Optimax delivers finished optics faster and with less risk because we own the complete manufacturing process, including optical coating.
Our state-of-the-art cleanroom coating facility produces custom antireflection coatings, beamsplitters, metal mirrors, laser line and broadband dielectric mirrors and filters. Our coatings have been used successfully in some of the most demanding Space, Defense, high power laser (HPL), medical, and semiconductor applications.
Serving sensitive defense and direct energy programs
Optimax can IBS coat up to 400 MM
Optimax has invested in advanced metrology, including custom metrology options. If you can't measure it, you can't make it.
Ion Beam Sputtered Coatings: 400mm Mirrors, ARs and Filters Absorption: <2ppm ARs, <5ppm Mirrors in the NIR Laser damage thresholds: >10MW/cm2CW
Optimax mirrors, ARs, and filters are used in UV/DUV lithography applications all over the world. Our coated lenses ensure:
Thousands of Optimax coated optics are used in the highest energy pulsed lasers in the world. Our coating and cleaning processes have been developed under National Ignition Facility and Omega Laser guidelines to achieve low defect counts, low absorption, and high laser damage thresholds.
Type |
Wavelength |
Pulse Lengths |
Typical Specifications |
Optimax Best Performance |
| HR | 1064 nm | 10 ns | >40 J/cm2 |
>125 J/cm2 |
| AR | 1064 nm | 10 ns | >25 J/cm2 | >65 J/cm2 |
Optimax coated optics are being successfully used in some of the highest power CW laser systems in the world. Our processes have been developed to achieve low defect counts, low absorption, and high laser damage thresholds.
CW High Power 1070 nm Antireflection (AR) and Dielectic Mirror (HR) Performance |
|
| Laser Damage Threshold* | >10MW/cm2 |
| AR Coating Absorption** | <2 ppm |
| HR Coating Absorption** | <5 ppm |
Space can be a harsh environment for optical coatings. Optimax has successfully provided antireflection (AR) coatings for a wide range of space applications. Our coatings have been qualified for many missions, demonstrating:
For large and steeply curved lenses, an optical coating will be thinner at the edge of the optic unless corrected. For transmitting optics, this non-uniformity can lead to significantly reduced transmission towards the edge of the clear aperture. Optimax has developed a deterministic approach to correct coating uniformity on even the most steeply curved lenses; insuring good spectral performance and high transmission across the entire clear aperture.
Figure 1. A coated 200mm diameter, 150mm convex radius of curvature lens. The left side of the lens shows the variable reflection from uncorrected coating non-uniformity (multilayer is 15% thinner at edge than center). The right side shows a uniformity corrected surface; reflectivity is the same from center to edge.
Although thin, internal stresses of optical coatings can be significant enough to physically bend an optic, changing figure and wavefront. The impact can become extreme as coating thickness, optic aspect ratio, and coating stress increase.
Coating stress is partially a function of optic thermal expansion coefficient, so substrate material is an important factor in understanding the impact of coating stresses. Optimax has the ability to measure and tune coating stress to near neutral levels on a wide range of optical substrates. This is especially important for applications where relatively thick mirror and filter coatings are required with high precision figure and wavefront control.
Figure 1. Change in surface form of a mirror with an 8:1 clear aperture to thickness ratio after deposition of a single-side 6-micron thick multilayer dielectric mirror coating. The Optimax low-stress mirror (LS-HR) can be tuned to minimize coating stress induced deformation.
Many optical glasses are chemically and environmentally sensitive. Lenses fabricated from these glasses can stain over time leading to transmission degradation. The OTR coating was developed after a careful study of coating diffusion and surface chemistry at the optic-coating interface. The OTR coating eliminates optic staining in even the most hot-humid use environments.
Figure 1. Glass windows made from a humidity sensitive glass after storing in a hot-humid environment for 1 month. The window coated with an industry standard AR (left) is visibly stained and has a lower transmission. The window coated with the Optimax OTR coating resists staining and ensures good transmission even in the most hot-humid use environments.
Attribute |
Minimum |
Maximum |
| Diameter | 3mm | 500mm |
| Wavelength | 193nm | 5000nm |
| Use Environment | Vacuum | >95% RH |
| Durability | Moderate abrasion | Severe abrasion |
| Measurement | — | 68°, s, p, average polarization |
| Laser Damage Threshold | — | 1064nm: >30J/cm2@10ns, >1MW/cm2CW |
| Layers | 1 | 200 |
Above are manufacturing limits and tolerances specific to thin film coating. For more detailed information, please contact sales@optimaxsi.com.
Based on Form Error Tolerance
Form Error > 2μm Lower Resolution Profilometry (2-D)1 |
||
|---|---|---|
Attribute |
Minimum |
Maximum |
| Diameter (mm) | 3 | 250 |
| Local Radius (mm) | -8 (Concave) | ∞ |
| Sag (mm) | 0 | 502 |
| Departure (mm) | 0.01 | 20 |
| Included Angle (°) | 0 | 120 |
Form Error 0.5 – 2μm Higher Resolution Profilometry (2-D)1 |
||
Attribute |
Minimum |
Maximum |
| Diameter (mm)3 | 3 | 250 |
| Local Radius (mm) | -12 (Concave) | ∞ |
| Sag (mm) | 0 | 252 |
| Departure (mm) | 0.01 | 20 |
| Included Angle (°) | 0 | 150 |
Form Error < 0.5μm Interferometry with Stitching (3-D) |
||
Attribute |
Minimum |
Maximum |
| Diameter (mm)3 | 3 | 250 |
| Local Radius (mm) | -13 (Concave) | ∞ |
| Sag (mm) | 0 | 252,4 |
| Departure (mm) | 0.002 | 1 |
| Included Angle (°) | 0 | 120+5 |
Rod or Arbor |
||
|---|---|---|
Attribute |
Minimum |
Maximum |
| Length (mm) | 3 | 5001 |
| Width (mm) Radius dependent | 2 | < 2x Radius |
| Cylinder Radius (mm) – Convex Only | 2 | 150 |
X-Y |
||
| Attribute | Minimum | Maximum |
| Length (mm) | 3 | 300 |
| Width (mm) | 2 | 300 |
| Cylinder Radius (mm) | 10 | ∞ |
| Concave sag to flat (mm) | 0.1002 | =Radius |
Attribute |
Tolerancing Limit* |
| Diameter (mm) | +0, -0.010 |
| Center Thickness (mm) | ± 0.050 |
| Irregularity – Interferometry (HeNe fringes) |
0.1** |
| Irregularity – Profilometry (μm) | ±1.0 |
| Wedge Lens – ETD (mm) |
TBD |
| Surface Roughness (Å RMS) | 10 |
Attribute |
Minimum |
Maximum |
| Diameter (mm) | 3 | 300 |
| Thickness | 1 | 150 |
| Aspect Ratio1 | 1 | 502 |
Based on Form Error Tolerance
Attribute |
Minimum |
Maximum |
| Diameter (mm) | 3 | 400 |
| Radius (mm) | ±1 | ∞2 |
| Aspect Ratio (Diameter/Center Thickness) | <1:1 | 30:1 |
| Included Angle (°) | 0 | 2103 |
Learn how a 2-4× improvement in 3ω LIDT was demonstrated with adequate 1ω laser damage resistance, and an 18% decrease in the refractive index between alumina and hafnia results in coating designs that are 3× thicker
There are many decisions to make when designing, specifying, manufacturing, and testing optical components for high-energy laser systems — each is a potential failure mechanism that must be understood and controlled.
Optimax has developed a novel optical coating (OTR‐AR). OTR coatings have been demonstrated to provide excellent resistance to latent scratching, staining and dimming of chemically sensitive optical glass surfaces in hot humid environments.
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