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An optical coating is a thin-film deposit used to enhance transmission, change reflective properties, or change the polarization of light transmitted through an optical component. An optical coating may be a simple layer of metal such as aluminum, or it may be a complex dielectric coating formed of multiple thin layers of material, where the composition, thickness, and number of layers is carefully controlled for a precise result.
At Shanghai Optics, we provide a full range of optical coatings, including anti-reflective, high reflective, partial reflective coatings, and more specialized options. Whether you require a single-layer anti-reflective coating or complex multilayer dielectric stacks, we can manufacture exactly what you need. Dielectric coatings, such as BBAR, V-coatings, dual wavelength coatings, sharp cut-on and cut-off filters, are available in stock.
An inside look at Shanghai Optics in-house optical lens coating process. We can provide all types of anti-reflective, high reflective, and partial reflective coatings. We produce a wide variety of coatings from a single layer of anti-reflective coating to complex multi-layer dielectric stacks. Types of dielectric coatings are BBAR, V-coatings, dual wavelength coatings, and sharp cut-on and cut-off filters.
At Shanghai Optics, we utilize various methods to produce high-quality optical coatings, including plasma sputtering, ion beam sputtering (IBS), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and evaporative deposition. These methods are tailored to meet different needs, whether you’re looking for high spectral performance or budget-friendly solutions.
Advanced Plasma Sputtering (APS): An innovative technique for producing high-durability coatings with excellent optical performance.
Ion beam sputtering and atomic layer deposition provide the highest spectral performance, high durability and high repeatability; but the manufacturing process is slow and expensive. Evaporative deposition is more budget friendly, and plasma sputtering, or plasma assisted reactive magnetron sputtering, provides a good middle ground with reasonable quality and reasonable performance.
In ion beam sputtering (IBS) we use a high energy electric field to accelerate a beam of ions, giving them kinetic energy of 10-100 eV. The ion beam hits the source material, and ions from this material sputter onto the optical surface. A dense film is formed upon contact. Since every step of this process is carefully monitored and precisely controlled, the result is a highly consistent coating that meets design specifications and parameters precisely. IBS coatings can even have less roughness than the original substrate does. This is the method used to make “super mirrors”, special coated mirrors with a reflectivity of more than 99.99%.
In atomic layer deposition the optic to be coated is placed in a vacuum chamber, often at elevated temperatures. The coating substance is delivered as a gas, in pulses. During each pulse a single layer adheres, and then the vacuum chamber is evacuated in preparation for the next pulse. The benefit of this method is an extremely high level of control in layer thickness and composition of the layers of material, and the ability to uniformly coat optics with any geometry. The only negative side to this method is that it is slow, and hence expensive to run.
Evaporative deposition is a fast process that produces medium high layer density and a stable spectral performance. It can be used on almost any substrate geometry, and has medium to high layer smoothness. One type of evaporative deposition is called ion assisted electron-beam evaporative deposition, and is performed in a vacuum chamber where an electron gun bombards and vaporizes source materials. While this method is not ideal for ultra-low or ultra high reflection coatings, it is a good choice where low cost and flexibility are more important than high performance. Since it can be conducted at low temperatures (20-100 C) it may be a good choice for temperature-sensitive substrates.
In plasma assisted reactive magnetron sputtering (PARMS), glow discharge plasma, confined by a magnetic field to an area near the target, accelerates positive ions onto the target deposition material. This causes the ejection of atoms which then coat the optical surface. The process can run efficiently even at low chamber pressure, which allows it to be conducted with minimal setup time. The film coatings are typically hard and dense, and though PARMS is not as repeatable as ion beam sputtering it has a high through put and is much more repeatable than evaporative deposition. This balance between good optical performance and good volume throughput makes it an ideal choice for something like a fluorescence optical filter.
After an optical coating has been applied, each component produced at Shanghai Optics undergoes stringent metrology tests to ensure it functions exactly as intended. Research-grade spectroscopes enable us to fully characterize the reflective properties of coatings from Far Infrared through to UV. Other state of the art metrology equipment, such as optical laser and laser diode sources, power meters, polarimeters and detectors give us the ability to quantize the properties of each component and ensure each optical coating performs according to all applicable standards.
At Shanghai Optics, our state-of-the-art equipment allows us to offer comprehensive testing capabilities, including:
Fiber optics are particularly reliant on coatings to enhance fiber strength, decrease fatigue and improve attenuation. They provide key damage protection and enable you to extend the lifespan of your device. Standard communication fibers typically utilize a UV-cured acrylate polymer coating applied in two layers: a soft primary coating and a harder secondary coating. Other specialty coatings include fluorescent materials, sensing reagents, silicone, sapphire, nitrides, metal, and carbon. Thin carbon and metal coatings can also be used in conjunction with a polymer coating.
At Shanghai Optics we have the facilities to both produce and coat high performance fiber optics per your specifications. Clean room facilities and highly sensitive equipment enable us to facilitate the highly controlled processes necessary to micro-optical production, and all our fiber optics are carefully inspected before they leave our factory.
The final properties of a dielectric coating will depend on the coating materials used in the thin film layers—especially their refractive index. Changing the layer thickness and the number of layers can also completely change the interference effects and function of a thin film coating. For precision coatings, the optical thickness of each layer must be very carefully controlled.
The ideal optical coating designs for your application will depend on the wavelength of the light and work environment as well as on your project budget. Our design team has many years of experience in coating technologies, and we would be happy to help you determine the custom optical coatings that best fit your application.