Highly accurate off-axis parabolic optics for imaging systems

09 Jan 2020

Our single point diamond turning specialists have been manufacturing off axis parabolic optics (OAPs) to customer designs for many years. They are suitable for many applications including increasing use in camera phones, contact lenses and, in fact, all facets of the photonics industry. OAPs are a useful tool in optical design and are well used in most imaging systems. A series of OAPs can be useful for creating a relay system. The use of multiple OAPs provides the ability to switch between the focal plane and pupil plane of the optical system without significant loss of light or imaging quality. A single OAP can be useful for diffraction limited achromatic imaging.

The use of single point diamond turning for aspheric lenses, mirrors and moulds is ideally suited to this rotationally symmetrical surface form. We have been diamond turning these for many years. We use the best single crystal diamonds. These tools are manufactured and inspected to ensure that they have a cutting-edge roundness of less than 30nm.

Commonly made from various grades of Aluminium or Copper, we also offer a range of coatings to suit your needs. LBP Optics’ diamond machined aspheric optics do not suffer the spherical aberrations found in traditionally polished spherical optics. This allows optical designers to reduce the number of elements needed in the optical system.

They are specified by their size, reflected focal length, and angular deviation. They are most commonly available with a 90° deviation, but are also available with other angles of deviation.

There are many advantages in diamond machined OAPs:

• The performance of optical systems is greatly increased.
• The number of elements can be reduced within an optical system.
• Surface finishes <2nm
• Integral optical alignment surfaces are possible.

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