Corrected Wavefront Transmission: 20X to 50X Improvement Over Large-Diameter Molded Glass Aspheric Lenses
Thorlabs stocks precision-ground, large-diameter aspheric lenses from Asphericon. With diameters ranging from 10 mm to 100 mm, these aspheres are available with numerical apertures (NA) ranging from either 0.23 - 0.24 or 0.488 - 0.619. These aspheric lenses are manufactured using CNC grinding and polishing machines; for diameters in excess of 15 mm this produces lenses with RMS wavefront errors that are typically 20 to 50 times less than a similarly sized molded aspheric lens. The lenses are constructed using S-LAH64 or N-BK7 optical glass. Ohara's S-LAH64 optical glass is a low-dispersion glass with high index of refraction in order to minimize chromatic aberration.
For best performance, the curved surface of the lens should face the collimated source for focusing applications. Conversely, when used for collimating a source, the plano surface should face the source.
Item #a
f (mm)
Numerical Aperture
Diameter (mm)
CAb (Collimation) (mm)
CA (Focusing) (mm)
WD (mm)
tcc
Refractive Index
Abbe #
f/#d
Lens Material
Reference Drawing
AL108
8
0.547
10
9.00
7.71
6.00
3.70
1.777
47.3
0.80
S-LAH64
AL1210
10
0.545
12.5
11.25
9.88
7.61
4.25
1.777
47.3
0.80
S-LAH64
AL1225
25
0.230
12.5
11.25
10.42
22.35
4.00
1.511
64.17
2.00
N-BK7
AL1512
12
0.546
15
13.5
11.67
8.96
5.40
1.788
47.3
0.80
S-LAH64
AL1815
15
0.534
18
16.5
14.41
11.41
6.38
1.788
47.3
0.83
S-LAH64
AL2018
18
0.488
20
18
15.49
13.84
7.40
1.788
47.3
0.90
S-LAH64
AL2520
20
0.543
25
22.5
20.32
15.70
7.65
1.788
47.3
0.80
S-LAH64
AL2550
50
0.230
25
23
22
46.03
6.00
1.511
64.17
2.00
N-BK7
AL3026
26
0.522
30
28
25.14
20.54
9.70
1.788
47.3
0.87
S-LAH64
AL4532
32
0.612
45
41
37.30
24.12
14.00
1.788
47.3
0.71
S-LAH64
AL5040
40
0.554
50e
46
41.83
31.42
15.25
1.788
47.3
0.80
S-LAH64
AL50100
100
0.240
50f
47
45.60
93.38
10.00g
1.511
64.17
2.00
N-BK7
AL7560
60
0.619
75e
69
57.73
36.60
35.50
1.511
58.6
0.80
N-BK7
AL75150
150
0.230
75f
69
66.8
140.07
15.00g
1.511
64.17
2.00
N-BK7
AL100100
100
0.478
100e
92
83.08
76.27
36.00
1.511
58.6
1.00
N-BK7
AL100200
200
0.230
100f
92
89.4
187.43
19.00g
1.511
64.17
2.00
N-BK7
a Specifications are the same for the -A, -B, and -C coatings. b CA = Clear Aperture. c Center Thickness Tolerance ±0.05 mm. d Approximate f/# for the lens obtained by dividing the focal length of the lens by its diameter. Note that this will be an underestimate of the true f/# since the condenser lens cannot be used over its entire diameter. e For lenses AL5040, AL7560, and AL100100: Diameter Tolerance ±0.10 mm. f For lenses AL50100, AL75150, and AL100200: Diameter Tolerance ±0.10 mm. g For lenses AL50100, AL75150, and AL100200: Center Thickness Tolerance +0/ -0.10 mm. All focal lengths and the Refractive Index are measured at the design wavelength (780 nm).
Click here to download transmission data for both materials.
The plot shows the theoretical percent reflectivity of one surface of an AR coated large diameter aspheric lens. Click here to download coating transmission data.
Aspheric Lens Formula
Positive Radius Indicates the Center of Curvature is to the Right of the Lens
Negative Radius Indicates the Center of Curvature is to the Left of the Lens
Variable Definitions
z
SAG as a function of Y
R
Radius of curvature
k
Conic constant
An
nth order aspheric coefficient
Aspheric Coefficients*
Item #
R
k
A4
A6
A8
AL108
6.215
-1
2.40059414 × 10-4
-1.0498431 × 10-7
-1.1263556 × 10-8
AL1210
7.77
-1
9.8464319 × 10-5
-6.9905851 × 10-8
-2.3874994 × 10-9
AL1225
12.78
-0.6
1.8429898 × 10-6
-3.8172252 × 10-9
-2.4345457 × 10-11
AL1512
9.32
-1
5.7598697 × 10-5
-2.503422 × 10-8
-6.7519988 × 10-10
AL1815
11.65
-1.1
3.6906721 × 10-5
-1.2854612 × 10-8
-1.4001677 × 10-10
AL2018
13.98
-1.4
3.4882376 × 10-5
-2.3207058 × 10-8
-1.5360271 × 10-11
AL2520
15.51
-1.35
2.3618134 × 10-5
-1.1303079 × 10-8
-1.1113906 × 10-11
AL2550
25.56
-1.01
3.2703958 × 10-6
7.7205335 × 10-10
1.6304727 × 10-13
AL3026
20.2
-1
5.4144542 × 10-6
-8.0413315 × 10-10
-2.9871189 × 10-12
AL4532
24.86
-1
3.0230595 × 10-6
-1.7987823 × 10-10
-8.0408638 × 10-13
AL5040
31.075
-0.744
4.3665221 × 10-7
-2.2713591 × 10-10
-1.7042174 × 10-13
AL50100
51.12
-0.575
-4.8366264 × 10-11
-8.5756915 × 10-12
-2.0138223 × 10-15
AL7560
30.67
-0.905
1.6365958 × 10-6
4.1292991 × 10-10
9.3540375 × 10-14
AL75150
76.68
-0.675
2.7709219 × 10-8
6.418186 × 10-13
-1.5724014 × 10-17
AL100100
51.12
-1.023
4.4278927 × 10-7
2.8715019 × 10-11
1.9201195 × 10-15
AL100200
102.24
-1
4.9646003 × 10-8
7.4017872 × 10-13
9.4141703 × 10-18
Item #
A10
A12
A14
A16
AL108
-1.0201221 × 10-10
8.4002262 × 10-13
4.6362363 × 10-15
1.2062946 × 10-16
AL1210
-1.1328583 × 10-11
8.7255438 × 10-14
2.8967313 × 10-16
1.7632112 × 10-18
AL1225
3.1730496 × 10-14
-3.700237 × 10-15
6.5107821 × 10-17
-4.9604147 × 10-19
AL1512
-2.0018474 × 10-12
3.8684828 × 10-15
1.2447477 × 10-16
-3.659331 × 10-19
AL1815
-2.5131166 × 10-13
5.0178988 × 10-16
5.8558715 × 10-18
-1.1277944 × 10-20
AL2018
-8.1667998 × 10-14
1.5669935 × 10-16
1.5669935 × 10-16
2.2641269 × 10-19
AL2520
-2.3981714 × 10-14
3.035791 × 10-17
1.3660815 × 10-19
-1.8881587 × 10-22
AL2550
-
-
-
-
AL3026
-1.4917927 × 10-15
1.3777317 × 10-18
4.4258023 × 10-21
-3.4927668 × 10-24
AL4532
1.3514542 × 10-16
-9.3718228 × 10-19
1.68493 × 10-21
-8.7146448 × 10-25
AL5040
-3.6809344 × 10-17
8.9443459 × 10-21
1.8501188 × 10-23
-6.704333 × 10-27
AL50100
-4.5977971 × 10-19
-
-
-
AL7560
-3.6809344 × 10-17
-4.6067378 × 10-21
5.5772398 × 10-24
-2.6358211 × 10-27
AL75150
-2.7768768 × 10-21
-2.590162 × 10-25
-
-
AL100100
9.2124803 × 10-20
-1.6052264 × 10-24
-5.863837 × 10-28
-3.0821914 × 10-31
AL100200
-
-
-
-
*Aspheric Coefficients Apply to One Side of the Lens. The Other Side is a Plano Surface
Thorlabs offers several mounting options for the large-diameter aspheric lenses. The table below lists the options for fixed lens mounts. For easy insertion and removal, Thorlabs offers a line of self-centering lens mounts, capable of mounting all of the aspheres with diameters up to 50 mm and the AL75150.
There might be an error in the parameters for lens AL7560, could you send me the .zmx file to verify?
Poster: tcohen
Posted Date: 2013-05-16 16:09:00.0
Response from Tim at Thorlabs: Thank you for using our feedback tool. I will send you the .zmx file to discuss the AL7560 parameters.
Poster: s-morris
Posted Date: 2013-05-10 13:57:07.007
Do these lenses obey the Abbe sine condition, so that the principal surface is hemispherical and parallel rays from below the lens are brought together in the rear focal plane?
Poster: tcohen
Posted Date: 2013-05-15 11:04:00.0
Response from Tim at Thorlabs: Thank you for your inquiry. These lenses will not obey the Abbe sine condition and a more suitable option in this regard would be a multi element plan objective. We provide Zemax files in the supporting documentation if you would like to quantify the performance. I will contact you with simulated data on this.
Poster: sharrell
Posted Date: 2012-04-20 12:08:00.0
Response from Sean at Thorlabs to akde: In response to your numerical aperture measurement, please note that the definition of NA is n_air*sin(theta), where theta is the angle between the marginal ray and the chief ray in image space. Note that it is the index of the medium surrounding the lens (typically air), not the index of the lens itself, that is used in the definition of NA. Also note that the NA for these lenses is defined at the design wavelength of 780 nm, and for a perfectly collimated input beam of Ø46 mm (the clear aperture of the lens). If this is not the case, then you will measure an angle that is different than 30° which yields the defined NA.
Also, the NA specified on our website for the AL5040 is incorrect, it is actually 0.50. We will get this corrected throughout our documentation soon. Thanks again for the good discussion and your feedback.
Poster: sharrell
Posted Date: 2012-04-20 12:08:00.0
Response from Sean at Thorlabs to akde: In response to your numerical aperture measurement, please note that the definition of NA is n_air*sin(theta), where theta is the angle between the marginal ray and the chief ray in image space. Note that it is the index of the medium surrounding the lens (typically air), not the index of the lens itself, that is used in the definition of NA. Also note that the NA for these lenses is defined at the design wavelength of 780 nm, and for a perfectly collimated input beam of Ø46 mm (the clear aperture of the lens). If this is not the case, then you will measure an angle that is different than 30° which yields the defined NA.
Also, the NA specified on our website for the AL5040 is incorrect, it is actually 0.50. We will get this corrected throughout our documentation soon. Thanks again for the good discussion and your feedback.
Poster: sharrell
Posted Date: 2012-04-19 09:24:00.0
Response from Sean at Thorlabs: Thank you for your additional feedback clarifying the source of your confusion. I will update the diagram on our aspheric condenser lenses and add one to our large diameter aspheric lenses pages today with additional information on the principal plane. In addition, I will also look at all of our lens pages to ensure that the definition of the effective focal length and the principal plane is clear. Since the principal plane location will vary from lens to lens (and for some lens designs, will even be outside of the physical lens), it is probably not practical to put this information on the AutoCAD PDF drawings. We are checking into the NA defined for these lenses and I will post a complete reply for that question as soon as more information is available.
Poster: akde
Posted Date: 2012-04-18 15:22:36.0
Response to Sean:
(Continuing with my earlier feed-back on NA values of ACLs and ALs): It turns out that the NA values reported are found to be in excellent agreement if NA is defined as only the sine of the half-angle of focusing. Multiplying by refractive index (a number larger than 1) makes the NA values higher than reported values. Thus an NA of 0.619 (for AL7560) reported on the website is indeed an NA of ~0.935.
Poster: akde
Posted Date: 2012-04-18 15:05:16.0
Response to Sean:
(Continuing with my earlier feed-back on NA values of ACLs and ALs): It turns out that the NA values reported are found to be in excellent agreement if NA is defined as only the sine of the half-angle of focusing. Multiplying by refractive index (a number larger than 1) makes the NA values higher than reported values. Thus an NA of 0.619 (for AL7560) reported on the website is indeed an NA of ~0.935.
Poster: akde
Posted Date: 2012-04-18 14:01:16.0
Response to Sean:
Thank you very much for your reply.
(1) It will be nice if the location of the principal plane is shown in the Auto CAD drawing. The confusion was because I was following the figure for aspheric condenser lenses (ACLs) for which the EFL turns out to be very close to the "working distance" or "back focal distance" (distance of the focus from the flat surface) plus the "edge thickness".
(2) I measured the half-angle of focusing for few large-diameter aspheric lenses (ALs); for example, for AL5040 the half-angle turns out to be close to 32 degrees which yields (taking refractive index 1.5) a NA of ~0.8, much higher than the reported value (0.554)!
Dr Arijit K De (LBNL/UCB, Berkeley)
Poster: sharrell
Posted Date: 2012-04-18 11:15:00.0
Response from Sean at Thorlabs: Thank you for your feedback on our large diameter aspheres. The effective focal lengths listed on our specs table are correct. The 2.4 mm measurement you cite for the AL2520 is simply the edge thickness of the lens, and does not indicate the location of the principal plane.
We designated the 0.488 – 0.619 range of numerical apertures as “high” because these are higher than usual for a singlet lens. The aspheric profile of these lenses allows NAs that are greater than what are possible with spherical profiles. However, in the paragraph text of the overview tab, I have added the range of “low” and “high” NAs to ensure that this distinction is clear.
Poster: akde
Posted Date: 2012-04-17 23:41:06.0
The effective focal lengths (EFLs) of these lenses are somewhat confusing! for example, the EFL of AL2520 is not 20mm (following the specification) but turns out to be (following the autocad drawing) 2.4mm + 15.7mm = 18.1mm.
Also, the "high NA" values are bit misleading. An NA of 0.6 produces a shallow focus with half angle of only ~25 degrees and cannot be considered as "high NA". Usually (in microscopy literature) "high NA" corresponds to NA = 1.0 or more so that the half angle is at least ~45 degrees or more.
Dr Arijit K De (LBNL/UCB, Berkeley)
Poster: bdada
Posted Date: 2012-02-24 14:58:00.0
Response from Buki at Thorlabs.com to jikim:
Thank you for your interest in our products and our custom capabilities. We have contacted you for more information.
Poster: jikim
Posted Date: 2012-02-21 16:24:15.0
Could you manufacture a "AL75150-C" with a 5 mm- diameter hole in the center on the custom basis?
Poster: bdada
Posted Date: 2011-10-07 11:10:00.0
Response from Buki at Thorlabs:
Thank you for your feedback. For the 10mm to 20mm diameter large aspheres, we have SM1 threaded adapters that would allow you to mount the aspheres in our SM1 mounts. Please refer to the link below to see our internal and external SM1 threaded aspheres (SM1AD10 for 10mm, SM1A6T for the 12.5mm, SM1AD15 for the 15mm, SM1AD18 for hte 18mm, and SM1AD20 for the 20mm).
http://www.thorlabs.com/NewGroupPage9.cfm?ObjectGroup_ID=1746
We have contacted you to determine which lens you are intersted in and ensure you have the right adapter. Please contact TechSupport@thorlabs.com if you have further questions about this.
Poster: pierre.mathieu
Posted Date: 2011-09-15 16:27:32.0
Do you hale lens mount for this lens that is compatible with SM1 Lens tube?
Poster: jjurado
Posted Date: 2011-07-13 11:15:00.0
Response from Javier at Thorlabs to ori.henderson-sapir: Thank you very much for your feedback! We will look into developing a database where the dispersion formulas for the different lens materials would be stored, along with other specifications. We will keep you informed of the status.
Poster: ori.henderson-sapir
Posted Date: 2011-07-12 00:03:05.0
Dear Thorlabs,
It would be very useful if you could add the dispersion formula for each type of glass that the aspherics are made of so a rough focal length shift could be estimated even without using Zemax
regards,
Ori Henderson-Sapir
Poster: jjurado
Posted Date: 2011-05-17 10:08:00.0
Response from Javier at Thorlabs to last poster. Thank you very much for your feedback. The A2 term is not used in Code V and other applications since the K constant has the same control in the aspheric lens equation. Please contact us at techsupport@thorlabs.com and we will gladly provide information for any particular lens(es) you may be interested in.
Poster:
Posted Date: 2011-05-12 18:01:39.0
You represent the asphere profile with a a2 term. In code V, there is no modeling of an a2 term for an asphere profile (goes from K constant, a4, a6, a8, etc...) similar to the profile you show on your molded asphere lenses. Can you please clarify what the a2 coefficiency corresponds to or put a format that matches normal asphere approaches?
Poster: jjurado
Posted Date: 2011-05-06 10:23:00.0
Response from Javier at Thorlabs to spotnis: Thank you very much for submitting your request. We modeled the output profile of the AL2550-A lens in Zemax and did not find any changes in the performance, other than the inherent focal length shift of the lens (at 405 nm, the back focal length of the lens is 44.288 mm). Also, N-BK7 transmits well at 405 nm (~99%), so the rings and artifacts are most likely due to other factors affecting your setup. I will contact you directly to troubleshoot your application a bit further.
Poster: spotnis
Posted Date: 2011-05-05 11:30:07.0
I have tried using AL2550-A (f=50mm) for collimation of the output of a fiber. The wavelength is 405nm. The collimated beam does not have a gaussian profile, in fact it has a lot of rings and artifacts. The output of the fiber when collimated using an achromatic doublet of similar focal length (AC254-045-A) has a good gaussian profile.
What is the performance of these aspheres for wavelengths other then the design wavelength 780 nm?
Poster: lmorgus
Posted Date: 2011-05-02 10:13:00.0
Response from Laurie at Thorlabs to Neil Nelson: Thank you for taking the time to point out an error on our website. We have updated the presentation to reflect the correct specifications; those posted now agree with our engineering support documents. We apologize for the confusion the error may have caused.
Poster: bdada
Posted Date: 2011-04-29 17:52:00.0
Response from Buki at Thorlabs:
Thank you for your feedback. You are correct about the mistake in the wavefront error under the specs tab. These aspheres (designed at 780nm) have different WFE that vary from one lens to another. To determine the individual spec sheets and drawings for these lenses, please click on the document icon beside the lens part number. We will soon update the information on the web to accurately display the specifications of these large diameter aspheres.
Please contact TechSupport@thorlabs.com if you have further questions.
Poster: neil_r_nelson
Posted Date: 2011-04-28 16:09:38.0
please be sure that the specification is not surface accuracy. 0.2 micron RMS surface accuracy is about 0.07 micron RMS WFE if you have an index of 1.5
Poster: neil_r_nelson
Posted Date: 2011-04-28 13:02:53.0
the overview describes these lenses as diffraction limited performance
your specs are 0.2 to 0.35 micron typical and 0.5 micron maximum RMS WFE.
diffraction limited for 1 µm light is 0.07 micron RMS WFE. Sounds like you are at best 3x diffraction limit.
Poster: apalmentieri
Posted Date: 2009-10-29 14:49:31.0
A response from Adam at Thorlabs: Niel, I do not have that information on hand, but will contact you when I recieve it. Please note that we are working on this.
Poster: neil_r_nelson
Posted Date: 2009-10-29 13:01:42.0
Is there any way that you can tell us what the p-v WFE performance would be insted of just saying it is better than a molded asphere.
referencing AL series lenses
Poster: technicalmarketing
Posted Date: 2007-09-27 14:09:03.0
Thank you for your comments and for catching a typo. We have updated the presentation accordingly.
Poster: acable
Posted Date: 2007-09-27 11:03:51.0
Please add 'D=' in front of the diameter data that is given in the price box description. Also note the typo on the AL1815-B.
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