At ASE Optics, we understand the art of lens design
and apply our skills to meet the demanding
performance, fabrication, and cost requirements of
today's optical systems.

What is Lens Design?

In the lens design consulting process, requirements for an optical system are converted into a prescription that specifies the arrangement of optical components needed to meet those requirements. A custom lens design solution from ASE Optics doesn’t stop there, but goes beyond, to include the detailed information on tolerances and shop drawings that make the optical system achievable, reproducible, and affordable for our customer.

What Does a Lens Designer do?

The art and science of lens design goes well beyond the handy software tools that crunch numbers and can generate helpful theoretical solutions. The job of making the optical system that’s workable and just right for a customer requires more –a solid understanding of imaging and physical optics and behavior, such as diffraction, as well as background and practical experience relating to glass properties, precision optical manufacturing, opto-mechanical design, and optical assembly. It is only with this array of knowledge and tools, and awareness of what it takes to fabricate the optical system, that a Lens Designer can master the design task.

At ASE Optics, our lens designers combine advanced degrees in optics with a broad base of practical fabrication experience. Backed by this winning combination, we’ve successfully met the needs of a wide range of optics customers, with our designs currently in use in national laboratories and widely used in consumer electronics, laser ablation, bio-medical applications, industrial applications, and defense…the list goes on.

What Happens After the Lens Design is Completed?

At the completion of a lens design, you own the design and have a number of choices. Among these options is to take advantage of ASE Optics manufacturing experience for opto-mechanical system design, prototyping, testing, and final assembly. We can also support third-party prototyping and fabrication, as needed.

Where can ASE Help my Engineering Team?

Wherever your team needs additional specialized optical engineering expertise. ASE Optics can help troubleshoot performance or assembly issues, determine system requirements and specifications, or help meet a critical deadline. Our engineers have extensive experience with microscope and camera objectives, near-eye projection, illuminators, LED illumination systems, DMD projection systems, three-mirror anastigmats, off-axis reflective systems, micro-lithography systems, and spectrometers…again, the list goes on! ASE Optics designs are used with vacuum ultra-violet (VUV), ultra-violet (UV), visible, near infra-red (NIR), short wave infra-red (SWIR), mid-wave infra-red (MWIR), and long wave infra-red (LWIR, or thermal infrared) light.

Industries Served:

• Military
• Biotechnology
• Commercial
• Aerospace
• Medical Devices
• Research
• and Yours

Lens Design Expertise:

• Microscope objectives
• Laser-focusing objectives
• Imaging lenses
• Scan lenses
• Micro-lithography lenses
• UV systems
• Visible systems
• NIR systems
• SWIR systems
• LWIR systems
• Reflective imaging systems
• Catadioptric imaging systems
• Imaging spectrometers
• Near-eye imaging systems
• HMD systems
• Rear-projection systems
• Scientific instruments
• Many more...