Key takeaways
- A global leader in agricultural genetics sought durable, economical UV microscope objectives.
- Issues in meeting these objectives included optical design complexity, wavefront control, and fabrication accuracy.
- By optimizing coatings, production, and materials, the lens lifespan increased from three to 18 months, reducing costs and microscope downtime.
- Avantier’s tailored optical coatings enhanced performance and durability, ensuring dependable genetic evaluation. This partnership established a new benchmark for high-performance, cost-effective UV microscope objectives in genetics and reproduction studies.
Project background: UV microscope objectives for genetic analysis
A leading company in the field of agricultural genetics and reproduction services approached Avantier to address challenges related to the cost and durability of microscope objective lenses. These lenses are essential in genetic data analysis, directly influencing efficiency and operational expenses.
This collaboration aimed to improve the performance and longevity of UV microscope objectives.
Challenges in designing and fabricating UV microscope objectives
- Optical Design Complexity: Designing UV microscope objectives involves careful consideration of the unique characteristics of UV light, including reduced transmittance, increased photon energy, and shorter wavelengths. The company required advanced optical design strategies to ensure excellent imaging across the entire field of view. This included developing apochromatic equation systems to correct both chromatic and spherical aberrations.
- Material Selection and Fabrication Processes: UV-grade fused silica was chosen as the primary substrate, due to its high damage threshold and minimal scattering characteristics. A specialized manufacturing process was used to ensure optimal cleanliness and avoid potential contamination that could reduce imaging quality.
- Wavefront Aberration Control: Achieving high-resolution and low-distortion imaging required maintaining a wavefront aberration of under λ/5 across the entire wavelength range. To meet this requirement, careful optimization was needed during both the design and fabrication phases.
- Precision Fabrication and Testing: The elevated photon energy associated with UV light requires high surface quality and accuracy in optical elements. To meet these stringent requirements, sophisticated manufacturing methods paired with cutting-edge metrology technologies were used.
- Cost and Efficiency Challenges: Traditionally, high production expenses have limited the widespread implementation of UV microscope objectives. To address this, Avantier concentrated on minimizing fabrication costs while maintaining strict quality standards and optimizing production efficiency.
Solutions and outcomes
- Tailored Optical Coatings: In collaboration with Avantier, the company developed a tailored optical coating solution to address its specific needs. The coatings they developed together improved the durability and performance of the microscope objectives, allowing them to endure harsh operating environments.
- Substantial Longevity Enhancements: The operational lifespan of the UV microscope objectives was extended from three months to 18 months through the use of sophisticated materials, coatings, and precision manufacturing processes—a substantial sixfold increase in durability.
- Cost and Time Savings: The extended lifespan of the lenses significantly reduced the frequency of replacements, resulting in large cost savings and minimized equipment downtime. This enhancement streamlined the agricultural genetic company’s operations, enabling more effective resource allocation.
UV Microscope Objectives for Genetic Analysis. Image Credit: Avantier Inc.
Improving UV microscope objectives
By addressing the challenges of UV light, choosing optimal materials, and using innovative fabrication methods, Avantier successfully delivered a durable solution that surpassed its client’s expectations.
This collaboration resolved immediate challenges and established a new standard for affordable, high-performance UV microscope objectives in genetics and reproduction research.
About Avantier Inc
Avantier is a vertically integrated leader in high-precision custom optics, delivering end-to-end solutions for complex optical challenges. From prototyping to full-scale production, we ensure exceptional quality and repeatability.
Our expertise spans the design and manufacturing of advanced optical components such as aspherical lenses, freeform optics, microscope objective lenses, OAP mirrors, telescopes, SiC optics, optical domes, microlens arrays, large optics, and infrared lenses.
Serving aerospace, biomedical, life sciences, quantum computing, and other advanced technology sectors, Avantier is your trusted one-stop strategic partner for meeting the most stringent optical specifications with precision and reliability.
Sponsored Content Policy: News-Medical.net publishes articles and related content that may be derived from sources where we have existing commercial relationships, provided such content adds value to the core editorial ethos of News-Medical.Net which is to educate and inform site visitors interested in medical research, science, medical devices and treatments.