Powering advanced optical design with liquid lenses
Liquid lenses, are a type of optical lens that have a tunable focal length by shaping a liquid electronically. These lenses can be based on voice coil actuation, or based on electrowetting technology, which involves manipulating the surface tension of a conductive liquid droplet by applying an electric field. The core component of an electrowetting-based […]
Surface texture requirement in optical drawings
In our previous article, we discussed how to read optical drawings while in this installment, we will focus on surface finish details. Optical lens performance can be heavily affected by the lens surface roughness. The surface texture symbols are used in optical drawings to define a lens’s necessary surface finish and roughness and will the […]
The Role of F-theta Lenses in Laser Scanning
Introduction to f-theta Lenses In the landscape of optical systems, the introduction of f-theta lenses is an important chapter, offering a solution to the challenges posed by traditional lenses in laser scanning applications. As laser technology becomes more prevalent in applications from engraving to intricate material processing, the need for precision and consistency in focused […]
Projection Lens Design
Projection systems are one of the most common consumer optical devices (probably second to photographic systems). They allow us to view images on a screen (usually) by magnifying and projecting them at distances from a few centimeters to several meters away (like in a movie theater), while maintaining a high quality image. Projection systems are […]
Achromatic doublet design and optimization
Basic Concepts One of the most common optical structures is the achromatic doublet. It is used to reduce chromatic aberrations. At its most basic, it is a two lens system configuration where one lens is a concave lens, usually made of a flint glass, and the other is a convex element, usually made with crown […]
An Overview of Wide-Angle Lens Projections
There are two primary methods of image formation in lens design. 1. Perspective projection (F-Tan Theta lenses also called Rectilinear or Orthoscopic). 2. Equidistant projection (F-Theta lenses also called Equiangular) The Perspective projection method is most often used during the design of lenses with field of view in the 40-60 degree range. This formation method […]