Conformal anti-reflective coating of curved optical surfaces

Homogeneous anti-reflective coating Optics surfaces with improved properties

Reducing the reflections that occur on surfaces is a key issue in optics and, since its invention at Carl Zeiss in Jena, the anti-reflective coating of optical components has been a core element of technological development work. ZEISS is currently working on new processes that enable further improvement of anti-reflective properties (lower residual reflection, higher broadband and angular acceptance) and, at the same time, homogeneous anti-reflective coating of curved optical surfaces in various dimensions. Hybrid anti-reflective coating solutions were developed, consisting of purely classical approaches of interference coating systems and nanoporous low refractive index top layers (see figure). Thus, the best anti-reflective performance is achieved up to the edge of curved optical surfaces.

Optimization of anti-reflective properties of optical components
Homogeneous anti-reflective coating on small and large curved optical surfaces

Figure 1: Realization examples of broadband anti-reflective coatings (BBARs) with the new process from ZEISS OEM Solutions

Optimization of anti-reflective properties of optical components

We develop customized high-tech coatings, tailored to the application and the system performance to be achieved.
One example is the broadband anti-reflective coating (BBARs), which has been realized using new processes for the fields of consumer optics, microscopy, medicine, etc.
The new hybrid coating systems from ZEISS have outstanding properties (see Figure 1), for example, by achieving a very low residual reflection of only 0.5% (average value in the complete spectral range) for the broadband spectral range [400nm-1700nm]. This value is smaller by a factor of two than the residual reflection of conventional anti-reflective coatings.

Figure 2: Homogeneous anti-reflective coating of an aspherical lens (lens diameter = 73mm; Ø / 2R > 0.5)

Homogeneous anti-reflective coating on small and large curved optical surfaces

We realize high-quality, homogeneous anti-reflective coatings on optical surfaces with different geometries and dimensions.
A reference is the coating of aspherical lens surfaces for the Fundus cameras for medical industry, which allows residual reflections < 1% from the lens center to the lens edge. Designed for a spectral range from 430 nm to 850 nm, stable suppression of reflections is provided at angles of incidence from 0°- 45° (see Figure 2).

Homogene Entspiegelung einer kleinen Optik-Oberfläche für die Mikroskopie

Homogeneous anti-reflective coating of a small optical surface for microscopy

An additional example is the conformal coating of small optical surfaces for microscopy. The new process from ZEISS OEM Solutions enables homogeneous anti-reflective coating of small curved lenses. Shown is a hemisphere with diameter 6.7mm which has residual reflections < 1% from the lens center to the lens edge in the spectral range from 350 nm to 900 nm (see Figure 3).

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ZEISS OEM solutions brochure

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Close tolerance beam splitter

Specification: R and T = 50 % ± 0,5 %

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Filters for fluorescence microscopy

Optimized for multispectral excitation (DAPI, FITC, Rhodamine and Cy5).

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Variable Filters

See the possibilities of circular variable filters

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