Products HomeMounted N-BK7 Ground Glass Diffusers
- Offered in 120, 220, 600, and 1500 Grit Polishes
- Polished for Greater Uniformity than Sand Blasting
- Available in SM05-, SM1-, and SM2-Threaded Mounts
DGK01
DG05-220-MD
DG20-220-MD
Diffused
LED Condenser
Application Idea
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Features
- Three Sizes Available:
- Ø1/2" Diffuser in an SM05-Threaded (0.535"-40) Mount
- Ø1" Diffuser in an SM1-Threaded (1.035"-40) Mount
- Ø2" Diffuser in an SM2-Threaded (2.035"-40) Mount
- Substrate Material: N-BK7 (Uncoated)
Thorlabs' Mounted N-BK7 Ground Glass Diffusers can be used in a variety of applications requiring a diffuse Gaussian-like distribution. They are offered in 120, 220, 600, and 1500 grit polishes. Each grit polish is available in Ø1/2", Ø1", and Ø2" versions, housed in SM05-, SM1-, and SM2-threaded mounts, respectively. Each SM-threaded mount is engraved with the item number, the diameter size, and the grit. When positioning the diffusers, the grit-polished side should face away from the source.
Polished diffusers are advantageous over sand blasted diffusers, as their surfaces have greater uniformity. The various grits provide a range from fine to coarse scattering. A finer grit (e.g. 1500) has a small diffusion pattern, while a coarser grit (e.g. 120) will have a larger diffuser pattern. See the plot below to compare the performance of our diffusers. See the Graphs tab to see individual graphs for each grit polish level, as well as measurement details.
Click to EnlargePlease see the Application Idea tab for a Diffused LED Condenser that uses a ground glass diffuser. For applications requiring specific divergence angles, spatial distribution of the illumination, and intensity profiles, our Engineered Diffusers®* are more suitable. Thorlabs also offers UV Fused Silica Diffusers for applications that extend into the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum.
*Engineered Diffusers® is a registered trademark of VIAVI Solutions, Inc.
| Diffuser Selection Guide | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground Glass Diffusers | |||
| Standard Diffusers | N-BK7 Substrate | Unmounted, Uncoated | 350 nm - 2.0 μm |
| Unmounted, AR Coated | 350 nm - 700 nm 650 nm - 1050 nm |
||
| Mounted, Uncoated | 350 nm - 2.0 µm | ||
| UVFS Substrate | Unmounted, Uncoated | 185 nm - 2.0 µm | |
| Diffuse Reflectors | N-BK7 Substrate | Unmounted, UV-Enhanced Aluminum Coated | 250 nm - 450 nm |
| Unmounted, Protected Silver Coated | 450 nm - 20 µm | ||
| Unmounted, Protected Gold Coated | 800 nm - 20 µm | ||
| Alignment Disks | |||
| Engineered Diffusers | |||
| Glass Diffusers | UVFS Substrate | Unmounted and Mounted, Uncoated | 193 nm to 2.0 µm |
| Polymer Diffusers | ZEONOR Substrate | Unmounted and Mounted, Uncoated | 380 nm to 1.1 µm |
| Diffuser Kits | |||
| Common Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Diffuser Thickness | 2.0 mm |
| Clear Aperture | >90% |
| Surface Flatness of Smooth Side (@ 633 nm) | <4λ |
| Surface Quality of Smooth Side | 80-50 Scratch-Dig |
| Parallelism | <3 arcmin |
| Item # | Size | Grit |
|---|---|---|
| DG05-120-MD | Ø1/2" | 120 |
| DG05-220-MD | Ø1/2" | 220 |
| DG05-600-MD | Ø1/2" | 600 |
| DG05-1500-MD | Ø1/2" | 1500 |
| DG10-120-MD | Ø1" | 120 |
| DG10-220-MD | Ø1" | 220 |
| DG10-600-MD | Ø1" | 600 |
| DG10-1500-MD | Ø1" | 1500 |
| DG20-120-MD | Ø2" | 120 |
| DG20-220-MD | Ø2" | 220 |
| DG20-600-MD | Ø2" | 600 |
| DG20-1500-MD | Ø2" | 1500 |
Please note that the transmission values are affected by the manner in which the data is collected. An integrating sphere is used along with a spectrometer, and as the grit values get smaller the light is more dispersed, making it difficult to collect all of the light into the spectrometer. Therefore, lower grit values will appear to have a lower transmission.
Bidirectional Scattering Distribution Function Graphs
This data was taken by directing a HeNe laser at a diffuser and collecting the light with a receiver that was rotated around the diffuser to measure the angle-resolved scatter (ARS). The bidirectional scattering distribution function (BSDF), which is found by dividing the ARS by the cosine of the angle between the input beam and the receiver, measures the amount of scattering that occurs after light permeates the diffuser. The X axis of these graphs is the angle at which the scatter is occurring. This is why at 0° there can be a spike; this spike is representative of the specular beam going through the diffuser.
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Click to EnlargeBuild Your Own Collimated LED Source
The setup shown to the right uses a DG20-600-MD, Ø2", 600 Grit Ground Glass Diffuser as part of a homemade Diffused LED Condenser, which collimates the light exiting the LED source. Although Thorlabs also manufactures out-of-the-box collimated LED light sources, which essentially provide the same result, the one shown here is perfect for those inclined to build their own, perhaps as part of an educational setup. In this particular case, the setup was built using a 60 mm cage system. If you are not familiar with Thorlabs' 60 mm cage assemblies, they consist of cage-compatible components that are interconnected with cage rods. Each cage component features four tapped holes with center-to-center spacings of 60 mm, and they are joined together into a cage system using Ø6 mm rigid steel cage rods; in this case, 4" long cage assembly rods were chosen. The reason for building a cage system is to ensure that the optical components housed inside the cage system have a common optical axis.
To integrate the MWWHL4 Warm White Mounted LED, which has internal SM1 (1.035"-40) threading, into the 60 mm cage system, the mounted LED was threaded into an LCP02 30 mm-to-60 mm cage plate adapter using an SM1T2 Lens Tube Coupler. Next, the light source is directed through a Ø2", 600 grit ground glass diffuser, which is mounted using an LCP34 60 mm Cage Plate. After exiting the diffuser, the divergent light is collimated using an LA1401 Plano Convex Lens with a focal length of 60.0 mm. The lens is also housed in an LCP34 60 mm Cage Plate.
The entire 60 mm cage assembly is mounted onto a TR3 post using the 8-32 thread on the bottom of the LCP34, placed in a PH3 post holder, and attached to the breadboard using a BA2 Mounting base.
| Component Items Needed to Build a Diffused LED Condenser | ||
|---|---|---|
| Item# | Description | Qty. |
| MWWHL4a | 3000 K, 570 mW (Min) Mounted LED, 1000 mA | 1 |
| LCP02 | 30 mm to 60 mm Cage Plate Adapter | 1 |
| SM1T2 | SM1 (1.035"-40) Coupler, External Threads | 1 |
| LCP34 | 60 mm Threaded Cage Plate (Two SM2RR Retaining Rings Included) |
2 |
| DG20-600-MD | Ø2", SM2-Mounted N-BK7 Ground Glass Diffuser, 600 Grit | 1 |
| ER4 | Cage Assembly Rod, 4" Long, Ø6 mm | 4 |
| LA1401 | N-BK7 Uncoated Plano-Convex Lens, Ø50.8 mm, f = 60.0 mm | 1 |
| TR3 | Ø1/2" x 3" Post | 1 |
| PH3 | Post Holder with Spring-Loaded Thumbscrew, L=3" | 1 |
| BA2 | Mounting Base, 2" x 3" x 3/8" (51 x 76 x 10 mm) | 1 |
| Posted Comments: | |
雄太 中野
(posted 2023-11-09 14:51:35.097) こちらの拡散版でGrid毎のBSDF値がグラフで表示されていますが、これはどのように見ればよろしいでしょうか。特に600 Grid,1500 Grid(面がより滑らかな方)では0度付近で強度が増していますが、拡散板は面が荒い程、透過光の照度ムラが小さくなるのでしょうか。
また、基礎事項で恐縮ですが、ビームの面精度が拡散板で向上する原理はなにがあるのでしょうか。 cdolbashian
(posted 2023-11-15 11:43:38.0) We have translated your inquiry to the following:
===============================================
I see the BSDF values for each Grid in the graph on this diffusion plate. Especially for the 600 grid and 1500 grid (smoother surface), the intensity increases around 0 degree.
Also, I know this is a basic question, but what is the principle of how a diffuser improves the surface accuracy of the beam?
===============================================
The behavior of scattered light from a given "small" particle depends on the size of the particle with respect to the wavelength of light used, as well as the shape of the particle. For the smaller particles (larger grit), it is likely the scattering type is Mie scattering, which tends to have a maximum scattering in the forward direction. I have contacted you directly to discuss your application with you. Dennis Scheidt
(posted 2023-10-03 19:04:57.777) Have you measured the scattering coefficient mu_s of the 120 grit diffuser?
Thank you very much in advance cdolbashian
(posted 2023-10-19 02:54:51.0) Thank you for reaching out to us with this inquiry. Unfortunately we have not characterized the scattering coefficients for these diffusers. That being said, I have reached out to you directly with an experimental process which can be used to determine such coefficients. Łukasz Gryko
(posted 2020-01-03 07:26:11.433) Is it possible to obtain the parameters BTDF A, BTDF A and BTDFg of these diffusers:
120 grit
220 grit
600 grit
1500 grit
? YLohia
(posted 2020-01-23 04:37:10.0) Hello, I have reached out to you directly to gather more information about the parameters that you're looking for. |
Zoom| DGK01 Contents | |
|---|---|
| Item # | Description |
| DG10-120-MD | Ø1" SM1-Mounted N-BK7 Ground Glass Diffuser, 120 Grit |
| DG10-220-MD | Ø1" SM1-Mounted N-BK7 Ground Glass Diffuser, 220 Grit |
| DG10-600-MD | Ø1" SM1-Mounted N-BK7 Ground Glass Diffuser, 600 Grit |
| DG10-1500-MD | Ø1" SM1-Mounted N-BK7 Ground Glass Diffuser, 1500 Grit |
| DG10-1500-H1-MD | Ø1" SM1-Mounted Ground Glass Alignment Disk, 1500 Grit |
The DGK01 diffuser kit includes four Ø1" mounted ground glass diffusers, a Ø1" mounted ground glass alignment disk, and a plastic storage box. The SM1-threaded mounts are engraved with the item number and a brief item description.
Please see the table to the right for the contents of this diffuser kit. The table below contains specifications for the alignment disk DG10-1500-H1-MD.
| Alignment Disk Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Optic Diameter | Ø25.4 mm (Ø1") |
| Optic Thickness | 2.0 mm (0.079") |
| Center Hole Diameter | Ø1 mm (Ø0.04") |
| Grit | 1500 |
Mounted, N-BK7, Ground Glass Diffusers