Optical Components
MDL’s precision optical devices are at the heart of instruments that realize new capabilities across wavelengths from the ultraviolet to far-infrared.
MDL’s Optical Components Group develops electron-beam lithography techniques to fabricate unique optics that enable JPL instruments to perform novel measurements and achieve unmatched performance. Our portfolio of e-beam fabrication processes includes binary nano-patterning of metals, semiconductors, and dielectrics, and analog surface-relief (gray-scale) profiling of polymer resists that can be transfer etched into dielectric and semiconductor substrates. These techniques allow creation of diffractive optics such as halftone coronagraph occulting masks, wire-grid polarizers, semiconductor laser gratings, blazed gratings, microlenses, and computer-generated holograms, for wavelengths from ultraviolet to long-wave infrared. Further, we have developed the capability to electron-beam fabricate these diffractive optics on non-flat (convex or concave) substrates with several millimeters of height variation.
Current Projects
Next Generation Imaging Spectrometer (NGIS)
MDL Contributes to the Next Generation of Solar-Illuminated Earth Science Missions.
Low-Polarization Sensitivity Gratings
Imaging Spectrometer Designed to Study Coastal Ecosystems and Their Communities in Field Testing Stage.
Ultra-Compact Imaging Spectrometer (UCIS)
MDL device will enable high-resolution imaging spectroscopy from a rover platform.
Collaboration to Develop HyTES
Two MDL teams are working with JPL’s Earth Surface Science Group to develop a premier airborne earth observing thermal imaging spectrometer.
Flight Occulters
MDL has completed five flight occulting masks for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) coronagraph.
Diffraction Gratings
MDL is achieving new performance levels and extended wavelength ranges.
Computed-Tomography Imaging Spectrometer
CTIS enables snapshot imaging spectrometry of transient phenomena.
Diffractive Optics
A number of projects are making use of MDL’s high-resolution diffractive optics capabilities.