Under the trend of optical digitization, software-defined optical systems, with their advantages of easy duplication, high stability, and programmability, have been widely used in applications in optoelectronics, optical inspection, biomedical imaging, material science, quantum technology, and virtual reality, and more. These are bound to become important directions of optical systems in the future.
Unfortunately, when using optical devices in the past based on liquid crystal spatial light modulators (LCoS-SLM), Fourier optics, algorithm development, and optimization of computing power, etc., became the barrier and gap before users could enjoy and appreciate the benefits of digital optics.
The roadblock involves optics, algorithms and information engineering, and other different aspects of professionalism. Although many recognize the concept and potential of digital optics, the imagination and design flexibility of users have been extremely limited by the lack of a quick transformation interface, the existing phase image, and the functions defined by the hardware manufacturers.
As a result, having a digital optics device at hand, it is still very difficult to enjoy the huge advantages of programmability and high stability that digital optics can bring you. It also stifles the infinite possibilities of introducing optical digitization to your optical system design.
With this observation and understanding, we determined to remove the barrier and bridge the gap and came out with a series of software development kits (SDK) for digital optics users. Three development kits have been designed for people of different backgrounds. Start Kit focuses on helping students learn optics more quickly and intuitively. Advanced Kit aims at facilitating the academic and research professionals and R&D in industries for more efficient and effective POC and technology development. Whereas the Application Kit tries to help industry professionals to develop a specific and innovative application that is based on digital optics.
From the user's perspective, Southport built the software-defined digital optics platform. It helps users easily overcome the difficulties they have been facing, and quickly enjoy the benefits and infinite possibilities bought by this software-defined (and therefore, programmable) optics without the need to understand complicated physics and mathematics, which has been a pre-requisite knowledge for learning optics.