Considerations for Selecting AR Coatings

Anti-reflective (AR) coatings are optical coatings that decrease the amount of light reflected off a surface. Commonly applied to lenses, mirrors, or glass barriers, AR coatings are designed to maximize the throughput of light, while reducing hazards caused by reflections. This ability makes AR coatings an ideal solution for optical instruments, imaging devices, cameras, telescopes, […]

What’s the Difference Between Anti-Reflective and Anti-Glare?

“Anti-reflective” and “anti-glare” are common terms related to coating, but they are each distinct and provide different benefits. Depending on a particular application, an anti-reflective or anti-glare coating may be appropriate to use. Knowing what separates these two concepts can help determine which is best to use for a given coating. Here, we’ll review the […]

An Introduction to the Different Types of Optical Filters

Optical filters are passive optical devices that consist of specialized optical coatings applied onto a substrate. The coatings modify the refractive index of the substrate, enabling them to reflect, transmit, or absorb incoming light depending on its wavelength. This quality is useful for various optical tools and systems, such as chemical analysis units and microscopes. […]

Design Guide for Thin Film Coatings

Thin film coatings, such as antireflective (AR) coatings, are made from various materials, such as metals, oxides, and compounds, and are deposited in layers onto a substrate. Thin film coatings can be deposited in both single and multiple layers, and the configuration you choose determines how it will manipulate different wavelengths of light. Thin film […]

Applications of Optical Microscopes

Optical microscopy is a technique that allows the viewing of samples more closely using optical microscopes. It relies on light and one or more lenses to magnify samples. Optical microscopy is remarkably versatile, increasing the detail and contrast of a microscopic specimen. A range of applications rely on simple and complex microscopy techniques. Fluorescence Fluorescence […]

Ion Beam Sputtering

Ion Beam Sputtering Coating (IBS) uses an ion source to deposit or sputter a thin film onto your targeted material to create a dielectric film. Since an ion beam is mono-energetic and collimated, it creates a very precise control over the thickness of the film. Since an ion beam is mono-energetic and collimated, it creates […]

A Brief Guide to Thin-Film Optical Filters

What Are Thin-Film Optical Filters? Thin-film optical filters are optical devices consisting of alternating thin layers of specialized optical coatings deposited onto a substrate (e.g., optical glass). The coating layers alter the refractive index of the substrate, changing the direction of the various wavelengths in incoming light as it passes through one layer to the […]

A Brief Guide to Beamsplitters

Click to expand What Is a Beamsplitter? Beamsplitters—also referred to as beam splitters or power splitters—are optical devices designed to split incident light into two or more separate beams. They can also be used in reverse to combine two or more separate beams into a single one. Some of the key properties to keep in […]