Cylindrical Lenses

Cylindrical lenses converge or expand light in a single dimension to alter the proportions of an image, focus a beam to a thin line or generate a line output. CVI Laser Optics offers both plano-convex and plano-concave cylindrical lenses in N-BK7 and UV grade fused silica, in addition to custom lenses. Our laser quality cylindrical lenses are manufactured with low wedge, high surface accuracy and quality, and high laser damage threshold for demanding laser or performance-critical tasks. Our standard-grade lenses are designed to offer excellent performance value for applications where lens wedge and surface accuracy are not critical. Rectangular and square cylindrical lenses are available to address most needs with a standard solution.

High quality antireflection coatings are essential for maximum throughput and power handling, and ours are among the best. We offer a wide variety of coating options including broadband and laser line AR, as well as custom coatings. To achieve the highest laser damage threshold, we typically recommend V-coat antireflection coatings on laser-grade fused silica substrates.

Capabilities

  Standard Custom options
Types Plano-convex & plano-concave rectangular and square shapes Bi-convex, bi-concave and meniscus, all shapes
Materials N-BK7, UV-grade fused silica All types of optical glasses, CaF2
Dimension 12.7×6.4 to 50.8×50.8 mm From 10.0 mm to 76.2 mm

Focal length 10.0 mm to 10.0 m, convex or concave  
Coatings
  • Narrowband V-coat AR
  • Dual wavelength AR (1064/532)
  • Broadband Multilayer AR
  • Other wavelengths (193 – 2100 nm)
  • Triple-V AR
  • Single layer MgF2 AR
  • Mirror coating
Quality Standard and laser quality See manufacturing tolerances below

Cylindrical Lens Manufacturing Capabilities***

Surface Tolerances Standard Laser Quality
Surface quality (scratch - dig) 60 - 40 20 - 10
Surface roughness (Å, RMS) 20 5
Cylindrical Surface Figure, x direction (waves, P-V @633nm)* λ per cm λ per cm
Cylindrical Surface Figure, y direction (waves, P-V @633nm)** λ λ
Surface Flatness (waves, P-V @633nm) λ/2 λ/4
Dimensional Tolerances Standard Precision
Diameter (mm) +0/-0.25 +0/-0.10
Length & Width (mm) +0/-0.25 +0/-0.10
Center thickness (mm) ± 0.25 ± 0.10
Cylindrical radius (fringes) 5 3
Wedge along length of vertex (Δtc, x direction)* < 5 arc min < 3 arc min
Centration (edge thickness difference, y direction)** < 5 arc min < 3 arc min
Clear aperture ≥85% ≥85%

 

* x direction is the direction parallel to the cylindrical axis, i.e., the surface is flat in that direction

** y direction is the direction perpendicular to the cylindrical axis, i.e., the cylindrical surface has a radius in this direction

*** Note: The general tolerance specifications above are intended to guide determination of appropriate tolerances based both on relative cost and manufacturability. Part-specific tolerances will vary depending on size, material, shape and aspect ratio. Tighter tolerances may be possible, so please contact us to discuss your custom specifications. All specifications do not need to be from a single column, though trade-offs may be required in order to meet the desired combination of cost and performance.