UV Grade Fused Silica is synthetic amorphous silicon dioxide of extremely high purity providing maximum transmission from 195 to 2100 nm. This non-crystalline, colorless silica glass combines a very low thermal expansion coefficient with good optical qualities, and excellent transmittance in the ultraviolet region. Transmission and homogeneity exceed those of crystalline quartz without the problems of orientation and temperature instability inherent in the crystalline form. It will not fluoresce under UV light and is resistant to radiation. For high-energy applications, the extreme purity of fused silica eliminates microscopic defect sites that could lead to laser damage. For more information, refer to our optical materials Technical Note

Our precision UV Fused Silica double-convex lenses are polished to tight tolerances minimizing wavefront distortion. Tight surface quality tolerances minimize scatter and unwanted diffraction effects. These lenses have a 20-10 scratch-dig surface quality, and a λ/8 surface irregularity. For more information, refer to the optical surfaces technical note.

Our broadband AR.16 antireflection coating improves the transmission efficiency of these lenses by reducing surface reflections over a 650-1000 nm wavelength range. The NIR AR multi-layer coating improves the performance over uncoated surfaces. It features a damage threshold of 7.5 J/cm‌² for 10 ns pulses at 10 Hz and 1064 nm.

Standard effective focal lengths on our double-convex lenses provide a systematic approach allowing for lenses of different sizes and materials to be interchanged without requiring other changes to your optical system.

Bi-Convex lenses are the best choice when the object and image are at equal or near equal distance from the lens. When the object and image distance are equal (1:1 magnification), not only is spherical aberration minimized, but also coma, distortion, and chromatic aberration are identically canceled due to the symmetry. Bi-convex lenses function similarly to plano-convex lenses in that they have a positive focal length, and focus parallel rays of light to a point. Both surface are spherical and have the same radius of curvature, thereby minimizing spherical aberration. As a guideline, bi-convex lenses perform within minimum aberration at conjugate ratios between 5:1 and 1:5. Outside this magnification range, plano-convex lenses are usually more suitable.