Coatings

   Without any coating, an uncoated glass with a refractive index of 1.5 and negligible absorption would transmit approximately 92% of the incident light, while reflecting approximately 8% (4% from each glass/air interface). In systems with multiple optical elements, a 4% loss at each surface can lead to significant overall energy loss. For instance, the cumulative loss for ten common glass optics exceeds 50%. Optics with higher refractive indices experience even greater reflection losses, and losses also escalate at higher angles of incidence. To mitigate these losses, AR coatings must be applied to each surface, enhancing the overall performance by reducing reflection.

   Optonas developes a range of AR coatings optimized for ultraviolet, visible, and infrared wavelengths. We offer the capability to design and deposit custom AR coatings tailored to our customers' specifications. If you require assistance in specifying your coating requirements, our experienced coating engineers will collaborate with you to identify the most suitable design for your specific needs.

   For further information regarding AR coatings, including single-layer anti-reflection (SLAR), V-coat (VAR), broad-band anti-reflection (BBAR), and dual-band anti-reflection coatings, please don't hesitate to contact us.

   By leveraging the properties of multi-layer dielectric films, our polarizers can efficiently filter light based on its polarization state. These coatings are designed to split incident light into two components - the transmitted light with the desired polarization and the rejected light with the undesired polarization. The versatility of our polarizers finds utility in a broad range of fields, including but not limited to astronomy, remote sensing, microscopy, laser systems, and biomedical imaging.

At Optonas, we offer the expertise to design and deposit custom beam splitter coatings tailored to the specific requirements of our customers. If you are unsure about how to specify your coating needs, our team of coating engineers will collaborate with you to identify the most suitable design for your particular application.
Beam splitters find utility in various fields including interferometry, fiber optics, metrology, oceanography, seismology, chemistry, plasma physics, remote sensing, biomolecular interactions, surface profiling, microfluidics, mechanical stress/strain measurement, and velocimetry. Their versatility makes them an essential component in a wide range of scientific and technological applications.

Metallic ND filters are typically composed of a thin metal coating on glass, fused silica, or plastic optics. They provide a relatively neutral decrease in transmittance across a wide wavelength range. The transmittance of these filters is controlled by carefully managing the composition and thickness of the metal coating.

Dichroic ND filters follow a similar construction to metallic ND filters, but they utilize an absorbing oxide coating. Dichroic ND filters offer advantages such as lower reflectance from the coated surface, improved thermal and mechanical durability. These benefits become especially crucial when ND filters are used in series.

Neutral density filters are typically specified based on the desired transmittance or optical density within a specific wavelength range.

Dielectric filters consist of inorganic oxide layers and selectively transmit or reflect specific ranges of energy. Common types of dielectric filters include band pass filters such as long/short pass filters and notch filters. These filters can be manufactured to serve UV, visible, and infrared applications.

Band pass filters are typically composed of a transparent or absorptive filter glass coated with a multi-layer dielectric coating. They reject energy outside of the desired pass band. Short pass filters allow shorter wavelength regions (higher energy) to pass through, while blocking longer wavelengths. Long pass filters enable longer wavelength regions (lower energy) to pass through while blocking shorter wavelengths. Notch filters incorporate stop bands at energies lower and higher than the pass band.
Short pass filters allow the passage of shorter wavelength regions (higher energy) while blocking longer wavelengths. Absorptive filter glass is commonly used for short pass filters, as the region blocked by reflectance is limited in bandwidth due to interference between the harmonics of the blocking band and the desired pass band.
Long pass filters, on the other hand, enable the transmission of longer wavelength regions (lower energy) while blocking shorter wavelengths.

Notch filters incorporate stop bands at both lower and higher energies than the pass band. The width of the stop bands can vary from relatively wide to extremely narrow, depending on the design and construction of the filter.

For more specific information or to discuss your unique requirements, please feel free to reach out to us – CanYouCoat@optonas.com

The implementation of Optonas UV cold mirrors yields remarkable outcomes, as they significantly enhance the amount of reflected UV energy at the irradiation zone while simultaneously reducing visible and infrared energy. Consequently, the temperatures at the irradiation zone are lowered, enabling the processing of substrates that are sensitive to temperature fluctuations.

UV cold mirrors solely function on radiant energy that is reflected from the lamp, and not on the lamp's direct radiation. To mitigate direct visible and infrared radiation, UV curing system designers also employ UV hot mirrors.