Figuring out IT markets: How and why industry analysts launch, adjust and abandon categories
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Despite being a source of significant change, there has been little focus on how and why industry analysts constantly launch, adjust and abandon market-defining categories. To address this issue, we investigate the Big Three industry analyst firms and find that they promote categories clients find valuable and adjust or abandon those no longer attracting attention. Bringing together insights from information systems research and category scholarship, we show that industry analysts ensure their expertise is seen as relevant to clients through material and visual processes theorised as category-work, figuring-work, and client-mapping, which together create client-induced categories'. This novel theorisation throws light on the processes market intermediaries use to align categories with client concerns and how incorporating categories in graphical figurations can intensify the cycle of category creation and abandonment. It also enhances understanding of the dynamics surrounding transitory terminologies and opens up new research opportunities for studying IT markets.Keywords:
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At INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Brera a study is under way to explore the problems related to the ion beam figuring of full scale Zerodur hexagonal mirrors of M1 for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), having size of 1.4 m corner to corner. During this study it is initially foreseen the figuring of a scaled down version mirror of the same material having size of 1 m corner to corner to assess the relevant figuring problems and issues. This specific mirror has a radius of curvature of 3 m, which allows for easy interferometric measurement. A mechanical support was designed to minimize its deformations due to the gravity. The Ion Beam Figuring Facility used for this study has been recently completed in the Brera Observatory and has a figuring area of 140 cm x 170 cm. It employs a Kaufman ion source having 50 mm grids mounted on three axis. This system has been designed and developed to be autonomous and self-monitoring during the figuring process. The software and the mathematical tools used to compute the dwell time solution have been developed at INAF-OAB as well. Aim of this study is the estimation and optimization of the time requested to correct the surface adopting strategies to mitigate the well-known thermal problems related to the Zerodur material. In this paper, the results obtained figuring the 1 m corner-to-corner test segment are reported.
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Curved mirror
Radius of curvature
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Numerically controlled local wet etching is a novel figuring method for fabricating the ultraprecision optical components and/or finishing the functional materials. In this method, localized wet etching area is formed by applying the combination nozzle which consists of a supply part and a suction part of an etchant, and the removal volume at any point on the workpiece surface is determined by the dwelling time of the nozzle. In this paper, we proposed the two-step figuring process, which consists of a rough figuring process by applying a one-dimensional numerically controlled scanning using a large rectangular nozzle and a finishing process by applying two-dimensional numerically controlled scanning using a small circular nozzle, for figuring the plano-aspherical mirror. By applying the two-step figuring process, we fabricated the plano-elliptical neutron focusing mirror with the figure accuracy of less than 0.5 µm and succeeded in achieving the focusing gain of 6.
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Engraving
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The figuring of large optical components using mechanical techniques is a time and money consuming operation. Neutral Ion Beam Figuring (IBF) is shown to be a practical and flexible alternative to mechanical figuring. Ion Beam Figuring is performed by directing a broad beam high current ion source (Kaufman type) onto an optic in a carefully controlled manner, removing substrate material by ion beam sputtering, and resulting in a specified surface figure. The IBF technique is shown to have some interesting performance advantages over other methods, including very high removal rates, minimal surface damage, and no edge effects. Practical issues involving IBF are discussed and experimental results using the UNM prototype IBF machine to figure a 30cm fused silica optic are presented. Scaling problems are identified and discussed.
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Beam optics
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The numerical control device for zonal figuring of aspherical surface according to polar coordinates has the advantage of simplicity and compactness in structure. The method to predict the surface profile after figuring is presented. Effort has been made to develop some methods for automatic generation of the zonal figuring procedure by computer. An example of making a Schmidt correcting plate by zonal figuring is given. The results of various figuring procedures are compared and discussed.
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Simplicity
Polar coordinate system
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Programmed motion of a tool which removes material by plasma assisted chemical etching (PACE) gives controlled, deterministic figuring. The process has been automated to correct arbitrary figure errors on aspheric surfaces directly from the measured surface data. A system is now operating for figuring aspheric surfaces up to 0.5 m diameter. PACE can greatly reduce the time and cost of figuring large optics by its rapid convergence to the final figure requiring only two to three measurement/figuring cycles to reach 1/50 wave surfaces. PACE intrinsically smooths high frequency roughness with material removal leaving a surface free of subsurface damage
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Optical coating
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The Kodak 2 .5m Ion Figuring System (IFS), intended for the final figuring of large optics using a directed inert neutralized ion beam, has been installed and is operational. Process development and production implementation efforts are currently underway. Thermal heating effects due to exposure to the ion beam removal function are discussed. Details of processing and results from an ion figuring correction of a 0.Sm lightweighted optic are presented.
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The Kodak 2 .5m Ion Figuring System (IFS), intended for the final figuring of large optics using a directed inert neutralized ion beam, has been installed and is operational. Process development and production implementation efforts are currently underway. Thermal heating effects due to exposure to the ion beam removal function are discussed. Details of processing and results from an ion figuring correction of a 0.Sm lightweighted optic are presented.
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The application of ion beams to the figuring of optical surfaces has been examined for a number of years by several groups of investigators. The technique is generally intended to perform the final figuring of surfaces which have several optical waves of error relative to the desired figure. Until recently, ion beam figuring has not offered promise to be an efficient, practical method for figuring optics.
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A new, to the best of our knowledge, figuring method for a multilayer Laue lens (MLL) in the hard X-ray region is proposed in this paper. Theoretical simulation at 20 keV shows that the figuring method can compensate for the structure error. The phase errors of the first-order diffracted wave decrease from 0.85π to 0.26π after figuring. The spatial resolution changes from 45 nm to 26 nm after figuring, which is almost the same as that of the ideal MLL with a spatial resolution of 24 nm. The figured MLL can achieve 36% of the ideal MLL's first-order diffraction efficiency. Such method may reduce the requirements for the fabrication of the MLLs, and may make it possible to manufacture the larger numerical aperture MLL with the longer working distance in the future.
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Numerical aperture
Spatial frequency
Aperture (computer memory)
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