A SWIR lens, or short wave infrared lens, is optimized for light in the 0.9 – 1.7μm wavelength range. At Shanghai Optics we manufacture high quality SWIR lenses for surveillance, quality control, inspection and anti-counterfeiting imaging. Since ambient star light and background nightglow are natural providers of SWIR light, short wave infrared imagery is especially suited to night vision applications.
Our lenses feature the latest advancements in SWIR technology, and operate with less than 2 percent distortion. They have been designed to match InGaAs FPA formats, and are used in applications including solar cell testing, outdoor night vision imaging (for security applications), fruit surface scratches detection, silicone imaging, biomedical imaging, etc.
If a lens optimized for visible light is used in the SWIR range you will encounter high optical aberrations and the resulting images will have lower resolution. You can, however, use our SWIR short wave infrared lenses with visible light without degradation. We produce custom SWIR lenses for imaging applications that requires good quality images in visible, near infrared, and shortwave infrared spectral range. These lenses are specifically designed for installation into camera systems where they can generate high contrast images in various weather conditions including fog, dust, dawn, or night.
Understanding SWIR Vision
Colors that seem identical in the visible range can be differentiated easily using SWIR imaging. To the naked eye—or to a visible light camera—an apple may appear to be entirely red and perfect. SWIR imagery will produce an image that shows, in high contrast, any flaws, bruises, or soft spots.
The ability to see invisible colors isn’t the only benefit of SWIR imaging. Materials that would otherwise obscure images (water, vapor, fog, and silicon, for instance) are transparent to SWIR. This leads to applications in quality control (SWIR imagery can see through some packaging to the item within) as well as to outdoor surveillance (pictures taken in fog are just as clear as pictures taken on a bright sunny day). SWIR lenses are ideal for machine vision when you need to see what you simply can’t see with the naked eye.
Optical Characteristics of Shanghai Optics SWIR Lenses
High transmission, high spatial resolution and very low distortion are a hallmark of our SWIR lenses. They operate with very low levels of scattered and stray light, and perform with full-spectrum aberration correction. A high-precision focus locking mechanism will enable you to produce high resolution, fully focused images. Our in-stock options include an ultra-broadband antireflection coating, and other coatings are available upon request.
Key Features
- Full-Spectrum Aberration Correction
- High Transmission
- High Spatial Resolution and Low Distortion
- Low Levels of Scattered or Stray Light
- High Precision Focus Locking Mechanism
