Plano Convex Lenses

Shanghai Optics manufactures high quality plano-convex lens; optical lenses with a positive focal length. These all-purpose lenses are available in a wide variety of sizes, substrates, and coatings, and can be customized for your application.

These lenses work well with an infinite conjugate and for simple imaging. They are ideal for focusing applications utilizing monochromatic illumination as well as for light collimation. Since these lenses have one flat surface and one convex surface, the orientation does matter. For most applications, it is the flat surface which is oriented to face the focal plane.

Our lenses are ideal for a wide variety of applications, from industrial, to robotics, to pharmaceutical, to defense.

When plano convex lenses are used for laser cutting they are best suited for high turnover cutting applications and when thick materials are cut. In those situations the plano convex lens provides a greater cut width and this allows the laser’s oxygen assist to enter the cut and help in cutting. Plano convex lenses also give a greater depth of field, and this can help to create a taperless edge.

Factory Standard 

• Shape: Plano-Convex
• Diameter Tolerance: ± 0.03mm
• Thickness Tolerance:  ± 0.03mm
• Radius：± 0.3%
• Focal Length Tolerance: ± 0.5%
• Surface Quality: 20-10 Scratch-Dig（After Coating）
• Surface Flatness: λ/4 @633 nm
• Centration: < 3 arc minutes
• Clear Aperture: > 98% of central dimension

Contact us for manufacturing limit or custom specifications.

Specifications of Plano Convex Lenses

The index of refraction, Abbe number, laser damage threshold, Knoop hardness and scratch resistance all depend on the substrate used.

The index of refraction of our optical components typically ranges from around 1.4 to 4.  The substrate N-Bk7, which is often used for applications with visible light, has an index of 1.517. Germanium, on the other extreme, has an index of refraction of 4.003. Inhomogeneity refers to the variation of index of refraction in a glass. An inhomogeneity class of 0 means that the maximum permissible variation of index of refraction is +/- 50 x 10^-6.  An inhomogeneity class of five means that thelens has a maximum permissible variation of index of refraction of is +/- 50 x 10^-6.

The Abbe number of plano convex lens tells us how much dispersion the lens exhibits. It is calculated by comparing the refractive index of the substrate at three benchmark wavelengths:  f (486.1nm), d (587.6nm), and c (656.3nm).  The higher the Abbe number, the less dispersive the substrate is.

Optical glasses may have Abbe numbers from 20 to about 65. If the Abbe number is less than 50, we call the glass a flint glass, and if the Abbe number is greater than 55 it is called a crown glass.

Laser damage threshold is a specification given for all laser-grade optics, and quantifies how much laser power per area the surface of the glass can withstand without damage. An optic with damage threshold ratings of 0.5 J/cm² @ 150 femtosecond pulses and 100kW/cm² CW should be able to withstand 0.5 J per square centimeter from a high repetition femtosecond pulse laser, or, alternately, 100 kW per square centimeter from a high power CW laser.

Other specifications ofplano convex lenses include size, radius of curvature, center thickness tolerance, surface finish, and surface quality. Our team of optical designers can work with you to design your system, and we are able to custom produce precision lenses for your needs.

Plano-Convex lenses Capabilities