Plasma Optik News
White Papers and News You Can Use
Plasma Optik offers optical thin film Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS) services. We provide additional IBS capacity for your optical thin film production needs and can assist with your overflow and backlog when you need it most.

Plasma Optik Techne System —Qualification for High Fluence Optical Applications
James Kraus, Senior Coating & Sales Development Engineer
Executive Summary | Thin films exposed to high laser fluence levels benefit from having both high laser damage threshold and low absorption values. The need for high laser damage threshold is clear. Low absorption is also important due to the need to keep the optic from experiencing absorption-based heating effects while in use. Thin film stack absorption under optical load can lead to issues such as thermal lensing and premature failure of the optic. Plasma Process Group has developed the Techne Ion Beam Sputtering deposition tool designed for manufacturing these challenging coatings. Plasma Optik has optimized Techne process parameters to both maximize laser damage threshold and minimize absorption. This paper details the laser damage and absorption testing methods and these methods are discussed. Also included is laser damage and absorption performance data measured by testing of 1064nm and 532nm high reflector mirrors made with the Techne system.
Come Say Hello at the SPIE Photonics West Exhibition in Jan 2022
Thank you Customers!
We appreciate all of our customers this past year. It has been a very busy year and we are looking forward to helping you in 2022. Have a safe and fun Holiday Season!
Come See Us in 2022
Please come join us at the SPIE Photonics West Exhibition in January. We are all vaccinated, getting our boosters, and are looking forward to seeing everyone!


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Optical Coating Materials
James Kraus, Senior Coating & Sales Development Engineer
Executive Summary | A variety of materials are used in thin film optics applications. Customers of thin film optics may be interested in becoming familiar with these materials and the important differences which make one material set more appropriate for your application. We propose that the most important intrinsic material considerations are material index, material bandgap and absorption edge. These material properties are discussed as they affect thin film optics performance in different scenarios.

Optical Filters in Lidar Systems Applied to Autonomous Vehicle Applications
James Kraus, Senior Coating & Sales Development Engineer
Executive Summary | Interest in commercializing Lidar technology for vision systems in autonomous vehicles is very high. Recent advancements in compact, low-cost and high-performance lasers have pushed Lidar technology to the brink of widespread adoption. Optical filters play an important role in the Lidar optical engine. Plasma Optik bandpass filter manufacturing efforts geared toward this application are discussed. Resolution limits of radar and Lidar technologies are compared. Practical vision system performance challenges are discussed as they relate to automotive Lidar applications.