UV grade fused silica plano-convex lenses are designed to meet the demanding requirements of laser electro-optic focusing applications. These lenses are polished to tight tolerances using master test plates to ensure minimum wavefront distortion. Tight surface quality tolerances minimize scatter and unwanted diffraction effects.
UV Grade Fused Silica is synthetic amorphous silicon dioxide of extremely high purity providing maximum transmission from 195 to 2100 nm. This non-crystalline, colorless silica glass combines a very low thermal expansion coefficient with good optical qualities, and excellent transmittance in the ultraviolet region. Transmission and homogeneity exceed those of crystalline quartz without the problems of orientation and temperature instability inherent in the crystalline form. It will not fluoresce under UV light and is resistant to radiation. For high-energy applications, the extreme purity of fused silica eliminates microscopic defect sites that could lead to laser damage.
Plano-Convex lenses are the best choice for focusing parallel rays of light to a single point. They can be used to focus, collect and collimate light. The asymmetry of this lens shape minimizes spherical aberration in situations where the object and image are located at unequal distance from the lens. The optimum case is where the object is placed at infinity with parallel rays entering lens and the final image is a focused point.
Our precision plano-convex lenses are polished to tight tolerances minimizing wavefront distortion. Tight surface quality tolerances minimize scatter and unwanted diffraction effects. These lenses have a 20-10 scratch-dig surface quality, and a λ/8 surface irregularity.
Our AR.10 broadband multilayer antireflection coating markedly improves the transmission efficiency of UVFS lenses in the 245 to 440 nm ultraviolet region.
Our AR.14 broadband multilayer antireflection coating markedly improves the transmission efficiency of these lenses by reducing surface reflections over a 430-700 nm wavelength range. This AR coating performs effectively for multiple visible wavelengths and tunable lasers eliminating the need for several sets of optics.
Our AR.16 multilayer anti-reflection coating is recommended for NIR applications in the 650-1000 nm range.
Our AR.33 laser line V-coating offers the lowest reflectance at 1064 nm for maximum transmission while maintaining high durability and high damage resistance. Valuable laser energy is efficiently transmitted through the plano-convex lens rather than lost to surface reflection and scattering. The trade off to its superior performance is the minimal laser line wavelength range.
Standard effective focal lengths provide a systematic approach allowing for lenses of different sizes to be interchanged without requiring other changes to your optical system.