λ/10 UV Fused Silica Plano-convex Lenses
A Plano-Convex (PCX) Lens is an optical element with a positive focal length and a flat-spherical surface profile. The lenses are designed for light focusing, collection, and collimating. A Plano convex lens could also be used to decrease the focal length of a group of optical assemblies and magnify images. Compared to Biconvex lenses, Plano-convex lenses have two non-identical sides and therefore work best for infinite conjugate ratios (objective distance: image distance). However, plano-convex lenses still reduce spherical aberrations to a quite low extent when the absolute conjugate ratio is greater than 5:1. For a conjugate ratio below 5:1, consider using plano-convex lenses in pair or biconvex lens.
UV Fused Silica is the amorphous form of Silicon Dioxide. The material features superior transmission in the UV region and could be utilized for wavelengths ranging from Ultraviolet (UV) to Near-infrared (NIR) spectrum. Other than UV transmission, UV-grade fused silica glass also excels in terms of low thermal expansion, high optical homogeneities, chemical inertness, mechanical strength, and the absence of fluorescence under UV radiation. Compared with NBK7, the material is more reliable for high-temperature environments and higher transmission to the ultraviolet spectrum.
Hangzhou Shalom EO offers
stocked and custom Plano Convex Lenses made of high-quality UV Fused Silica sourced from Corning, or JGS1 with excellent mechanical ridgidness, and chemical inertia (The lenses in the stock list are made of
Corning 7980-0F, 7980-1D). These lenses could be applied for wavelengths ranging from 200-2200nm, and are high-precision lenses with irregularity of λ/10, and surface qualities of 10/5 S/D. The UV-fused silica plano-convex lenses find prominence in detectors, imaging instruments, lasers, fiber lasers, etc. The focal lengths of the stocked UV Fused Silica plano-convex lenses range from 20-1000mm, while other focal lengths could be customized. Each piece of the lens will undergo strict inspection in Shalom EO’s in-house labs before dispatch, to ensure tight tolerance and secure your interest. Besides, the
standard options with irregularities of λ/4-λ are also available.
To further enhance the transmission of the UVFS plano-convex lens, Broadband Anti-reflection (BBAR) coatings could be furnished to accommodate the requirements for multi-wavelength and tunable lasers. V coatings, which are a special form of AR coatings that deliver an ultra-low reflection at a narrow band of designed wavelengths are available, too. These coated lenses are in particular advantageous for elevating the efficiencies of complex optical instruments. Besides, Uncoated UV Fused Silica plano-convex lenses are also accessible in Shalom EO.
Application Notes:
1. Because the refraction angles of the incident lights have a slight difference, the focal length of the two sides is also different. To minimize spherical aberration, engineers from Shalom EO suggest that when using the lens to focus collimated lights, the collimated lights should be projected to the curved surface of the lens; conversely, when using the lens to collimate a point light source, the light source should be incident on the flat surface.
2. Simplified Calculation of Focal Length of a Plano Convex Lens: focal length = R/(n-1), where R is the radius of curvature and n is the refractive index.
