Thorlabs' Ground Glass Diffusers provide an economical solution for a variety of applications requiring Gaussian diffusers. Ground glass diffusers are offered in 120, 220, 600, and 1500 grit polishes. Polished diffusers are advantageous over sand blasted diffusers as the surface has greater uniformity. The various grits provide a range from fine to coarse scattering. A finer grind (e.g. 1500) provides a higher transmittance, while a more coarse grind (e.g. 120) creates a greater amount of diffusion at the expense of transmission. Please click on the image to the left to compare the performance of our ground glass diffusers.
Our ground glass diffusers are available in Ø1" and Ø2" unmounted and mounted circular versions as well as in 100 mm x 100 mm squares. We also offer a kit that includes our four Ø1" mounted ground glass diffusers at a discounted price. Please refer to the Accessories tab above to see Thorlabs' extensive line of optical mounts for both square and circular optics.
Please see the Application Idea tab for a Diffused LED Condenser that uses a ground glass diffuser. For applications requiring specific divergence angles, spatial distribution of the illumination, and intensity profiles, our engineered diffusers are more suitable.
Item Specifications
Item #
Size
Diameter Tolerance*
Optic Thickness
Grit
DG10-120 (-MD)
Ø1"
+0.00/-0.25 mm
2.0 ±0.2 mm
120
DG10-220 (-MD)
Ø1"
+0.00/-0.25 mm
2.0 ±0.2 mm
220
DG10-600 (-MD)
Ø1"
+0.00/-0.25 mm
2.0 ±0.2 mm
600
DG10-1500 (-MD)
Ø1"
+0.00/-0.25 mm
2.0 ±0.2 mm
1500
DG20-120 (-MD)
Ø2"
+0.00/-0.25 mm
2.0 ±0.2 mm
120
DG20-220 (-MD)
Ø2"
+0.00/-0.25 mm
2.0 ±0.2 mm
220
DG20-600 (-MD)
Ø2"
+0.00/-0.25 mm
2.0 ±0.2 mm
600
DG20-1500 (-MD)
Ø2"
+0.00/-0.25 mm
2.0 ±0.2 mm
1500
DG100X100-120
100 mm x 100 mm
-
2.0 ±0.2 mm
120
DG100X100-220
100 mm x 100 mm
-
2.0 ±0.2 mm
220
DG100X100-600
100 mm x 100 mm
-
2.0 ±0.2 mm
600
DG100X100-1500
100 mm x 100 mm
-
2.0 ±0.2 mm
1500
* Diameter Tolerance pertains to optic only. Mounted versions are set in an SM1 or SM2 compatible housing. However, the optic within the mount complies with diameter tolerance spec.
Build Your Own Collimated LED Source
The setup shown to the right uses a DG2X2-600 as part of a homemade Diffused LED Condenser, which collimates the light exiting the LED source. Although Thorlabs also manufactures out-of-the-box collimated LED light sources, which essentially provide the same result, the one shown here is perfect for those inclined to build their own, perhaps as part of an educational setup. In this particular case, the setup was built using a 60 mm cage system. If you are not familiar with Thorlabs' 60 mm cage assemblies, they consist of cage-compatible components that are interconnected with cage rods. Each cage component features four tapped holes with center-to-center spacings of 60 mm, and they are joined together into a cage system using Ø6 mm rigid steel cage rods; in this case 4" long cage assembly rods were chosen. The reason for building a cage system is to ensure that the optical components housed inside the cage system have a common optical axis.
To integrate the MWLED mounted white light LED, which has internal SM1 (1.035"-40) threading, into the 60 mm cage system, the mounted LED was threaded into an LCP02 30 mm-to-60 mm cage plate adapter using an SM1T2 Lens Tube Coupler. Next, the light source is directed through a DG2X2-600 ground glass diffuser, which is held in place using an LCP05 Cage-Compatible Mount for 2" Square Filters. After exiting the diffuser, the divergent light is collimated using an LA1401 Ø2" Uncoated Plano-Convex Lens with a focal length of 60.0 mm. The lens is housed in an LCP01 60 mm Cage Plate.
The entire 60 mm cage assembly is mounted onto a TR3 post using the 8-32 thread on the bottom of the LCP05, placed in a PH3 post holder, and attached to the breadboard using a BA2 Mounting base.
Component Items Needed to Build a Diffused LED Condenser
* If you do not currently own an LEDD1 T-Cube LED Driver (or any other industry standard driver with a circular 4-pin M8 connector), you will need to also purchase one of these as well as a TPS008 15 V Power Supply (TPS008 or TCH002 are also options).
Loading...
Posted Comments:
Poster: klee
Posted Date: 2009-11-12 11:20:15.0
A response from Ken at Thorlabs to giovanni.miotto: We have tested the transmission at 0° for all 4 different grits and the results are in line with the graph on this page. The 1500 grit has >80% transmission over the 350 to 700 nm range, while the 600 grit has >72% over the same range. If you are interested, we will be happy to take back the ones you have and evaluate them.
Poster: giovanni.miotto
Posted Date: 2009-11-08 20:01:07.0
I have tested your dg20-600 and 1500 grit following your graph on trasmission. Surprisingly I have found no difference in trasmission between them (measured with a spectrofotometer), moreover the trasmission is very poor (about 40%). For comparison another glass diffuser that I have (but I do not know the grit) perform 80% trasmission and looks more coarse. I am wondering if your graph is correct, my suspect is that the scale is inverted and the 120 grit is the more trasmissive. Please let me know if this is the case
Poster: klee
Posted Date: 2009-07-28 17:44:46.0
Response from Ken at Thorlabs to wouter.oepts: We do produce these diffusers. We have been selling them for 5 years and they sell well. So you should feel confident that you can get a constant flow of them from us.
Poster: wouter.oepts
Posted Date: 2009-07-28 08:38:15.0
Hi,
I am looking for glass diffusers for a lighting application.
As a starting point I believe your glass plates can fullfill the product requirements. However, when taking this to production we would be in need of acquiring a constant flow of these plates.
Are you producing these plates yourselves? Or are these commercially available elsewher?
Thank you,
Wouter Oepts.
Poster: Tyler
Posted Date: 2008-04-15 15:27:11.0
A response from Tyler at Thorlabs to pascal.mauron: Thank you for contacting us with your component needs. An application engineer will contact you with information about our current products and the feasibility of providing you with a custom solution for your application.
Poster: pascal.mauron
Posted Date: 2008-04-14 07:02:54.0
Dear Sir,
Dear Madam,
Im interested in this product and have two questions about it:
- is it available with a thickness of 1 mm?
- how are its properties affected when not used in air?
Alternatively, do you know of any commercially available diffusers that get their properties from bulk and not from surface treatment?
With my best regards,
Pascal Mauron
2 mm (0.08") Thick Four Grits Available: 120, 220, 600, and 1500 BK7 Substrate
The Ø1" and Ø2" unmounted ground glass diffusers are 2.0 ± 0.2 mm thick. The unmounted diffusers are made from the same glass as their mounted (-MD) counterparts.
Ø1" and Ø2" Diffusers Mounted in SM1 and SM2 Threaded Mounts, Respectively Four Grits Available: 120, 220, 600, and 1500 BK7 Substrate
Thorlabs' Ø1" and Ø2" mounted ground glass diffusers come in SM-compatible labeled mounts. Ø1" and Ø2" mounts feature SM1 and SM2 threading respectively, which makes these diffusers easy to integrate in to many lens tube and cage assemblies.
The DGK01 diffuser kit includes 4 Ø1" mounted ground glass diffusers, a Ø1" mounted ground glass alignment disk, and a metal storage box. The SM1 threaded mounts are engraved with the item number and a brief item description. Please see the table to the right for the contents of this diffuser kit.
( 0)
Loading...
Zoom
2 mm (0.08") Thick
DG10-120
- Ground Glass Diffuser, Ø1.0", 120 GRIT
Zoom
Zoom
Zoom
