Chapter 7

Optical Adhesives
7.1 Introduction
Adhesives (bonds or cements) are used in optics for two main purposes:
1. To bond optical elements to their housing, and
2. To bond optical elements to each other, including lens to lens (for
doublets or triplets) and prism to prism (for beamsplitters).
This chapter refers to the latter. When determining how to join the optical
elements, the right consideration must be taken when drawing the element to
be cemented and then choosing the right adhesive to achieve the best results.
These considerations are made by the optical designer while designing the
optical elements to be bonded.
(Bonding optical elements to their housing should be performed according
to relevant written procedures that also include instructions for inspection and
tests to verify the conformity of the bonding results to the written
requirements. Those requirements are established by the designer and are
not a part of this guide.)
UV-curing adhesives (Figs. 7.1 and 7.2) are one-component materials that
are cured upon exposure to UV light. These UV adhesives dominate the
market for bonding optical elements due to their ease of use and fast cure
time. This chapter refers basically to UV materials. Most of the following
descriptions apply to other optical adhesives (two-component cements), as
well.
Physical considerations
• Do the elements have chamfers?
• Depth and radius of curvature.
• Will there be post-cementing processing, i.e., cutting or grinding?
• Types of materials to be bonded.
• Coefficients of thermal expansion.
• Bond line configuration.
• Surface area versus cement viscosity.

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 100 Chapter 7

Figure 7.1 Norland optical adhesive 65. Image reprinted courtesy of Norland Products,
Inc., all rights reserved.

Figure 7.2 Summers lens bond type C-59. Image reprinted courtesy of Summers Optical
(a division of the EMS Acquisition Corp.), all rights reserved.

Optical considerations
• Refractive indices of the elements.
• Transmission of the elements.
• Tolerance of internal reflection and absorption.
Environmental considerations
• Working temperature extremes.
• Mechanical shock requirements.
• Chemical resistance requirements.
• Pre-bonding chemical and substance exposure.

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 Optical Adhesives 101

Verifying the conformity of the adhesion of an optical bonded element

(doublet, triplet, cemented prism, etc.) can include, according to the
requirements, a witness sample (two bonded flat windows of the same
material and of the same adhesive lot) or an actual bonded element. The test
may include temperature (high and low), humidity, vibration, mechanical or
thermal shock, transmission, and visual inspection with the help of proper
lightning. Any change in the previous condition of the adhesive may led to
item or lot rejection.

7.2 Production Bond Failures

When bond failure occurs, it is more likely an incorrect choice of cement type,
an anomaly in the substrate preparation, or incorrect interpretation of the
manufacturer’s instructions than a question of the quality of the cement.
Expired cement or inappropriate storage conditions (stored in lighted place,
not in the original container or not refrigerated) will probably lead to bond
failure. Failure may also occur due to incorrect requirements from the
designer. In such a case, if the producer identifies the designers’ mistake, it is
obligatory to inform the designer or the customer about it.
Shrinkage: All adhesives shrink upon cure. UV-cured adhesives can reduce
as low as 0.2%. Low shrinkage is necessary to minimize stress and provide long-
term stability. In a doublet lens, when a convex surface is bonded to a concave
one, the shrinkage on the sides pulls outward. Thin elements (meniscus lenses or
double concave lenses) can be exceptionally prone to distortion. Shrinkage can
occur on a witness sample or on the actual element.
Decentering: In lenses (doublets, e.g., Fig. 7.3, or triplets), an element can
shift off the optical or/and mechanical axis during or after pre-cure. This

Figure 7.3 Bonded lenses for VIS create an achromatic doublet (used to correct color
separation in glass).

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 102 Chapter 7

Figure 7.4 Bonded prisms create a beamsplitter.

occurs faster at room temperature for two-component cements or when high-

temperature-oven-cure adhesives are used. The UV cements can suffer from
decentering during the bonding process, too, due to a lack of a centering
procedure.
Uncured lenses, elongated cure times: Cured or uncured cement can
occur with all cements, as well as with UV curing, which is common in
bonding optical elements. The common UV curing cements are sensitive to
temperatures, transmission of substrate, wavelength, the intensity of the light
source, and the distance of light source to substrate.
Haze, fog, or discoloration: Discoloration or haze that occurs during or
immediately after curing is almost always a sign of contamination of the
cement. For UV cements, the main reason may be uncleaned bonded surfaces.
Polishing compounds or fingerprints, if not cleaned immediately, can leave a
very stubborn film and create haze, fog, or discoloration.
Cement wedge: A wedge occurs in lenses (doublets or triplets) if the
bonded elements are poorly centered. In prism beamsplitters, e.g., Fig. 7.4,
incorrect measurements of the bonded element may also lead to wedging.
A cement wedge decenters the bonded lenses.
Signs of separation between the adhesive and the bonded surface:
Separation may occur due to poor surface cleaning (insufficient or
inappropriate cleaning material or process).
Inclusions: Foreign particles in the cement occur mostly when the bonding
area is not kept clean.
Bubbles: Bubbles are gases or air trapped in the cement. Bubbles may
occur due to incomplete mixing of the two adhesive components or due to
poor preparation of the bonding process.
Figure 7.5 illustrates three cases of curing with UV light. In the first image
of Fig. 7.5, the bonding edge receives no light, the edge is not cured at the
same time as the rest of the lens, and it will have internal stress that will lead to
cohesive failure. Images 2 and 3 of Fig. 7.5 illustrate how to prevent such
stresses by pre-curing only the bond joints or by illuminating the UV light at a
low angle. Figure 7.6 depicts properly assembled doublets.

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 Optical Adhesives 103

Figure 7.5 (1) Internal stress that produces cohesive failure and (2 and 3) how to eliminate
it. Image courtesy of Norland Products, Inc., all rights reserved.

Figure 7.6 Real achromatic doublets.

7.3 Incoming Failure Identification

As mentioned before, the quality of the bond or the conformity to written
requirements can be tested on a witness sample or an actual item—testing that
always includes, besides environmental durability requirements, a visual
inspection of the bonded items.
Environmental durability testing may indicate separation between the
bonded surfaces, usually starting from the edges of the bonded witness sample
or from the edges of the actual item. Separation is seen as a shiny area in
reflected light. It can be any shape and can be identified by the presence of
Newton rings, or a color fringe.
Visual inspection of the bonded items may identify inclusions, bubbles, or
burgeoning separation on the edge. Separation appears the same as in
environmental durability testing. Cohesion, if present, can be identified by the
fern-like voids, called feathering, that appear along the edge of the lens or
sometimes in the interior.

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 104 Chapter 7

References
Summers Optical, “Summers Optical Technical Data and ‘Problem Solving,’”
http://www.optical-cement.com/cements/products.html.
Norland Products Inc., “Preventing Lens Separations with Norland Optical
Adhesives,” http://www.norlandprod.com/techrpts/preventsep.html.
Summers Optical, “The Bonding of Optical Elements Techniques and
Troubleshooting,” https://www.optical-cement.com/cements/manual/manual.
html.
Summers Optical, “Bond Failures - Causes and Remedies,” https://www.
optical-cement.com/cements/manual/manual.html.
A. Clements, “Selection of Optical Adhesives,” FiberRep, http://www.
fiberopticcleaners.net/articles/category/Epoxy, Adhesives, Curing/Selection
of Optical Adhesives.htm (December 14, 2006).

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