Our IR Filters are deposited by sputtering, using our ‘Rockard’ © technology, traditionally thermal evaporation has been used for IR filters. Some of the benefits of sputtering are outlined below.
- Highly durable coatings suitable for the toughest environments.
- Extremely low temperature shift.
- Reduced passband ripple for an even response.
- High blocking efficiency to increase signal to noise ratio.
Sputtering Vs Thermal Evaporation
A brief overview of IR Filter deposition technology is outlined below. Sputter deposition has a process energy approximately 3x that of thermal evaporation, this is responsible for the densely packed structure. This structure leads to superior environmental properties as outlined below.
Traditional Thermal Evaporation
- Voids in coating.
- Poor environmental performance.
- High shift with temperature change.
Open structure of traditionally evaporated coatings with gaps and voids.
Sputter Deposition
- Voids eliminated.
- Excellent environmental performance.
- Extremely low temperature shift.
Densely packed sputtered coating with no gaps
or voids.
Look out for the Rockard Logo on products featuring our specialist technology.