Knight Optical’s Ball and Half Ball Lenses for Endoscopes

11 Nov 2021

Available in a wide-ranging portfolio of high-specification substrates – such as Sapphire, Ruby, Quartz and BK7 (or equivalent) – our Ball and Half Ball Lenses are available from stock for projects demanding quick turnaround times or as custom-made components to meet the exact needs of your application’s requirements.

Frequently specified for scientific applications such as endoscopes, our Ball Lenses are used for focusing and coupling light in and out of fibres. Due to the high refractive index of Sapphire (Al2O3), it yields a low spherical aberration that can be used in the range of ultraviolet (UV) wavebands (from 200nm up to 5µm). What’s more, as it’s one of the hardest materials, Sapphire is highly resistant to damage.

Typically used in pairs with one lens acting as a collimator and a second used to focus light back into the coupled fibre, Ball Lenses have a short back focal length. This critical feature allows for precision coupling where space is limited.

Knight Optical’s Ball Lenses are manufactured from a single substrate and; therefore, depending on the geometry of the input source, can focus or collimate light. Furthermore, our Half Ball Lenses can also be used as an interchange with a full Ball Lens – for more compact designs.

Typical specs:

Material: BK7 (or equivalent), Sapphire, Ruby, Quartz

Diameter tolerance: ±2.5

Figure (sphericity): 1λ

Focal length (@587mm): ± 0.2% (<10mm), ±2.0% (10-1000mm), ±5.0% (>1000mm)

Surface quality: <40-20 Scratch/Dig

Back focal length (mm): 0.05 up to 2.34 for stock parts

Focal length (mm): 0.345 up to 7.34 for stock parts

First-Class Quality

Quality is the driving force behind Knight Optical, and to ensure you profit from high-precision optics, we take the utmost care to ensure every component accurately meets your specifications. Offering unparalleled service, Knight Optical undertakes a full inspection of your optics from our ISO 9001:2015-certified, state-of-the-art Metrology Laboratory, followed by a meticulous visual examination by our dedicated QA department.

To discover how we can enhance your supply chain experience and to learn more about our custom-made Ball and Half Ball Lenses, contact a member of our technical sales team today.

UK, Europe, Asia & RoW: E-mail info@knightoptical.co.uk

Tel +44 (0)1622 859444

USA & Canada: E-mail usasales@knightoptical.com

Tel +001 401-583-7846