Spherical Lenses
Spheres - Lenses with achromatic function
Spherical lenses, also known as round optics or spheres, are used to collect, diverge or focus light. They are used for various technological applications, for example in medical technology and semiconductor industry, or as a component in achromatic lens systems. Achromatic lenses consist of two to three lenses cemented together. This combination generally serves to reduce spherical aberration.
Spheres from asphericon
Thanks to modern manufacturing technologies, we are able to produce spherical lenses of high quality and from different materials. In addition to optical glasses, these include crystals such as germanium and silicon, metals, PMMA and IR materials. For ideal use, we also finish your spheres with high-quality optical coatings, depending on the application. asphericon manufactures spheres with diameters from 5 mm to 300 mm and shape accuracies down to the nanometer range, customized to your requirements.
Advantages at a glance
- Customized lenses
- Materials: Glass | Fused Silica | PMMA | Metals | IR materials
- High quality customized coatings (spectral range from 190 nm to 5.1 µm)
- Reasonable delivery times
- RoHS conformity
Product range of spherical optics
Our product range includes the production of the following types of spheres:
- plan-convex/plan-concave lenses
- bi-convex/bi-concave lenses
- achromatic singlets, doublets and triplets
asphericon offers spherical lenses in the following processing stages:
- polished,
- coated
- puttied
- edge-painted
- laser engraved
and in a wide variety of geometries:
- round,
- rectangular,
- with bevels, bores or steps.
More about spherical optics can be found in our company brochure.
Spheres from the technology leader
Comparison
Standard Quality | Precision Quality | High-End-Finishing | |
| Diameter | 5 – 300 mm | 5 – 300 mm | 5 – 300 mm |
| Diameter Tolerance | ± 0.1 mm | ± 0.1 mm | ± 0.01 mm |
| Center thickness | 2 > CT < 100 mm | 2 > CT < 100 mm | 2 > CT < 100 mm |
| Center thickness tolerance | ± 0.1 mm | ± 0.03 mm | ± 0.01 mm |
| Tolerance of radius | ± 0.1 % | ± 0.01 % | ± 0.01 % |
| Tilt | 300'' | 30'' | 15“ |
| Surface irregularity (fringe) | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Surface quality (scratch/dig) | 60 - 40 | 40 - 20 | 20 - 10 |
| Surface roughness Rq | 2 nm | 1.5 nm | 0.5 nm |
| Coating | customer-specific | ||
| Material | customer-specific (crystals, germanium, silicon, metals, PMMA, IR materials) | ||
| RoHS & REACH Conformity | certified | ||
Spheres for Sentinel-4 satellite
Customer Reference
Project Details
The Sentinel-4 satellite is part of the Copernicus programme, a joint EU-ESA project. Equipped with two high-resolution spectrometers, its mission is the complete monitoring of Europe and North Africa for high-precision real-time data for environmental management.
Project Realisation
- Developing and manufacturing lenses to withstand extreme conditions in space
- Through development work and complex test procedures with demanding materials (e.g., CaF2)
- Spheres with diameters of 50 mm to 80 mm, a spectral resolution of 0.12 to 0.5 nm, and Ångstrom polish roughness values of 5 Å
Optics for Sentinel-5
Customer Reference
Project Details
For investigating global warming or for weather forecasts, analysis of atmospheric components is essential. For the collection of data on level-2 products (such as O3, NO2, SO2), the Sentinel-5 project was initiated within the Copernicus program of ESA and the European Union. The mission's central component is the monitoring of trace gas concentrations. The system around Sentinel-5 consists of five spectrometers for an application range from UV to shortwave IR. asphericon manufactured ultra-precise rotationally symmetric spheres and complex cylinders for one of the spacecraft's SWIR subsystems. The optical components are made of durable materials, have different diameters and geometric shapes. asphericons High-End Finishing technology allowed irregularities of ≤ 1fr and surface roughnesses ≤ 1 nm. Short wavelength spatial frequencies could be minimized.
Project Realisation
- Manufacturing of rotationally symmetric spheres & complex cylindrical optics from fused silica, silicon & zinc sulfide
- Lens specifications: Diameter 87.7 - 129.4 mm, concave/concave, convex/concave and convex/convex
- Irregularities of ≤ 1fr and lowest surface roughness ≤ 1 nm
- Cutting of the optics into rectangular shapes to reduce the required space and weight
Star tracking with spheres
Customer Reference
Project Details
Satellite technologies are indispensable in earth observation, climate monitoring and navigation. An important factor for the success of such projects is the autonomous position determination. Together with Terma A/S, a leading supplier in the development of attitude sensors, it was possible to develop an optical system based on a novel and extremely compact optical design, which meets the highest space requirements and delivers most accurate results.
Project Realisation
- Optical design: ultra-compact system using aspheric and spherical components
- Material: radiation-resistant lenses with high-end form tolerances (≤ 0,5 fr), roughness (≤ 0,002 µm) and imperfection tolerances
- Coating: Super broadband AR-coating (ARSBB 480 - 850nm) to support thermal stability
Telescope lenses for the PHELIX high-energy laser
Customer Reference
Project Details
Since the mid-1990s, the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt has been researching and working on the development of a high-power, high-energy laser for fundamental research in the field of high-energy physics. The result is the Petawatt High Energy Laser for Heavy Ion Experiments (PHELIX for short), which is used to investigate fundamental processes in plasma physics, astrophysics and atomic physics. In order to facilitate combined experiments involving heavy ion beams and high-power lasers, a special beam guidance mechanism was developed. Within the system, laser beams can be directed to different measuring stations via several beam guides up to 60 m long and then used for experiments. Among other things, this makes it possible to investigate the matter irradiated by the ion beam from the heavy ion synchrotron using X-ray pulses. The beam is guided by means of a telescope, which reduces the size of the laser beam at a constant beam quality. To achieve the ideal imaging quality, asphericon produced two high-precision spherical optics for this telescope.
Project Realisation
- Production of two plano-convex spherical lenses made of fused silica, finished with V-coating
- Lens specifications: Diameter 200 and 350 mm; RMSi ≤ 50 nm and < 20 nm
- Development & production of customized holding devices and special tilt-proof, shock-proof packaging
asphericon GmbH
Stockholmer Str. 9
07747 Jena
phone +49 (0) 3641 3100 500
fax +49 (0) 3641 3100 501
sales[at]asphericon.com
Contact
Services
Products
