Anti-Reflective Coating
A long history of expertise with AR coatings
AR coatings
PFG has been producing industry-leading AR coatings for 42 years. This long history gives us the expertise to apply AR coatings to the full array of optical glasses, crystals, and IR substrates. Known for their high durability, our AR coatings can survive all MIL-spec durability and environmental requirements. We can supply single-wavelength or broadband AR’s in the range of 300nm through 5µm. Complimenting our spherical and flat polishing capabilities, we apply AR coatings to our in-house lenses, windows, and prisms. Our design and engineering team can also create a custom AR coating for any need on customer-supplied substrates.Anti-Reflective Coated Optics Selection
Anti-Reflection Windows
Anti-Reflection Coated Prisms
Anti-Reflection Lenses
Laser Line Windows
Laser Line Prisms
Laser Line AR Coatings (V-coats)
In laser optics, efficiency is vital. Laser line AR coatings, known as V-coats, are able to maximize the laser throughput by lowering the reflection as close to zero as possible. Coupled with low losses, our V-coatings can achieve 99.9% transmission of laser light. These AR coatings can also be applied to the backside of beamsplitters, polarizers, and filters. With years of experience in the laser world, we routinely provide AR coatings with industry-competing laser-induced damage thresholds. We prove AR coatings tailored for -ns, -ps, & -fs pulsed lasers as well as CW lasers. We commonly provide V-coat style AR coatings for 1572nm, 1535nm, 1064nm, 633nm, 532nm, 355nm, and 308nm. We can also AR multiple wavelengths simultaneously for 1ω, 2ω, and 3ω applications.
Single-Layer AR Coatings
The single-layer MgF2 coating is the oldest and simplest type of AR coating. While most efficient for high-index glasses, these single-layer MgF2 coatings can often be a cost-effective compromise over more complicated broad-band AR coatings. PFG has a long-running history of providing highly durable MgF2 coatings that pass all MIL-C-675 durability and spectral requirements. While often the crux of high-energy coating processes like sputtering, PFG has developed a proprietary IAD (ion-assisted deposition) process that allows for MgF2 coatings to maintain their durability while being coated at low temperatures. This is a big advantage for heat-sensitive substrates like cemented or bonded optics or high CTE substrates. This proprietary process also allows for stress control, a long-running problem of MgF2 coatings.
Highlights of Low Temperature Fluoride Coatings (LTFC)
- The propriety IAD process allows for low-temperature deposition of fluoride-containing coatings
- Allows for better AR coating on heat-sensitive substrates
- Bridges the gap between high-temperature E-beam and an inability to sputter fluorides
- Coatings pass standard MIL-C-675 durability and spectral requirements
Broadband AR coatings
Imaging systems and broad-band sources can see a huge increase in light throughput with multi-layer AR coatings. Often containing many different optical elements of many different glass types and indices, the losses from each element in the system can quickly compound into unacceptable throughput for many imaging systems. Broadband AR coatings are multi-layered coatings that are tailored to AR the exact bandwidth of the system. These AR coatings can be designed in the visible, SWIR, MWIR, or any combination, and cover most any angle-of-incidence for converging or diverging beams. PFG can deposit these AR coatings with E-beam or IAD processes for a stable environmental response. When combined with our proprietary low-temperature MgF2 deposition process, these AR coatings provide maximum transmission while maintaining stability and durability. With years of experience, PFG has a competitive advantage in applying these AR coatings to the full spectrum of optical glasses, crystals, and IR substrates.
CUSTOM AR COATINGS
Our sales and engineering team will review your optical drawing or custom specifications and provide a free estimate. Typically, we offer:| Specification | Limit |
|---|---|
|
Size: |
3 to 400mm |
|
Surface roughness: |
15Ǻ with the ability to provide below 5Ǻ if requested |
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Surface quality: |
60/40 standard down to 10/5 Laser Quality (scratch/dig) |
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Diameter: |
±0.05mm down to ±0.010mm |
|
Center Thickness (CT): |
±0.1mm down to ±0.025mm |
|
Clear Aperture (CA): |
85% down to 0.5mm or more from the edge of the finished optic |
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Lens Centering: |
0.01mm ETD or 1 arc-minute deviation; 0.003mm ETD or 10 arc-seconds deviation |
Optical Thin Film Coating Department Capabilities
- Specialize in producing custom coatings to meet customer specifications
- Electron Beam (E-Beam) and Ion-Assisted (IAD) coating process technologies
- Laser Line Coatings, Anti-Reflection, Highly Reflective, V-Coats, Broadband, Metallic, Polarizing, Non-Polarizing, Beamsplitters, Long-Pass Filters, and Short-Pass Filters
- Ultra-broadband AR’s available – covering visible and infrared (ex. 400nm – 2µm)
In-house environmental testing: adhesion test, abrasion test, thermal-humidity test, temperature influence test, and stress test Coating charts and witness samples are routinely supplied