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Anti-reflecting optical coatings
TYPES AND APPLICATIONS OF OPTICAL COATINGS
Optical coatings, applied to refracting and reflecting surfaces of optical components, can strongly change their optical parameters and, consequently, expand the purposes of optical devises working at ultra-violet (UV), visible and infra-red (IR) spectral range.
Optical coatings can be single-layer and multi-layer, i.e. consist of one or various films – dielectric, metal and other film-forming materials.
Depending on application and physical characteristics, optical coatings can be divided into the types, as follows: anti-reflecting, beam-splitting, spectrum-splitting, mirror, filtering, polarizing and protective.
Besides spectral parameters of coatings, their working characteristics are also of great importance. They determine the ability of coatings to withstand the effects of environment, such as mechanical, chemical, thermal impacts and also radiation loading.
Anti-reflecting coatings. Anti-reflecting coatings reduce reflection of incident rays from a surface of an optical component.
Beam-splitting. Beam-splitting coatings are applied for separation of incident beam into reflected and transmitted ones with the defined ratio of intensity.
Spectro-splitting. Spectro-splitting coatings are applied for separation of incident beam into reflected and transmitted ones with different spectral composition (color-splitting coatings for optical devices that transmit color images, heat-shielding coatings, etc.).
Mirror. The purpose of mirror coatings is to create the system with maximum reflecting coefficient. Mirror coatings are divided into metal, metal-dielectric and dielectric.
Filtering. Filtering coatings (interference filters) are used for isolation of the exact spectral range from the whole radiation spectrum. Depending on the application, filters are divided into blocking (cutting), narrow-band and band ones.
Polarizing. Interference polarizing coatings are applied for creation of polarized radiation.
Protective. Protective coatings bring the increase of mechanical and chemical durability of an optical surface.
Optical coatings department: coating@optotl.ru
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