Optical Domes

20 Dec 2016

Dome windows are hemispheres. The two optical surfaces are an equal thickness apart, creating a naturally strong shape that gets tougher under pressure. This makes dome windows ideal for underwater environments and in applications such as camera dome ports and submersible windows.

Typically the material used will depend on the working wavelength of the application with Schott N-BK7 or equivalent, Fused Silica (Spectrosil), Sapphire and PMMA acrylic most commonly used. N-BK7 or equivalent, offers a tough, cost effective solution for visible range applications while Fused Silica is ideal for wavelengths below 400nm. Sapphire is used for its rugged properties and is suitable for harsh environments where a softer material would risk damage. PMMA is lightweight and cheap to produce in bulk. Modern plastics are increasingly tough and in many cases offer near identical optical properties to glass while saving considerably in weight. For infrared applications we can provide sapphire domes.

Knight Optical offer several stock domes between 25mm to 100mm diameter, made from quality glass at affordable prices. These sizes have been specially chosen to suit our customers applications and are amoung our most popular products. 

We also offer custom domes as part of our extensive optical design and manufacturing service. Custom parts can be manufactured from your own drawings or designed in house by our experts. The table below shows just some of our custom dome capabilities.

Find out more about our Stock Domes here

* Strength variation relative to strength at peak of dome