Optical Coatings

AR, HR, Beamsplitter & Filter Coatings

Deposited in our own vacuum chambers, from deep ultraviolet to far infrared. Anti-reflective, high-reflective, beamsplitter, and filter coatings for high-power lasers, imaging systems, and spectroscopy are designed, deposited, and verified in the same facility.

Coating Types

Anti-Reflective (AR) Coatings

Single-layer MgF2 — Broadband AR for general optics, 250 nm to 6 µm
Broadband AR (BBAR) — R < 1.5% average across the specified band
V-coat — R < 0.25% at a single laser line

High-Reflective (HR) Coatings

Metallic — Al, Ag, and Au with a protective dielectric overcoat
Dielectric — R > 99.5% at the design wavelength, UV to IR
Laser HR — High damage threshold for cavity and folding mirrors

Beamsplitter Coatings

Non-polarizing — 50/50 and custom ratios at 0° or 45° incidence
Polarizing — Cube and plate polarizers with high extinction ratio
Dichroic — Wavelength-selective splitting and combining

Optical Filters

Bandpass — Narrow and broad bandpass filters, 1 nm to 100 nm FWHM
Shortpass and longpass — Edge filters with steep transition widths
Neutral density — Fixed and continuously variable attenuation

Custom Coating Designs

Multilayer design — Optimized to your spectrum, angle, and polarization
Tolerance analysis — Manufacturing sensitivity and re-optimization
Prototype to volume — Witness runs before series deposition

Specifying Your Coating

Give us the substrate material, wavelength band, angle of incidence, polarization, and reflectance or transmission target. Where laser fluence matters, include pulse length and repetition rate so the design has adequate damage margin, and for filters state the blocking range and required edge steepness.

View Manufacturing Limits & Tolerance Chart

One specification table on this page — copy every direct link in one go.

Coating Capabilities

Values below are typical for the substrate and band specified at quotation. Laser damage figures are measured on witness samples under the stated test condition.

Parameter	Capability
Wavelength Range	193 nm - 12 µm
Coating Materials	MgF2, SiO2, TiO2, Ta2O5, Al2O3, YF3, ZnS, Ge, and metal films
AR Reflectance	R < 1.5% broadband average, R < 0.25% V-coat
Laser Damage Threshold	> 10 J/cm² at 1064 nm, 10 ns (AR); > 25 J/cm² (dielectric HR)
Deposition Equipment	Electron-beam evaporation with ion assist, ion-beam sputtering, magnetron sputtering
Substrate Size	Up to 300 mm diameter
Coating Uniformity	±1% across the clear aperture
Coating Durability	MIL-C-675 / ISO 9211 — adhesion, humidity, thermal cycling, and salt fog

Wavelength Range
Capability: 193 nm - 12 µm
Coating Materials
Capability: MgF2, SiO2, TiO2, Ta2O5, Al2O3, YF3, ZnS, Ge, and metal films
AR Reflectance
Capability: R < 1.5% broadband average, R < 0.25% V-coat
Laser Damage Threshold
Capability: > 10 J/cm² at 1064 nm, 10 ns (AR); > 25 J/cm² (dielectric HR)
Deposition Equipment
Capability: Electron-beam evaporation with ion assist, ion-beam sputtering, magnetron sputtering
Substrate Size
Capability: Up to 300 mm diameter
Coating Uniformity
Capability: ±1% across the clear aperture
Coating Durability
Capability: MIL-C-675 / ISO 9211 — adhesion, humidity, thermal cycling, and salt fog

Quality & Testing

Spectrophotometric verification
Transmission and reflectance are measured across the specified band, with curves supplied for critical orders.
Adhesion
Tape and abrasion testing to MIL-C-675 and MIL-M-13508 on production witness samples.
Environmental durability
Humidity, temperature cycling, and salt fog exposure to ISO 9211 for coated optics used outdoors.

Substrates We Coat

Coatings are deposited on optical glasses such as BK7 and SF11, on crystals including ZnSe, ZnS, germanium, silicon, CaF2, and sapphire, and on metal mirrors in aluminium, copper, and beryllium. Substrate figure and surface quality are checked before deposition, since a coating reproduces the surface underneath it. Every substrate is also compared by transmission band in the UV & DUV and MWIR & LWIR sections of the optical materials guide, with refractive index and Abbe number alongside.

Frequently Asked Questions

Anti-reflective (single-layer, broadband, and V-coat), high-reflective (metallic and dielectric), beamsplitter (non-polarizing and polarizing), and filter coatings (bandpass, edge, and neutral density), plus custom multilayer designs. All are deposited in-house by electron-beam evaporation with ion assist, ion-beam sputtering, or magnetron sputtering.

From 193 nm in the deep ultraviolet to 12 µm in the far infrared. The practical limit inside that span depends on substrate and film materials: fluoride films are used below 250 nm, oxide multilayers in the visible and near-IR, and ZnS, Ge, and YF3 based designs in the infrared.

Typical AR coatings withstand more than 10 J/cm² at 1064 nm with 10 ns pulses, and dielectric HR mirrors more than 25 J/cm² under the same conditions. Deep-UV coatings at 193 nm are specified at lower fluence, around 2 J/cm². Damage threshold depends on pulse length, repetition rate, beam diameter, and substrate quality, so we test witness samples for laser programs.

Yes. Spherical, aspheric, cylindrical, and freeform surfaces are coated with the same processes, using substrate rotation and masking to hold uniformity within ±1% across the clear aperture. Very steep aspheres may need a custom fixture so the deposition angle stays inside the design range.

Send the substrate material, wavelength band, angle of incidence, polarization, and the reflectance or transmission target. If the optic sees laser fluence, add pulse length and repetition rate so a design with adequate damage margin can be selected. For filters, include the blocking range and the edge steepness you need.

Related Components

These coatings are deposited on the substrates described on the crystal optics page — ZnSe, ZnS, silicon, germanium, CaF2, and sapphire — with designs tuned to each transmission band and laser fluence.