APQ 110/550 Fluorite Wide Field Polychromat

Comparison between APQ 110/550 Wide Field Polychromat, APQ 100/640 Quadruplet Polychromat and Carl Zeiss APQ 100/640 Apochromat: Strehl Ratio vs. Wavelength (365nm – 1014nm)

The APQ 110/550 Fluorite Wide Field Polychromat does not show any decrease of the Strehl ratio near or below the diffraction limit in the peripheral regions of the visual spectrum, as is the case with most apochromats.

Due to its polychromatic correction, the ten lens CaF₂ optical system of the APQ 110/550 is able to achieve the maximum possible resolution up to the edge of the non-vignetted image field of Ø67.4mm (IMX411: image diagonal 66.7mm) and thereby utilize the full UBVRI spectral range (365nm – 1014nm) of modern electronic sensors (CCD, CMOS).

The RMS spot size is well within the diameter of the Airy disc for all wavelengths in the entire spectral range from 365nm to 1014nm, even at the edge oft the image field of Ø67.4mm.

We source the high-quality fluorite blanks with special parameters in selected quality from a certified manufacturer, which also supplies the global players of precision optical equipment with CaF₂ raw material for the production of stepper lenses for VUV photolithography.

The surfaces of the optics lenses made of three different special optical glasses of SCHOTT^® or OHARA^® and CaF₂ are precision machined, a lens surface is an asphere.

Because every fabrication can only be done with finite precision, even the latest technologies and state-of-the-art CNC precision machining processes are subject to errors. All manufacturing parameters must therefore be tolerated conscientiously.

The required high image quality is achieved by a final system correction, which is performed by a precision optics master with decades of experience in his field.

Thanks to a novel compensation cell, the lenses of the oiled and with air gaps spaced optical systems are held in stable position with fluctuations in temperature.