Design and Application of Optical Domes

An optical dome is an optical component with a spherical or hemispherical shape, widely used in various optical systems. Optical domes are typically employed to protect internal components of optical systems from external environmental influences while allowing free transmission of light. They find significant applications in aerospace, military, oceanic exploration, security surveillance, and other fields.

Design Principles of Optical Domes:

The design of optical domes necessitates consideration of both optical and mechanical performance. The shape of a dome is typically hemispherical or hyperhemispherical, featuring two concentric spherical surfaces to effectively reduce optical aberrations. During design, it is crucial to ensure that the parallel tolerance of the dome is less than 2μm to guarantee high-precision optical performance.

Material Selection:

The choice of materials for optical domes is crucial. Commonly used materials include optical glass (such as N-BK7, N-BK10), sapphire, and polymers. These materials offer good transparency and heat resistance, making them suitable for various optical systems and environmental conditions. For instance, N-BK7 glass is often used in visible light applications due to its wide-angle characteristics and is suitable for protecting deep-sea cameras.

Manufacturing Processes:

The manufacturing processes of optical domes encompass optical design, mold fabrication, injection molding, and surface treatment. Advanced micro-nano processing technologies and inspection equipment ensure the high precision and quality of the domes. For example, Fulan Optical employs injection molding technology to produce optical domes for surveillance cameras, successfully addressing the challenges of mold fabrication and processing for complex optical products.

Application Fields:

Optical domes have wide-ranging applications in various fields:

Aerospace and Military: Used to safeguard the optical systems of aircraft and missiles, meeting aerodynamic requirements.

Oceanic Exploration: Utilized in deep-sea cameras and submersibles, providing wide-angle views and high light transmission.
Security Surveillance: Applied in surveillance cameras to deliver high-quality images and weather resistance.

As a crucial optical component, optical domes hold promising applications. Through continuous technological innovation and material enhancements, optical domes will play vital roles in diverse fields.