Metal & Dielectric Reflectors

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Reflective metal coatings such as aluminum, gold, silver, and chromium are advantageous for many optical reflector applications due to the low manufacturing cost, and stability in reflectance and polarization state over a broad range of angles. Metal mirrors can be applied as first or second surface mirrors, depending on the optical system requirement. For many applications, the reflectivity of the metal can be further enhanced by adding dielectric overcoat layers. These hybrid coatings are known as enhanced metal mirrors. Further, metal mirrors can be overcoated with a single dielectric layer to add hardness and oxidation stability to the mirrored surface. This process is known as a protected metal mirror. VisiMax also produces straight dielectric reflective coatings. By selecting coating materials of both high and low refractive index, deposited in alternating sequence with precise optical thickness control, defined bandwidths of high reflectance can be achieved. Low absorption and very high reflectance are the key attributes for dielectric reflector optical coatings.

Examples of Graphs

Dielectric Reflector for 680nm
Dielectric Reflector for 1064nm
Enhanced Aluminum for Visible Wavelength
Protected Gold NIR