The U.S. based molded glass manufacturer Kopp Glass has announced its research“The Effects of UV Glass Optics on UV LED Arrays,” which presents how molded optics can be used to increase UV LED efficiency and performance.

(Image:Kopp Glass)

In the research, Kopp Glass showed an optical simulation on both the fused quartz rod optic and a UV transmitting borosilicate Total Internal Reflection (TIR) optic. The study demonstrated that compared to a UV LED array without an optic, both the rod and TIR optics increase peak irradiance and refract more energy toward the curing target surface. While both optic types have their unique advantages and disadvantages, the results are clear in demonstrating that UV glass TIR optics are more efficient at capturing stray rays of light and increasing peak irradiance.

The finding helps to control the light beam collimation and the irradiance pattern at the measurement surface, which leads to a higher-performance UV LED curing system.