Case Study: 450 – 625 nm AR N-BK7 Bi Convex Lens

Case Study: Anti-Reflection Coatings on Focal Lens to Reduce Reflection losses in an environmental monitoring system.

Customer Challenge: This customer wanted a bespoke anti-reflection coating to reduce the reflection loses in their system that monitors pollution levels in urban environments. The key to this job was to develop a coating that was optimised for the convex face of the lens.

Vortex’s Solution: Our design team used our coating performance simulation software to design a coating that would be suitable for this bi convex lens by simulating how the coating performs at various angles. With the software we were able to design a coating that performed optimally between 0° and 30° angle of incidence.

Another consideration with these bespoke lenses was how we would tool them to go into the coating machine. Our in-house design team also designed a tool that would safely carry these lenses without causing damage to the substrates. For this particular application we did not have a suitable off the shelf set of tooling and had to get it manufactured at a local engineering firm for a one-off cost. We do however hold a variety of different sized sets of tooling on the shelf that we have amassed over many years so can often avoid tooling charges all together.

The Result: We were able to deliver the specified coating optimised for the whole convex face and it worked as expected in the instrument. The signal was greatly improved when compared to uncoated samples. This example highlights Vortex’s example to design and develop any custom AR coating that can be optimised for almost any substrate.

This process is a standard anti reflection process and can be adapted to any refractive index or substrate, please contact us to discuss the specific details of your requirements.