Ultra-Compact ZnSe Wedged Optics and Miniature ZnSe Prisms

Zinc selenide (ZnSe) wedged windows and miniature ZnSe prisms are precision infrared components made from CVD ZnSe, transmitting from 0.6 µm to 16 µm with very low absorption at the 10.6 µm CO2 laser line.

The wedged version uses a small angle (0.5°, 1°, 30 arcmin, 3°, etc.) between faces to kill etalon fringes and cavity feedback, while subminiature prisms handle beam deviation, image rotation, or dispersion in tight MWIR/LWIR packages. 

Both are soft-material optics—handled with gloves, AR-coated for 3–5 µm, 8–12 µm, or 10.6 µm—and used in thermal imagers, FTIR, QCL alignment, and portable IR sensors where space and stray reflection control matter.

• CO2 laser systems: output windows, beam samplers, cavity feedback suppression
• Thermal imaging / FLIR: protective wedged windows, small beam fold prisms
• FTIR / spectroscopy: dispersive micro prisms, ATR accessories
• QCL and mid-IR lasers: beam deviation, reference path separation
• Medical IR diagnostics: compact imaging relays, endoscope front optics

• Industrial gas sensing: miniature wedge pairs for dual-beam correction