Ms. Mélanie R. Leclerc Profile

Mélanie R. Leclerc

Researcher/Optical Design at INO

SPIE Involvement:

Author

Area of Expertise:

Optical design , Zemax , Astronomical instrumentation , Imaging lens , Polarization , Infrared

Websites:

Company Website

Profile Summary

2004 - Present. Researcher, Optical design, INO, Quebec, QC, Canada.
Optical design and tolerancing of various optical and optomechanical assemblies, use of Zemax software. Design work and simulations on the SCUBA-2 polarimeter and on the SCUBA-2 Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer that will be used on the JWST telescope. Design of the imaging optics and integration and qualification of the space qualified thermal imaging cameras (Aquarius SAC/D – NIRST) . Design of various imaging and illuminating devices.

2002 – 2004. Principal Optical Engineer, UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Design and tolerancing of the field corrector and of the filters plane on the 4 meters VISTA telescope for astronomical surveys in the infrared, located at Paranal, Chile.

1996 – 2002. Optical engineer, EXFO Electro-optical Engineering, Quebec, QC, Canada.
Design, prototyping and characterisation of fibre optics testing equipment, mainly Michelson interferometers (bulk and fibered), femtosecond PMD and polarization state test equipment, and other equipment related to chromatic and polarization mode dispersion. Training of the production team members for mass production of those devices. Prototyping and characterisation of wavelength meters (with gratings). Responsible for the laser certification (CRDH, IEC).

Fields of interest:
- Development of astronomic and space qualified instruments and testing equipments
- Optical design using Zemax
- Project management
- Design and prototyping of imaging and illuminating devices
- Design and prototyping of free space beam propagation and fibered devices
- Design and prototyping of interferometers, Fourier transform spectrometers and wavelength meters with gratings
- Design of polarimeters
- Training of production teams for mass production of sensitive and complex measuring devices

Publications (18)

Proceedings Article | 14 September 2023 Paper

Paper

Tolerancing model for better prediction

Nathalie Blanchard, Frédéric Lamontagne, Mélanie Leclerc

Proceedings Volume 12798, 127981T (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2692507

KEYWORDS: Tolerancing, Systems modeling, Alignment modeling, Manufacturing, Optical alignment, Lenses, Optomechanical design, Optical analysis, Optical design, Optical design software, Optical tolerancing

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Proceedings Article | 14 May 2018 Presentation + Paper

Presentation + Paper

Overcoming the challenges of active THz/MM-wave imaging: an optics perspective

Linda Marchese, Michel Doucet, Nathalie Blanchard, Melanie Leclerc, Marc Terroux, Martin Briand, Martin Otis, Michel Jacob, Cleophace Akitegetse, Helene Spisser, Luc Mercier, François Duchesne, Marc Girard, Lucie Gagnon, Martin Massicote, Bruno Fisette, Mathieu Tremblay, Bruno Tremblay, Pascal Bourqui, Alain Bergeron

Proceedings Volume 10639, 106392B (2018) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2305398

KEYWORDS: Terahertz radiation, Cameras, Image transmission, Image resolution, Active optics, Objectives, Optical design, Image quality, Imaging systems, Indium oxide

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Proceedings Article | 21 November 2017 Open Access

Open Access

Paper

Radiometric packaging of uncooled bolometric infrared focal plane arrays

Sonia García-Blanco, Timothy Pope, Patrice Côté, Mélanie Leclerc, Linh Ngo Phong, François Châteauneuf

Proceedings Volume 10566, 105662V (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2308275

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Proceedings Article | 23 August 2017 Paper

Paper

Optomechanical design of TMT NFIRAOS Subsystems at INO

Frédéric Lamontagne, Nichola Desnoyers, Martin Grenier, Pierre Cottin, Mélanie Leclerc, Olivier Martin, Louis Buteau-Vaillancourt, Marc-André Boucher, Reston Nash, Olivier Lardière, David Andersen, Jenny Atwood, Alexis Hill, Peter Byrnes, Glen Herriot, Joeleff Fitzsimmons, Jean-Pierre Véran

Proceedings Volume 10371, 103710N (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2276954

KEYWORDS: Large telescopes, Mirror mounts, Optical mounts, Optomechanical design, Telescopes, Integrated optics, Adaptive optics, Finite element methods, Infrared imaging, Mirrors

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Proceedings Article | 28 July 2014 Paper

Paper

POMM: design of rotating mechanism and hexapod structure

Patrice Côté, Mélanie Leclerc, Mathieu Demers, Pierre Bastien, Olivier Hernandez

Proceedings Volume 9147, 91472Q (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2056991

KEYWORDS: Computer programming, Prisms, Stars, Telescopes, Adhesives, Finite element methods, Polarization, Sensors, Interfaces, Polarimetry

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The new high precision polarimeter for the “Observatoire du Mont Mégantic” (POMM) is an instrument designed to observe exoplanets and other targets in the visible and near infrared wavebands. The requirements to achieve these observation goals are posing unusual challenges to structural and mechanical designers. In this paper, the detailed design, analysis and laboratory results of the key mechanical structure and sub-systems are presented. First, to study extremely low polarization, the birefringence effect due to stresses in the optical elements must be kept to the lowest possible values. The double-wedge Wollaston custom prism assembly that splits the incoming optical beam is made of bonded α-BBO to N-BK-7 glass lenses. Because of the large mismatch of coefficients of thermal expansion and temperatures as low as -40°C that can be encountered at Mont-Mégantic observatory, a finite element analysis (FEA) model is developed to find the best adhesive system to minimize stresses. Another critical aspect discussed in details is the implementation of the cascaded rotating elements and the twin rotating stages. Special attention is given to the drive mechanism and encoding technology. The objective was to reach high absolute positional accuracy in rotation without any mechanical backlash. As for many other instruments, mass, size and dimensional stability are important critera for the supporting structure. For a cantilevered device, such as POMM, a static hexapod is an attractive solution because of the high stiffness to weight ratio. However, the mechanical analysis revealed that the specific geometry of the dual channel optical layout also added an off-axis counterbalancing problem. To reach an X-Y displacement error on the detector smaller than 35μm for 0-45° zenith angle, further structural optimization was done using FEA. An imaging camera was placed at the detector plane during assembly to measure the actual optical beam shift under varying gravitational loading.

Proceedings Article | 28 July 2014 Paper

Paper

Optical, mechanical and electronic design and integration of POMM, a polarimeter for the Observatoire du mont Mégantic

Melanie Leclerc, Patrice Côté, François Duchesne, Pierre Bastien, Olivier Hernandez, Pierre Colonna d'Istria, Mathieu Demers, Marc Girard, Maxime Savard, Dany Lemieux, Simon Thibault, Denis Brousseau

Proceedings Volume 9147, 91472D (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2054773

KEYWORDS: Stars, Telescopes, Avalanche photodetectors, Polarization, Polarimetry, Optical amplifiers, Prisms, Mechanical engineering, Signal detection, Error analysis

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Proceedings Article | 23 July 2014 Paper

Paper

Preliminary design of the wavefront front sensor for CCAT

David Naylor, Brad Gom, Mélanie Leclerc, Mathieu Legros, Stephen Padin, Eugene Serabyn

Proceedings Volume 9153, 915326 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2055372

KEYWORDS: Sensors, Mirrors, Telescopes, Wavefronts, Space telescopes, Shearing interferometers, Cryogenics, Off axis mirrors, Mars, Wavefront sensors

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SPIE Journal Paper | 1 November 2010

Design, manufacturing, and qualification of an uncooled microbolometer focal plane array-based radiometric package for space applications

Sonia García-Blanco, Patrice Côté, Melanie Leclerc, Nathalie Blanchard, Yan Desroches, Jean-Sol Caron, Linh Ngo Phong, François Châteauneuf, Timothy Pope

JM3, Vol. 9, Issue 04, 041105, (November 2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.10.1117/1.3492413

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Proceedings Article | 10 September 2009 Paper

Paper

Lens barrel design of the NIRST IR Camera

Patrice Côté, Mélanie Leclerc, François Châteauneuf, Hugo Marraco

Proceedings Volume 7424, 74240E (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.827069

KEYWORDS: Cameras, Long wavelength infrared, Infrared cameras, Mid-IR, Finite element methods, Lens design, Tolerancing, Objectives, Infrared imaging, Liquids

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Proceedings Article | 2 September 2009 Paper

Paper

Performances of the SAC-D NIRST flight model radiometer

Mélanie Leclerc, Linda Marchese, Patrice Côté, François Châteauneuf, Claude Chevalier, Hugo Marraco, Linh Ngo Phong

Proceedings Volume 7453, 745308 (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.828044

KEYWORDS: Cameras, Mid-IR, Microbolometers, Temperature metrology, Sensors, Staring arrays, Long wavelength infrared, Manufacturing, Finite element methods, Indium oxide

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Proceedings Article | 10 February 2009 Paper

Paper

Radiometric packaging of uncooled microbolometer FPA arrays for space applications

S. García-Blanco, P. Cote, M. Leclerc, N. Blanchard, Y. Desroches, J.-S. Caron, L. Ngo Phong, F. Chateauneuf, T. Pope

Proceedings Volume 7206, 720604 (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.810025

KEYWORDS: Sensors, Copper, Temperature metrology, Aluminum, Stray light, Staring arrays, Indium oxide, Microbolometers, Radiation effects, Long wavelength infrared

Read Abstract +

INO has extensive experience in the design and fabrication of focal plane arrays (FPAs) of uncooled microbolometers. In particular, the FPA of 512×3 microbolometers, developed in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), has been selected for use in the NIRST (New Infrared Sensor Technology) radiometer of the SAC-D Aquarius mission. The FPA has been designed for pushbroom scanning of the Earth to provide radiometric data in the mid- and long-wave infrared for the monitoring of fires as well as thermal mapping of ocean temperature. Uncooled microbolometer detectors are suited for space applications due to their low power consumption while still exhibiting adequate performance. Furthermore, the spectral range of their response could be tuned from the mid- to the far-infrared to meet different mission requirements. In order to ensure that the detector receives only the thermal contribution from the desired target and to minimize radiometric error due to variation of the temperature of the surrounding during the measurements, a radiometric package is required. In a radiometric package the detector environment is thermally stabilized by means of a temperature controlled radiation shield. The radiation shield should also be designed to prevent stray radiation from reaching the detector. Under the Space Technology Development Program of the CSA, INO has designed, assembled and tested a radiometric package in order to characterize its performance and compatibility with the space environment. The operating spectral band is defined by the spectral characteristics of a bandpass filter placed in front of the FPA. For typical space missions, the package must pass standard environmental tests without degradation of its performance (thermal cycling from -55 to +85 °C according to MIL-STD-810, random acceleration up to 14 G RMS from 20-2000 Hz and shock up to 75 G). In order to ensure reliability in those conditions while maintaining optimum performance, an adequate selection of materials is necessary. In this paper, INO's radiometric packaging technology for uncooled microbolometer FPA's will be presented. The selection of materials will be discussed and the final choices presented based on thermal simulations and experimental data. The effects of different design parameters on the performance, such as material, shape and thickness of radiation shield and choice of adhesive have been studied. An instantaneous noise equivalent temperature difference (NETD) of ~ 20 mK was obtained under the measurement conditions (broadband LWIR, 140 ms integration time, f/1 optics, characterization in flood exposure). The design of the package reduced the contribution of environmental temperature variations on the offset of the sensor. The equivalent response of the package varied less than 0.08 °C per degree of variation of the temperature of the package. The package also showed low sensitivity to stray radiation as a result of the effectiveness of the radiation shield design. The device successfully passed the prescribed environmental tests without degradation of performance.

Proceedings Article | 9 July 2008 Paper

Paper

Optical design of the SCUBA-2 IFTS

Melanie Leclerc, Brad Gom, David Naylor

Proceedings Volume 7014, 70147I (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.787606

KEYWORDS: Mirrors, Interferometers, Telescopes, Beam splitters, Spectroscopy, Space telescopes, Vignetting, Cameras, Optical design, Spectral resolution

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Proceedings Article | 26 September 2007 Paper

Paper

Optomechanical design for the SCUBA-2 polarimeter

Sophie Bernier, Pierre Bastien, Mélanie Leclerc, Éric Bissonnette

Proceedings Volume 6665, 66650T (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.732643

KEYWORDS: Polarimetry, Wave plates, Optical components, Space telescopes, Cameras, Telescopes, Calibration, Polarizers, Optomechanical design, Computer programming

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Proceedings Article | 18 July 2006 Paper

Paper

The SCUBA-2 polarimeter

Mélanie Leclerc, Pierre Bastien, Sophie Bernier, Eric Bissonnette, P. Ade, Giampaolo Pisano, Giorgio Savini

Proceedings Volume 6342, 63421O (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.692309

KEYWORDS: Wave plates, Polarimetry, Telescopes, Polarizers, Cameras, Polarization, Optical components, Calibration, Sensors, Mirrors

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Proceedings Article | 30 September 2004 Paper

Paper

The VISTA IR camera

Gavin Dalton, Martin Caldwell, Kim Ward, Martin Whalley, Kevin Burke, John Lucas, Tony Richards, Marc Ferlet, Ruben Edeson, Daniel Tye, Bryan Shaughnessy, Mel Strachan, Eli Atad-Ettedgui, Melanie Leclerc, Angus Gallie, Nagaraja Bezawada, Paul Clark, Nirmal Bissonauth, Peter Luke, Nigel Dipper, Paul Berry, Will Sutherland, Jim Emerson

Proceedings Volume 5492, (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.551378

KEYWORDS: Cameras, Telescopes, Infrared cameras, Optical filters, Sensors, Imaging systems, Staring arrays, Mirrors, Bandpass filters, Infrared telescopes

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Proceedings Article | 24 September 2004 Paper

Paper

Image slicers: design for manufacturability

David Lee, Colin Dickson, Peter Hastings, Martyn Wells, Melanie Leclerc

Proceedings Volume 5494, (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.553092

KEYWORDS: Mirrors, Optics manufacturing, Spectroscopy, Manufacturing, Design for manufacturability, Optical alignment, James Webb Space Telescope, Sensors, Optical design, Prototyping

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Proceedings Article | 16 September 2004 Paper

Paper

Aspects of concurrent design during the VISTA IR camera detailed design phase

Martin Caldwell, Martin Whalley, Guy Woodhouse, Ruben Edeson, Kevin Burke, John Lucas, Bryan Shaughnessy, Tony Richards, Kim Ward, Gavin Dalton, Melanie Leclerc, Angus Gallie, Paul Clark

Proceedings Volume 5497, (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.550907

KEYWORDS: Computer aided design, Solid modeling, Sensors, Infrared cameras, Cameras, Thermal modeling, Adaptive optics, Instrument modeling, Staring arrays, Data modeling

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Proceedings Article | 18 February 2004 Paper

Paper

Optomechanical tolerancing of the VISTA field corrector

Melanie Leclerc, Eli Atad-Ettedgui, Angus Gallie

Proceedings Volume 5249, (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.513335

KEYWORDS: Tolerancing, Lenses, Cameras, Manufacturing, Optical filters, Monte Carlo methods, Telescopes, Image quality, Optics manufacturing, Infrared telescopes

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Showing 5 of 18 publications

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