Design, specification, and procurement of optical coatings all benefit when the designer has a good understanding of measurement techniques and uncertainties.

Accurately measuring the performance of an optical thin-film coating can be as challenging as designing and manufacturing it. Understanding measurement techniques and uncertainty when specifying and procuring optical coatings is important for optical system designers. This article is meant as a brief intro- duction to optical coating measurement for optical system designers, quality engineers, and purchasing agents. In the course of the article, we hope to touch on several of the more common measurement questions that are asked of coating engineers when optical systems are being specified...