Optical material classification

The first step in all optical manufacturing processes is the production of optical materials. The manufacturing process of optical materials determines its important optical and mechanical properties, such as refractive index, spectral parameters and hardness. This article introduces the general classification of optical materials.

The classification of optical materials is very different. From a technical perspective, it is reasonable to classify optical materials according to inorganic glass, organic glass or plastic and crystal. In addition, special ceramics, glass ceramics and transparent liquids are also used in the optical field. The following table lists the differences. An important representative product of materials.

Classification of optical materials and their representative products

Inorganic glass can be classified according to its position in the n-v diagram, and the abbreviations of organic glass and crystal represent the main components of its chemical structure.

Inorganic glass is divided into different glass series. A glass series is a group of glass types, which means that its structure contains a certain amount of ingredients within a limited concentration range. In addition, the unique position of the glass system in the n-v diagram completely defines its refractive index and dispersion. For different glasses of the same glass series, the abbreviation of the glass series is given and a serial number is added to represent the sequence of the original manufacturer. Each glass type represents a type of glass with a certain composition and optical properties, and its main optical properties are represented by refractive index n and Abbe number v.