The cleanroom allows precision computational-optics research, sensor characterisation, and next-generation imaging workflows
Big Blue Ceiling has completed and activated its new ISO-5 (Class 100) optical cleanroom, a controlled research environment built to support next-generation work in computational optics, sensor characterisation, and precision imaging workflows.
The cleanroom was designed as a high-stability test environment for exploratory work requiring strict particulate control, consistent airflow, and repeatable optical conditions.
Developed with sub-micron particulate limits, positive-pressure isolation, and tight temperature and humidity stability, the facility allows research that cannot be conducted reliably in standard laboratory conditions. These constraints underpin the controlled measurements required for algorithmic imaging, spectral workflows, and the characterisation of modern commercial and prototype sensors.
A modular optical bench is at the centre of the facility to support interchangeable test assemblies, computational imaging rigs, and custom sensor fixtures. The space combines broadband and narrowband light sources, long-pass filters, precision monochromators, optical fibres, reference reflectance standards, and calibrated illumination geometries for controlled experimental setups. This equipment facilitates consistent measurement of sensor response, lens and filter behaviour, optical throughput, and spectral signatures across the visible and near-infrared ranges.
The cleanroom supports the company’s ongoing investigations into experimental imaging pipelines, including data-driven calibration methods, multimodal sensing, and exploratory approaches that integrate optics, software, and sensor physics.
The facility is already in use for early-stage experiments involving multi-band illumination, controlled optical-path measurements, and new forms of computationally aided calibration.
Eddie Offermann, founder and CTO of Big Blue Ceiling, said, “Our work increasingly depends on generating controlled, measurement-grade data, something traditional lab spaces aren’t built for. This cleanroom provides the stability and repeatability needed to evaluate sensors, optical components, and computational methods under conditions we can trust. It’s the foundation for a decade of planned research into advanced imaging and sensing.”
The cleanroom will receive planned additions in 2026, including expanded monochromator capacity, automated optical-path alignment tools, enhanced spectral reference standards, and integrated workflows for end-to-end sensor testing.
