While using OAPs it is also important to remember that the orientation matters. If a collimated beam is incident upon the off axis mirror from an off-axis focal angle, it will not produce a diffraction limited image.  If a spherical wave enters on axis, it won’t produce a collimated beam either.

Optical filters can also be designed in multiband configurations. Multiband filters are bandpass filters with more than one passband, or region of high transmission. Multi-notch filters have more than one blocking region and transmit all adjacent light. Polychroic filters are dichroic filters that have multiple bands or notches.

Newportoptical filters

Our optical engineers are available to provide off-axis parabolic mirror consulting and can help you design and produce a mirror that best matches your application. Feel free to contact us with a request for a quote, or for more information on custom options.

Bandpass, notch, and edge filters are generally designed to work at 0° or other small angles of incidence (AOI). Dichroic filters, on the other hand, are meant to be used at 45° or other large AOI and can be designed in bandpass, notch, or edge configurations.

Types ofoptical filters

Off-axis parabolic mirrors are designed to eliminate this problem. These mirrors are sections of a parent paraboloid that are taken from a point other than the center axis. Depending on how far away from the axis the section originates, an off-axis parabolic mirror may feature a large or a small angle. But since these mirrors focus light to offset points, outside the collection area, there is no issue with receiver shadowing. This makes off-axis parabolic mirrors the optic of choice for long-range and precision instrumentation. The unrestricted  access these mirrors give to the system’s focal point also leads to compact system designs.

We are also able to provide off-axis parabolic mirrors in custom sizes and coatings upon request, so you can find an OAP mirror to meet your exact project requirements.

What areoptical filtersused for

Because of their versatility, optical filters are used in a multitude of applications. Fluorescence microscopy, astronomy, solar imaging, remote sensing, Raman spectroscopy, and telecommunications are just a few disciplines that rely on optical filters as a key component of their systems.

Optical FiltersUSA

Request a quote online today or contact an S.O. representative to learn more about our custom off-axis parabolic mirrors and other optical manufacturing capabilities.

Our OAP metal mirrors are used in spectrometers, interferometers, astronomical optical instruments, spectrum analyzers, and in beam expanders and beam collimators. They can be used in sequence to create a relay system, since with multiple mirrors you can switch between focal plane and pupil plane of your system without degradation in image quality.

Alluxa is an ISO 9001:2015 certified, ITAR registered manufacturer of high-performance optical filters and thin-film coatings.

Optical filters- thorlabs

Optical filtersPDF

Off axis parabolic mirrors should only be used at infinite conjugates. They can produce a perfectly collimated beam from a spherical wave, or diffraction limited imaging when focusing a collimated beam, but when they’re used at finite conjugates the image quality will be abysmal.

A parabolic mirror is a reflector in the shape of a circular paraboloid. Typically made of a highly reflective material such as aluminum, a standard parabolic mirror will center on the vertex of the paraboloid. This is the point where the curvature is greatest, and where the paraboloid is symmetrically divided by its axis. Parabolic mirrors are effective at collecting collimating light and focusing this light to a point, but the receiver will often cast s shadow on the paraboloid’s vertex. This blocks a significant part of the mirror from reflecting light, resulting in substantial signal loss.

Bestoptical filters

Optical filters can be designed to transmit, block, or reflect light at any wavelength range from the UV to the IR. They are generally classified into five basic categories based on their spectral shape:

Thin-film optical filters are made by depositing alternating thin layers of materials with special optical properties onto a substrate, such as optical-grade glass. As light makes its way through the optical filter, its direction changes as it passes from one layer to the next, resulting in internal interference. This is due to the differences between the refractive indices of the materials in the dielectric thin-film coating. The configuration of the layers results in an optical filter that manipulates different wavelengths of light in different ways. Depending on the wavelength and type of optical filter, light can be reflected off of the filter, transmitted through it, or absorbed by it.

Optical filtersHS Code

To provide the best results, we hand-polish our parabolic mirrors from large aluminum blanks and finish them to an accuracy of 1/20 lambda RMS. Our standard mirrors come in diameters between 2.5 and 10 inches and curvatures 15, 30, 45 and 60 degrees off-axis. We also provide off-axis parabolic mirrors in custom sizes and coatings upon request, so you can find an OAP mirror to meet your exact project requirements.

Since off axis mirrors are not rotationally symmetric, rotation must be restricted around the optical axis. We recommend using a precision machined mount since alignment of the other six degrees of freedom is very sensitive.

Manufacturers can produce off-axis parabolic mirrors in several ways. One method involves using a rotating furnace to form the mirrors from a molten base material. A simpler way is to cut and shape the off-axis paraboloids from metal blanks. At Shanghai Optics, we use the latter method to produce high-quality standard and custom OAP mirrors quickly.

Although most optical filters fall into the above categories, custom filters can be designed with any spectral shape imaginable. For example, when transmitted through a specifically designed custom filter, light from a xenon lamp can be transformed to mimic the spectrum of the sun. Other custom filters are designed to match arbitrary spectral shapes.

Off Axis Parabolic Mirror for Every ApplicationAn off axis parabolic mirror is an optical device which transforms plane waves into spherical waves and spherical waves into plane waves. This makes it useful for collimating light from a point source as well as focusing collimated light to a point. It does this with high accuracy, and is not dependent on wavelength. Shanghai Optics high quality off-axis parabolic mirrors can be used in broadband UV, visible, and IR applications.Understanding Parabolic MirrorsA parabolic mirror is a reflector in the shape of a circular paraboloid. Typically made of a highly reflective material such as aluminum, a standard parabolic mirror will center on the vertex of the paraboloid. This is the point where the curvature is greatest, and where the paraboloid is symmetrically divided by its axis. Parabolic mirrors are effective at collecting collimating light and focusing this light to a point, but the receiver will often cast s shadow on the paraboloid’s vertex. This blocks a significant part of the mirror from reflecting light, resulting in substantial signal loss.Off-axis parabolic mirrors are designed to eliminate this problem. These mirrors are sections of a parent paraboloid that are taken from a point other than the center axis. Depending on how far away from the axis the section originates, an off-axis parabolic mirror may feature a large or a small angle. But since these mirrors focus light to offset points, outside the collection area, there is no issue with receiver shadowing. This makes off-axis parabolic mirrors the optic of choice for long-range and precision instrumentation. The unrestricted  access these mirrors give to the system’s focal point also leads to compact system designs.Applications of Off-Axis Parabolic MirrorsOur OAP metal mirrors are used in spectrometers, interferometers, astronomical optical instruments, spectrum analyzers, and in beam expanders and beam collimators. They can be used in sequence to create a relay system, since with multiple mirrors you can switch between focal plane and pupil plane of your system without degradation in image quality.Limitations of an Off Axis Parabolic MirrorOff axis parabolic mirrors should only be used at infinite conjugates. They can produce a perfectly collimated beam from a spherical wave, or diffraction limited imaging when focusing a collimated beam, but when they’re used at finite conjugates the image quality will be abysmal.While using OAPs it is also important to remember that the orientation matters. If a collimated beam is incident upon the off axis mirror from an off-axis focal angle, it will not produce a diffraction limited image.  If a spherical wave enters on axis, it won’t produce a collimated beam either.How Are Off-Axis Parabolic Mirrors Produced?Manufacturers can produce off-axis parabolic mirrors in several ways. One method involves using a rotating furnace to form the mirrors from a molten base material. A simpler way is to cut and shape the off-axis paraboloids from metal blanks. At Shanghai Optics, we use the latter method to produce high-quality standard and custom OAP mirrors quickly.To provide the best results, we hand-polish our parabolic mirrors from large aluminum blanks and finish them to an accuracy of 1/20 lambda RMS. Our standard mirrors come in diameters between 2.5 and 10 inches and curvatures 15, 30, 45 and 60 degrees off-axis. We also provide off-axis parabolic mirrors in custom sizes and coatings upon request, so you can find an OAP mirror to meet your exact project requirements.

Shanghai Optics manufactures off axis parabolic metal mirrors in curvatures of 15°, 30°, 45°, and 60° off-Axis options. Our standard mirrors are manufactured from high quality aluminum, and come in diameters between 2.5 and 10 inches. Our mirrors are hand polished to an accuracy of 1/20 lambda RMS.

Mounting Your Off Axis Parabolic MirrorThe flat back of each of our OAP mirrors is equipped with three threaded holes for mounting. Typically an adaptor plate will be placed between the OAP back surface and a kinematic mirror mount.Since off axis mirrors are not rotationally symmetric, rotation must be restricted around the optical axis. We recommend using a precision machined mount since alignment of the other six degrees of freedom is very sensitive.Alignment of an OAPTo align your off axis parabolic mirror to collimate a spherical wave, follow these steps:Check that the incoming beam is at an appropriate height and is propagating parallel to your reference surface.Adjust the height of your mount so that the center of the mirror will match the center of the incident light.Position the center of your mirror a one focal length distance(that is, reflected focal length) from the origin of the sphericalMatch the angle of your mirror to the reflection angle designed into your optical system.Use a shear plate interferometer to check collimation. This is a four step process, in which you first check collimation in one plane, adjust as necessary, then check collimation in the orthogonal plane, and after adjusting, go back to the first plane again and readjust. Each plane will have to be checked at least twice, perhaps more, as the adjustments are not decoupledAs a last step, check that the output beam is parallel to the reference surface.Specifications of Off-Axis Parabolic Mirrors from S.O.Shanghai Optics manufactures off axis parabolic metal mirrors in curvatures of 15°, 30°, 45°, and 60° off-Axis options. Our standard mirrors are manufactured from high quality aluminum, and come in diameters between 2.5 and 10 inches. Our mirrors are hand polished to an accuracy of 1/20 lambda RMS.We are also able to provide off-axis parabolic mirrors in custom sizes and coatings upon request, so you can find an OAP mirror to meet your exact project requirements.Possible coatings include:Enhanced aluminum coating with 99 % reflectivity (for visible spectrum)9% dielectric coating for laser use (for visible spectrum)UV aluminum/MgF2 coating for laser use (near infrared region)Ion plated protected silver coating (for NIR, up to 2 um)Protected gold coating (for 750 nm to far infrared applications).Our optical engineers are available to provide off-axis parabolic mirror consulting and can help you design and produce a mirror that best matches your application. Feel free to contact us with a request for a quote, or for more information on custom options.Request a quote online today or contact an S.O. representative to learn more about our custom off-axis parabolic mirrors and other optical manufacturing capabilities.Learn More

An off axis parabolic mirror is an optical device which transforms plane waves into spherical waves and spherical waves into plane waves. This makes it useful for collimating light from a point source as well as focusing collimated light to a point. It does this with high accuracy, and is not dependent on wavelength. Shanghai Optics high quality off-axis parabolic mirrors can be used in broadband UV, visible, and IR applications.

The flat back of each of our OAP mirrors is equipped with three threaded holes for mounting. Typically an adaptor plate will be placed between the OAP back surface and a kinematic mirror mount.