focusing mirrors | concave mirrors
Focusing mirrors (concave mirrors) are characterized by one concave surface with a high reflection coating. The reflective coating allows focusing of a light beam. Most common coating materials include aluminum Al, gold Au or silver Ag.
Solaris Optics manufactures custom focusing mirrors according in its premises in Poland.
Typical characteristics of concave mirrors
Although Solaris Optics produces bespoke components, some typical characteristics of focusing mirrors include:
- substrate material: according to customer requirements
- size: from 4 to 100 mm
- size tolerance: ±0.1 mm (standard) to ±0.01 mm
- clear aperture: 85% – 95%
- Thickness tolerance: ±0.1 mm (standard) to ±0.01 mm
- Radius: from 2.8 to 1000 mm
- Radius tolerance: ±0.1 mm (standard) to ±0.003 mm
- Centering error: 4/ 5 arcmin (standard) to 4/ 1 arcmin
- Irregularity (P-V): standard 3/-(0,5) to 3/-(0,2), 3/1(0,1) MRF
- Roughness: P3 (standard) to P4
- Surface finish (Digs – Scratches): 2 x 0,2; L 1×0,04 (standard), to 2 x 0,016; L 1×0,01
- Coatings: on request
- Mounting: on request
Applications of focusing mirrors – examples
Our customers find mirrors most useful when refractive optics (e.g. lenses) cannot be used due to too high energy of a light beam, such as in lasers. Another example requirement for a focusing mirror is when no chromatic aberration is allowed in a broad spectral range. Yet another common use case is tightness optimization of an optical system.
Concave mirrors can be used similarly to focusing lenses. Type of image created by a focusing mirror depends on radius of the concave surface as well as on the distance from an object to the mirror. Hence, concave mirrors can create:
- imaginary or real images,
- reversible or simple images,
- images magnified, minimized or equal in dimensions compared to the object size.
Should you be interested in custom focusing mirrors, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us!
See also: MIRROR COATINGS
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