and the solution it provides in light of export restrictions on Germanium and Gallium by China," concluded Rubin.
A full data set of specification is available for optical designers, including Zemax files and measurement data from LightPath.
About LightPath Technologies
LightPath Technologies, Inc. is a leading global, vertically integrated provider of optics, photonics and infrared solutions for the industrial, commercial, defense, telecommunications, and medical industries. LightPath designs and manufactures proprietary optical and infrared components including molded glass aspheric lenses and assemblies, custom molded glass freeform lenses, infrared lenses and thermal imaging assemblies, fused fiber collimators, and proprietary Black Diamond™ ("BD6") chalcogenide-based glass lenses. LightPath also offers custom optical assemblies, including full engineering design support. The Company is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, with manufacturing and sales offices in Dallas Texas, Latvia and China.
LightPath's wholly-owned subsidiary, Visimid Technologies, was acquired in July 2023, and specializes in the design and development of customized infrared cameras, for the industrial and defense industries. Such customized cameras are often sold together with customized optical assemblies from LightPath.
LightPath's wholly-owned subsidiary, ISP Optics Corporation, manufactures a full range of infrared products from high-performance MWIR and LWIR lenses and lens assemblies. ISP's infrared lens assembly product line includes athermal lens systems used in cooled and un-cooled thermal imaging cameras. Manufacturing is performed in-house to provide precision optical components including spherical, aspherical and diffractive coated infrared lenses.
For more information on LightPath and its businesses, please visit www.lightpath.com.
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Contact:
Brian M. Prenoveau, CFA
MZ Group - MZ North America
[email protected]
+561 489 5315
SOURCE: LightPath Technologies, Inc.