In the Engineering Tomorrow series, Artemis highlights many of our portfolio company products by outlining key aspects of the technologies, industries, and end markets within which the business operates. In this article, we explain the fundamentals of thin-film Optics & Photonics technologies, talk to the mission-critical nature of their end-markets and applications, and discuss a specific Omega Optical product that is enabling the Optics & Photonics technological frontier.

One of Artemis’ main differentiators within the M&A ecosystem is our team’s obsession with and expertise around the technology of our Industrial Tech portfolio companies. From high precision lab automation and advanced materials to mission-critical Optics & Phonics and RF/Microwave devices, the Artemis team, from the Associates to the Operating Partners, is able to have entrepreneur-to-entrepreneur conversations on an engineer-to-engineer level because of our deep product, application, and market fluencies.

Across Artemis’ portfolio of Industrial Tech manufacturers, one of the firm’s most successful platform theses has surrounded Omega Optical and their thin-film Optics & Photonics technologies. For those who may not be familiar with the industry, it relates specifically to those devices and components that utilize specialized coatings technologies to filter passing light to the desired wavelengths such as ultraviolet or infrared. For a more comprehensive explanation of thin-film Optics & Photonics, we found this NASA visual to be particularly helpful (Optical Spectrum | NASA).

Optics & Photonics are utilized across a broad range of industries and applications, driven primarily by the consistently growing human demand for greater Safety & Security, Health & Longevity, and Discovery. That is to say, these components, systems, and devices are utilized in everything from Aerospace and Medical to Environmental and Military markets ((PDF) Different types of Optical Filters and their Realistic Application (researchgate.net)). In each one of these instances, individual optical filters and coatings are required to carry different filtering, absorption, or reflective properties with the utmost precision. In many situations, these products are absolutely essential to the success of incredibly demanding applications like Airborne and Earth Observation Optics, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests, and environmental sensing. In some of these use cases, the unreliability of a single filter could mean mission-failure, disease outbreak, or environmental catastrophe.

Artemis portfolio company, Omega Optical, seeks to solve for this very problem. They are an industry-leading manufacturer of those highly engineered and high-precision optical filters and coatings that are quietly enabling the future of health, security, and discovery.

Currently, one of the many critical challenges presented to optical filter and coatings manufacturers is the increasing technological sophistication of high-performance optical filters (Overcoming the Challenges Associated with Optical Filter Measurement | Laser Focus World). As the article states, “High-performance optical filters are now designed with impressive transmission and attenuation levels, exceptionally steep edges, and sub-nanometer bandwidths.” In the field of Light Detection and Ranging (“LIDAR”), incredibly precise infrared optical components and devices are used in Aerospace & Defense applications like buried mine detection, night vision, and tactical military camouflage development (MILITARY APPLICATIONS OF INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING IN POLAND (ndt.net)). This is where Omega’s NIR optical technologies excel.

Omega Optical’s Precision Optical Filters – from Deep Ultraviolet (“DUV”) to Far-Infrared Radiation (“FIR”) – are an integral component of Infrared Imaging, Hyperspectral Sensing and Imaging, Unmanned Autonomous Vehicle (UAV), and Interplanetary Exploration systems. Utilizing technologies like plasma-assisted reactive magnetron sputtering and electron beam evaporation with ion assist, Omega’s optical filters and coatings enable the consistently accurate and durable performance characteristics necessary for success in many of the most mission-critical and environmentally hostile environments (Optical Filters for Aerospace and Defense | LiDAR Filters (omegafilters.com)).

Omega Optical’s other differentiated and proprietary technologies – offered by Omega Filters and other divisions – play a crucial role in a variety of mission-critical applications. Engineers like Sheetal Chanda, Omega Optical’s Director of Engineering, deliver the innovations that enable the company’s customers to continue pushing the Optics & Photonics technological frontier with confidence as they seek to enable a safer and healthier world where Optics & Photonics technologies are accurate and durable (Spotlight on Sheetal Chanda | Omega - Custom Optical Filters (omegafilters.com)).

Learn more about Omega Optical Holdings other divisions here: (Divisions - Omega Optical Holdings (omega-optical.com)).

We hope you enjoyed this discussion of one of Omega Optical’s technologies. Next month we will discuss RM Lucas’ industry-leading formulated coatings enabling efficiency and sustainability in Commercial Construction and Infrastructure. Next week it's back to The Artemis Approach. As always be sure to follow the Artemis LinkedIn and check back for more content surrounding Industrial Tech Innovations, Portfolio Company News, Private Equity 2.0, and Macroeconomic Trends. Comment to let us know what you think and suggest any topics you'd like to hear Artemis discuss.