The Durham Micro-optics Programme

The Durham Micro-optics Programme was established to develop key components to be used for integral field spectrographs for upcoming instrumentation projects, focussing on currently existing telescopes as well as on the next generation of ELTs. These activities include monolithic multi-optics machining and grinding, optical surface improvement using various post-polishing techniques and replication of micro-optical components. While these developments have mostly slicer-type IFUs in mind, also new types of microlens arrays are in development for fiber based high contrast IFU systems.