Dispersing Prisms

Name: Dispersing Prisms
Brand: PhotonEdge
SKU: PE-PRISM-DISP-038
Availability: LimitedAvailability

Key Specifications

Type	Equilateral Dispersing Prism
Material	N-BK7 / UV Fused Silica / CaF₂
Side Length	5-75 mm
Apex Angle	60° (equilateral)
Surface Quality	60-40 / 40-20
Dispersion	Material-dependent (BK7 highest in VIS)
Wavelength	350-2000nm (BK7)
AR Coatings	Available

What Is a Dispersing Prisms?

Dispersing Prisms are precision optical components that deviate, rotate, invert, or disperse light beams through total internal reflection or refraction. They are essential building blocks in optical instruments, laser systems, and spectroscopy.

PhotonEdge offers standard and custom prism geometries in N-BK7, UV Fused Silica, and CaF₂ substrates.

When Should You Use This Product?

✔ Good Choice When

✓ Spectrometer beam dispersion
✓ Wavelength separation and analysis
✓ Educational optics demonstrations
✓ Compact spectrometer designs

⚠ Consider an Alternative When

✗ 90° beam deviation → Right Angle Prism

✗ Image rotation → Dove Prism

✗ Polarization splitting → Polarizing Prism

✗ Constant deviation → Penta Prism

Available Optical Materials

Select the optimal substrate material based on your wavelength, environment, and budget requirements.

Material	Transmission	Key Advantage	Considerations
N-BK7	VIS / NIR (350-2000nm)	General-purpose, low cost	Not for UV < 350nm
UV Fused Silica	UV / VIS / NIR (185-2100nm)	UV-compatible, low absorption	Higher cost
CaF₂	Deep UV / VIS / IR (130-7800nm)	Broadest range, low dispersion	Fragile, higher cost

Not sure which material to choose?

Ask AI Optical Engineer

Optical Coating Options

Uncoated (AR optional)

Uncoated polarizing elements. Optional AR available.

Typical use: General polarization control

BBAR Visible

Broadband AR for 400-700nm. R < 0.5% per surface.

Typical use: Visible polarization applications

AR Custom Wavelength

Custom AR for specific wavelength bands.

Typical use: Laser or specialized applications

How to Specify Your Coating

To select the right coating, please provide: (1) Operating wavelength, (2) Angle of incidence, (3) Required transmission or reflectivity, (4) Laser power density (if applicable), (5) Operating environment.

Engineering Considerations

Key factors to evaluate when specifying this optical component for your system.

Surface Quality

60-40 for general alignment; 40-20 for laser systems; 20-10 for precision laser and imaging.

Wavefront Error

λ/4 is standard. For interferometric systems, request λ/10 or tighter.

AR Coatings

Reduce reflection losses at air-glass interfaces. Essential for multi-surface systems.

Material Selection

BK7 for visible; Fused Silica for UV; CaF₂ for broadband UV-IR or dispersion-critical applications.

Applications

Spectroscopy

Beam conditioning, wavelength selection, and signal extraction in spectrometers.

Laser Systems

Laser line filtering, beam shaping, and optical filtering.

Fluorescence & Bioimaging

Excitation and emission filtering for fluorescence microscopy.

Research & Education

Optical measurement setups and spectroscopic analysis.

Manufacturing & Customization

PhotonEdge supports optical component sourcing, engineering review, and qualified manufacturing through our optical manufacturing network. We coordinate production, coating, and inspection to deliver components that meet your specifications.

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Prototype

⚙️

Low Volume

🏭

Volume Production

📋

Custom Specification

Quality Assurance

Dimensional Inspection

Diameter, thickness, focal length verified per specification

Surface Quality

Scratch-dig inspection under calibrated illumination

Coating Verification

Spectrophotometric measurement of transmission/reflectance

Inspection documentation available according to project requirements. Certificates of Conformance, material test reports, and coating curves can be provided.

You May Also Need

Related Knowledge

Engineering Documentation

The following documentation is available upon request for qualified engineering projects:

📐

Dimensional Drawing

CAD & dimensional specs per your requirements

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Material Data Sheet

Material properties, transmission curves & certificates

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Coating Performance Curve

Spectrophotometric measurement data

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Inspection Report

Surface quality, flatness, centration & dimensional data

✅

Certificate of Conformance

CoC with full traceability per project requirements

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Custom Specification Sheet

Application-specific specification documentation

Documentation availability depends on project scope and order quantity. Request details during RFQ.

Frequently Asked Questions

What materials are available?

Standard materials include N-BK7 for visible applications, UV Fused Silica for UV, and CaF₂ for broadband UV-IR.

What are the standard sizes?

We stock common sizes from 5mm to 50mm. Custom dimensions are available upon request.

What surface quality do you offer?

60-40 for standard applications, 40-20 for precision, and 20-10 for laser-grade optics.

Can prisms be used with lasers?

Yes. For laser applications, specify laser-grade surface quality (20-10) and appropriate AR coatings for your wavelength.

How do I specify a prism?

Provide: type, material, dimensions, wavelength, surface quality, and coating requirements.

What is the lead time?

Standard prisms ship within 1-2 weeks. Custom prisms require 3-4 weeks.

Not Sure Which Specification You Need?

Describe your optical system and our AI Optical Engineer will help identify the right specifications, materials, and coatings for your application.

Analyze My Requirement

Request an Engineering Quote

Provide your requirements and our engineering team will respond within 24 hours with a detailed quotation.

TypeMaterialSide LengthApex AngleSurface QualityDispersionWavelengthAR Coatings

Submit Engineering Request