Sep 11 2007
Boston Micromachines Corporation (BMC), a leading provider of MEMS-based deformable mirror (DM) products for adaptive optics (AO) systems, today announced that the latest version of its Multi-DM has been named one of the most innovative products of 2007. In their annual Micro/Nano 25 Awards touting the "technologies of tomorrow," the editors of R&D Magazine and Micro/Nano Newsletter recognized Boston Micromachines for its innovation in developing a deformable mirror that is used for ultra-high resolution retinal imaging which is necessary for the early detection of ocular diseases.
The Micro/Nano 25 Awards are presented to the developers of the most innovative and most groundbreaking products, processes, inventions, discoveries, or innovations in micro- and nanotechnology in the past year, and those having the largest impact on a specific industry or society in general. Boston Micromachines and the other award recipients are featured in the July 2007 issue of Micro/Nano Newsletter and the August 2007 issue of R&D Magazine.
"This prestigious award is another validation of the innovative work we are doing to advance the field of biological imaging, specifically vision science," said Paul Bierden president of Boston Micromachines. "This innovative product will improve imaging so that doctors will have the technology necessary to detect the leading diseases of the eye: glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration earlier than previously possible."
The new mirror, which is an enhanced version of Boston Micromachines' flagship product, the Multi-DM, delivers increased stroke while maintaining the high resolution afforded by its 140 independently controlled actuators. The mirror allows for high speed real-time imaging with a 5mm aperture perfectly suited for a dilated pupil. In addition, the new Multi-DM also provides the wavefront amplitude correction needed for older eyes by offering 6 microns of stroke. This translates to 12 microns of wavefront correction, the most wavefront correction demonstrated by any MEMS DM on the market today. The development work on this MEMS device was partially funded by the Center for Adaptive Optics, a NSF Science and Technology Center, and by a National Eye Institute Phase I SBIR.
The improved Multi-DM will also enable enhancements in other biological imaging areas. Biological imaging instruments often suffer from resolution limitations, constraining the ability of researchers and clinicians to detect critical detail. This loss in resolution is due to the wavefront aberrations induced by the tissue media through which light passes to reach the object of interest, such as a cell, retina, or tumor. The Multi-DM's ability to actively correct for these aberrations will restore resolution and enable the extracting of vital information from biological specimens.