TECHNOLOGY
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Optical components play an important part in many modern devices, ranging from miniature cameras to mobile phones and medical applications such as endoscopes to high-performance optical sensors of ever-decreasing size in industry and robotics.
In all optical applications, the commonly occurring yet detrimental reflection of light is still a problem. These reflections make images appear darker, interfere with the optical path, produce „ghosting“ and can even seriously damage devices in certain laser applications. In order to reduce these undesirable reflections, thin film anti-reflective coatings have been used up to now. These very thin layers of special materials are however only effective within very small wavelength ranges and have a relatively low mechanical strength and durability.
Some insects have had the solution to this problem for millions of years. On the surface of a moth’s eyes for example, miniscule, conical nanostructures ensure an almost complete absence of reflection.
The newly-developed nanoAR process makes affordable production on a large scale possible. Applications includes lens and optical sensing systems, touchscreen displays and devices, spectroscopy systems, microscopy, medical devices, spectroscopy, light extraction and light harvesting devices, illumination, sensor and communication sensor technology.
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SEM image of nanoAR anti-reflection structures in fused silica (×20000 magnification).
Insert: ×50000 magnification z oom.
ABOUT
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Nanopta develops and produces optical anti-reflective (AR) nano-structures using the unique nanoAR-technology.
Optics with nanoAR-technology anti-reflex coatings find their applications in the fields of lens and optical sensing systems, touchscreen displays and devices, spectroscopy systems, microscopy, medical devices, spectroscopy, light extraction and light harvesting devices, illumination, sensor and communication sensor technology.
If you have questions regarding a certain application, please contact us to discuss your needs. This may be the starting point for a new innovative solution.
TEAM
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We are an experienced team of scientist and engineers with a fundamental background in physics and optics and a strong technical know-how.
MANAGING TEAM
Dr. Zhaolu Diao
Dr. Diao has degrees from University of Stuttgart and Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne.
He has many years of experience in optics and is responsible for all technical challenges at Nanopta.ADVISORY BOARD
Prof. Dr. Robert Brunner
EAH University of Applied Sciences (Jena) and Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF (Jena)Prof. Dr. Joachim Spatz
Max-Planck Institute for Medical Research (Heidelberg) and Ruprecht-Karls-Universität (Heidelberg)Dr. Klaus Weishaupt
Besides having a background in physics Dr. Weishaupt has more than 20 years of experience as entrepreneur
in high-tech companies.
PATENTS
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Nanopta will exclusively license several patent families held by the Max Planck Society. The Nanopta team members are registered as inventors of those patents.
To expand and maintain our patent portfolio we work in close collaboration with Max-Planck-Innovation GmbH. Please contact us to learn more about our IP.
PUBLICATIONS
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NANOPTA – PROCESS FOR NANOSTRUCTURED ANTI-REFLECTION COATINGS OF SURFACES
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The newly-developed nanoAR process makes affordable production on a large scale possible. Applications include high power laser systems, optical sensing systems, touchscreen displays and devices, spectroscopy systems, potential stealth applications, light extraction and light harvesting devices.
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TRANSMITTANCE NANOAR VERSUS CONVENTIONAL COATING
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The nanoAR technology was developed at the Max-Planck-Institute for Medical Research and the Max-Planck-Institute for Intelligent Systems. The nanoAR research is funded by the Max-Planck-Society and the German Ministry of Education and Research. Patents and patents pending.
SERVICES
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Advanced Technologies for your anti-reflection requirements
Your idea is the starting point of new developments. We develop for you the realization of this idea to the finished products with the possibilities of our nanoAR-technology. In the course of this we constantly leave behind the conventional thinking of thin film techniques and we turn to innovative solutions.
We offer the complete process chain from consulting through to design, purchase of the substrate and on to processing and packing. Our metrology methods and tests are available for analyzing optical coatings in line with customer requirements or common standards. We are also able to produce small quantities during your product development.
Nano-structured anti-reflex coatings for your optical components
AWARDS
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NANOPTA RECEIVES LOTHAR-SPÄTH-AWARD 2018
„Man kann was man will“. The Lothar-Späth-Award was presented in Stuttgart in remembrance of the straightforward credo of the former Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Prof. Dr. h. c. Lothar Späth. The prize, first announced in 2018, went to three cooperative innovations from industry and science. In front of 300 invited guests, the prizewinners from Baden-Württemberg and Thuringia received a total of 40,000 euros in prize money for particularly future-oriented projects. Among the prizewinners was Nanopta led Dr. Zhaolu Diao. They received the 2nd prize together with innovation partners Prof. Dr. Robert Brunner (Ernst Abbe University Jena) and Prof. Dr. Joachim Spatz, Director at the MPI for Medical Research.
NANOAR – BIOMIMETIC NANOSTRUCTURES FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE OPTICS
nanoAR takes nature as its role model. Nanopta GmbH and its innovation partners, the Ernst Abbe University in Jena and the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, were honoured for the development of biomimetic nanostructures for high-performance optics. The eyes of nocturnal insects are designed in such a way that they practically do not reflect incident light. With nanoAR technology, the prizewinners have developed a method for synthetically producing such a structure and applying it to surfaces. These tiny nanostructures reflect optical components and enable very high optical quality, which is important for laser systems in production, for medical diagnostic or therapeutic instruments, for optical sensors or for high-quality photo systems. „There are still many secrets in the world that we want to unravel in order to master the challenges of the present. One of them has now been unveiled,“ said Dr. Daniela Späth-Zöllner, member of the jury and daughter of Lothar Späth, praising the excellent project.
Nanopta was founded in 2018 by the participating researchers with the aim of commercialising the nanoAR technology. With its focus on high-end photonics applications, Nanopta targets a branch of industry that occupies an outstanding position in Baden-Württemberg and Thuringia (microscopy, endoscopy, sensor technology, laser material processing, lithography for the semiconductor industry, optical systems for mobility and safety).
LOTHAR-SPÄTH-AWARD
The Lothar-Späth-Award-Foundation is offering the Lothar-Späth-Award in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Thuringia, which honours the work, pioneering achievements and exceptional personality of Prof. Dr. h. c. Lothar Späth in business, politics and society (www.lothar-spaeth-award.de).
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Dr. Daniela Späth-Zöllner, member of the jury and daughter of Lothar Späth with the runners-up. Photo: Dr. Klaus Weishaupt, Dr. Zhaolu Diao (Nanopta GmbH), Prof. Dr. Robert Brunner (Ernst Abbe University Jena), Prof. Dr. Joachim Spatz (Max Planck Institute Heidelberg) (Photo: Wolfgang List) -
Dr. Klaus Weishaupt, Jury Member Dr. h.c. Bundeskanzler a.D. Gerhard Schröder, Prof. Dr. Joachim Spatz and Dr. Zhaolu Diao (Photo: Wolfgang List)
CONTACT
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Please do not hesitate to contact us whenever you have questions regarding the nanoAR-technology or Nanopta.
Nanopta, Wilhelm Leuschner Str. 35, 71034 Böblingen, Germany
Email: diao@nanopta.com
Phone: +49 (0) 176 5764 0541
