Progress in optical coatings

Angus Macleod

doi:10.1117/12.796001

20 September 2008 Progress in optical coatings

Angus Macleod

Proceedings Volume 7101, Advances in Optical Thin Films III; 710102 (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.796001
Event: Optical Systems Design, 2008, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

Abstract

The field of Optical Coatings is sometimes described as a mature technology, the sense being that not much new is actually happening. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is true that optical coatings have been with us for a long time, but the rate of innovation continues to show constant acceleration. The nature of optical coatings implies that they largely respond to needs from the entire field of optics where they enable advances rather than spearhead them. A modern camera lens would be a poor performer without the optical coatings that reduce glare and improve transmittance. Each DVD reader contains a number of optical coatings without which it could not function. These are just two examples of advances in applications of optics driving coating developments. The talk will trace some aspects of progress in coatings from the early days of the 16th Century, when Venice was the center for mirror production, to the worldwide production of the present day. It will survey some current demanding applications and discuss some of the latest innovations. Each advance requires the solution of new problems that are almost invariably a complex mixture of optics, materials science, chemical, mechanical and electrical engineering and often much more. The future of optical coatings is the future of optics itself.

Citation Download Citation

Angus Macleod "Progress in optical coatings", Proc. SPIE 7101, Advances in Optical Thin Films III, 710102 (20 September 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.796001

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