Request InfoLaCroix Precision OpticsSince 1947, three generations of family leadership have positioned LaCroix Precision Optics as the premier manufacturer of precision optics in America. Our relationship-driven approach to delivering the highest quality optics is the backbone of our long-standing success. We are known for doing what is right by our customers, employees, and suppliers. From the initial inquiry to the delivery of finished optics, our technical staff will be available every step of the way. Unique among custom optics manufacturers, LaCroix has the flexibility to assist you in scaling from prototypical to...See full productRelated content from Photonics MediaPRODUCTSPromoted Content February 2022 IssueOptical Products and Laser ComponentsDevelops and markets optical products and laser components, both standard and fully customizable. Our main products are: • Lenses: Spherical Lenses, Achromatic Lenses, F-Theta Scan...Photonics.com 12/20/2021Line Scan LensesThe LD21S02 and LD21S03 line scan lenses from Phenix Optics Co. Ltd. are 100-MP high-resolution devices with a pixel size of 3.1 µm and ultralow distortion. The available focal lengths of...Photonics Spectra September 2022 IssueDirect Time-of-Flight SensorThe VL53L8 direct Time-of-Flight sensor from STMicroelectronics can be used for smartphones, smart speakers, human-machine interfaces, consumer lidar, augmented reality, and more. The sensor...Photonics Spectra September 2022 IssueMWIR Continuous Zoom LensThe Ophir® LightIR 18- to 225-mm MWIR f/4 continuous zoom lens from MKS Instruments Inc. is a compact thermal imaging lens optimized for 10-µm SXGA/HD and 15-µm VGA focal plane array...ARTICLESPhotonics Spectra December 2022 IssueMicrolens Array Fabrication Method Reduces Device CostsThough aspheric microlens arrays (AMLAs) play an important role in advanced optical sensing, communications, imaging, and other industrial and biomedical applications, the fabrication of the elements...Photonics Spectra February 2022 IssueDesign for Manufacturing: Understanding Asphere Tolerances Is KeyCourtesy of asphericon GmbH. The production of optical elements has changed significantly over the last two decades, mostly due to the ever-increasing demand for optical systems from end markets,...Photonics Spectra September 2021 IssueInspecting for Lens Defects Only Scratches the SurfaceIt may come as a surprise to learn that, in sharp contrast to the high-precision practices of the optics industry, many optical surfaces are still inspected by the naked eye. Humans have yet to be...Photonics Spectra August 2021 IssueOptical Element Could Enable Pocket TelescopeA novel optical element will one day enable composite lenses and telescopes in a form factor small enough to fit in a pocket. The device, developed by Orad Reshef and Jeff Lundeen of the University...PHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESPhotonics HandbookAspheric Lenses: Optimizing the Design: This second of two articles discusses the tools optical designers need to tailor their designs to the appropriate manufacturing process, optimizing the cost of component fabrication.With the understanding of aspheric lens manufacturing provided in part one of this article, designers have the tools to optimize their aspheres; the next step is to understand how to specify and...Photonics HandbookAspheric Lenses: Design Considerations: This first of two articles will cover design and manufacturing options for aspheres; the second will include more detail on manufacturing and testing processes. These articles will provide the tools optics designers need to tailor their designs to the appropriate manufacturing process and to optimize the cost of component fabrication.Aspheric surfaces are powerful tools that combine the optical corrections of multiple lenses into a single element (Figure 1) and affect performance in ways that spherical optics cannot. For example,...Photonics HandbookMeasuring Aspheres: Selecting the Best Technique: The metrology method should match the nature of the part and the inspection constraints.The benefits of aspheric lenses are numerous: They allow for a reduction in spherical aberrations and are ideal for focusing or collimating light, as they can achieve a low ƒ-number. Aspheres...Photonics HandbookThin-Film Coatings: A Buyers' Guide: The vast majority of optics used in precision scientific, industrial, biomedical, and military applications incorporate thin-film coatings on their surfaces. Therefore, it’s useful for almost anyone involved in the specification and purchase of optical components to have some familiarity with the typical performance characteristics, trade-offs and limitations of various coating types, as well as some knowledge of the capabilities of common thin-film production technologies. This article provides an objective overview of both these topics.What are thin-film coatings? The purpose of any optical thin-film coating is to modify the transmittance and reflectance properties of the substrate material to which they are applied. Most coatings...WHITEPAPERSPhotonics.com 12/2/2022Plano Optics - Complex Components and AssembliesWe offer custom prisms, polygons, windows, mirrors, and wedges from one source. FISBA not only has the complete production chain in-house, we can also develop entire systems built-to-spec or support...Photonics.com 5/22/2023Dual-Band Infrared Anti-Reflection CoatingsAnti-reflection (AR) coatings provide high transmission in the MWIR and LWIR bands. Reynard’s Dual-Band IR anti-reflection (AR) coatings achieve measured peak transmission values of over 99.5% in...Photonics.com 10/4/2022Product Development Strategies for Electro-Optical SystemsThis whitepaper looks at the unique challenges associated with optical systems by exploring two extremes, an ultra-high precision instrument, and a low-cost consumer product, and the different...Photonics.com 10/7/2021Applying Durable Optical Coatings to Flexible SubstratesGone are the days of designing a system exclusively around traditional, flat, and rigid optical shapes. Advances in optical coatings and coating processes enable optical design engineers to test the...WEBINARSPhotonics.com 8/28/2019High-End Asphere Design for ManufacturabilityIn this webinar, Edmund Optics’ asphere experts will discuss the benefits of using aspheres in optical system design and the factors to take into account during the design process. You will...Photonics.com 1/10/2023Light-Weighting Optical Systems for Optimal Size, Weight, and PerformanceMultiple industries are now requiring high performance from their optical systems while also minimizing the size, weight, and power of system designs. To meet these engineering challenges, a process...Photonics.com 1/11/2023Expanding Options for the Design and Manufacture of Aspheres and Freeform OpticsThe idea of employing higher-order surfaces in optical systems to improve performance has been around for decades. Designing and fabricating aspheric lenses in larger quantities and at a quality...Photonics.com 1/14/2021Virtual Reality Optics: Present and FutureVirtual Reality (VR) is envisaged as one of the next platforms for human computer interaction, with a vast range of potential applications. The features required for an ideal VR headset imply a big...PHOTONICS DICTIONARY+ TERMSEDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009barium fluorideA relatively hard crystal, highly resistant to excessive energy radiation, that is frequently used for optical windows, prisms and lenses transmitting from the vacuum UV into the IR.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009aspheric lensA lens element in which at least one face is shaped to a surface of revolution about the lens axis, including conic sections but excluding a sphere.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009aspheric lens systemAn optical system having one or more lens or mirror components that have nonspherical surfaces. These surfaces, whether reflecting or refracting, serve to advance or retard the incident wavefront,...EDU.photonics.com 2/26/2014Mach-Zehnder interferometerDerived from the Twyman-Green interferometer, the Mach Zehnder is an amplitude splitting interferometer that consists of two beamsplitters and two fully reflecting mirrors. Light from an extended...VIDEOSPhotonics.com 8/25/2021Custom Optical Manufacturing Facility and Capabilities - Shanghai OpticsShanghai Optics designs, manufactures, and assembles custom lens systems and optical components from our global manufacturing facility. Learn about our capabilities, which include diamond turning...Photonics.com 4/14/2020Custom Optical Manufacturing Facility and CapabilitiesShanghai Optics designs, manufactures, and assembles custom lens systems and optical components from our global manufacturing facility. Learn about our capabilities, which includes diamond turning...Photonics.com 9/6/2022LaCroix Precision Optics - Company OverviewLaCroix Precision Optics is a customer-driven, world-class manufacturer of custom precision optics. Our core competencies include spherical lenses, aspheres, achromats, windows, wedges, prisms, and...Photonics.com 5/2/2022The History of LaCroix Precision OpticsCelebrating 75 years in business, LaCroix Precision Optics is a world-class, customer-driven manufacturer of custom precision optics. Our core competencies include spherical lenses, aspheres,...PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESAspheric LensesAn aspheric lens is a lens element in which at least one face is shaped to a surface of revolution about the lens axis, including conic sections but excluding a sphere.Polarizing BeamsplittersMagneto-Optic GlassOptical GlassCOMPANIESPhotonics Buyers' GuideLaCroix Precision OpticsOptics that Defend, Build, Cure and Discover The LaCroix name is synonymous with quality precision optics. Since 1947, three generations of family leadership have placed LaCroix Precision Optics...Photonics Buyers' GuideShanghai Optics Inc.ISO 9001 & ISO 13485 certified and D&B DUNS # 113515303 Shanghai Optics is an unparalleled custom system solution provider offering advance precision custom optical design, engineering,...Photonics Buyers' GuideFresnel Technologies Inc.Fresnel Technologies Inc. is an expert manufacturer of molded plastic optics, including Fresnel lenses and related optical components, as well as infrared transmitting materials and optics made from...Photonics Buyers' GuideLambda Research Optics Inc. (USA)Lambda Research Optics, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of laser optics with high power thin-film coatings and high precision fabrications. Lambda serves a wide range of industries, such as Biotech,...