Ellipsoidal and Paraboloidal Reflectors
  • Collect and focus or collimate UV to far IR radiation efficiently
  • Economical alternative to IR lens materials
  • No chromatic aberrations
  • Easily rod mounted
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DescriptionSpecifications Models Catalog PDF
  • Efficient over a much broader spectral range (lens materials have a limited usable spectral range)
  • Exhibit no chromatic aberrations
  • Less expensive than many IR lens materials

These accurately replicated reflectors are designed for many light collection and illumination applications. Their broad spectral range (200 nm to > 10 µm) makes them usable for applications where lenses are either too costly or are limited by their transmissive properties. We offer parabolas, off-axis parabolas, and ellipses, which all provide very efficient radiation control since focus or collection is over very large solid angles. This makes them particularly useful for lower power incoherent light sources.

Though these reflectors are very close to ideal reflectors, they are not recommended for critical imaging applications.

Reflective optics hold several advantages over refractive optics:

In particular, ellipsoidal and paraboloidal reflectors allow you to focus to very small spots, and they are considerably more efficient than spherical reflectors.

Material

Our reflectors are made of electro-deposited nickel replicated from a precision master. The substrates are typically 0.03 inch (0.76 mm) thick. The bright rhodium coating has good reflectance in the UV and visible range, and excellent reflectance from the near to far IR.

Ellipsoidal Reflectors


Ellipsoidal Reflector

These reflectors have two conjugate foci. Light from one focus passes through the other, after reflection. Ellipsoids collect a much higher fraction of total emitted light than a spherical mirror or conventional lens system. The effective collection f/#s are very low, and the geometry is well suited to the small source size of an arc lamp. Two ellipsoids can almost fully enclose a light source and target to provide nearly total energy transfer.

Paraboloidal Reflectors


Paraboloidal Reflector

Paraboloidal reflectors collect radiation from a source at its focal point and reflect it as a collimated beam, parallel to the axis. Alternatively, they can tightly focus a collimated beam at its focus.

Off-Axis Paraboloidal Reflectors


Off-Axis Paraboloidal Reflector

Our off-axis paraboloidal reflectors are a circular segment from one side of a full paraboloid. The focal point is off the mechanical axis, giving full access to the reflector focus area. There are no shadowing problems if a detector or source is placed at the focus.