High-Precision Microscope Objectives

The most significant portion of a microscope is the objective lens, which is responsible for imaging an item onto the human eye or an image sensor to detect its detail. Microscope objectives are used for a variety of scientific, industrial, and regular laboratory purposes.

Microscope objectives are often made up of many lens elements and are located closest to the object. There are two types of microscope objectives: infinite conjugate (infinite corrected) and finite conjugate, which come in magnifications ranging from 2× to 200×.

Several types of microscope objectives suit a wide range of applications. Achromatic objectives are the most basic and least expensive, similar to those in a school science classroom.

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Apochromatic objectives, on the other hand, offer a professional-grade degree of aberration correction and have comparatively high resolution. Most microscopes have various objectives with varying magnifications, allowing specimens or samples to be studied with enough resolution.

Microscope objectives are widely utilized in various applications, including medical, scientific research, and industrial fields.

The video above is a quick introduction to microscope objectives. Objective lenses are used in microscopy systems for a range of scientific research and industrial and general lab applications. Video Credit: Shanghai Optics Inc.

The video above is a quick introduction to choosing the right microscope objective for your project. There are many types of microscope objectives available and choosing the right ones will help to produce high-quality images at a reasonable cost. Video Credit: Shanghai Optics Inc.

Types of Microscope Objectives and How They Are Used

Objective lenses offer base magnifications and are classified into several varieties based on lens designs, optical aberration corrections, and uses. The most significant characteristics are marked on the barrel of the objective, allowing students and researchers to quickly recognize its qualities and establish the operating conditions for optimal usage.

Precision imaging and scientific research require high-quality objectives to create high-resolution images with little distortion and high contrast. The refractive index of the medium between the objective and the object plays an important role in defining a microscope objective's working numerical aperture and resolution.

Designing the objective for use with an immersion medium, such as oil or water, can significantly improve its numerical aperture.

Shanghai Optics provides a comprehensive selection of pre-engineered objectives for various applications, including plan achromatic, plan fluorite, plan apochromatic, and super apochromatic objectives. Custom microscope objectives are often the best choice for special applications.

Apochromatic Objectives & Super Apochromatic Objectives

Shanghai Optics’ apochromatic microscope objectives offer superior corrections for spherical and chromatic aberrations in a flat field of focus and strong transmission from visible to near-infrared. They are intended for use in various immersion media, including air/dry, water, and oil.

Shanghai Optics’ super apochromatic microscope objectives are built explicitly for the most demanding research applications. They provide superior apochromatic correction while delivering diffraction-limited performance in the visible area. These objectives are intended for use in various immersion media, including air/dry, water, and oil.

Image Credit: Shanghai Optics Inc.

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Custom Microscope Objectives

Shanghai Optics manufactures custom microscope objective lenses for researchers and OEMs that need a solution that exceeds the capabilities of off-the-shelf microscope objective lenses.

Custom objectives are made to fit the requirements for performance under particular imaging conditions, including a large working distance, thicker or thinner cover glass, etc.

Shanghai Optics uses modern optical design software and world-class production procedures to develop and manufacture microscope objectives that match the unique demands of its customers efficiently and cost-effectively. High-quality glasses with a high refractive index and low dispersion are used to reduce chromatic and other aberrations such as coma, astigmatism, geometrical distortion, field curvature, and spherical aberration.

Image Credit: Shanghai Optics Inc.

Pre-engineered Microscope Objectives Designs

Budget and timing constraints might often make it difficult to include completely customized optics in the project. Selecting or customizing a pre-engineered lens to meet specific requirements might be a viable choice. Shanghai Optics (S.O) provides a comprehensive range of pre-engineered microscope objectives at various magnifications, including industrial, biological, and metallurgical objectives.

Industrial objectives are primarily used in industrial microscopes, which are effective tools for inspecting materials, component structures, subassemblies, assemblies, and finished products for quality control. Biological objectives are generally employed in biological microscopes, which are scientific devices used in research institutes, universities, and hospitals to conduct biological specimen research and diagnosis.

Metallurgical objectives are generally used in metallurgical microscopes to analyze objects with bright, metal, or other opaque surfaces for scientific and industrial applications.

Image Credit: Shanghai Optics Inc.

How Microscope Objectives Are Made

Custom Objective Lens Assembly Process

Custom Objective Lens Assembly. An inside look at Shanghai Optics’ Custom Objective Lens Assembly Process. Video Credit: Shanghai Optics Inc.

Custom Infrared (IR) Objective Lens Assembly. A look at Shanghai Optics’ Custom Infrared (IR) Objective Lens Assembly Process. Video Credit: Shanghai Optics Inc.

NIR Objective Lens Assembly. A close up view of NIR Objective Lens Assembly Process. Video Credit: Shanghai Optics Inc.

Though the particular procedures vary depending on the type of objective required, microscope objectives are typically made using the following process:

1. Design the objective: Shanghai Optical designs and manufactures objective lenses with the necessary performance to satisfy its customers' unique demands for imaging quality, magnification, working distance, spectral range, and field of vision. This process could involve selecting the appropriate lens configuration, types of optical glasses, lens optimizations, performance studies, and developing specifications and drawings for lens assembly, optical parts, and mechanical components.
2. Component manufacturing: There are numerous ways to create optical components, including precision molding for large-scale production. Shanghai Optics evaluates the individual demands of its customers and selects the most cost-effective methods of producing the components. They verify all components to guarantee that their surface quality and dimension accuracy fulfill the specifications.
3. Coating the optical components: All optical components are coated to ensure they fulfill coating specifications such as reflectivity and transmission.
4. Bonding: Shanghai Optics selects the appropriate adhesive to bond the optical components. They thoroughly clean the optical elements and accurately cement the matching surfaces.
5. Assemble the objective: Shanghai Optics employs the best alignment technique to produce objective lenses precisely and affordably. They check and qualify targets using cutting-edge optical metrology technology to meet customers' unique requirements.

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Shanghai Optics designs and manufactures a variety of conventional and custom microscope objectives to fulfill its customers' particular demands. With its excellent in-house production and testing facilities, Shanghai Optics can efficiently and quickly create prototypes and large numbers of precision microscope objectives.

Shanghai Optics provides cost-effective solutions to customers with specialized demands such as high N.A., long working distances, and customized coatings.

With over 55 years of optical design and production experience in precision lenses, Shanghai Optics is well-equipped to assist engineers, researchers, scientists, and microscope manufacturers with microscopy and imaging challenges.

The optical engineering specialists can assist users in designing custom microscope objectives that fit their requirements, and the manufacturing team can produce high-quality lenses efficiently and cost-effectively.

Shanghai Optics conducts first-article inspections and adheres to ISO 9001 standards to verify that the lenses meet or exceed performance objectives.