ZnSe is a standard transmissive material for CO2 laser lenses, windows and output couplers at 10.6 µm because its bulk absorption there is very low. Published data gives ZnSe a 0.6–21 µm transmission range, so one part can pass a red alignment beam and long-wave…
Germanium vs silicon infrared optics is not a question of which material is universally better. The first decision is the operating wavelength. Silicon is particularly useful in many 3–5 μm MWIR systems, while germanium is a more conventional choice when transmission through the 8–14 μm…
A thin film coating manufacturer controls design, substrate cleaning, deposition and metrology; weakness in any stage shows up as spectral or durability failures. Deposition process sets film density, which drives moisture shift, stress, scatter and absorption. Interference coatings shift toward shorter wavelengths as angle of…
