Cylindrical Optical Lenses for Beam Control

Sapphire Cylindrical Lenses

Sapphire Cylindrical Lenses

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Sold by: CSOC Ships from: China
Specifications
Lens Type: Positive, Negative
Material: BK7, FS, UVFS, CaF2, ZnSe, Ge, H-K9L
Diameter Tolerance: +/-0.1mm (+/-0.005mm for customized high precision)
Length Tolerance: +/-0.1mm (+/-0.02mm for customized high precision)
Surface Quality: 60/40 (10/5 for customized high precision)
Cylindrical Achromatic Doublets

Cylindrical Achromatic Doublets

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Sold by: Photonchina Ships from: China
Specifications
Lens Type: Positive, Negative
Material: BK7, FS, UVFS, CaF2, ZnSe, Ge, H-K9L
Material: N-BK7/H-K9L, N-SF11
Optical Coating: AR coating: 350-700nm; 650-1050nm
AR Coating Range Coating A: 350 - 700 nm
Cylindrical and toroid lenses

Cylindrical and toroid lenses

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Sold by: Sinoptix Ships from: Belgium
Specifications
Lens Type: Positive, Negative
Material: BK7, FS, UVFS, CaF2, ZnSe, Ge, H-K9L
Size: 500 mm
Focal Length: Not Specified
Customization: according to your drawings

Did You Know?

Unlike spherical lenses, a single cylindrical lens focuses light only in one dimension, creating a line focus whose width is often limited by astigmatism and manufacturing tolerances rather than diffraction alone. For example, a plano-convex cylindrical lens with 50 mm focal length and 25 mm clear aperture will focus a collimated beam to a line ~50 mm away in one axis while leaving the orthogonal axis essentially collimated, which is why two orthogonally oriented cylindrical elements are often paired to form an anamorphic beam shaper. A common misconception is that cylindrical lenses are just "half of a spherical lens"; in practice, surface figure error along the cylinder axis and edge roll-off must be specified separately (e.g., λ/4 PV over a 5 mm test aperture) to avoid line-focus distortion in laser scanning or metrology setups.
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Frequently Asked Questions

A cylindrical lens has curvature in only one axis, so it focuses or expands light into a line rather than a point, unlike a spherical lens which has curvature in both axes and produces a point focus. Cylindrical lenses are used to correct astigmatism, shape laser beams into lines or sheets, and compress or expand beams in a single dimension.

Overview of Cylindrical Lenses

Cylindrical lenses are optical elements that focus or expand light in a single dimension, producing a line focus instead of a point. On FindLight, the cylindrical products in this light transport domain include plano-concave, plano-convex, bi-convex, and bi-concave geometries used to shape, collimate, or astigmatically correct laser beams.

Each cylindrical component is designed to manipulate only one axis of a beam profile. This makes cylindrical optics useful for transforming circular beams into lines, correcting ellipticity, or coupling light efficiently into slit apertures, line-scan sensors, or rectangular waveguides.

Typical Specifications for Cylindrical Optics

When selecting a cylindrical lens, procurement engineers typically evaluate:

  • Material: UV-grade fused silica, BK7, CaF2, ZnSe, and other substrates depending on the operating wavelength and damage threshold.
  • Radius of curvature and focal length: Defines the one-axis focusing strength; short focal length cylindrical components produce tighter line foci.
  • Dimensions: Length, height, and edge thickness, which affect clear aperture and mounting options.
  • Surface quality and figure: Scratch-dig values (e.g., 20-10 or 40-20) and surface accuracy (e.g., λ/4) impact scatter and aberrations.
  • Coatings: AR coatings optimized for VIS, NIR, or MIR ranges to minimize reflection on cylindrical surfaces.
  • Tolerance and alignment features: Decenter and wedge tolerances important for multi-element cylindrical assemblies.

Use Cases in Light Transport

Cylindrical lenses on FindLight support applications such as laser line generation for machine vision, barcode scanning, and alignment; beam shaping for diode lasers; anamorphic correction in projection systems; and focusing into spectrometer slits or line-scan cameras. In fiber coupling and other light transport tasks, a cylindrical element is often combined with spherical lenses to tune one axis independently.

Buyer Guidance on FindLight

To choose an appropriate cylindrical optic, start from your wavelength range, required line length, and working distance. Then compare focal length, substrate, and AR coating between available cylindrical models. For integration into existing mounts, verify physical dimensions and tolerances. On FindLight you can review multiple cylindrical options from different suppliers, compare detailed datasheets, and request quotes directly from manufacturers without registration, simplifying technical evaluation and procurement.