Visible Spherical Lenses
Description
Visible spherical lenses are optical components designed to operate within the visible spectrum, which ranges from 380 to 750 nm. These lenses are crafted to focus or disperse light through their curved surfaces, which are sections of a sphere. They are available in various forms, such as biconvex, plano-convex, plano-concave, biconcave, and meniscus, each with specific characteristics related to their curvature and optical properties .
Working Principle
Visible spherical lenses work by refracting light that passes through them. The curvature of the lens surfaces causes light rays to converge or diverge, depending on the lens type. For instance, convex lenses (biconvex and plano-convex) focus light to a point, while concave lenses (biconcave and plano-concave) cause light to spread out. This ability to manipulate light paths makes spherical lenses useful for focusing, magnifying, or altering the direction of light in various optical systems. The utility of these lenses lies in their simplicity and effectiveness in basic optical applications, where precise control over light paths is required .
Applications
Visible spherical lenses are used in a wide range of applications. Specific examples include their use in optical instruments like microscopes and telescopes, where they help in magnifying images. They are also employed in cameras to focus light onto the image sensor, ensuring clear and sharp photographs. Additionally, spherical lenses are integral to laser systems, where they focus laser beams for cutting, engraving, or medical procedures .
Advantages over Other Spherical Lenses
One of the advantages of visible spherical lenses is their simplicity and ease of manufacturing compared to aspheric lenses. This simplicity often translates to lower production costs and easier integration into optical systems. Spherical lenses are also rotationally symmetric, which simplifies alignment and positioning in optical setups .
Limitations
A significant limitation of spherical lenses is the presence of spherical aberrations. These occur because light rays passing through the edges of the lens focus at different points than those passing through the center, leading to image blurring. This limitation can affect the performance of optical systems that require high precision and clarity .
Considerations
When selecting visible spherical lenses, several factors should be considered. Initial costs are generally lower than those for more complex lens types, such as aspheric lenses. However, operating expenses may increase if additional corrective optics are needed to address spherical aberrations. Durability and maintenance depend on the lens material and coating, which can affect resistance to scratches and environmental factors. Accuracy in focusing and image quality can be compromised by spherical aberrations, necessitating careful design and alignment. Replacement and maintenance costs are typically low, but they can vary based on the specific application and environmental conditions .
from Zygo Corporation
ZYGO's Optics business segment manufactures precision spheres and lenses ranging in diameter from 50 mm to 200 mm with radii from 12.7 mm to 8 meters. Our standard product line of transmission spheres is available in 4" and 6" clear apertures ranging in f-numbers from f/.65 to f/11 with wavefront... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared; Visible; Ultraviolet
- Radius of Curvature: 12.7 to 8000
- Diameter: 50 to 200
- Surface Flatness: λ/10; λ/20
from CeNing Optics Co., Ltd.
CeNing Optics specializes in manufacturing high precision optical components, including optical lenses, prisms, beam splitters, waveplates, polarizers, interference filters, laser mirrors, BBO crystals, achromatic lenses, cylindrical lenses, and CaF2 windows. CeNing Optics produces optical... [See More]
- Lens Application: Visible
- Focal Length: -250 to -20
- Lens Form: Concave-Concave
- Diameter: 12.7 to 25.4
from CeNing Optics Co., Ltd.
CeNing Optics specializes in manufacturing high precision optical components, including optical lenses, prisms, beam splitters, waveplates, polarizers, interference filters, laser mirrors, BBO crystals, achromatic lenses, cylindrical lenses, and CaF2 windows. CeNing Optics produces optical... [See More]
- Lens Application: Visible
- Focal Length: 25 to 500
- Lens Form: Convex-Convex
- Diameter: 12.7 to 25.4
from CeNing Optics Co., Ltd.
CeNing Optics specializes in manufacturing high precision optical components, including optical lenses, prisms, beam splitters, waveplates, polarizers, interference filters, laser mirrors, BBO crystals, achromatic lenses, cylindrical lenses, and CaF2 windows. CeNing Optics produces optical... [See More]
- Lens Application: Visible
- Focal Length: -100 to 1000
- Lens Form: Concave-Concave
- Diameter: 25.4
from CeNing Optics Co., Ltd.
CeNing Optics specializes in manufacturing high precision optical components, including optical lenses, prisms, beam splitters, waveplates, polarizers, interference filters, laser mirrors, BBO crystals, achromatic lenses, cylindrical lenses, and CaF2 windows. CeNing Optics produces optical... [See More]
- Lens Application: Visible
- Focal Length: -500 to -10
- Lens Form: Plano-Concave
- Diameter: 6 to 50.8
from CeNing Optics Co., Ltd.
CeNing Optics specializes in manufacturing high precision optical components, including optical lenses, prisms, beam splitters, waveplates, polarizers, interference filters, laser mirrors, BBO crystals, achromatic lenses, cylindrical lenses, and CaF2 windows. CeNing Optics produces optical... [See More]
- Lens Application: Visible
- Focal Length: 4 to 1000
- Lens Form: Plano-Convex
- Diameter: 3 to 76.2
from CeNing Optics Co., Ltd.
Custom Capabilities of Spherical and Cylindrical Lenses. Diameter: From 0.5mm to 300mm. Diameter Tolerance: +/-0.01mm. Thickness Tolerance: +/-0.01mm. Irregularity: 0.2, (PV: Lambda/20). Centration: 30 arc sec. Surface Quality: 10-5 S/D. Quality Facility Machinery: Polishing Machines. Grinding... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared (optional feature); Visible
- Focal Length: 2 to 5000
- Lens Form: Plano-Convex (optional feature); Plano-Concave (optional feature)
- Diameter: 1 to 300
from Changchun Sunday Optics Co., Ltd.
The H-K9L double concave lens has excellent transmittance from visible to near infrared (350-2000nm).H-K9L (N-BK7) is a commonly used optical glass for the preparation of high-quality optical elements. When the additional advantages of UV melting quartz (good transmittance and low thermal expansion... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared; Visible
- Materials: Germanium; Sapphire; Optical glass, UVFS, Germanium, Silicon, CaF2, MgF2, ZnSe ZnS, Sapphire
- Lens Form: Plano-Convex; Plano-Concave
- Surface Quality: 10-5 Scratch / Dig
from Artifex Engineering
Double-Concave (DCV) lenses have two inward curved surfaces. DCV lenses have a negative focal length and are used for image reduction or to spread light. [See More]
- Lens Application: Visible
- Focal Length: -30 to -6.3
- Lens Form: Concave-Concave
- Diameter: 6.3 to 25.4
from Shanghai Optics
A Ball Lens consists of a highly transparent spherical ball, usually made of solid glass (fused silica) or another optical material with index of refraction less than 2. Most ball lenses are made with small diameters – a few millimeters or even less than a millimeter. The optical physics can... [See More]
- Lens Application: Visible; Ultraviolet
from Fairfield Crystal Technology, LLC.
OPTICAL COMPONENT MANUFACTURING. Fairfield Crystal provides component manufacturing for your most challenging designs and applications. Combined with our expertise in crystal growth our component fabrication team is able to manufacture highly polished single crystal lenses, prisms, wedges,... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared; Visible; Ultraviolet
- Surface Quality: 10-5 Scratch / Dig; 20-10 Scratch / Dig; 40-20 Scratch / Dig; 60-40 Scratch / Dig; 80-50 Scratch / Dig
- Materials: Calcium Fluoride; Zinc Selenide
- Surface Flatness: λ/2; λ/4; λ/5; λ/8; λ/10; λ/20
from Intrinsic Crystal Technology Co., Ltd. (ICC)
ICC spherical technology includes PITECH, high speed and CNC method, which can meet the requirements of small quantity for precision control, and large quantity for cost. All processes are completed in the factory. Our spherical lenses are widely used in a variety of industrial and detection camera,... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared; Visible
- Materials: BK7 Glass; Calcium Fluoride; Germanium; Zinc Selenide; BAF2, Silicon
- Lens Form: Plano-Convex; Plano-Concave; Convex-Convex; Concave-Concave
from Edmund Optics Inc.
AR Coated to Provide <0.4% Reflectance per Surface for 425 - 675nm. Designed for 0 ° Angle of Incidence. Double-Convex (DCX) Lenses have two outward curved surfaces, a positive focal length and are useful for 1:1 imaging and in multi-element systems.These lenses are available uncoated or... [See More]
- Lens Application: Visible
- Focal Length: 10
- Lens Form: Convex-Convex
- Diameter: 10
from Swiss Jewel Company
BK-7 Hemisphere Lenses are ideal for mounting in your instrument and ease of handling. Typical Applications: Fiber Optics, LEDs [See More]
- Lens Application: Visible
- Diameter: 1.5 to 5
- Lens Form: Hemisphere
- Center Thickness: 0.2489 to 0.7493
from ECOPTIK (CHANGCHUN) LTD
Achromatic Lenses are used to minimize or eliminate chromatic aberration. The achromatic design also helps minimize spherical aberrations. Achromatic Lenses are ideal for a range of applications, including fluorescence microscopy, image relay, inspection, or spectroscopy. An Achromatic Lens, which... [See More]
- Lens Application: Visible
- Diameter: 6 to 200
- Focal Length: 50 to 2000
- Center Thickness: 2 to 50
from Ross Optical Industries
Similar to Standard Achromats but smaller in diameter, these Micro Achromats provide good spherical and chromatic correction, enabling them to be used in laser applications. [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared (optional feature); Visible; Ultraviolet (optional feature)
- Focal Length: 6
- Lens Form: Convex-Convex
- Diameter: 3
from Qioptiq
Precision lenses for use at infinite object distance. Spherical (aperture-dependent) aberration minimized. N-BK7 lenses with ARB2 coating. Lens mounts fit to Microbench or Nanobench system. Broadband anti-reflection coating ARB2 for the visible spectral range (R < 0.5 % for λ = 450-700 nm... [See More]
- Lens Application: Visible
- Focal Length: 4 to 20
- Lens Form: Convex-Convex
- Diameter: 16
from Rainbow Research Optics, Inc.
Your One-Stop Source for Spherical Lenses. From prototype to production, Rainbow Research Optics, Inc (RROI) designs, manufactures and coats spherical lenses. Spherical lenses are one of the most basic optical components to produce. With complete in-house capabilities, RROI is able to offer... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared; Visible; Ultraviolet
- Diameter: 3 to 406
- Lens Form: Convex-Convex (optional feature); Concave-Concave (optional feature)
- Materials: BK7 Glass; SF11 Glass; Calcium Fluoride; Ultra-violet grade Fused Silica; VUV grade MgF2; IR grade CaF2; VUV grade CaF2
from ProPhotonix, Ltd.
The optical components department of Helvoet Rubber & Plastic Technologies NV manufactures injection molded lenses, mirrors, polygons, with or without reflective coatings, with extreme accuracy for barcode scanning and sensor module applications. High accuracy off-the-shelf lenses (spherical and... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared; Visible
- Materials: BK7 Glass; Acrylic; Polycarbonate; CCD
- Lens Form: Plano-Convex
from Thorlabs, Inc.
At Thorlabs, we constantly reinforce our desire to serve at the pleasure of our customers. From this comes our desire to be connected to our industry in a way that far exceeds what would typically be expected of a vendor. Thorlabs lives this core principle by seeking to enhance, at every turn, the... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared; Visible; Ultraviolet
- Focal Length: -1000 to 750
- Lens Form: Plano-Convex; Plano-Concave; Convex-Convex; Concave-Concave
- Diameter: 5 to 75
from Changchun Sunday Optics Co., Ltd.
The H-K9L Bi convex lens has excellent transmittance from visible to near infrared (350-2000nm) and is commonly used in limited imaging applications.H-K9L(N-BK7) is a commonly used optical glass for the preparation of high-quality optical elements. When the additional advantages of UV melting quartz... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared; Visible
- Materials: Sapphire; H-K9L, JGS1, Sapphire
- Lens Form: Plano-Convex
- Surface Quality: 60-40 Scratch / Dig
from Ross Optical Industries
Bi-concave lenses have two inward curved surfaces. These lenses have a negative focal length. Our catalog bi-concave lenses have an identical curvature on both sides of the lens and are therefore symmetric. At unit conjugation, coma and distortion are cancelled out due to the symmetry. They are used... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared (optional feature); Visible; Ultraviolet (optional feature)
- Focal Length: -5
- Lens Form: Concave-Concave
- Diameter: 5
from Qioptiq
Precision lenses for use at infinite object distance. Spherical (aperture-dependent) aberration minimized. N-BK7 lenses with ARB2 coating. Broadband anti-reflection coating ARB2 for the visible spectral range (R < 0.5 % for λ = 450-700 nm on lenses made of N-BK7). Tolerances: Focal length... [See More]
- Lens Application: Visible
- Focal Length: 4 to 150
- Lens Form: Convex-Convex
- Diameter: 31.5 to 55
from Changchun Sunday Optics Co., Ltd.
Spherical Positive Mensicus Lens. H-K9L Positive Meniscus Lens has excellent transmittance from visible to near infrared (350-2000nm).H-K9L (N-BK7) is a commonly used optical glass for the preparation of high-quality optical elements. When the additional advantages of UV melting quartz (good... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared; Visible
- Materials: Germanium; Sapphire; Optical glass, UVFS, Germanium, Silicon, CaF2, MgF2, ZnSe ZnS, Sapphire
- Lens Form: Plano-Convex; Plano-Concave
- Surface Quality: 10-5 Scratch / Dig
from Ross Optical Industries
Bi-convex lenses have a positive focal length. Our catalog bi-convex lenses have an identical curvature on both sides of the lens and are therefore symmetric. At unit conjugation, coma and distortion cancel out due to the symmetry. They can be used to focus incoming light. [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared (optional feature); Visible; Ultraviolet (optional feature)
- Focal Length: 6
- Lens Form: Convex-Convex
- Diameter: 6
from Qioptiq
Compact optics and short setting time: EL-10-30 allows for that due to its electrically tunable focal range. Within 10 ms, the radius of this plano-convex lens can be changed by applying a voltage between 0 and 5 V. The lens can be operated with commercial power supplies allowing for current... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared; Visible
- Focal Length: -600 to 200
- Lens Form: Plano-Convex
- Diameter: 12 to 12.7
from Ross Optical Industries
Similar to standard Bi-Convex Lenses but smaller in diameter, these micro Bi-Convex Lenses are ideal for low conjugate ratios systems. Used for converging light beams. [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared (optional feature); Visible; Ultraviolet (optional feature)
- Focal Length: 3
- Lens Form: Convex-Convex
- Diameter: 3
from Qioptiq
An infinite number of lenses in just one lens: ML-20-35 is a shape-changing polymer lens. The spherical curvature of this lens with an aperture of 20 mm can be changed manually by rotating an adjustment ring. The focal length can be changed from positive (plano-convex) to infinity (flat) to negative... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared; Visible
- Focal Length: -600 to 200
- Lens Form: Plano-Convex; Plano-Concave
from Ross Optical Industries
Fused Silica material has advantages over regular optical glasses. It is often used in deep UV or NIR systems due to its high transmission in those spectral regions. Due to the material ’s inherently hard SiO2 amorphous structure and its exceptional chemical homogeneity, it displays high laser... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared (optional feature); Visible; Ultraviolet (optional feature)
- Focal Length: 15
- Lens Form: Plano-Convex
- Diameter: 7.5
from Qioptiq
Uncoated. Suitable for DUV applications. Substrate for dielectric or metallic coatings. Extreme low scattering losses. High surface quality. Tolerances: Focal length f' : ± 2 %, Image distance s' : ± 2 %. Surface quality: λ/10 for concave surfaces, λ/4 for flat... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared; Visible
- Focal Length: -1400 to -10
- Lens Form: Plano-Convex
- Diameter: 6 to 25.4
from Ross Optical Industries
Negative Achromats consist of two optical components, a crown and a flint glass lens, cemented together. The crown is usually a bi-concave lens. As is true to all Achromats, they are corrected for color and on-axis spherical aberration. They are used predominantly to extend focal lengths in... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared (optional feature); Visible; Ultraviolet (optional feature)
- Focal Length: -20
- Lens Form: Concave-Concave
- Diameter: 8
from Qioptiq
Mounted or unmounted. In mount fitting to Microbench m. Surfaces uncoated. Tolerances: Focal length f' : ± 5 %, Image distance s' : ± 5 %. Our singlets are also available with the following coatings: VIS range (ARB2: R < 0.5 % per surface, AOI = 0 °, λ = 450 - 700 nm). [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared; Visible
- Focal Length: 5 to 156
- Lens Form: Plano-Convex
- Diameter: 12.5 to 22.4
from Ross Optical Industries
These lenses have one flat surface and one concave surface. They have a negative focal length and are used to diverge incoming light, or to increase focal length in an existing optical system. They can be used in beam expanders and projection systems. [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared (optional feature); Visible; Ultraviolet (optional feature)
- Focal Length: -10
- Lens Form: Plano-Concave
- Diameter: 5
from Qioptiq
Suitable for DUV-applications. Two equal radii of curvature. Surfaces uncoated. Tolerances: Focal length f' : ± 2 %, Image distance s' : ± 2 %. Our singlets are also available with the following coatings: VIS range (ARB2: R < 0.5 % per surface, AOI = 0 °, λ = 450 - 700... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared; Visible
- Focal Length: -150 to -20
- Lens Form: Concave-Concave
- Diameter: 22.4
from Ross Optical Industries
Similar to standard Plano-Convex lenses but smaller in diameter, these Micro Plano-Convex lenses are ideal for lightweight and compact instruments. [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared (optional feature); Visible; Ultraviolet (optional feature)
- Focal Length: 1.6
- Lens Form: Plano-Convex
- Diameter: 2.5
from Ross Optical Industries
These Achromats are not only corrected for spherical aberration and axial color as the standard Achromats but also corrected for coma. This combination makes them Aplanatic in nature and allows for better optical performance. They are used as laser focusing objectives and in electro-optical and... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared (optional feature); Visible; Ultraviolet (optional feature)
- Focal Length: 6
- Lens Form: Convex-Convex
- Diameter: 3
from Ross Optical Industries
The Steinheil triplets are made of a low index crown element cemented in between two identical meniscus flint elements. Specially designed for 1:1 conjugation, they perform well for conjugate ratios up to 5. These lenses make good relay optics for both on- and off-axis application and are often used... [See More]
- Lens Application: Infrared (optional feature); Visible; Ultraviolet (optional feature)
- Focal Length: 7.5
- Lens Form: Convex-Convex
- Diameter: 6.5