Prisms

Each surface of a G&H prism that is polished and coated is held to extremely precise angular tolerances with respect to the other surfaces.

Prisms are critical components in optical systems that utilize their bending or refracting properties to bend, fold, invert, reinvert, displace, and deviate light. While not used as frequently as lenses and mirrors, their role is essential. The manufacturing of prisms is challenging, as every surface and its angular tolerances to the whole are difficult to maintain during polishing and coating. This process requires complex tooling that is as difficult to manufacture and maintain as the prism itself.

To ensure reliable performance in the field, we employ advanced metrology capabilities to qualify every component at each stage of the manufacturing process. G&H has ISO9001 certifications across all manufacturing sites and AS9100C certifications across select facilities. Durability testing can be performed against MIL, DIN, or BSI standards as appropriate.

We design and manufacture our precision prisms, by hand, in the United Kingdom.

Optical Prism Types

• Abbe
• Leman
• Light pipe homogenizing rods
• Pentaprism
• Periscope
• Rhomboid
• Right Angle (Porro / Dove)
• Roof (Amici / Pechan)
• Schmidt
• Wedge (Risley)
• Wollaston
• Zeiss

Coatings

From high transmission broadband anti-reflection coatings to V-coats for high energy applications, our extensive coating capabilities for precision optical components deliver performance across the spectrum from the UV to the FIR.

• Front surface anti-reflection coatings
• Back surface metal coatings
• Back surface protective black coatings for improved handling performance
• High laser damage threshold coatings

Applications

• Laser cavities
• Laser rangefinders
• Dermatology
• Periscopes
• Optical interferometry
• Spectroscopy
• Biomedical

Key Equipment & Processes

Our precision optical prism production capabilities include precision angular tolerancing, accurate wavefront control, and polishing of a wide variety of materials.

• DMG Ultrasonic 50 CNC
• Optical contacting
• 18" - 48" lap polishers
• Custom designed in-house glass tooling

Metrology

We invest in state-of-the-art metrology to ensure customers receive the highest quality products.

• Trioptics Prism Master goniometer
• 6" and 18" Zygo interferometers (1/50th wave accuracy flatness RWE and TWE)
• CNC Smartscope
• KEYENCE machine

Environmental Testing

Environmental testing of components and coatings is critical for the assurance of performance in rugged conditions. G&H environmental testing capabilities include MIL-C-675C, MIL-C-48497A, MIL-E-12397, and MIL-M-13508C for endurance against abrasion, adhesion, humidity, temperature, and environmental conditions.