Ms. Nathalie Blanchard Profile

Nathalie Blanchard

Researcher at ABB Inc.

SPIE Involvement:

Conference Program Committee | Author

Publications (18)

Proceedings Article | 17 June 2024 Presentation + Paper

Optical tolerances analysis methodology using realistic optomechanical models

Nathalie Blanchard, Frédéric Lamontagne, Michel Doucet

Proceedings Volume 13019, 130190D (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3017649

KEYWORDS: Tolerancing, Manufacturing, Optics manufacturing, Active alignment, Optical surfaces, Design, Optical design, Optical mounts, Optical alignment, Optomechanical design, Integrated modeling, Performance modeling

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Proceedings Article | 14 September 2023 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 September 2023 Paper

Tool for the computation of ISO 10110 metrics

Michel Doucet, Nathalie Blanchard

Proceedings Volume 12798, 127981V (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2692510

KEYWORDS: Optical surfaces, Tolerancing, Error analysis, Optical components, Zernike polynomials, Optical design, Monte Carlo methods

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Proceedings Article | 3 October 2022 Presentation + Paper

Integrated opto-mechanical tolerance analysis

Frédéric Lamontagne, Nathalie Blanchard, Simon Paradis, Nichola Desnoyers

Proceedings Volume 12222, 122220G (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2633388

KEYWORDS: Tolerancing, Optics manufacturing, Optical mounts, Optical design software, Optical design, Optical components, Manufacturing, Aspheric lenses, Optical alignment, Optical simulations

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Proceedings Article | 3 October 2022 Presentation + Paper

Powerful standalone application for realistic optical tolerancing

Nathalie Blanchard, Frédéric Lamontagne, Simon Paradis, Nichola Desnoyers

Proceedings Volume 12222, 122220H (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2633367

KEYWORDS: Tolerancing, Comets, Modulation transfer functions, Optical design, Optics manufacturing, Indium oxide, Interfaces, Monte Carlo methods, Zemax, Manufacturing

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Proceedings Article | 14 May 2018 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 | 8 May 2018 Presentation + Paper

Subwavelength imaging challenges in the infrared and THz wavebands

Alain Bergeron, Linda Marchese, Marc Terroux, Michel Doucet, Nathalie Blanchard, Denis Dufour, Loïc Le Noc, Martin Otis, Michel Jacob, François Duchesne, Marc Girard, Luc Mercier, Lucie Gagnon, Bruno Fisette, Mathieu Tremblay, Bruno Tremblay, Martin Briand, Hélène Spisser, Pascal Bourqui

Proceedings Volume 10639, 1063909 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2306294

KEYWORDS: Imaging systems, Terahertz radiation, Infrared imaging, Infrared radiation, Sensors, Detector arrays, Image resolution, Optical design, Indium oxide, Cameras

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Proceedings Article | 25 May 2016 Paper

Reflection imaging in the millimeter-wave range using a video-rate terahertz camera

Linda Marchese, Marc Terroux, Michel Doucet, Nathalie Blanchard, Ovidiu Pancrati, Denis Dufour, Alain Bergeron

Proceedings Volume 9836, 98362S (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2225178

KEYWORDS: Cameras, Terahertz radiation, Staring arrays, Millimeter wave imaging, Imaging systems, Sensors, Digital cameras, Fiber optic gyroscopes, Visualization, Humidity

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Proceedings Article | 24 October 2012 Paper

A compact 2048x1536 pixel infrared imager for long distance surveillance

Claude Chevalier, Nathalie Blanchard, Anne Martel, Marc Terroux, Carl Vachon, Luc Mercier, Lucie Gagnon, Bruno Tremblay, Linda Marchese, Alain Bergeron

Proceedings Volume 8541, 85410L (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.974786

KEYWORDS: Sensors, Imaging systems, Modulation transfer functions, Cameras, Infrared imaging, Long wavelength infrared, Infrared radiation, Staring arrays, Image resolution, Indium oxide

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The evolution of infrared imaging technology has always followed, from a distance, the evolution of the technology in the visible waveband with ever increasing resolutions and decreasing pixel pitch. With such evolution the cameras in the visible are smaller than ever and display high quality imaging. Nowadays the size of the pixels in the infrared is generally much larger than its counterpart in the visible. However, the ratio of the size of the pixel to the wavelength is much smaller in the infrared than in the visible with the consequence that the gain on the pixel size could be limited considering today's rules of design. In the infrared, the recent advent of large 1024 x 768 pixel focal plane arrays based on 17 um pixel for the 8 to 12 um waveband raises development challenges. Nevertheless, it was recently shown that sampling a scene at a frequency higher than the one corresponding to the pixel pitch is an efficient way of increasing the resolution of an image for given pixel size and FPA dimensions. Following this strategy a 2048 x 1536 pixel imager with integrated microscan was developed based on an uncooled bolometer FPA. Due to its very small 8.5 um efficient pixel pitch the imager offers very high resolution and large field-of-view (FOV) using a short 50 mm focal length. Furthermore, since the size of the FPA is maintained at a reasonable size and the pixel pitch is very small the optics is compact and lightweight and the level of aberrations at the larger angles of the FOV is kept to a minimum offering excellent imaging quality. Such a platform could thus be used for very compact surveillance system and remote sensing instrumentation. This paper reviews the optics developed to perform the microscanned acquisition, the acquisition electronics and presents examples of high-resolution imaging. Finally, comparison of imaging with and without microscan is provided illustrating the usefulness of the microscan system despite the fact that the efficient pixel pitch is very close to the lower limit of the 8 to 12 um infrared waveband.

Proceedings Article | 9 May 2012 Paper

Catadioptric optics for high-resolution terahertz imager

Nathalie Blanchard, Linda Marchese, Anne Martel, Marc Terroux, Éric Savard, Claude Chevalier, Luc Mercier, Lucie Gagnon, Julie Lambert, Martin Bolduc, Alain Bergeron

Proceedings Volume 8363, 83630B (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.918583

KEYWORDS: Terahertz radiation, Sensors, Combined lens-mirror systems, Indium oxide, Cameras, Imaging systems, Image quality, Image resolution, Mirrors, Infrared cameras

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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 | 9 September 2010 Paper

Review of a high resolution catadioptric optical module

Nathalie Blanchard, Nichola Desnoyers, Anne Martel, Mathieu Demers, Maxime Savard, Bruno Tremblay, Loïc Le Noc, Claude Chevalier, Alain Bergeron

Proceedings Volume 7652, 76522H (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.868853

KEYWORDS: Mirrors, Combined lens-mirror systems, Sensors, Optical alignment, Cameras, Indium oxide, Optical resolution, Spatial resolution, Optical components, Integrated optics

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Proceedings Article | 4 May 2010 Paper

1280 x 960 pixel microscanned infrared imaging module

Loïc Le Noc, Bruno Tremblay, Anne Martel, Claude Chevalier, Nathalie Blanchard, Martin Morissette, Luc Mercier, François Duchesne, Lucie Gagnon, Patrick Couture, Frédéric Lévesque, Nichola Desnoyers, Mathieu Demers, Frédéric Lamontage, Hubert Jerominek, Alain Bergeron

Proceedings Volume 7660, 766021 (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.853377

KEYWORDS: Sensors, Prototyping, Image resolution, Infrared imaging, Spatial resolution, Indium oxide, Thermography, Imaging systems, Combined lens-mirror systems, Infrared detectors

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Proceedings Article | 22 August 2009 Paper

Fast catadioptric optics with large field of view

N. Blanchard, M. Doucet, N. Desnoyers, L. Le Noc, A. Bergeron

Proceedings Volume 7428, 74280H (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.826013

KEYWORDS: Sensors, Mirrors, Combined lens-mirror systems, Telescopes, Optics manufacturing, Tolerancing, Microbolometers, Spatial resolution, Optical components, Modulation transfer functions

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Proceedings Article | 10 February 2009 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

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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 | 8 February 2002 Paper

Recent developments on the ACE-FTS instrument

Francois Chateauneuf, Marc-Andre Soucy, Christophe Deutsch, Nathalie Blanchard, Jacques Giroux

Proceedings Volume 4486, (2002) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.455122

KEYWORDS: Signal to noise ratio, Fourier transforms, Sensors, Transmittance, Imaging systems, Mirrors, Infrared radiation, Infrared imaging, Infrared spectroscopy, Sun

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Proceedings Article | 24 May 2000 Paper

Optical correlator for textile web defect detection

Nathalie Blanchard, Donald Prevost, Yunlong Sheng

Proceedings Volume 4089, (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.386806

KEYWORDS: Wavelets, Optical correlators, Defect detection, Filtering (signal processing), Wavelet transforms, Optical filters, Electronic filtering, Diffraction, Fourier transforms, Laser optics

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Proceedings Article | 31 March 2000 Paper

Optical correlator for textile web defect detection

Nathalie Blanchard, Donald Prevost, Yunlong Sheng

Proceedings Volume 4043, (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.381604

KEYWORDS: Wavelets, Optical correlators, Wavelet transforms, Defect detection, Electronic filtering, Optical filters, Linear filtering, Diffraction, Image filtering, Filtering (signal processing)

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Showing 5 of 18 publications

Conference Committee Involvement (5)

Current Developments in Lens Design and Optical Engineering XXVI

3 August 2025 | San Diego, California, United States

Current Developments in Lens Design and Optical Engineering XXV

20 August 2024 | San Diego, California, United States

Optical Design and Engineering IX

8 April 2024 | Strasbourg, France

Current Developments in Lens Design and Optical Engineering XXIV

22 August 2023 | San Diego, California, United States

Optical Design and Engineering VIII

13 September 2021 | Online Only, Spain

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