August 1, 2026

PhotonEdge Launches New Anti-Reflection Coating Optimization Service

PhotonEdge is pleased to announce the launch of its new Anti-Reflection (AR) Coating Optimization Service, designed to help customers maximize optical system performance through customized AR coating solutions.

Every optical system loses light at each air-glass interface due to Fresnel reflection — approximately 4% per surface for uncoated BK7 at normal incidence. In multi-element systems with 8 or more surfaces, cumulative reflection losses can exceed 30%, significantly degrading transmission and creating ghost images that reduce measurement accuracy in precision applications.

PhotonEdge's new AR Coating Optimization Service addresses this challenge by providing application-specific coating designs that go beyond standard catalog offerings. The service includes:

Wavelength-Specific Optimization: Rather than selecting from pre-defined broadband ranges, customers receive coatings optimized for their exact operating wavelengths. Whether your system uses a single laser line at 1064 nm, a dual-wavelength configuration at 1064/532 nm, or a custom LED spectrum, our coating engineers design the layer stack to minimize reflection at your specific wavelengths.

Angle-of-Incidence Customization: Standard AR coatings are designed for normal incidence (0°). For systems with significant cone angles (high-NA optics) or off-axis elements, the coating performance degrades at oblique angles. Our optimization service designs coatings that maintain low reflectivity across your actual angular range, ensuring consistent performance across the full field.

Power Density Considerations: For high-power laser applications, coating absorption is a critical concern. Our service includes LIDT-aware design, selecting deposition processes (IAD or IBS) and material combinations that maximize damage threshold while maintaining the required spectral performance.

Comprehensive System Analysis: For customers with complex multi-element systems, PhotonEdge offers system-level coating optimization. We analyze every surface in your optical path, determining the optimal coating type (MgF2 single-layer, BBAR, V-coat, or custom multi-layer) for each surface based on its wavelength, angle, and power conditions, minimizing total system reflection loss.

"Standard catalog coatings serve 80% of applications well, but the remaining 20% — high-power lasers, wide-angle systems, multi-wavelength configurations, and UV applications — benefit enormously from custom optimization," said the PhotonEdge coating engineering team. "Our new service makes this expertise accessible to all customers, not just those ordering large volumes."

The AR Coating Optimization Service is available now for all optical components in the PhotonEdge catalog, as well as for customer-supplied substrates. Coating designs are provided with spectral performance simulations, and finished components include spectrophotometric measurement data verifying coating performance against specification.

To request an AR coating optimization consultation, contact PhotonEdge at [email protected] or visit our contact page for a technical discussion with our coating engineers.