Adaptive Optics Market - Forecast(2024 - 2030)

Key Takeaways

• Demand for adaptive optics systems has significantly grown in the bio-medical sector due to the application of adaptive optics systems in the field of ophthalmology and retinal imaging to reduce the optical aberrations.
• The application of adaptive optics in the defense and space industry gained traction for satellite imaging, free-space optical communication as well as laser weapon. Companies offering AO systems are partnering with various defense contractors. For instance, Boston Micromachine Corporation has partnered with NASA, US Naval Research Laboratory, AFIT, and many others for offering optical systems in their projects.
• Development of lighter materials for adaptive optics is expected to offer ample opportunities to key players in Adaptive Optics Market.
• Technical complexity in construction of adaptive optics based products and stringent regulations for product approvals may create hurdles for the Adaptive Optics Market.

Component - Segment Analysis

On the basis of component, the Wavefront Sensor segment dominated the Adaptive Optics Market accounting for 44.82% of market share in 2019 and is estimated to continue this trend during the forecast period 2020-2025. Wavefront sensor is a key component of adaptive optics and is used in various adaptive optics applications; for instance, wavefront sensors are used for many laser applications such as laser beam diagnostic and laser material processing for controlling laser beam shape and size to increase accuracy and for measuring the aberrations of an optical wavefront. Moreover, wavefront sensors helpful in evaluating the wavefront with enough spatial resolution and suitable speed for real-time compensation. Alongside this, the high price of wavefront sensors compared to other adaptive optics components has further resulted in its high revenue share.

End-user - Segment Analysis

On the basis of end user application, the Astronomy segment is expected to grow with the highest CAGR of 21.2 % during the forecast period 2020-2025. Over the last twenty years, several exoplanets have been found, and their study has become a high priority in the scientific field. Direct imaging of nearby these exoplanets and the surrounding in which they form and evolve is challenging due to the smaller angular separation relative to the central star and high contrast ratio. To tackle these challenges, ground-based telescopes are needed to be equipped with adaptive optics systems optimized to get high-contrast images. According to the Space Foundation, the global space economy in 2018 grew by over USD 85 billion, or 26% from the year 2016. With the increasing government spending in the field of astronomy, the adoption of advanced technology has increased in the recent past years. Moreover, in 2017, Europe commenced the European Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) project to build the largest telescope for the study of the universe. The project is expected to complete by the year 2024 and will make extensive use of adaptive optics systems to gather 13 times lighter image possible today. With such more projects to come in the recent future the demand for adaptive optics systems is expected to grow significantly in the industry.

Geography - Segment Analysis

North America has been analyzed to attribute to the majority of shares in the Adaptive Optics Market during the forecast period 2020-2025 accounting for 40.28% of the total market share. The U.S. and Canada emerged as a lucrative market for adaptive optics in North America market. The astronomical community has been an early adopter of this technology once it was declassified. The 200-inch Hale Telescope in California uses a laser in its adaptive optics system to correct the effects of atmospheric turbulence and enhance the capabilities of the telescope. In addition to the astronomy application, the United States, with its high defense budgets and well-developed industrial defense complex, continue to use technologies like adaptive optics for developing high energy laser systems along with other applications. American defense spending is expected to continue to remain very high, and it is expected to drive the development of modern defense technology using adaptive optics. Bio medical application of adaptive optic systems are also expected to drive the market during the forecast period.

Drivers – Adaptive Optics Market

• Military and Communication Application to fuel the market growth.

Growing demand of adaptive optics for high resolution microscopy, free-space laser communication, and long range target identification in military and defense is the driving factor that is helping the global adaptive optics market to achieve phenomenal growth. The benefits such as reduction of wavefront distortion effects, enhanced efficiency, hassle-free swift communication is also aiding the growth of global adaptive optics market during the forecast period.

• Multiple technological advancements to provide growth opportunities for the adaptive Optics Market.

Various technological developments in optics technology and growing demand of the adaptive optics solutions in various industries is likely to fuel the growth of Adaptive Optics Market. Extensive investments in various research and development activities in order to integrate adaptive optics to a wider range of applications is also projected to support the global adaptive optics market. For instance, Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) represents an international collaboration that is the gold standard for radio astronomy worldwide. It's also part of the NSF-funded Event Horizon Telescope project, which aims to capture the first image ever of the galaxy's supermassive black hole.

Challenges – Adaptive Optics Market

• Complex Designing Techniques to hamper market growth.

Intensive computations required for AO system modelling and difficulty in non-common path aberrations (NCPA) are the chief issues deterring the Adaptive optics market. AO systems evaluation and modelling are essential to an impost of presentation dimensions and limitations and to the operative design of AO systems for big telescopes such as Subaru, Keck, Gemini, and VLT. Non-Common Path Aberrations (NCPA) is a usual delinquent met when expending an Adaptive Optics System (AO) to yield modified images in a cosmic instrument. The usual way to correct for such NCPA is to introduce an offset in the Wavefront Sensor (WFS) signals that correspond to the aberration to correct.

Market Landscape

The market for adaptive optics system is consolidated due to the presence of a few companies offering the solutions. The major players in the Adaptive Optics Market include Teledyne e2v (UK) LTD (UK), NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION (US), Thorlabs, Inc. (US), Iris AO, Inc. (US), Adaptica S.r.l. (Italy), Active Optical Systems, LLC (US), Flexible Optical B.V. (Netherlands), Imagine Optic SA (France), Boston Micromachines Corporation (US), and Phasics Corp. (France) among others. Product developments, R&D investments along with partnership are the major strategies adopted by the key players.

 Product Launches / Collaborations / R&D activities.

• In July 2019, Imaging Optics in collaboration with the EU-funded VOXEL project, developed an innovative way to create three-dimensional imaging without the high doses of X-ray radiation by adapting a technique called plenoptic imaging with the help of adaptive optics systems.
• In October 2018, Boston Micromachines Corporation (BMC), a leading provider of MEMS-based deformable mirror (DM) products for adaptive optics systems, announced that it has delivered the world’s first fully-functioning 2040 element MEMS deformable mirror as part of a NASA Phase II Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) contract, monitored by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
• In December 2017, The Advanced Instrumentation Technology Center (AITC) of the Australian National University and the Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics and Technology (NIAOT) established collaboration in the area of astronomical instrumentation with the goal of gaining Australian participation in construction of the Large Optical Telescope and other astronomical instruments.