Brive, FR - PHOTONIS France SAS, a leading electro-optic component manufacturer, is pleased to announce that
long-time employee Ray Fairbend has been selected to receive an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science from the
University of Leicester (UK). Mr. Fairbend will be recognized during a ceremony at the University on 28 January, 2011
for his significant contributions to space science while employed at PHOTONIS.
During his career at PHOTONIS, Mr. Fairbend has contributed to numerous space science projects in conjunction
with the University of Leicester, the European Space Agency and other partner institutions, to improve the quality and
sensitivity of micro-channel plates (MCPs) for UV photon, X-ray and charged particle-detection in outer space. He has developed key components for a wide range of specialised optical and particle detectors to provide highly sensitive detection of high-energy phenomena on space missions. His innovative contributions include a wide range of products,
all of which were custom-designed for a unique space mission. During his tenure at PHOTONIS, Mr. Fairbend has developed large-area MCPs, record breaking low noise MCPs, cylindrically and spherically formed MCPs and uniquely square- and radially-packed square pore microchannel plate optics (MPOs).
Mr. Fairbend’s innovations have been deployed on a number of specially designed instrument detection projects
used in past and presently flying missions, including the Hubble Space Telescope. Additionally, Mr. Fairbend’s MCP
and MPO developments are installed in various detection instruments installed in the CHANDRA, FUSE, EUVE,
ALEXIS, ROSETTA and PLUTO missions – to name but a few. Today his focus is on square pore X-ray optics for the
BEPI COLOMBO MIXS-T and MIXS-C instruments and on new detection solutions for NASA’s multi-satellite mission
(MMS).
In conjunction with his development teams, Mr. Fairbend has co-authored numerous articles which detail the
advancements in MCP and MPO applications in space and holds a patent for his work. Additionally, PHOTONIS
received the NASA Award of Excellence as a result of Mr. Fairbend’s developments for the FUV instrument on the
GALEX mission and also for the COS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope, which was installed during the
Space Shuttle Service Mission in May 2009.
PHOTONIS Technologies President and CEO, Goossen Boers, said, “PHOTONIS has long been a developmentpartner
to the University of Leicester in order to help create advanced detectors to enhance our understanding of the
universe. Our leading role in developing MCP and MPO detectors for space applications is unquestionably the result
of Ray Fairbend’s hard work and team leadership. I know I speak for all of his colleagues when I say how pleased we
are to congratulate him on this prestigious honour. It is an implicit honour for the whole PHOTONIS team.”
Mr. Fairbend commented on the award, “I do consider that whatever the contributions were, for me they were truly
the result of a practical approach to the challenges in hand. I have spent most of my life in laboratory and development
environments. I find great pleasure in contributing to understanding and solving practical problems in practical ways.”
A forty-year employee at PHOTONIS, Mr. Fairbend began his career in chemical engineering and worked his way
into electronic engineering for what was at the time Phillips Mitcham UK Night Vision (later transferred to PHOTONIS).
He was instrumental in developing and advancing the technologies behind image-quality fibre optics, microchannel
plates (MCPs) and micro-pore optics (MPOs). These product advancements resulted in a long-standing partnership
with the University of Leicester which produced a number of specially-designed MCP and MPO products for use in the
detection and characterization high energy and space phenomena. A British native, today Mr. Fairbend resides in
France with his wife, Veronique. The couple has a daughter, Tanya.
PHOTONIS is a multinational high-technology group, with more than 40 years experience in manufacture, sales
and innovation, specializing in photo sensor technology. The Group operates internationally in the Night Vision,
Industrial, Scientific and Medical Imaging markets. PHOTONIS designs and manufactures a wide range of custom and
standard components and assemblies for mass spectroscopy as well as other medical, bio-medical and scientific
instruments and holds several patents in these fields. For more information, go to www.photonis.com