Aspherical lenses significantly enhance optical systems by reducing aberrations and improving overall quality. Unlike traditional spherical lenses, aspherical lenses provide greater design freedom, allowing for better optimization. This is especially beneficial for lenses with large relative apertures, wide fields of view, and zoom capabilities.
Infrared Lens Design with Aspherical Lenses
Infrared lenses benefit particularly from aspherical designs due to the requirement for materials that transmit infrared wavelengths, such as germanium, zinc sulfide, and zinc selenide. These materials are more expensive than ordinary glass. Utilizing aspherical lenses can reduce the number of components needed, thus lowering the system’s complexity, volume, weight, and overall cost. Despite the complexity of manufacturing aspherical lenses, the reduction in the use of costly infrared materials often leads to significant cost savings. Additionally, fewer lenses reduce light transmission losses and improve overall system transmittance.
Project Overview
This case study involves designing a wide field-of-view, long wavelength infrared lens initially composed of spherical lenses. The design used chalcogenide glass and germanium for non-thermal treatment and was complex, with a field of view of 103°. By switching the first lens to an aspherical design, the lens structure was significantly simplified, expanding the field of view to 127°.
To read the entire case study, visit Shanghai Optics' website.