Mechanical Engineering Intern

At NTS Optel we design, develop and test special and custom-made optics in the field of illumination, imaging, sensing, laser beam delivery and integrated nanostructure metrology solutions. Our specialistic and highly-appreciated knowledge is used to develop and produce modules and complete systems for our high-tech customers in the semiconductor, analytical and health markets. Our teams consists of 15 highly-educated people who are working on challenging optical assignments to accelerate the development of our customer’s products. We are continuously looking for new technologies to improve our added value to our customer. One of these new technologies is described in this assignment.

When designing optical modules we often need one-time manual adjustments that need to be :

·        Precise (e.g. positioning sub-micron, tilt µrad).

·        Lockable without change of setting.

·        Robust against mechanical and temperature shocks.

Often we use off-the-shelf solutions that only meet some of these requirements. When designing custom solutions we encounter challenges to incorporate all of the above-mentioned requirements .

Assignment (Mirror Mount):

Sometimes we need many degrees of freedom on one element with limited space available. Also you would like to have these adjustments independent. This makes it even more complex. An example of this is a mirror mount. Here we need an independent Rx and Ry adjustment.

Commercial solutions are available, but they  often do not fit with our applications and expectations. As mentioned, multiple degrees of freedom on one element are needed with limited space available. Also it is required to have these adjustments independent. This makes it even more complex.

Furthermore, NTS has a concept design ready for alignment of a collimator lens. The lens alignment has an independent focus (z) and positioning (x,y). The design is based on hinge-flexures for the translations. Differential screws allow very fine adjustment of the setting. Locking plates secure the position of the lens. But the design is not thoroughly tested. For example:

·        Transport shocks,

·        Thermal shocks,

·        Thermal drift,

·        Eigenfrequency

·        Etc.

These tests, which are also part of this assignment, can provide a lot of insight into design improvements. These insights must be taken into account in mirror mount design.

The assignment consists of the following components:

·        Literature study

·        Performance analysis of the current concept setup and compare to alternative methods

·        Come up with improvements

·        Design of mirror mount

If time permits :

·        Build a prototype

·        Experimentally verify the performance

Required skillset for the student:

·        Bachelor or Master Student (Mechanical engineer)

Additional information:

You will work at our location in Nijmegen. You will be coached by one of our experienced optical engineers and we expect from you a driven and enthusiastic attitude. You will receive an allowance of

€ 500,- per month.

If you are interested, please contact:

Jelmer Cuppers

jelmer.cuppers@nts-group.nl