Optical Domes

Optical systems integrators and engineers choose Optimax for our best quality optics and best quality service. We routinely deliver high-precision optical domes and parallel optical surfaces to valued partners in a broad spectrum of high technology markets, regularly rising to the challenge of delivering custom optical solutions for extremely challenging manufacturing requirements. With one of the largest optics engineering teams and an advanced R&D department, we bring unprecedented expertise to any optical dome project.

What are Optical Domes?

An optical dome is composed of two parallel optical surfaces. Optical domes are unique because, unlike any other optical components, the key attribute of the dome is to have no optical effect. Mirrors reflect light, lenses bend light, and domes ideally change nothing.

Typically the lead element in an optical system, a dome is often exposed to the environment and protects electronic sensors. Accordingly, domes made from hard ceramic materials are preferred due to their ability to withstand wind and rain erosion. Domes are typically found in single-use defense applications and submersible vehicles for deep ocean exploration.

Specifying Parallel Optical Surfaces

Specifying an optical dome demands definitions for the material, one radius, center thickness, and wall thickness variation – sometimes abbreviated to WTV. Other qualities tend to follow the specifications of standard spherical lenses.

The materials used to fabricate parallel optical surfaces are determined by application; primarily the operating conditions and the required transmission. Thus, optical domes are sometimes classified by wavelength (i.e. infrared optical domes), and other times by their composition (i.e. zinc selenide domes). At Optimax, we fabricate optical domes suitable for applications spanning a broad spectral range, from UV through to IR applications. We also routinely grind and polish premium optical materials like aluminum oxynitride, cerium alumina, magnesium aluminate, and zinc selenide.

Manufacturing Optical Domes

Optical domes are hemispheric systems composed of two parallel optical surfaces. With no discernible optical effects, domes present a clear field of view between two environments, hence they are often used as the lead element in precision optical assemblies. Optimax manufactures optical domes to tight tolerances using deterministic CNC machining, providing reliable results for most optical materials, including glass, fused silica, ALON™, CeraLumina™, Spinel, and ZnS.

Unlike mirrors and lenses, optical domes do not alter the light passing through them, which is ideal for critical applications such as single-use defense and navigation systems for submersible vehicles.