Reflective coatings, simply put, are mirrors. These coatings are most often made of a few layers of aluminum, silver or gold, but sophisticated applications may call for as many as 40 layers of proprietary film. A relatively simple application requiring > 90% reflectivity (e.g., machine vision) might call for aluminum, whereas a laser system’s requirements of > 99.5% reflectivity would call for one of our multi-layer dielectric coatings.

Aluminum? Silver? Gold? What’s the best coating for my project? Cost effective and highly durable, aluminum is the go-to choice for general purpose mirrors designed for work in the visible spectrum. Silver offers the highest reflectivity in the visible and near infrared spectrums, while gold will not corrode in harsh conditions. Gold also offers excellent reflective values in the visible red through far infrared spectrums.

The anti-reflective nature of these coatings allows for more light to be transmitted through the window or lens, rather than reflected back. Commercially, anti-glare coatings can be found on everyday items like eyeglasses, while IMPhotonix designs are most often used in applications like machine vision and laser surgery.

Beam Splitters separate a beam of light into two directions. Beam Splitting technology can be found in both laser printing and measuring systems.

Beam Combiners take two beams of light and combine them into one image. Beam combiners are found in binoculars as well as night vision goggles.

Windows are flat optics which protect the more critical components encased within a product. Polished on both sides to allow more light to pass through, windows guard against humidity and airborne particulates, two factors which can adversely affect the life of a finished product.

Filters are designed to transmit only certain wavelengths (read: colors) of light while rejecting all others. At IMPhotonix, we’ve applied filtered optical coatings for camera lenses which enable surgeons to more easily discern healthy tissue from tissue which is either damaged or diseased.

ITO: A transparent & conductive material composed of Indium and Tin Oxide. ITO is one of the most widely used conductive coating materials because of its electrical and optical properties. Applications include EMI shielding, anti-static films, touch screens, solar panels, and liquid crystal. Ask about adding a backside antireflection coating.