While not as widely recognized as convex or concave lenses, cylindrical lenses play a crucial role in various applications due to their unique capabilities. This comprehensive guide explores the fundamentals of cylindrical lenses, shedding light on their working principles and diverse applications.
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Cylindrical lenses, as the name suggests, are lenses that exhibit a cylindrical shape in at least one part. Unlike spherical lenses, which uniformly focus or spread light in all directions, cylindrical lenses specialize in directing light in a single dimension. This unique characteristic makes them indispensable in certain scenarios where other lenses fall short.
The distinctive shape of a cylindrical lens enables it to focus light from a source, such as a laser, into a straight line. The ability to manipulate one-dimensional light, either compressing or expanding it, makes cylindrical lenses versatile tools for a wide range of applications. The design of these lenses allows for the bending and focusing of light according to specific application requirements.
Cylindrical lenses with one, two, or three lens components.
Featuring flat faces and convex or concave cylindrical surfaces, respectively.
Combining a sphere-like surface with a cylindrical one.
With both sides being either concave or convex.
Designed to reduce chromatic aberration, focusing light with multiple colors in one direction.
Aligning with the direction of astigmatism to focus light in one plane and correct distorted or blurred images.
Reshaping laser beams, especially in semiconductor lasers, for improved quality and circular profiles.
Controlling spatial and spectral properties of light in spectroscopy applications, such as monochromators.
Shaping laser beams into straight lines for applications like 3D metrology and quality control.
Enhancing confocal microscopy by shaping laser beams, correcting aberrations, and improving signal-to-noise ratios in fluorescence microscopy.
Figure 1: Typically, laser diodes emit light with an elliptical profile that requires correction.
Cylindrical lenses come in various materials, including fused silica (JGS1, Corning , JGS2), optical glass (BK7, B270, H-K9L from Ohara, Schott, CDGM, or Corning), IR materials (MgF2, Ge, CaF2, Si), and other options like optical plastics and sapphire.
Substrate Material: Schott, Ohara, CDGM, Corning Fused Silica and JGS1, JGS2
Shape: P-Concave, P-Convex or Aspheric
Focal length: +/-1%
Surface Quality: 20-10 (after coating)
Surface figure: l/4 @ 633nm
Angle: +/-5'
Clear Aperture: >90% of central dimension
Specifications
Factory Standards
Manufacturing Limit
Dimension Tolerance
+/-0.03mm
+/-0.01mm
Center Thickness Tolerance
+/-0.03 mm
+/-0.02mm
Radius Tolerance
+/-0.3%
+/-0.1%
Surface Quality(S/D)
40-20
10-5
Irregularity(Plano Surface)
1/8Lambda
< 1/15Lambda
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit cylindrical lenses in projectors.
Irregularity(Cylindrical Surface)
1/4Lambda
< 1/8Lambda
Centration(arc min)
3'
1'
Contact us for manufacturing limit or custom specifications.
Cylindrical lenses find widespread use in industries such as:
In laser scanning optical metrology systems, alignment tools, and laser processing equipment.
Circularizing elliptical beams in wafer inspection tools and flat panel display measurement tools.
Compressing and stretching images in digital cinema cameras and projectors.
Used in life science imaging and medical test instruments.
In essence, a cylindrical lens is a specialized optical tool crucial for directing light in a single dimension. Its significance spans diverse fields, from correcting astigmatism in ophthalmology to shaping laser beams for optimal performance. The range of cylindrical lenses available ensures their pivotal role in the development of various tools and technologies.
At Shanghai Optics, our expertise lies in providing top-quality custom Cylinder Lenses. Explore our range of custom Cylinder Lenses solutions and place your order today. For any inquiries, please feel free to contact us, and we'll be delighted to assist you.
The RP Photonics Buyer's Guide contains 105 suppliers for cylindrical lenses. Among them:
EKSMA Optics offer a selection of uncoated plano-convex and plano-concave cylindrical lenses for quick delivery. Custom cutting, edging, coating or complete fabrication can be offered on request.
Knight Optical's stock catalogue includes BK7 and UV fused silica cylindrical lenses designed to focus light across one plane rather than to a point. We currently offer 12.5mm to 150mm focal lengths, with AR-coated options available in the visible region. Custom cylindrical lenses can also be provided to meet bespoke requirements.
Shanghai Optics offers cylindrical lenses e.g. with a dimension tolerance of ±30 μm or even ±10 μm, λ/4 or λ/8 surface irregularity and a centration better than 3 arcmin or even 1 arcmin.
As the name suggests, a cylindrical lens or cylinder lens is an optical lens with a cylindrical or semi-cylindrical shape. Like a spherical lens, a cylindrical lens has one curved and one flat side. Unlike a spherical lens, however, cylindrical lenses aren't fully symmetrical ' the orientation of a cylindrical lens affects how it transmits light.
IRD Glass manufactures cylindrical optics, both convex and concave, from numerous substrate materials and with optical coatings like high laser damage threshold or anti-reflection coatings. Custom solutions are available in less time than from competitors, while still offering competitive pricing.
We use custom centering equipment to locate the center of curvature and custom ripple-checking equipment to ensure form and flatness of curves. Our machining, polishing, and grinding capabilities produce radii less than 2 mm or greater than 125 mm.
Edmund Optics selection of cylinder lenses include achromatic, acylinder, plano-convex, or plano-concave. Achromatic cylinder lenses provide additional color correction by minimizing chromatic aberration. Hybrid acylinder lenses are ideal for color correction, in addition to minimizing spherical aberration. Edmund Optics offers cylinder lenses with glass or plastic substrates, or with circular, rectangular, or oblong dimensions. Multiple anti-reflection coating options are available from the ultraviolet to the infrared, including UV-AR, UV-VIS, MgF2, VIS-NIR, VIS 0°, or NIR I. Edmund Optics offers full prescription data, in addition to 2D or 3D models.
Shalom EO offers plano-convex cylindrical lenses and plano-concave cylindrical lenses from various materials such as fused silica, BK7, optical glass, BaF2, CaF2, MgF2 and ZnSe (meniscus) and with circular or rectangular dimensions or other custom modules. Coating options include: uncoated, MgF2 single layer, V-type and broad band AR coating.
Our cylindrical lenses are used in laser line generation, anamorphic beam shaping and one-dimensional compression of images in laser scanners, spectroscopy, dye lasers, acousto-optics, optical processors and other similar applications.
UM Optics offers both plano-convex and plano-concave cylindrical lenses based on a wide range of materials and coatings, such as CaF2, K9, UVFS, Si, Ge and ZnSE.
Artifex Engineering offers custom plano-convex, plano-concave or achromatic cylindrical lenses. Achromatic cylindrical lenses significantly reduce chromatic, spherical and coma aberrations. Visit our product page for more information. We look forward to your inquiry.
We offer cylindrical lenses up to 100 mm width, λ/4 surface quality with centering of 2 arcmin. Plano-convex cylindrical lens, plano-concave cylindrical lens, bi-concave & bi-convex cylindrical lens. Achromatic cylinder lenses are also available.
Ecoptik offers cylindrical lenses with different substrate shapes and high surface accuracy. As one of the best optical components manufacturers, we monitor the quality of each individual lens using Trioptics centration measurement and a Zygo GPI interferometer. All Ecoptik lenses are available both uncoated or coated with a broad range of high durability, low loss AR coatings, and can be manufactured to 20'10 surface roughness.
Dayoptics' engineers have many years experience on fabrication on cylindrical lenses. We can produce the products with high precision and specification consistancy based on our advanced inspection instrument for the lenses. The material used from UV to IR are fused silica, BK7, CaF2, S-TIH53 and others. The lens dimensions range from 1 mm × 1 mm to 100 mm × 100 mm.
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