News - Page 3 of 10 - Surface Optics Corporation

Soiled solar panel rows at QEERI Outdoor Testing Facility

Desert Solar Challenges: QEERI’s Research on Robotic Cleaning and Antireflective Coating Degradation

October 17, 2024

Since its launch in 2018, the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) ‘s Solar Consortium has emerged as a leading force in solar technology research. Situated at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), the consortium focuses on real-world challenges solar energy systems face in harsh desert environments. Dr. Veronica Bermudez, Senior Research Director of QEERI’s […]

Leveraging Hyperspectral Imaging For Rapid, Non-Destructive Quality Control Of Ginseng

October 6, 2024

Ginseng is a traditional medical herb used for more than 2,000 years to treat various conditions, including cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, promote immune and central nervous system (CNS) function, relieve stress, and for its antioxidant activities. Ginsenosides are considered the main bioactive components and essential indicators for the quality evaluation of ginseng. Among them, […]

Surface Optics Coatings Protecting Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s Deformable Mirrors

September 26, 2024

The Surface Optics Coatings Lab had the privilege of contributing to a critical optical component of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, slated to launch by May 2027. Roman is an infrared telescope named after Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy. She is also known as the “Mother of Hubble” for her foundational […]

Optical Measurements and Advanced Coatings for Space Applications

September 22, 2024

For over 45 years, Surface Optics has partnered with the world’s leading aerospace innovators, providing precise measurement instrumentation, comprehensive lab services, and specialized thin-film coatings. From optical property characterization in our state-of-the-art lab to portable reflectometers for on-site testing, Surface Optics offers effective products and services for validating thermal control parameters for spacecraft materials. Learn […]

BSDF, BRDF and BTDF – A Review of Measurement Approaches

September 11, 2024

What is BSDF? Light illuminating a surface may be reflected, transmitted or absorbed. The patterns of that interaction encode information about surface shape, material composition and structure. The quantitative representation of these patterns is the Bidirectional Scattering Distribution Function (BSDF). BSDF radiometrically characterizes the scatter of optical radiation from and through a surface interface as a […]

Revolutionizing Optical Responses: Reflectance Measurements for Metasurface Wafer Technology

August 1, 2024

As we push the envelope to devise creative solutions to global problems, researchers have concentrated their efforts on the emerging field of metasurfaces. A metasurface is an engineered two-dimensional material designed to manipulate electromagnetic waves, such as light, in ways that are not possible with natural materials. These surfaces consist of arrays of subwavelength structures, […]

Solar Reflectance & SRI Measurements for LEED

July 11, 2024

Building designers and developers that are pursuing the Heat island reduction credit for LEED certification require documentation of the Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) for their project’s roofing materials, shade giving structures, and paving materials. Under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED 2009 rating system, credits SSc7.1 and SSc7.2 (combined as credit SSc5 in LEED v4) […]

Precision Agriculture and Hyperspectral Sensors: Monitoring Against Drought, Disease, and Nutrient Stress

July 9, 2024

Crop monitoring for nutrients, water-stress, disease, insect attack and overall plant health is a vital aspect of successful agricultural operations. Traditionally this has been carried out by visual examination of crops on the ground or sometimes from the air. However these methods are limited by the ability of the human eye to discriminate between healthy […]

2024 Summer Family Party

Our Surface Optics summer family party was a blast, filled with live music, laughter, delicious food, and the joy of coming together. These moments showcase the strength of our team, bringing together veteran SOCers and new members alike. Want to join the crew? We’re hiring! Check out our current openings here: SOC Job Listings

Important Specifications for Hyperspectral Cameras

June 19, 2024

Hyperspectral imaging is a powerful tool in applied spectroscopy. Hyperspectral cameras measure light from a scene in hundreds of contiguous spectral bands. A two-dimensional image is created, where each pixel contains a full spectrum. Here we discuss the most important specifications for hyperspectral imaging cameras, and how they relate to various applications. Spectral Range The […]