Jena, November 11, 2016: To meet the growing desire for more compact systems with even greater optical performance, asphericon is presenting for the first time aspheric elements in specially developed mounts in the form of the mounted SPATM Aspheres and Axicons (fig. 1).
To enable aspheres to perform to the fullest, they must be oriented sufficiently well in the setup. Even the smallest tilts can mean that the asphere no longer focuses perfectly and aberrations such as coma and astigmatism can be induced (fig. 2).
Fig. 2. Comparison between a perfectly oriented (bottom) and a slightly tilted asphere with a tilt of 0.1° on the X axis (top). The difference between the geometric spot diameters for both comes to approx. a factor of 88.
An especially precise technique allows asphericon to very accurately orient the lenses directly in the mount and achieve decentration of less than 10 µm. The mount makes handling much more convenient, especially for very small lenses. This also significantly simplifies the otherwise complicated orientation and adjustment of axicons in the system.
The aspheric lenses can be quickly and easily combined with all beam guidance and positioning systems or screwed directly to the asphericon SPATM Beam Expander Kit. This enables better and faster positioning of the lenses in the laboratory setup and, consequently, optimized focusing. The lenses are also protected against external influences such as dust by the mount and the protective cap that comes with it. Information about specifications and serial numbers can be found directly on the mount. The mounted SPATM Aspheres and Axicons thus generally ensure optical systems are set up for flexibility and efficiency.
