A germanium lens is made using a material that allows for the passing of infrared light rays. Since most lenses have a silica base, these light rays are not able to pass. This means any type of device used for thermal imaging needs to be made with a germanium lens.
Quality Lens Manufacturers
Thermal imaging is widely used in the medical profession. For this reason it is extremely important for the manufacturers of devices using germanium lenses to use a superior lens manufacturing company. The cameras designed to detect the heat or radiation emanating from a specific source, need to have lenses built that conform to the range of the space they will be able to detect the infrared rays. They also need to fit whatever type of mount or aperture they will be placed in.
Custom Designed Optics
In addition to being widely used in the field of medicine, a germanium lens could also used for scientific research and is commonly found in cameras created for security systems. The military also uses infrared technology. Many of the devices found in these fields are created on an as needed basis, which means the lenses they use might have to be custom designed.
A lens manufacturing company such as Shanghai Optics, could offer these lenses as factory standards or custom creations. Some of the standard shapes for these lenses include variations of both concave and convex surfaces. They are also available with an anti-reflection coating.
