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Si Spherical lens and lens assemblies are available from Shanghai Optics in a wide range of specifications. These lenses are designed to to meet applicationsfrom microscopy to laser processing and medical research to defense.
Spherical lenses include both converging lenses such as plano-convex and double-convex as well as diverging lenses like the double-convex and plano-concave lens.
If a spherical lens is converging, it features positive focal length, the image will be real and the orientation upright. The center of a converging lens is thicker than the edge, and rays parallel to the principal axis are converged toward the principal focus.
Diverging spherical lenses are thinner in the center and thicker toward the edges. Since parallel rays diverge as they pass through the lens, they seem to come from a virtual focus at a point before the lens (negative focal length). We call this focus virtual because the light doesn’t actually pass through it, and an image will appear inverted.
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Plano convex (PCX) spherical lenses feature one flat and one convex side, and are a good choice for focusing collimated lightand for applications where monochromatic illumination is used.Since these lenses are asymmetric, they minimize spherical aberration when the object and image are at unequal distance from the lens. To get the best performance from your plano convex lens, you will want to orient the curved surface toward your light source.
Double convex (DCX) spherical lenses are symmetric lenses with two convex sides. They are ideal for imaging objects at close conjugates, and also have applications in image relay. Spherical aberration does increase as conjugates increase, so you will only want to use these lenses when the conjugates are relatively small.
Plano concave (PCV) lenses have one concave (inward curved) and one flat side, and can be used for beam expansion and light projection, as well as to expand the focal length of an optical system. These lenses have negative focal length.
Double concave spherical lenses have two identical inwardly curved surfaces. These Si spherical lenses are ideal light projection and expanding the focal length of an optical system as well as for beam expansion.
Our lenses our offered with a wide variety of anti-reflection coatings that are suitable for UV, IR, and Vis ranges, and we can work with you to design an optical system based around our lenses and other optics.
Spherical aberration is an intrinsic part of using spherical lenses. It occurs because the beams which are parallel to, but distant from the lens axis are focused in a slightly different place than those beams which are close to the axis. Spherical aberration cannot be eliminated, but it can be minimized by carefully choosing a lens to fit your particular application and orienting it appropriately.
If the peripheral rays are bent too much, we say the optical system is exhibiting positive spherical aberration. If the peripheral rays are not bent enough, we say that it is exhibiting negative spherical aberration. It is possible to arrange a series of lenses in such a way that positive and negative spherical aberration cancels out, enabling cleaner imaging.