Frontal Optics for Ultimate Applications

Download Frontal Optics for Ultimate Applications Datasheet (PDF, 452 KB)

IR optics is widely used when the tasks like the following are arisen:

- Early and fast detection of  people, targets, forest fires, etc.;
- Day and night panoramic surveillance;
- Security perimeters control;
- Range and visual tracking;
- Coastal and border passive surveillance;
- Traffic monitoring;
- Detection of intrusion, fight against piracy, anti-smuggling,  anti-collision and many others.

The challengings of these applications dictate special  requirements both to a substrate's material and to a coating since just the frontal elements face the most severe service conditions.

Any optical assembling here must not only clearly “see” and distinguish an target/object, but minimize the posibility of its own detection.

Below we emphasize the basic requirements to the materials and coatings:
- for brightness and image contrasts the internal light scattering in the IR materials has to be not more than few percents. For more details please look at the chapter “Germanium Windows and Lenses for Thermography”. At the same time the maximal directional transmission for monocrystalline Ge should exceed 40% (when the integral one = 46%) and for monocrystalline Si should exceed 48% (when the integral one = 54%);
- to the said above, to quarantee the high optical transmission the coatings should have minimal residual reflection (a few percents for a narrow wavelength range) over the working range including the cases when at the same time transmission within both atmospheric optical windows (3-5um and 7-14um) is required;
- to quarantee high enough reliabilty, durability and failure-free performance the coatings must meet the requirements of the optical-mechanical, adhesion, climatic and others tests:  Russian OSТ 3-1901-95, MIL-C-675C, MIL-STD-810.

Hereunder are some examples of the optical elements demonstrating the range of our products with brief information about application:
1) Si protection window for a night-sight operating at 3-5um range
2) Radiation-resistant glass К108 window for a night-sight  
3) Ge meniscus lens of thermal vision system for target-seeking and flight orientation
4) Ge protection window for a night-sight operation at 8-12um range
5) Ge protection meniscus lens for infrared imaging camera operating at 7-14um
6) ZnSe protection meniscus lens for a land-based thermal vision system
7) Sapphire window for infrared imaging camera operating at 3-5um range

 Additional information is available in  Optics for Sensors and Detectors.

1) Si protection window for a night-sight operating at 3-5um range

Generally used as a front window transmitting over the working range to protect an optical assembling of IR night vision system. Detection range is 10km.
In combination with a window for a visible channel (for a daylight inspection - see below #2) such night-sights are placed at some military-oriented vehicles.

Specification:

2) Radiation-resistant glass К108 window for a night-sight

Application - see above #1.
This window is placed near the above-mentioned Si window and operates in the day-time. Combination of AR coating outside and indium tin oxide (ITO) coating from inside allows to minimize residual reflection and prevent ice accretion, snow ticking аnd to conduce of water/hoar/ice removal. As a result a window effectively works at three working wavelength ranges.

Specification:

3) Ge meniscus lens of thermal vision system for target-seeking and flight orientation


Application -  on-board equipment.
Working wavelengths range - 3-5um.
Working angles range - 0-57 degrees.

Specification:

4) Ge protection window for a night-sight operation at 8-12um range


Application - periscopic night-sight for the armoured vehicles.
Detection range (the target like a tank) is 3km.

Specification:

5) Ge protection meniscus lens for infrared imaging camera operating at 7-14um

Application - passive surveillance system of long-distance targets as well as large area monitoring in real time regime. The feature of the system is automatic detection and target's tracking.
Vehicle detection range  is 7km.
Human detection range  is 3km.

Specification:

6) ZnSe protection meniscus lens for a land-based thermal vision system

Application - monitoring, seeking and tracking of various flying objects.

Specification:

7) Sapphire window for infrared imaging camera operating at 3-5um range

Application - the most demanding and severe working conditions when an application dictates the exaggerated requirements to durability of the material, its chemical stability, non-toxicity and so on.
We have been suppling similar windows for:
- the systems to measure temperature profile and speeds of the liquid's flow;
- protection of the objectives during high pressure experiments as well as at dynamic impacts;
- observation of the processes into the wind-tunnels.

Specification:

Tydex has long-time and approved experience in suppling of such optics for above-mentioned applications all over the world.

We are pleased to emphasize that the list of similar components is permanently replenished and we are ready to consider your new RFQ's.

For price quotation and delivery please fill in our request form.