Germanium (Ge)
Plano-Convex Lenses

Plano-convex (PCX) lenses have a positive focal length and can be used to focus collimated light, to collimate a point source, or reduce the divergent angle of a diverging source. When image quality is not critical, plano-convex lenses can also be used as a substitute for achromatic doublets. To minimize the introduction of spherical aberration, a collimated light source should be incident on the curved surface of the lens when being focused; Similarly, a point light source should be incident on the planar surface when being collimated.

When deciding between a plano-convex lens and a bi-convex lens, both of which cause collimated incident light to converge, it is usually preferable to choose a plano-convex lens if the desired absolute magnification is either less than 0.2 or greater than 5. Between these two values, bi-convex lenses are generally preferred.

Due to its broad transmission range ( 2 – 16 µm) and stable chemical properties, Germanium is well suited for IR laser applications, it is excellent for security, military and imaging applications. However Ge’s transmission properties are highly temperature sensitive; in fact, the absorption becomes so large that germanium is nearly opaque at 100 °C and completely non-transmissive at 200 °C.
Paralight Optics offers Germanium (Ge) Plano-convex (PCX) Lenses available with a broadband AR coating for the 8 µm to 12 μm spectral range deposited on both surfaces. This coating greatly reduces the high surface reflectivity of the substrate, yielding an average transmission in excess of 97% over the entire AR coating range. Check the Graphs for your references.

Features:

Material:

Germanium (Ge)

Coating Options:

Uncoated or with DLC & Antireflective Coatings Optimized for the 8 - 12 μm Range

Focal Lengths:

Available from 15 to 1000 mm

Applications:

Excellent for Security, Military, and Imaging Applications

What you get with a Paralight Optics Germanium Plano-Convex Lens

● Each lens goes through a thorough inspection process before leaving our factory.
● Diameters ranging from 25.4-50.8mm and additional options upon request.
● Effective Focal Lengths (EFL) range from 25.4-200mm.
● Additional optical coatings available upon request.
● OEM is always welcome.