OptiGrate (formerly Light Processing & Technologies, Inc.) is a privately held company engaged in the development and fabrication of robust high efficiency volume diffractive gratings for optical beam control in high power laser systems, optical communications and processing. The company was established by researchers at the Center for Research and Education on Optics and Lasers (CREOL) at the University of Central Florida with the goal of commercializing high-efficiency holographic elements (commonly volume Bragg gratings) by means of photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) process developed at CREOL. This technology development was started by co-founder and current President and Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Leon Glebov, who co-authored the first publication on the discovery of the photo-thermo-refractive phenomenon in a doped silicate glass, and the recording of the first volume hologram in this material in 1989.
OptiGrate designs and manufactures volume diffractive gratings in reflecting and transmitting geometries with efficiency exceeding 97% for commercial and defense applications, including currently funded projects for DARPA and MDA at The Department of Defense. The basic technology of hologram recording in a photosensitive glass is protected by two issued U.S. patents (6,586,141 and 6,673,497) and several others pending. The company also develops and produces custom prototypes of different diffractive optical components for a number of optical and semiconductor companies.
